Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards My Yamaha NU1X review

This is just the first day of owning it and I've been to work all day, so had the chance to play it for just a few hours. I know maybe nobody needs just another review, but it's probably curious to know that I've been one of the big haters of NU1 due to the loud note issue. Yet, I've always liked how it feels otherwise.

Let me start with the most important topic: the loud note issue. Unfortunately this is a prominent issue and I've hit it so many times in the last few hours I simply couldn't count it Sometimes it would manifest really unexpectedly and would annoy, sometimes it's rather subtle and even feels kind of natural given the circumstances. I can reproduce it 100%, however I am not sure I can avoid it 100%. I need to decide for myself but indeed it's annoying. I still believe one can live with it, but I need to do a higher mileage to know better.

That issue aside, the very first impression is of a keyboard that simply feels real. I've sold my ES7 a few days ago but my memories are fresh since I've had it for a few years. The Kawai keyboard is very light and smooth feeling, soft bottoming. The NU1X is entirely on the contrary, it feels very heavy and substantial, hard bottoming, with lack of smoothness (due to moving hammers underneath which creates so various sensations in the fingers). But ultimately the heavy keyboard really helps me to achieve much better control over dynamics. And the feeling of the hammers, combined with the key to sound connection absolutely fools the mind that it's a real instrument rather than a digital piano.

However, with all that being said, I still need some time to get 100% accustomed to the keyboard feel, the half-pedal point, etc.

Moving to the sounds. I believe it's very important to note those are best suited to play with the built-in speakers. IMO Yamaha spent quite some time to sample the original pianos and EQ the samples + EQ the speakers in a way that makes it feel absolutely real! There's no booming bass as in the Kawai CA-pianos. That being said, the samples probably don't sound as good on headphones although that's rather subjective. The binaural one (CFX) is great when played live, although it's a bit muffled and a better clarity would have worked best.

The VRM is so convincing that I actually changed the way I played some of the pieces I play just to enjoy and listen the rich resonances! Commendable job by Yamaha.

Oddly enough, the Bosendorfer which so many people hate, including me when tested on Clavinovas, feels very good through the speakers of NU1X, so much better than on Clavinovas, and so is certainly more than usable, very dark and woody. On headphones though it's absolutely rubbish.

I'm also very impressed by the upright piano sample. On speakers it creates this intimacy and slight imperfection that is so warm! I will definitely use it to play on speakers. Not on headphones though.

Rhodes is top class! And finally I can play an unearthly GORGEOUS harpsichord! I'll definitely record a piece soon to show it. Kawai, take a note here, the harpsichord in all Kawai pianos up to now has been a joke

The two pipe organs, and especially the principal, are also AWESOME!

Needless to say the piano looks fantastic and inspires me to play, I've already pasted this in the other thread:


And finally, I tried to record a piece I learned soon. I haven't practiced it a lot and so I did maybe 10 takes, all of which with so many mistakes Anyway, I chose one of them to finish my review. It's recorded with the binaural CFX sample, so it's recommended that you use headphones too. The video is from an old Fuji camera and unfortunately at the end it lags behind the audio that was exported as a WAV file on a thumb drive. Not sure why the un-sync, couldn't fix it with iMovie.

I'm sorry to hear that Regularly playing an NU1, I can understand that it is a 100% reproducable artifact (which occasional NU1/NU1X players often deny). That said. it doesn't bother me that much, because I can internalize the fact that it should be a silent note, rather than an outstanding note....

Yamaha has done well with the AG-series and I hope you are able to make the NU1X work. I couldn't get it to fit into my home,but it definitely has that feel that a typical DP is lacking, so I hope it works out for you!

It sounds like you bought it with an option to return it if you cannot get used to the loud note issue? Is that true?

Osho

Yes, I bought it from Thomann and they offer 30 day money back guarantee. I think that's plenty for me to decide. If you ask me now, I'd say I'll keep it. It's something that I think I can live with, and if I can learn to somehow ignore it, the piano is so much better than any other digital piano I've played so far (except for grand hybrids) that it's not worth it to return it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the loud note issue doesn't occur on the other Avantgrands (N1, N2, etc), right?

Yes, that is correct.

Osho

Nice playing CyberGene.

How does it work with your favourite VIs?

Any views on how your DIY grand compares?

Congrats CyberGene!

Thanks for your review, and for posting the lovely photo and nice playing!

Good stuff!

Kind regards,
James
x

Thanks, James!


Haven’t tried it with Garritan CFX yet but I will do! As to my own controller. It’s a 100 years old and not regulated action, however it’s a proper grand piano action and that’s already apparent in the touch, I dare say I prefer it to the upright action But I’ll still need to finish it in order to be able to compare. So for now can’t say much else.

Nice review - I only had the chance to play it for a few minutes sometimes, but yes: the action is AMAZING! And exactly in the way you said, its not comforting, I rather had the feeling I had to fight with the action, but in a positive sense.

Nice one! Aren't you going to want the N1X now?

I feel like Yamaha missed the boat on the NU1X key materials though. My immediate thought was that the keys had a plasticky look/feel and it ruined the "real" piano illusion for me. Just a first impression, probably takes some getting used to it.

I have a Yamaha U3 upright acoustic. It has plastic keytops. It's normal. There is nothing wrong with plastic keys. I think the digital piano industry has encouraged an obsession with fake ivory keys. A lot of high quality acoustic pianos have smooth plastic keys - not fake ivory. So it's a myth that digital pianos with plastic keys are less authentic or have cheaped out on their keytops.

I agree with this. Many top of the line concert grands have ordinary plastic resin key tops, just like the NU1X.

I haven’t even noticed the key tops are plastic and not an ivory imitation. I usually have overly dry palms so I don’t care. Even on the contrary, the ivory imitations kind of stick to my fingers in a bad way.

The NV10 also has plastic keys (acrylic for the whites), same as the NU1X. I'm referencing the NV10 because that's navindra's piano. So navindra, if you thought that the NU1X's keys looked "plasticky", then the NV10's should look "plasticky" too.
Maybe the surroundings/lighting where you tested the NU1X was contributing to giving you a "plasticky" feel?

To my eyes, the NU1's keys ARE more noticeable plastic than the NV-10's. I think it's because they have a glossier finish, which gives them a nearly clear-coated appearance. I've also never minded plastic keytops, as those are on nearly all the piano's I've played, including larger grands.

Are you saying the NU1’s keys are more noticeably cheaper than the NV-10’s, or did I misread that?

Apparently they must be more noticeably acoustic grand-like.

Isn't the ivory imitation just some kind of synthetic (plastic) material too? What's the actual difference? Just the texture?

To my understanding the ivory imitations use a plastic material that is porous and thus absorbs the moisture preventing slipping, similar to real ivory. I believe this is important more to people who have sweaty palms.

Second day of owning it, started playing the Chopin's Barcarolle and expectedly, lots of loud notes in the trills, as well as some really unexpected ones in moments where I've been holding a key for some time, then just repeating it softly without releasing it fully. I'll see if I can get used to it My mother in law who is a piano teacher tried the piano and was very enthusiastic about it. Of course, I haven't mentioned the loud note issue and she hasn't played a lot.