Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards N1X or Yamaha CVP 809

Hi all,

I’m new to the boards. I have been looking at getting an N1X for a little while now. While I was talking to someone about the N1X, the topic of my kids came up. I have two teens and a preteen. The person then suggested that the CVP 809 would be much better “since [I] have kids, and they would have so much fun with it.” It looks really cool and looks like you could do so much with it but I wonder if the fascination with the thousand+ voices would get old after a while or if it would continue to promote creativity. My kids were classically trained for a few years and took a break so they’re certainly not new to piano. I don’t think the Yamaha app with the follow the light feature would really appeal to them. If anyone could give me any opinions as to which piano you would choose, I would really appreciate it! Oh and the CVP 809 is $3,500 higher than the N1X. I tried to look at the thread with prices paid but seems like there are no CVP 809s that have been listed on there.

It boils down to the difference between the 2 actions (aside all the other fun stuff on the 809 that the N1X doesn't have). The 809 has the GrandTouch action and the N1X has the true authentic acoustic grand piano action. The folks who buy an AvantGrand hybrid piano buy it primarily because they want a digital piano that has true authentic acoustic piano grand action. The CVP line may have all the other bells and whistles, but they don't have the true authentic acoustic piano action, so it's not even under consideration for these folks.

You gotta decide on whether having an authentic acoustic action is a deal breaker or not in your consideration. This helps makes your decision easier.

Your kids will probably also enjoy any software VST with thousand+ voices on a superior action of N1X.

N1X!

An authentic acoustic action at a lesser cost? Sign me up!

The NV10 has some other sounds along with the action of a 5' 11" grand piano.

N1x + high end laptop/2 in one/Ipad pro....
Endless options

I hope the someone you talked to wasn't the salesman!

It would be fine to spend the extra $3500 on the CVP809 if it had the same action as the N1X, but it doesn't, not even close. The CVP is terribly expensive mostly because of the arranger functions which your kids may or may not use.

Get the N1x (or N3x since you have the extra money) and one of the Yamaha arranger keyboards. The kids may have fun jamming with dad or with each other!

That CVP costs MORE than the N1X? Bollocks. The CVP is off the table ... get the N1X.

Even Mac is not suggesting trying both to decide

My church has an older CVP arranger piano and the arranger function is barely used. Once and a while they will add a layer of strings but that is it. There are 4 people that play the piano and two that are semi-professional players that know how to use the arranger functions but usually want to keep it simple. I'm saying you won't use the arranger function but I think it would a lot easier to keep it simple and the N1X has the better action. If your kids do take to the piano for the piano sounds IMHO action is the first thing to look for. As others have said you can always use vsti's to add sounds with a laptop or iPad

The interesting thing about CVP is the arranger which detects chords and plays styles. It goes further than just adding sounds. Software arrangers exists : vArranger2... but I suppose it would be more handy on a PC tablet with its touch screen.

I think that if I would be tempted by an arranger, I would buy a Yamaha PSR or a Korg PA, but would miss a good keyboard.

I know but I think the piano they got at a very good price as a Yamaha dealer in the area was closing after being in business for over 40 years several years ago.

Also both piano players can play extremely well and the choir director who has a voice degree can hold her own. So all those features are not needed. Plus they have multiple masses a month with foreign languages and guest pastors. So I think they decided to have the piano left to only a few tweaks allowed. I bring a synth to some masses for added sounds and the mixing station has been screwed up several times that my sound wasn't going through. If the head guy isn't there I just don't play. He says that is because to many hands/fingers touch the computer based system and really don't know what they are doing. The second in command usually can't get it working in time for us fill-ins to get sound
He wants to show me how to set it up and I want to learn as a back-up but with Covid-19 and my wife having health issues we are staying clear of crowds at all cost. Hope next year I can learn the details to help out one way or the another.

Anyway back to the piano. I'm one who believes to many features are a distraction. OP you have to be the judge if that is the case with your children and even yourself. Plus I would go with the better action!

A possibility for later expansion:

. . . Get the N1X,

. . . . . and get a Yamaha PSR-4xx or Korg PA, and use the MIDI output from N1X to drive it,

. . . .. and feed the PSR-4xx output back to the N1X loudspeakers.

That gets you a decent arranger, and a hybrid action to drive it, and decent loudspeakers --

. . . And it's way cheaper than the CVP.

Of course, you don't get the CVP's sound-sample quality . . . .

Trade-offs, trade-offs, trade-offs . . . . <g>

With an arranger, it can be handy to have different section buttons right on the top of the keyboard (Intro/fill/variation/ending). Then playing directly on the arranger may be mandatory.

I’m a classically trained piano player who played various synths and digital pianos for 20+ years before drifting to the Sax. Circumstances changed and I decided to get back into keyboards and bought a top of the range arranger the Genos. Over a few months I found I gravitated towards piano and bought a couple of electric pianos Yamaha P515 then Kawai MP11SE. The Genos sat pretty much unused and was eventually sold.

My conclusion is that a keyboard with arranger functionality such as the CVP might be just what you’re looking for or as in my case a dead end.

I’d say a top end CVP is therefor a risk unless you’re sure that’s what you want. Much better to test the water with a lower end arranger.

As Frederic says you need the arranger buttons at hand in order to be able to play it properly.

Bells and whistles aside, anyone actually prefers the GrandTouch action of the CVP809 to the N1X?