Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Disappointed after buying Yamaha CP4

Thanks for the suggestion, to be honest I actually had the opportunity to try the MP11 for around 10 minutes ^^ It was setup with some exteremely loud blasting surround speakers, so I wasn't able to make up an opinion of the sound quality. I can at least remember the touch of it being LEAGUES ahead of the CP4. It was... ALMOST A REAL PIANO! And the bass and middle part had a really strong punch to it, which I really liked.

Yes, hope I can find it somewhere to try out again!

Havard, If you can't afford a Roland RD800, I strongly recommend you try out a KAWAI MP7. I own one, and chose it above the Yamaha CP4. I like the Roland very much, but could not afford it, however the MP7 sounds great, feels great and is feature-packed, and well priced. It is cheaper than a CP4.

Thanks Alan! Any specific reason to check out MP7, and not MP11?

There's not too much to play with in the sub CP4 price range that would be an improvement in touch and sound, but since these things are subjective try:

Kawai MP7
Yamaha MOX8
Yamaha CP40 or used CP50
Yamaha P255 - if you liked your P115 this may have been the no brainer upgrade
Roland RD300nx
Kawai ES100
Casio PX-5S
Casio PX-350

More expensive than CP4 would be Roland RD800, Kawai MP11, and Nord Stage 2 EX

Wouldn't it be nice if there were an updated version, say a Roland RD400, that could fill this niche?

I'm really surprised that Roland hasn't come out with this. I think it could be very competitive in that space.

Roland also doesn't make the VK-x or VR-xxx lines anymore. All they have to show for in portable B3 style organs is the low end VR-09. They also don't make high end workstation anymore to compete with the Motif XF or Korg Kronos. Just the mid-low end FA-08 and 06. They are very focused on the synth market at the moment.

I agree, and the RD300nx is really wanting in the action.

Hi Havard,

The reasons I recommended a Kawai MP7 to check out, instead of a Kawai MP11 are:
- It is a lot cheaper than a MP11
- It has way more additional sounds on it, compared to a MP11
- It is significantly lighter than a MP11 (21kg vs 32kg)
- It has the same superb acoustic grand pianos, electric pianos etc as the MP11
- It also has the "virtual piano technician" just like the MP11

The MP11 has arguably one of the most authentic keyboard actions of the current DPs, but you will find that the keyboard action on the MP7 is still very good.

All the best with your choice.

I'm at just a tad over year here as well with the CP4, and for the most part, I still really like it.

I came from using the Nord Piano 88 and Nord Piano 2 for a little over 4 years. Most of the time I prefer the Yamaha, but there are certain musical instances where I miss the Nord. It would be nice to have both and choose according to the gig and my mood. I do think the Yamaha has a thicker sound, and doesn't thin out in high registers like the Nord.

I don't particularly care for the CP4 through phones either. It sounds much warmer and less harsh through my gigging speakers and di/ preamp set up--RCF TT08As /TT22As and JMK Audio JM-110 pre.

I do love the sound of the CF Grand on the CP5 with the phones. It has a more airy sound to it that I find attractive for jazz. Conversely, it loses something, sonically through speakers , even good ones. Still I mainly play it at home, while the CP4 sits in its case for the next gig.

Primarily I use the CP5's drum loops and play LH bass to back my vocals, when practicing for my solo gigs. The CP5 is nowhere near as sonically functional, live in a group setting , as the CP4 though.

If I were just going to play a DP at home, solo, with no playing in bands or schlepping it around , the MP11 would be my first choice.

The RD-800 intrigues me and at times I think of taking leap of faith on it. But for band playing I've had bad experiences in the past with Roland pianos sounding too transparent and not being present enough in the mix.

I'm fairly certain though the RD-800 would be a better solo gigging ax to use when I need the drum loops/LH bass over the CP5. It has a more refined, updated sound.

Basically there are pluses and minuses for each model. But I feel the CP4 is the best compromise with regard to the sound while playing in the band, its physical weight and build quality. At least for me and the way I play.

Make sure you have quality speakers , they can make or break everything with regard to tone.

Some shop take back sold products for say 80% of it's new-value, when you buy another (more expensive) instrument in change. Worth checking with your dealer.

Hi,

If i can help, here are my tweaks for my lovely CP4 :

From sample CFX Rock :

Keyoff Vel : +9
Playmode/ Vel depth : 67
Filter/EG Cutoff : -4
Effect B : type Mic3B-3 : Basic bassgain : +5, mid : +2 Tre : +8.5 vol : 100
Utility general : vel curve : wide 1

For me it's the best tweak!

Best regards. Chris Bart.
Thanks for feedback.

Hi Havard, Sorry I did not realise until now that I had not answered your question. You've probably long ago sorted out whether to keep or replace your CP4. I couldn't comment on the Kawai MP11 at the time as I had never played one, but I own a MP7. I have recently played a MP11 side by side with a MP7. They are both very good. Many people feel that the MP11 has the best realistic piano action on the market so far. I am so used to playing the very good RHII action on the MP7 that when I played the MP11, it really didn't feel much better, but yes, it was good. The MP11 has the same main piano sounds as the MP7, but nowhere near as many sounds altogether. It also weighs a lot. I think I also mentioned the MP7 rather than the MP11, because I was thinking of size and weight and similar features to the CP4. I was also thinking the MP11 was way more expensive that the CP4 and MP7. Actually the MP7 is cheaper than a CP4.

Kawai has now released the ES8, which has onboard speakers and ther RHIII action, but way less sounds than are on a MP7. It is well priced and seems to be gaining popularity.

I have a friend who plays in a band I sometimes am guest drummer for, and he owns a CP4. I was tempted to buy one once too. The key action is not too bad, although having said that, I played a low spec Yamaha P105 with no sound turned on, and then played the CP4 silently, and it bothered me that the keybeds did not feel all that different when you couldn't hear the sound, but the CP4 did feel better when I could hear the sound...i.e. keys and sound connectivity was good. I also found that the CP4's pianos didn't really inspire me. It is not that they were terribly bad, they were actually good, but it seemed that Yamaha had really done little to ensure their latest piano offerings were fresh and cutting edge.

Amyway, I hope you solved your dilemma.

I own a CP5 and have given thought of buying the CP4.

The operating system on the CP5 is not intuitive though I've managed to understand it.

One feature that I like about the CP5, the mic input.

I think I'll wait until the next generation is introduced and then get serious about buying.

The action of the P300 was my favorite.

Hi, i agree with Alan, if you are looking for best slab DP key action, IMHO you must look in first place a Kawai MP11, at second place look for a Kawai MP7 and in third place for a Roland RD800 very close to MP7 key action. You can try the new Kawai ES8, for my taste i could put between MP7 and RD800. Opinions and tastes could differ, for that reason you must try all options for yourself, and then you can share with us your opinions. Have a nice day!

Funny to see my old thread revived!



I ended up selling the CP4 with a loss of 10%, which I am honestly very happy with. I'm glad I had half a year experimenting with another piano, just that experience was worth the money i lost.

Later I got the opportunity to try MP11 for a hour, and to be honest I did not like it at all. Keys and touch can feel pretty realistic but still disappoint me when the sound they produce doesn't satisfy my ears. It's strange, but what would seem like high quality specifications can still sound bad to me... For example, I was extremely disappointed after buying the Vienna Imperial VST.

For now, the closest I've come to the depth of a real piano in my headphones is my good old Yamaha P155's build in sound, and also the Pearl Grand Piano VST.

I still dream of finding the perfect Digital Piano sound with all of the realistic features like String Resonance, etc... But I assume thats somewhere in the future. For now, I want to try out the P255, and maybe also purchase Garritan CFX.

Hi Dave, P300 looks amazing to me! Sadly it's quite rare, probably wont be able to test it.

Finding the "perfect" touch is hard enough. I'd say you should purchase the MP11 (or VPC1) and experiment with VSTs.

The Vienna Imperial sounded harsh and analytical to me. They can throw all the stats they want in their ads, but if its sound isn't inviting, I won't be tempted to buy the product.

Decide what kind of sound you want (Steinway, Bosendorfer, Yamaha, etc) and then test VSTs out.

Hi Strat, yes I forgot to mention that I'm also looking into trying VPC1, as VST's might be my future.

Good to hear someone else also agrees with me when it comes to Vienna Imperial! I really enjoy the realism of the resonance and dampers, but the upper half of the keys sounds very mechanical, almost "synthy" to me.