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So, they finally got to “assembling” it after all!
Looking forward to your take on the N1X; especially as it compares to the NU1X. Thank you in advance

I will be interested when you set the piano up in your room Gene if you think the CFX is lacking a little bit in the bass department compared to the Imperial when using the onboard speakers. You can clearly hear the difference in David's recording. I did ask David on being able to EQ the CFX up some in the bass, but I guess those piano's do not have EQ built in. And, it appears that the Smart Pianist also does not allow the editing of the EQ.

Do you think, that the placement of the piano in specific places in a room will enhance the CFX sound? Like a corner of the room?

Wonderful!

The countdown begins.

God Bless,
David

Huzzah! Movers left about an hour ago. Had to play with it before I posted



Gallery: http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2826781/squidbot-n1x.html#Post2826781

Congratulations @squidbot, this corner was made for this hybrid piano!

Beautiful!

Cool!

Nice pics of the movers and the assembly process in the photo gallery. Even the professionals used a wheel cart. I wouldn't try moving it without that or a dolly.

You're going to love this instrument.

God Bless,
David

Squidbot, congrats! Nice pictures and that corner is indeed perfect and looks very cozy. It cries: please play me!

Some initial thoughts, mostly to do with ergonomics and comparing to the CLP-685

- OMG as a tall person, the music rest being on top of the instrument is a HUGE win. I had jury-rigged a solution that never worked very well on the CLP-685 where the music rest is just above the keyboard as it's more "console like" and was actually suffering a lot of posture issues while playing because I was hunching over to see my music.

- Having the headphone jacks and a USB port easily reachable is a welcome design decision. The most frequent accessory I plug/unplug are headphones. On the CLP-685 you had to reach under the keyboard and plug them in upwards as they faced the floor. You either got on your hands and knees or did it by feel. It's nice having a headphone jack in easy reach and visible. This is true for the USB port as well, which I use to plug in a memory stick. It's handy to have it more accessible. On the CLP-685 it's on the bottom panel of the instrument and required getting under the unit to plug in. Also, more than once I hit the stick with my knee and dislodged it.

- Another change is where they put the midi interfaces and the "to computer" USB interface and aux in/out on the bottom left of the piano. This is a much better placement for where you'll likely have computer and other audio equipment, and is also less likely to be hit by your knee.

- I have a volume knob! I don't know why, but I really hate volume sliders. I much prefer knobs. I was jealous of the LX-700's with their nice big shiny knobs. Anyway, I this is another welcome change. The Roland's still have by far the best UI of any of the DP's but I can live with the new controls on the Yamaha.

- Speaking of controls, I will say, the control panel on the CLP-685 was nicer. I could do all the operations from the control panel through easy to use menus. Most of the options on the NX1 need to be controlled with combinations of button presses and keyboard presses which is what my ES110 does! And it's just three SSD's to do all the status display. It honestly seems a little cheap... I'm guessing the NX2 when it comes out will have something more similar to the CLP-685 with its LCD panel. I do like that the 3 SSD's turn completely off once you've made your selection, so the only visible light that after you turn the unit on is on is a small red LED on the headphone jack/volume panel. I guess I finally have a reason to get the Smart Pianist app.

- The Bosendorfer sounds are much better than what was on the CLP-685. I'm finding the CFX to be pretty much the same (which is great, I really like it, especially on headphones with the binaural mode.) I'm glad as the Bosendorfer on the CLP-685 was a real disappointment. I think I read the David B was fond of the "Bosendorfer Grand", I actually prefer the "Bosendorfer Imperial", which is preset 2. I don't know what the difference is as the CLP-685 was also supposed to be an Imperial, but it seems like a vast improvement on the N1X.

- I don't think I'll miss all the extra sounds on the CLP-685, I pretty much used only the piano. I will occasionally switch to one of the pipe organs or the harpsichords for novelty, but those were brought to this instrument. My wife will certainly not miss the drums, barking dogs and explosions my son liked to play with

- I definitely like the pedal more than the CLP-685. I'd mentioned this earlier from my experience in the store, it's firmer and feels more like the C7 we typically play for recitals. the CLP-685 was a bit of a "limp fish."

- In general the instrument is just a joy to play. I'm looking forward to some more time with it this evening. While the CLP-685 was definitely strengthening my ability to play other pianos, and took a fair amount of effort to control, especially soft passages and trills, the N1X is responsive and, well actually feels like a grand action, because it is. I'm bummed I have to leave Saturday and won't have the weekend to play with it (not next weekend either, I'll be working GDC till next Saturday...)

- Wishing I was a more accomplished pianist to give you a better review on how it plays. I'll come back to you in 10 years with a report! Actually, my teacher expressed interest in checking it out, I'll ask if I can video him playing it and talking about it when he comes over.

I'm not too sure about that. Look at the N3X, which keeps the N2/N3 sliding control panel. I think Yamaha is trying very hard to keep the AG as "acoustic-like" as possible, which means a minimal UI. The N1/N1X shares the old NU1 control panel interface, which is REALLY basic. I definitely think it could be improved upon, but the product is probably targeted to people who want to just turn it on and play piano, rather than futz around with a ton of settings.

I'm really impressed with the Bosendorfer Imperial (preset #2). I'm actually finding myself playing it more than my VSL samples.
It has a very authentic sound and feel to it.

I haven't really played the Bosendorfer Grand (preset #4) for very long. I'm enjoying the Imperial too much.

This is such a great instrument. It inspires me to play more.

God Bless,
David

Here’s a dumb question. What is the purpose of the cloth key cover? It came with it in the box, a red cover you can lay over the keys. Why wouldn’t I just shut the fallboard? I’m not sure what to do with it.

I was using mine at first and then I noticed some red fibers being left behind on the keys so I decided to shelve it.

God Bless,
David

Speaking of covers.

The polished ebony seems to magnify every particle of dust that rests on the piano. It's amazing how much dust is in my basement.

I purchased this microfiber towel from Amazon that works very well as a cover for the N1X. It's very soft and the piano gets dusted by virtue of covering and uncovering it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075DD6DT9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I would highly recommend it.



God Bless,
David

Exact same experience on the NV10. I had meant to ask this myself. Conceivably on the Novus, you could use the red felt to replace the default black felt on the keys? 🤷🏽‍♂️

It’s meant to be placed over the keys, yes, but it’s not for any kind of protection. It’s simply a symbolic gesture meant to evoke the so-called ‘red carpet unveiling.’ This phenomena makes the player feel like every sit-down at the piano is a happening, an event, an encore, an award........
I think Yamaha and Kawai might’ve gone a bit too far on this one (red carpet).

This is a traditional acoustic piano treatment, isn't it? I've seen the red felt cover come on various grands and uprights. I still use mine, it makes for a nice little ritual (I place it on top of the piano and then put my phone on it so I can see my notifications and the time while I play).

Congratulations for your new pianos! they are quite charming, and I was curious, can some of the owners give us some insights about how the default speakers sound ? Do they have enough bass, enough projection etc? I tried an avantgrand N3 (not the X model) and sounded pretty convincing, however people say that N1/N2 envelop the player better. I just wonder whether we are close to the time where you would mistake a digital for an acoustic for like 80%

I think I'll never be able to afford and maintain an acoustic grand, so I'd like to think about what things are coming and if we are there to be happy enough with a hybrid instrument both in terms of touch and sound. Thank you and enjoy your new pianos

On my mom's upright piano (which I grew up playing on) the hinges wouldn't hold the note rest tight, so when you close the fall-board the note rest would open and scratch against the keys. Which is why I was taught I must use the felt cover.

That's a really good point. More than half the U3s I've seen have that happen and it irks me every time I close the fallboard. Why not have some kind of lock/latch so it doesn't bang on the keys when it drops??

But even grands without fallboard-rests traditionally come with covers. And it's not always red, doesn't Grotrian have a green or grey dust cover?