Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Yamaha P-155B & Casio PX850

Hi everyone,

So I have an modest Pearl River 48" upright which I like (sound is nice and bright and action is excellent or so I've been told). Obviously it's entry level, but I've only been playing a year and a half or so.

That said, I'm looking to grab a DP so that I can practice in my apartment with the windows open and at night. I'm also very interested in plugging it into my Mac and going through some online lessons and recording myself. I can do this with my acoustic and my Blue Yeti mic, but it's a bit of a pain.

So... I have read a lot of the reviews and information here so I bought both DPs on Amazon and they will be delivered tomorrow. I like the features of the PX850, but it's ugly (no offense) and I don't like that it's a big console. I also think I prefer the sound of the P155 just from youtube videos. There are many glowing reviews though of the PX850 and the iPad integration does peek my interest. On the other hand it seems the P155 is discontinued and it's hard for me to even find the L-140 stand for it locally in black. I would try both of them out, but I don't think that's fair to Amazon and I don't want to be charged a restocking fee if I open one and send it back. I'm leaning towards refusing the shipment of the Casio and just sticking with the P155.

Does anyone have any final information or advice to point me in the right direction. I think a DP will help renew my interest in practicing because I won't feel guilty doing it and there will be a cool factor in being able to record myself and listen back as well as record just LH or RH.

Any thoughts, links, or testimonials are welcome. I'm not married to any one brand, these two just seem to get the most positive attention around here.

Thanks!

The P155 I believe has only two sensors which could make it harder to play fast repeated notes or trills. Also, it doesn't support half-pedaling, I believe. Also, it only has a USB port for a stick or to an external hard drive, and you'd have to use MIDI cables to hook it up to your computer. It has only 128 polyphony. The amp is 12 W.

The PX850 has triple sensors, half-pedaling, USB to host as well as to device (meaning you can use a USB cable to plug into your computer), and 256 polyphony. The PX850 also has a bigger amp (20W) and bigger speakers.

They both have recording ability right on it, however, so perhaps the USB thing doesn't matter as much since you can just record directly to the unit, save to your USB stick and then do with it what you will after that.

Looking at the specs alone I'd say the Casio is the winner here. Looks aren't everything

I've played both and I think the Casio 850 is a much better instrument as far as being a piano goes. Don't go by recordings - go and play them. And I'd rather the thing that feels and sounds good over the thing that looks good. But the PX850 is pretty sleek looking as far as DPs go.

Thank you both for the insightful replies. The only other options to consider are the Yamaha P255 or the Kawai ES100. Yes the 255 is more expensive, but seems like it has a lot more features than the P155. The Kawai is less expensive, but some prefer the action compared to Yamaha (it's less expensive as well). Of course as you mentioned there is always the issue of how each instrument plays (sound and action), the biggest consideration for me, next being features.

Darn, I though thought this would be easier than buying a regular piano and it is because I'm spending a lot less money (less risk), but it seems there are even more choices. Haha!

With that it's time to get my butt down to Guitar Center and then find a place in LA/OC, CA that sells Kawai.

Thanks!

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2283720.html#Post2283720

I wouldn't bother with the p255. I think the P155 is feels and sounds better..
plus the P155 looks way cooler than the P255. (I know, who cares, but it the P255 look kind of bothered me when I got it home..)
Damn it ando, no I have to consider the Casio...

P155 does support half-pedaling. I still prefer my P155 over any Casio PX series I have played in the stores.

Your best bet would be the Kawai ES7 imo. (was playing one today) Beats everything about the P155 which was next to it and had a horrible action, the action on the ES7 is very good. tried the ES100 didn`t like at all at all. The price of the P155 and ES7 are similar in the UK.

I had looked at the Kawai ES7, but thought it was not portable. Now I see it can be, but it looks to me that it's 1000$ more than the P155, $2000 Vs $1000, at least in the US.

Also, I misunderstood, I hadn't realized the Casio PX850 is not portable.

If you need portable, look at the px-350 or px-5s. Same action and sound, the 5s will have more sounds, whereas the 350 is more strictly piano.

Thanks everyone, I hadn't looked at this thread before I went shopping, but when I tried the P155 in person and the Casio PX750 I didn't like them (yamaha for the action/sound and Casio for the key top texture).

So of course I upped the budget a bit and proceeded to visit 4 piano stores today. I ended up purchasing the Kawai E7 for $1700. It's much more expensive than the other options, but wow I'm truly impressed. It may even sound better than my acoustic, we'll see. I believe that's a decent price as well, but not sure. I can't wait to play it all night!

Bottom line is you guys are generally right about most things =) You have to play several pianos, digital or acoustic, before you know what's right for you.

Thanks for all the help!

Congrats PianoGamer! I'm sure you will get a lot of great playing time out of the Kawai.

Congrats indeed!

Great choice PianoGamer! The ES7 is a fantastic DP. I still practice on it almost every day and love it. It is worth the extra money and you will enjoy it for many years to come.

I encourage you to enter your purchase information in the Digital Piano Prices Paid thread - thanks!