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ok, will try that. Thanks.

I've been following many Youtube channels for reviews, now there are only two left: Bonners Music (Tony) and Merriam Music (Stu). Sure, these are companies interested in selling the pianos featured, but at least, they give you some helpful information (and some nice demo recordings).

Merriam Music just released their NV5 review. Might be of interest to some of you?

...and now they've added a (brief) piano sound demo.

Thanks for sharing Mickey!

Really great job from Stu Harrison, as always.

Cheers,
James
x

That recording through the stereo mics actually sounds pretty good, I need to try this thing, along with the nv10.

Great playing as well.

I'm not saying the basic tonal quality of the mic'd recording doesn't sound good - it *is* pretty good. But there's some weird phase-y stuff going on, almost certainly related to mic placement. (I'm listening with headphones.)

I agree, James: His reviews, as well as his playing, are top-notch.

In this case, I also liked his more personal comments. Having a little one of the same age, I can fully relate to his constraints at home. :-)

The switch between Microphones and Line-out is impressive. I wouldn't have noticed it without the tip in the Video.

I haven't tried the NV5 but it seems to me it's a really great instrument, of a much better caliper than the NU1x with which directly compete (I have an NU1 and I like it, but I am getting jealous). Disclaimer for people making buying decisions based on what I am writing: this is uninformed opinion.

If I had to raise one complain against the NV5 (besides the stereo mini-jacks that Stu mentioned in the review) it's the look. It really looks like the NU1, and that is not good. From a practical perspective, the music desk so low that is useless for adult players, and inconvenient for kids too (I put a book holder on the top of the cabinet of my NU1, yikes). From a differentiating perspective, the NV5 really looks like "copy-cat" of the NU1. It would have been really great if they gave it a K800 or 506N or UST-9 like shape and look (not necessarily dimensions), making it different-looking, more beautiful in my opinion, and more practical to hold sheet music.

That said, I still might end up owning one, one day.....

No, not even close.

I think the nv5 looks great.

If I had to raise one complain it's that both the nv5 and nv10 don't measure key-off velocity. That's a shame, because if I would buy one of them I would use them to play my vst's as well, and would very much like to make use of the adaptive release samples libaries come with nowadays. I read most people saying it's not that important in the other nv5 thread, but I think it is, even when it doesn't make a big difference in sound when listening for it, it can only make for a more authentic playing experience, with the piano behaving differently according to the way you play it.

This makes the n1x the most interesting to me on paper, out of the hybrids, but I haven't really tried them yet. (nu1x has other issues with it's lack of hammer sensors, so not really interested in it.)

Ok, I should have been more clear. For what I have seen in pictures and videos, it really look like the NU1. Sure, not identical, but pretty darn close. Heck, they even put the controls on the left, despite the majority of people being right-handed!!

Look:





Sure, there are small differences: the legs are connected to the body in the NU1(x) and not on the NV5, the latter is slightly rounded and has a longer music desk, but the similarities are striking. For example, they both have the same hinged fallboard lip and the exposed hinges on the fallboard itself when closed. Sure, many of these are common upright design looks (for example on the lower tier of Kawai K upright series) but Kawai being second to the game would have been smarter to play it different, and they can do it, see e.g.



or



In my opinion these latter two Kawai uprights look better and (most importantly) have a much more conveniently located music desk.

To keep context, as I said earlier, it still seems like a terrific instrument, this is a minor quibble, and it is common for acoustic uprights too, e.g. http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/1715168/1.html

I have to disagree with this, or rather, note that this is a rather personal thing. I personally don't really mind where the music rest is on a piano, but I note that it's easier for me to see/read on an typical upright's fallboard-mounted rest but that sometimes gets in the way of playing, compared to a grand's above-the-lid position.

But my young daughter absolutely hates the grand position, and wants the music as close to get fingers as possible. I've not only gotten a music rest accessory to lower the height, but also modified it to get it even lower. And where it is now is semi-permanent, so I end up using it as well.

Let's just agree to disagree. I also have an NU1 and think, based on photos of the NV5 that it looks slightly better, more elegant. I like the position of the music desk (ledge) on both the NU1 and NV5 but really like that the NV5 music desk is much wider. I too am keen to try one. I have tried an NU1X, twice, and have not been persuaded so far to upgrade. As an oldie I quite like the buttons on the NU1, and am wary of a touch panel interface such as on the NV5 (unless I can use an xBox controller via BT with it ).

Sounds good

As much as the buttons vs touchscreen goes, I actually would prefer buttons too. So we do not totally disagree

But then you would need too many buttons for the sheer number of options the NV5 provides, so I did not list that as "the second other thing I do not like about the NV5".

Yet, the NU1 is pretty solid, and while I am eagert to test the NV5 and perhaps after the test desire even more an upgrade, as a matter of fact I am happy with the NU1 for now and could continue to be so for a while....

An upright digital has a distinct form which all have the same basic layout. The NV5 is 10cm taller than the NU1, more slim and less angular. The CA99 is way more similar to the NU1 than the NV5. When you see one in Reallife you will notice the differences pretty easily.

I’m a bit of a “virtuoso” pianist, not in the sense of having virtuoso technique (which I seriously lack 😢) but rather because I tend to theatrically throw my hands up and down in the air (I don’t do it intentionally and i feel silly when I look at that in my videos 🤦🏻‍♂️) but what I’m saying is the upright piano note rests get in the way of my hands and I think I even hurt my finger once knocking it on the NU1X note rest. The one in the N1X on the other hand is a bit high and I need to look at my hands while playing so it’s another problem... No perfect world.

I have seen the NU1X and NV5 side-by-side. I personally prefer the appearance of the NV5.

I'm also personally not a fan of the "institutional" piano design, and would find the K-800 cabinet too tall for my apartment.

The NV5's design concept is to provide an acoustic piano keyboard action in the most compact cabinet possible, and I believe the instrument achieves this goal.

Kind regards,
James
x

Thanks for providing this point of view James. Now that I live in the US (I used to live in Europe) I always forget about the space constraints.

I was certainly not advocating for the height of the K-800 which I agree would look too tall, especially if made thinner. Just the shape. In any case, look is definitely personal, but the "institutional" style would be convenient for the position of the music desk. Even if there is the occasional person that says otherwise, I think the position of the music desk on the lid is suboptimal: otherwise, why no grand piano has the music desk on the lid, where it would be very easy to place and would make listening to the instrument much more pleasant?

Anyway, I will refrain from insisting on this, at least until I can see an NV5 in person, which may be a long time partly because of COVID and partly because my understanding is that these instruments are flying off the shelves (like there are shelves in piano galleries ) and so there aren't any in stock nearby.

Cheers

Not sure if This has already been posted

Performed on a NV5





~Lucubrate