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edzpiano: so far you are satisfied with the sound and the action?
I had the impression that there might be kind of a quality problem when reading the first posts of the new owners....

On the key action, I tried the NU1X and it felt really familiar as I've always played on an upright Yamaha piano. I had my mind set on it as it was the cheapest amongst the other AvantGrand series and I was comfortable with the feel of the keys... until a helpful Yamaha salesperson educated me on the difference between the grand piano vs. upright action. This was when I realised familiarity isn't always the best, as you may be missing out on the better options. I tested both for hours, started with the NU1X. The salesperson explained the "loud noise" issue quite well and I did notice it didn't affect my playing as much as it did when I first tested the piano last year. However, I still noticed the rare occurrence which was still somewhat annoying to me. Otherwise, the key action is almost identical to what I'm used to (i.e. the feel of hitting the hammer as you press down a key, familiar but not necessarily a good thing as this meant that the keys are heavier and harder to play at a faster speed). And then I moved on to the N1X... this was when I experienced a moment of enlightenment lol. I am by no means a professional piano player but by just playing a simple chromatic scale, I realised the keys were smoother and easier on my fingers. The keys somehow felt much better connected and more fluid, whilst still having a good weight to it. I took another step further and tested the N3X too (to be honest, this was what I wanted but I just couldn't justify the price tag). The key action on the N3X was better (i.e. I felt some sort of key resonance as I play it) but personally, I didn't think it was significantly better than the N1X to justify the price difference. I guess you're paying a premium for the grand piano frame and better set of speakers. I would go for that if I had the space and spare cash.

On the sound, my experience is similar to what the other posters have already commented - the sound from the N1X speakers is somewhat muffled, maybe because the top 3 speakers are facing upwards. That said, the N3X on the other hand sounded much better despite the speakers facing upwards too. I suspect that's down to the N3X having better speaker system and the lid to bounce the sound off the speakers towards the player. However, I didn't think it is that bad for occasional no-headphones playing. My priority was to have a good sound through the headphones and this was where the N1X really excelled. Initially, I was using my own cheap pair of Sony headsets and I was feeling somewhat underwhelmed, as I was expecting something better based on the reviews that I've read. Then I asked to borrow a better set of headphones from the store and they passed me a Yamaha open back headphones. It made quite a substantial difference and I was sold by then. I bought a new pair of Philips Fidelio X2HR open back headphones, and it's really a pleasure listening to the CFX through this. When I first tested the headphones, I thought the audio jack on the piano was broken. It didn't sound as though it came out from the headphones. So my advice would be to get a good pair of headphones to do the piano justice. I didn't feel tired at all with the sound despite playing with my headphones on for hours.

I've only tried Roland and Yamaha digital pianos, and somehow, I've always preferred the sound of Yamaha (which tends to be brighter). Everyone will have their own individual preference (both sound and action) so you'll really have to test the piano out yourself and make a call. I used to hear a high pitched frequency on the Roland FP-80 on all the keys and that really annoyed me so sold it on after. I'm just glad that the binaural sound coming through the headsets had no such issue and it sounds really close to a real piano sound. Overall, very happy with the purchase and I reckon I'll enjoy the piano even more once my rusty fingers gets better at feeling the keys.

On the recording front, I tried recording with my iPhone and it works surprisingly well - all you need is one cable connected to the piano and iPhone (though you'll have to get the right cable adapter(s)). For such a simple set up, I'm happy with the sound (and yes, it can be quite unforgiving to mistakes but it will sound good if you don't play with mistakes haha) despite some comments indicating better options with say, the Garritan CFX. I'm not very familiar with these set ups so can't comment on them further.

Yes, welcome to the N1X club edzpiano and Smaug!

On the key action, I tried the NU1X and it felt really familiar as I've always played on an upright Yamaha piano...

I bought a 5m USB cable to connect the N1X to a computer for transferring MIDI and audio. When I enable the instrument as the audio device in Logic or Mainstage it works fine, but I hear a high-pitched hum through the active monitors connected to the N1X audio-out, which are usually noise free when playing the N1X. Removing a USB hub that was between the N1X and the computer reduces the noise by about 50%, but it's still apparent. Any other suggestions?

any ideas? I can’t really have the bricks sealed. Looking for a low-cost simple solution.