Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Casio PX-130 vs Yamaha P95 which one did you get?

Hi,

Brand new to the forum and this is my first post.

So I been reading post here people asking for help in making a decision between the Casio PX-130 and the Yamaha P95 digital piano. So right now I am debating between the two. My question goes to the people that were on the same place I am right now. Which Digital Piano did you ended up buying? Are you happy with your choice? Anything you really love or hate about it after your purchase? I done a lot of research about the two digital pianos and test played both of them. I just wanted to hear what people got and why they went with that choice.

Thanks.

Joe.

My screenname should answer your question

I had not been considering the 130 but did look at the 330,
Ultimately I found the P95 to feel more like an instrument than the 330, in particular the decay felt more natural.

To be honest, I do not care for the Rhodes sound very much, I liked it better on another board (SP170). However, combined with the stand/pedals and bench I feel as though I am sitting at a nice console.

I usually just use the piano samples but sometimes with strings.
I like the fact that they keyboard alone is very portable.
In terms of the action, I preferred Yamaha's

If I had to do it again I would most likely stick with the P95.

I actually was on the forums this past year trying to make the same decision and around Christmas ended up buying the Casio. I have been playing since I was 5 (so over 20 years) and grew up on a Steinway baby grand but because I live in an apartment, needed to go digital and just was looking for something 'entry level' for now. I played both pianos and found the Casio's tone to sound a little bit better (at least to me) and loved the action and of the keys.

I seriously considered both of these. You can see at the bottom what I ended up with. I am very happy with my choice. The keyboard itself is good enough for starting. I can obsess over sound. Although I do look forward to buying a better keyboard in the future.
I do have to admit. In the end, I would have chosen a Korg SP-250 above either of these. Get a whole lot of piano for the money. I like the key action over either of your choices. Maybe I fooled around with too many old pianos in the past?

Time to start woodshedding - enough about gear

Have you any problems with your PX-130 since you got it? I think for the price I will be going with the Casio also I just want to make sure it's durable in any case is good that Casio is now offering a 3 year warranty on their Privia pianos

Hi,

I bought my PX130 2 years ago, and the only trace of usage is on the far left corner, where I put py thumb when I press the power button : it has become slyghtly glossy.

In all other respect it is as fresh as new. No problem whatsoever with any key, nothing. And I've been using it every day between 5 and 60mn - Hard to learn the piano from scratch when you turn forty, and the children trying to play with you ;-)

So it has been gently but constantly played, on its proper wooden stand (don't remember the part number) - which I recommend for it is very well built and steady, - and with the pedals too.

No problems so far and yeah - the extra warranty is great just in case. It's been about a month and I play almost every day between 30 minutes and 2 hours - and am loving it. Keys don't wobble, the stand is sturdy, and the little features are great (I never thought I'd use them but turns out it's a bit of fun!)

Thanks Alison and Boris for the info that makes me feel much better about purchasing the PX130. In case any body is also thinking about buying the PX130, I am buying it from best buy. Piano, wood case and pedals cost $550 dollars. There is currently a coupon for 10% on any item that would bring the final price before tax to $495. Now that Casio is offering a 3 year warranty at no extra cost this is a very hard deal to pass.

Bought the Casio last month from Musician's Friend. I'm a novice at 41 but must say I love it. Found it at J&R on sale for $399. MF matched + 10% of difference. Ended up paying $389 shipped plus they sent free gifts of a X stand and headphones! The PX130 was great and I've been learning a good bit but the F and F# to the right of middle C had a buzz in the speaker every time I play them. All the other keys sound great. Just today I called MF about an exchange. They sent me a prepaid UPS label and advance shipped by 2 day UPS my new replcement as soon as I dropped off my defective unit! Just had to brag on them a bit as this is the second time their CS has really come through above and beyond as far as I'm concerned. Can't wait to get my replacement as I really like the action and sound. I had looked at the Yamaha too but at the price it was a no brainer for a novice like me.

MF's customer service is great. I had a keyboard amp that I was too lazy too open and returned it past the return period and they still gave me a store credit.
I have gotten around 12 things from them including my piano's stand and pedals (the piano itself came from their co-company Guitar Center)
They often have 15% off and no sales tax

Hello all,

I also used this forum to help inform my decision as to which digital piano to buy. I am only interested in classical piano performance of great masters Bach Mozart Handel Scarlatti and their like. No gigs, groupies, or wife beaters. I purchased the Privia PX 130 after lots of research and some music showroom tests.

After setup at home, and use for about a week, I noticed that I hated the sound. It was one dimensional and the tones had a fast attack with a kind of pop effect.

After some experimentation I discovered these problems were not from the PX 130 but from my external amplifier/speaker. The speakers were simply being over-driven and were crummy anyway. My external speakers were crummy and I didn't know it. It seems one needs a pair of active studio monitors like the famous Rokit 8's or comparable for best results. These babies connect to the PX 130s aux output jack using an adapter cable.

I don't have the studio monitors yet, so here's what I did to diagnose and fix the problem:
FIRST, unplugging the external amp and reverting to the onboard speakers and amp was a serious improvement. Second, it was necessary to keep the volume dial below the middle position. Cranking up the volume dial produces distorted audio artifacts with the on-board speakers/amp.

Alternatively, you can actually hear the authentic sounds produced by the PX 130 without shelling out $400-500 on studio monitors. Just use good quality headphones plugged into the 8mm aux out jacks. This is useful to confirm that you do, in fact, like the sounds generated by the PX-130.

I find that both of the above approaches are satisfactory. Now I enjoy playing and practicing on the PX 130. As to settings on the instrument, I use the grand classical setting with touch response 2 and no other settings. Alternatively the harpsichord sound full and rich and generally very nice. Ideal for for Scarlatti Sonatas.

The purchase price was not a big deal for me, but I was very fearful of: Getting the instrument, working for months to learn how to perform on it and finally ending up dissatisfied. This was the source of most of my anxiety in the selection and purchase process.

I can say after about 5 months I am satisfied with the PX 130. At touch level 2 or 3, the action is great for me, a bit like a Steinway requiring some power from the performer. The sounds are musical and pianistic to a sufficient degree.

I really enjoy how the Bach Inventions, Mozart Sonatas and Mozart Variations for Keyboard sound and feel.

I do not yet have the famous "Active Studio Monitors." I want to avoid purchasing the wrong stuff, wasting time and effort, and being disappointed.

One piece of advice: If you play classical piano do not waste money on one of those stage piano amps. They are for blasting sound at the hearing impaired, not for musical sound production.

Cheers, that's about it for now.
If anyone has a similar experience with the PX 130 I would love to hear about it and what, if any, solutions or work arounds you found.

Thanks for your post. Yeah, almost all digital pianos have subpar speakers, and the less expensive, compact ones have even poorer speakers. Headphones are absolutely the right solution.

Unfortunately, finding the right speaker is a very difficult proposition. My experience with those KRK's isn't that great. And I've tried a number of other monitors and speakers without being really happy. Part of the problem is room acoustics, the other is that apparently it's relatively easy to make a set of headphones that sounds great while it's quite a bit more difficult to do the same with speakers.

At the time (when I was looking for a cheap, lightweight piano for traveling): P95, no contest.

But both are of course severely limited.

Months later.... I ended up getting a PX-130 as well.
Reason being that the $399 with the x-stand and headphones minus a $25 amex card made it too good a deal for a portable keyboard as my P95 is connected to the console like stand and pedals.
However.... I am considering taking the PX off the xstand and mounting it as well.

I have been playing for 31 years, mostly classic rock and writing songs (billy,elton blues etc...) I am not going to debate and compare to $1000 consoles, but at the end of a 12 hour day looking at numbers it is enjoyable for me to play.
Also, with the lwoer cost I am not walking on eggshells worrying about durability

Just to give in short. I bought the PX 130 last year and loved it. Recently, I bought a Yamaha CP5 because I wanted something that was more professional and high in quality construction, which it is. Of course, the CP5 cost me more that 5 times that of the PX 130. I still have my PX 130 all boxed back up and safely put away. I intend to keep it. I miss playing it, if that tells you something. The action of the PX 130 is more weighted than my CP5 and I do miss that. The sound is fantastic with headphones. You get a lot of piano for the money and if it dies, you haven't lost that much. Just buy another one.

Cons: Some, only a couple, keys clattered a little bit. That's the weighted action design of this thing but it's not a sign of failure because, apparently from many reviews I've read, it is common.

Speakers: I bought a pair of M-Audio BX8a's studio. They are great speakers for a computer but they are lousy for DP's. I don't like the way they sound for either my PX 130 or my CP5, though I can adjust the CP5 with a 6 band equalizer. Instead, I just use a high quality pair of AKG headphones. You can't beat the sound of a good pair of headphones. It will spoil you. My understanding from other people is; for home use, run your DP through an nice home stereo system. Something about the way it process music. I can't say this is the real answer because I haven't actually tried that myself but that's what I've heard.

Bottom line about the PX 130: I loved the thing, is all I can say. I'm thinking about setting it back up along side my CP5, really!

However, you might want to wait and check out the new line of Previa's coming soon, I understand.

This is the best recording I've heard of the PX 130. I listened to a lot of demo recordings of various models and it was this recording that made up my mind for a DP in the $500 price range. I bought my PX 130 about 18 months ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E90JGRaFkY&feature=related

That's a nice demo that I think really does show the Casio off at its best. But I'm looking forward to hearing the new Casio models. On the PX-130/330/3, I find the pianos to often sound kinda "plunky,", among other problems, and just didn't enjoy playing them from its action. I actually much preferred to play the piano on my older PX-310, despite the technical advantages of its successors. Somehow the "finger-to-sound" connection seemed better, and I hope they recapture that on the new series.

Scott,
Perhaps it is that the sound quality was better on the older models. I noticed a big difference in sound between the AIF chip and the ZPI which is in the Casio I have. I think the action improved also becoming less stiff in the P30x lineup, although the loose, wobbly keys went a step back. I hope Casio has fixed the action which I think has been their greatest weakness next to the short decaying sample.

I think the loose, wobbly keys will be one of the improvements in the, soon to come out, PX 150. From what I understand there are improvements in: 1. An improved sound engine, and 2. Improved Action, which the wobbly key thing is being addressed. It will retail about $100 more than the PX 130.