The Entire P-Series from Yamaha: P45, P121, P125, DGX-660, P515
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- Опубліковано 27 тра 2020
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Many people have asked about the various different models in the P-Series from Yamaha, asking which one is better, which one should they get, and what my opinions are on the different models. In this video, I run through each and every model in the lineup, and give you my basic opinions on each of them. For a full, in-depth review of any one of these digital pianos, feel free to check out the links below. If you have any suggestions for another model line to review, let me know in the comments!
P45: • Yamaha's ($499.00) Ful...
P121: • Yamaha's Misunderstood...
P125: • Yamaha's ($649.00) sem...
DGX-660: • Yamaha's Highly Succes...
P515: • Yamaha's Outstanding $...
I started out wanting a Roland FP30, then a P125, then a DGX, and now I'm saving up for a P515. I'm afraid if I'm going at this rate, I'll end up saving for a Steinway grand to eventually buy when I'm 85 and not eat for 62 years.
I'm in a similar game. YOu never know where to stop lol
I feel your pain... that's why i just put a p515 on layaway.. just to commit to one
@@twodalec Good choice! I'm sure you'll love it.
LOL sounds like me I really was drawn to the Roland, skipped the P125 and went straight to the DGX 660, now I'm onto the P515 but in my gut I would love an acoustic Grand!!! LOL
Sound like you should consider N1x next. Wouldn't it be great to play on an actual grand action?
It never ends really. By the time you are looking for a Steinway M or L, you will be thinking about Steinway B or D. And after that there are Steingraeber, Bosendorfer or Fazioli. That's what I realized and the reason I get my P-515 and start practicing.
I have a 515 and love it. I have been playing for many years and am an acoustic piano person. This is my favorite digital piano so far.
The key doesn't have issues with the years ? Its in wood and fake ivory or plastic key ?
I appreciate you pointing out the ads. Now I'm not skipping them. Thanks for your videos.
Yes ads can be annoying, but content needs to be paid for somehow. Thanks for the reminder to turn my ad blocker off.
Just bought my P515 from Kraft Music on-line during the Black Friday Sale. I am sooooo excited!!! Came with an awesome bundled deal and my sales guy(Jake) who was an absolute delight to talk to as well threw in some extra stuff too!!! Like many of your comments, I too, was saving for a higher quality piano(grand acoustic), but realized many years had passed me by and during that time I could have been practicing and becoming proficient so that when I bought my dream piano, I would be ready and not a total beginner and could enjoy my instrument even more. I am so happy that it is highly recommended on this channel and it sounds beautiful especially the Bosendefer (I spelled that wrong, I think) piano sound. I plan on playing more non-classical pieces. One of my favorite songs is by Steve Wonder from the album, "Songs in the Key of Life" called "Knock Me Off my Feet". I hope to play that song by Christmas of next year or sooner!!! Oh!! I also got 3 months of free lessons too with Yamaha to start. Yesssszzzz, I did it!!! Let's goooooo!!!
How long did it take to receive your 515. I just bought it from kraft as well and they are out of stock. I feel like the 515 has been out of stock everywhere for the past year. I'm so excited to get it!!! I'm upgrading from the p255
Such a familiar tale. I can relate 😂
I have just retired, and decided to take up the piano, again, after many years. The videos you make are incredibly helpful, and the in depth nuanced reviews are just the best out there. I'll just enjoy myself, watching your videos, and, yeah, eventually I may even buy one (digital) !
Just received my P125! So loving it... thanks for helping me decide
I just began playing the piano again, and your channel has been very helpful.
Another excellent video.. and confirming my decision to upgrade from the p-125 to the P-515... thanks again for all that you do...
Now have to top up my budget for this P515 🙄 That Bosendorfer sample is enough for me! You are a genius James!! Keep up the good work! ❤️ from Bangladesh 🇧🇩
Hello! fellow Bangladeshi here- do you know where to get a P515 or Kawai ES8 in Bangladesh?
Thanks for your comparisons and your in depth reviews that I've set my mind on getting a p125 to begin learning the piano and make it my goal to improve as much as possible in order to justify the p515 one day, because I agree with you on the cfx and bossendorfer samples they are really magnificent
I am thinking the same thing--P515 to start, then move up to the 515. This can be a great motivator!
It´s really wonderful when a reviewer is so thoroughly qualified to speak about the products under review. So much information, great job. Thank you!
On the subject of Ads, while I find them as annoying as most people do, I let most ads play most of the time as my way of supporting the people who make content I watch. I'm not a wealthy person so donating is often not an option for me. In a way, I appreciate the ads because it gives me a chance to support my favorite channels.
What do you mean watching ads play to support channels? Can you elaborate please
@@wwfera00 UA-cam channels get paid, if their viewers watch ads and don't use adblock.
totally agree - we get the content for free, while the producer has to expend time and in some cases, money. i can wait for 5 seconds to skip. the only thing i'd like to see is the ads come in between the segments but i'm not sure if that's even possible.
You are so underrated for so many detailed quality reviews
Everything I need to know is here thx
By the way shoutouts for playing wet hands
I just purchased a P45 yamaha piano and am pleased. You're review was spot on and with my purchase, as a bundle, I received a damper pedal, headphones, keyboard stand, and keyboard bench by which I recorded a song called "I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams
These reviews are very useful! Loved your playing too, thanks!
The thumbnail literally made me laugh out loud lol! Thanks for the videos, and thanks for always doing honest reviews!
Thanks for watching!
Excellent review. The P-515 sounds wonderful.
Hello I love your videos, this by far is the best I have seen, I have the P45 and my dream is to have the P515, Time to save up money!!! I promise I will donate my P45 to those who want to learn music (friend or neighbour) . Thank you! You are definitely a cool guy. Life is a bit hard if there was no music haha. Thank God there is music.
I love these videos! Very helpful and entertaining. Would love to see some reviews of the Arius and Clavinova line, which are considerably more expensive and also vary a lot in price. Would love to know if the extra $$ is worth it and how the experience of playing them differs from the P-series.
Just love your eye for details. Thanks for all the great videos!
Just bought a P121 and it's absolutely fantastic for the price. 73 keys is plenty, and it's so enjoyable to play. The action and dynamic response isn't the best of course, but perfectly adequate for most music styles. Thanks for a great review!
me too loving so much my p121
That’s great to hear, I’m very excited for mine to come!
Nice review James--I love your playing style and presentation! I have been looking at keyboards for a while and trying some out. The P125 keyboard and app combination has the features I would like have and I ordered the Yamaha P125 today from Sam Ash. From the Cleveland, Ohio area--Cheers to James from James Biro!
Your tutorials are best!❤️❤️
While spending a year deciding on my first digital piano, for me, at every price-point, the Yamaha came out on top. I eventually splashed out on the P-515 for the action, the wooden keys and the Bosendorfer. After six months, I'm delighted with my choice. No, these are weasel words, I adore it. p.s. Great review James!
Another great video review James.I have the P515 and i love it,i really like that you can Dual or Split the pianos with the Bass and Cymbal.The pieces you played on the P515 sounded really good.
Oh yeah, splitting and layering the sounds is fun. I like the Dark Pad layered with the Bösendorfer.
Wonderful review! Many thanks!
The ads are really annoying... But something more annoying than that is making great content and not being able to make any money from it.
I really appreciate all the reviews you are doing on keyboards. It has been very helpful in my own search for an electric piano
(Chicago) - James...I'm debating the 515 or Roland RD88. This was very helpful. Thank you. (You do an outstanding job!)
cool you made the video I requested a while ago, I'm always eager to listen what you have to say.
I can't believe people actually had the audacity to complain about the ads on his channel. He's offering valuable content in a polished video for free and people can't be bothered to watch ads? Maybe donate some money and pay for the content before complaining. That was really disappointing to hear. Anyways great video, thanks for comparing these!
P45- 8:05
P121-14:59
P125- 18:36
DGX- 24:52
P515-32:21
Thanks for this. I am narrowing down my preferences now. As for the ads, just press "mute" and take a breath and it's over pretty quickly.
I fell asleep during the P-515 review toward the end - very soothing music!
I have my ads on for your videos, James. I know why their presence is necessary, and I support it--.
James you’re a machine! Thanks for the P515 recommendation I’m really enjoying it the Bosendorfer digital voice is just what I was looking for. I adjusted the touch to resemble my 1886 Steinway that’s now at the MIM and it’s awesome! I’m enjoying having an instrument to play again. Keep up your amazing work!
No problem! It's a great instrument, I love playing it, too. I'm glad you like it too.
Agreed I got my 515 after James reviewed it at NAMM. The CFX and Bosendorfer are great and are practically all I use.
Thomas Brown , me too the sound is so real it’s hard to believe that it’s coming out of something that small!
The two samples of cfx and bosendorfer are the best I have heard on any portable style digital pianos. And I have a Steinway acoustic piano. The action is indeed slightly heavier then other digital pianos but is close to a grand piano. If you can afford it I would go with p515. If you can’t the others are still very good and good enough for beginners. So don’t lose sleep over it.
You are my favorite reviewer now. Avoided the Roland FP30. Thank you!
Brother your videos are so helpfull! Also like yur playing, so expressive! Thanks! Have a good day, from Chile...
Great Performance, dear James.greetings....the First song..great composition..thumbs up! ☺
Fantastic review. 😊👏
The CFX is beautiful!! I believe that's the same sample in my MoDX synth. I haven't seen my MoDX for 3 months, and when I heard the same sound from your P515, I almost cried.
The CFX samples from the P515 are in binaural sampling, similar to clavinova. Maybe that little detail makes the difference
Thank you so much for doing all these reviews!!! Do you mind comparing the sound of the keys for each one? (i.e. hitting keys while they are not turned on and purely listening to how loud/quiet the keys are when you play)
Uhm im pretty sure that p45,p125,dgx have the same action i think that the p515 haves a different keyaction it also haves wooden Keys.
Nord Piano 4 review would be great. I wonder how different it is from Stage 3 and how it compares to CP88 or MP-11SE. Great video as always! :)
Nord pianos usually have a bright sound.
I love the richness in the lower notes and that the upper register is not tinny or shrill.
@ James Pavel : I enjoyed your video thoroughly, and most probably I will be going for the P-515. 👍👍👍
Great choice!
I have been considering buying one of these five pianos and this review helped a great deal. Thank you.
Do the extensive "other" voices on the 515 sound more realistic / better then on the other models?
Really liked your piece, cool videos, thanks
At the end i couldn't remember i was watching a review🥳
James, firstly many thanks. Could you please do a review of the QSC series of speakers especially the K8.2/K10.2. That would be a great help for many solo performers facing a smaller audience. Also, please do consider starting a Patreon page if you don't have one. That might take care of the UA-cam ads while still funding your awesome service for all of us. Thanks again.
Very nice video as always great playing and very well explained
would you ever consider reviewing the Roland Juno ds88?
+1 Roland Juno ds 88
Extremely helpful, thank you.
Hey James, thanks for the videos, they are extremely informative and fun to watch!
I'm in the market for a digital piano around 1500$, and looking mostly for a console piano. I have my eyes on the Kawai CN29 and CN39, have you played them? Are there any others you can recommend at around that price point?
I mainly play just the piano (don't need another gazillion sounds), don't record, and am looking for a piano with a great action mech (at the aforementioned price). Any thoughts?
Thanks again for the videos and good work!
At 5:47 you mentioned that for the P-45 one could upgrade to a triple-pedal unit - sadly, this isn't possible.
I've worked with a P-45 and now am working with a P-515 - the difference is huge! If anyone out there considering a P-45, do yourself a big favor and spend the nominal difference to go to a P-125 - the sound engine on a P-125 is so much better.
Great rundown on this lineup, please keep up the good work!
Sorry about the pedap upgrade mistake.
hi so you dont recommend 45? i should get 125?
James, I really appreciate your videos. It would be great to see you review the Casio PX560 and the new Korg XE20, and to hear your thoughts about how they compare to the Yamaha DGX660. I really like the DGX660’s piano sound and broad range of arranger features, but I’m concerned about its weight/portability. Both the Casio PX560 and the new Korg seem to have similar feature sets to the DGX, but they weigh far less (around 26 pounds, vs 46 for the DGX). I suspect many players will cross shop these models, so it would be great to get your insights. Thanks!
P515 sounds great. Nice deep bass notes. The upper registry is not harsh. I like the wide range of volume coming out of it, especially playing Erik Satie. It should have three pedals. Everything else is great in this piano. How many layers can be recorded? What is the best software/hardware that can read the midi input/output?
Your videos are wonderful and detailed but please consider creating some chapters there. Take care!
Thank you very much James for having such an awesome Piano-player and Reviewer here on the Internet.
I always love watching your videos.
What do you think about Piano-software ? I have alot and i really, really love the sound.
Do you like to use Piano-Vst`s for playing and practising ?
Maybe one day you can hire the Kawai Vpc1 Piano-Controller and make a video using some Software-
Pianos like Native Instruments, Ivory Synthogy, Garritan CFX or Ravenscroft 275, would be very nice
and interesting.
Thank you very much James for the time you spend for us , you are a great personality.
Greetings from Germany Oliver
VST's are an interesting alternative to the conventional digital piano, for sure. In the future I may take a deep look at controllers and software, especially if it continues to gain popularity. For now I'm focusing on reviewing as many digital pianos as I can, and there's still many, many more to look at. Thank you for watching, I'm glad you enjoy my videos! :D
Excellent video James. Just a small correction, the P45 does not have the possibility to connect triple pedal. As it only has a basic sustain pedal input, although the half-pedal function is present using another Yamaha pedal model
Good to know, thanks!
Have you posted your test piece? I would love to try it on my p515. Thanks for the great video.
Awesome demonstration James! I really like that piece of music you use in many of your videos for demonstration; it's lovely.
I really wanted to ask, if you compared only the action & response of the playing experience (not considering the sound), would there be much difference between P45 and P125( in case one is using vst')?
Nicely done. I love hear you playing. Is it an idea to make a video of you playing just a couple of pieces? Don’t know if you like to do. Anyway nice to see the whole P- line next to each other. I saw the separate ones but now the difference in sound is more clear. I like the p-515 surely but I still don’t know if I like it more then the Kawai se110... or less. What’s your opinion about those two? * Thank you for sharing and playing!
* Edit: I mean beside the video you did about the p-515 and the Kawai se110.
awesome video! Can you share what your studio monitor/speaker setup is like?
No need to apologize for the ads. Network TV has more, and you can’t stop those. Unlike many ads on UA-cam, which pop up at the most disruptive times, these seem pretty well placed. Since we’re paying nothing for watching, we can sacrifice a little time and convenience to ads.
James, I just found out today is Old Time Player Piano Day and Weekend. I wish I had known earlier to let you know. You could have made a really cool video to celebrate. BTW, I really want your Treble Test Piece as my ring tone and text tone. I'd gladly pay for the privilege.
Nice video!
What yo do is amazing :) congratulations for your amazing job :D
The Bösendorfer sound is absolutely stunning.
Which piano has the Bosensorder sound?
The P515 reminds me of my older P120. Solidly made and sounds great.
After seeing some of your Yamaha electric pianos I have a question. How much better do they sound with an external amplifier with much larger speakers?
The P515 sounds so good!
James, thanks again. I been waiting & wonder between Yamaha & kawai es110. I am not a pianist yet but only play by ear for songs that I heard, cannot read sheet music at all. I am looking for a digital piano that both the action & piano sound close to an acoustic piano so that I could eventually adopt to the action of a real piano one day. I researched for a Steinway sub brand piano “Essex” for $6,000 usd brand new and I believe Yamaha p515 cost $1,900 (with stand plus 3 pedals) after sales tax. That means 1/3 of a real piano. Should I buy a cheaper kaiwai model for around $1,000 (stand & pedals) or should I wait for newer model maybe from kawai?? Please advise & help.
Great & informative vid, Thanx! would you consider filming a similar vid for roland line-up? (30X, 60X, 90X)?
Very good job! You know your stuff....
That lighted digital console in the middle of the DGX-660 and the P515, can that be turned off? Or at least dimmed? I own a cheapy Casio electric piano which has a _huge_ digital console in the middle. And there is simply no way to turn off the bright light without also turning off the piano. In a bright room the console can be terribly distracting. Even on some other brands I've tried as possible upgrades, they come with a lighted console that just can't be dimmed or turned off. I'd go for that P515 if I could do that. Just wondering...
Thanks James - educational and entertaining at the same time - as I'm interested in finally learning some music better (I play the classical guitar but never really learned music theory/ basics) I am tempted by the clavinola type keyboards of Yamaha Yamaha, like the PSR-EW300 SA - if it weren't for the availability/ ease of learning of lighted keys (maybe I could do without tho would save time deciphering scores etc) I would go for the P125 which would be great for my more advanced pianist friends, occasional visitors. Or is the Yamaha education suite not so great/ unique, could I benefit form USB connected software instead?
I have never found "education suites" in digital pianos to be helpful for me personally. These days if I want information about a theory concept I look it up on UA-cam, if I want sheet music I go to IMSLP. For a beginner, there are many great tutorials on UA-cam for theory, and the basics of music, as well as more advanced topics too. And of course, when the pandemic situation calms down a bit more, finding a piano teacher is always an amazing option.
@@ThePianoforever Good info - thanks! (but if someone less gifted then James has other advice to add, would appreciate, just in case )
What are your 2 all time favorite pianos (digital and non digital) ~ ? ~
Roland HP-101 (ancient) and Steinway. I may have to replace the electrical Roland. I do like Yamaha in this presentation. I would have to do an 88-key piano because I play extremely high/low notes for some pieces. Otherwise, I would run out of notes!
Like this review. Like the Bach....... like all the pieces.
Thanks!
32:20 holy ......... awesomeness, yes you got a tear from Conan.
How about putting the name of the keyboard you are talking about at the time to in any corner? like your JPS copyright in the down left corner? would be nice for future videos :)
Thank you James for keeping me safe inside my house while learning something new hahaha.. Keep it up!
Hey I just ordered a P-515 today for 1245 euros (which I think is actually an underprice for such a great instrument). When I finally have it, I will tell how it is :) I was planning to spend only max 1000 on digital piano but I found out it's possible to get a much better instrument for a few more bucks.
What I kind of couldn't figure out is are those more massive digital pianos that are made to look like real acoustic pianos somehow better than the portable ones? The problem with that kind of piano would have been that I would not have had any way to carry it (50+ kg package) upstairs in a block of flats.
The P515 is an impressively good instrument. In answer to your question, many people do consider the massive acoustic-shaped digital pianos to be better. Some of them are known as "hybrid" pianos, and contain what is basically an acoustic piano's action, modified slightly for use in a digital manner. This action is somewhat better than most portable piano actions, but the P515 and many others will not give you any real problems with any type of music. The hybrid pianos typically will cost as much as a real acoustic piano. In my opinion, that amount of money is better spent on an acoustic piano, which will last longer and never really be "out of date" in the way that an electronic instrument will be, 5 years down the road.
@ThePianoforever I saw in another video you used gram weights to measure the actions. Can you provide the weights of the low/mid/high ranges of the P-515 compared with the P-125? I was originally looking at getting a P-125 but am hearing many good things about the 515 that I'm tempted to step up to the price as it has many features I like and looks like it would last a long time. The only concern is every review is saying the action is really heavy or the heaviest out of all similar keyboards and although some say it's a good thing due to simulating a real grand piano I'm not sure I want to get something that tires me out unnecessarily especially as a novice player and I unfortunately don't have access to try one out in person. Hopefully having some numbers can give me a better idea of how much heavier it is, also let me know if you have thoughts on this too.
Heavier touch on a piano takes more force to play. A light touch usually is extremely easy to play with little to no effort. I grew up with a very hard acoustic piano which really built up my strength. Then I tried a Kawai acoustic. The Kawai was incredibly light, fast, and easy to play. The P-515 on here, from what I heard has a harder touch, but you get accustomed to it. Some electronic pianos adjust the force needed to play them.
Had no idea that there were so many electronic keyboards. Thanks for your research!
This barely scratches the surface of Yamaha's entire product line alone, never mind the entries from Kawai, Korg, Roland, Casio, and others. I hope to review as many as I can but of course this will take some time.
ThePianoforever . Thanks for your response. Someday you’ll have to declare your all time favorite keyboard. Probably not easy to do with all the variations!
You sounded great as always , but u forgot to tell them on the p515 about the wooden keys and the texture of the keys to make them feel like real ivory and ebony keys , like they used to . But , great as always, i love the sound of the 515, especially when someone can play it correctly
Yep, those wooden keys feel great. As for the "ivory and ebony" texture, honestly that doesn't make a huge difference for me.
Hi! What about P-515 vs Kawai ES8 vs Roland FP-90/60?
The p-45 does not have a optional triple pedal unit. I own one (recently upgraded to a kawai ES110) and have looked everywhere and can’t find one.
Really like the features of the dgx660 but it is quite old now. I don't know whether I should wait for an upgraded version in the dgx lineup.
I don't think there is any serious competitor to the dgx660 as a fully weighted arranger in that price range.
Korg is coming out with an ensemble type piano/arranger like the DGX660 that looks promising. It's the Korg XE20. Was supposed to be available already but got delayed by you know what. Supposed to list for about 799.00 USD. Hopefully soon. Peace
Just a thought, I'm not trying to convince anyone to do that, but sometimes I think what if I could bypass the "lack of line output" by simply soldering them into the board (into the audio circuit before the amp) and then nicely attaching them into the back of the piano? I mean the P45 seems to be enough for me feature wise and the line output mod would cost me around 2$ to make. Has anyone tried that?
Great video, I love this channel :)
Thanks for the reviews! I've watched many of them. Looking through your uploads, I didn't see anything about the Korg EK-50. Just curious if you have any opinion about it at all,
or if you might be doing a review of it in the future. Thanks.
What is the name of the treble test song you are playing? Many thanks.
Fantastic but can you also do reviews in terms of best for creating sounds such as best Fender Rhodes, wurlitzer etc. ...( best as a midi, best for various music genres(e.g., classical jazz vs smooteh jazz etc. ...) etc. ... ?
What do you mean by line output? Is that for recording it on your DAW? Can you not do that on the P121?
So, I started learning the piano last year on a tad over $100 keyboard. I spent a long time researching a new keyboard. I recently could have gone with the p515 and just bought it on a payment plan. I decided the DGX-660 just seemed like the overall best choice . It was rated high, everyone that owned one loved it. So, i got it and it arrived Tuesday. I love it so far! My only complaint is the speakers. i have to turn really high to get the sound to really come through. Am I just not hitting the keys hard enough (i was learning on a non weighted keyboard) or is it just a drawback to this model? Could I plug into a small amp to increase the sound?
you certainly could!
Regarding the P515, are its wooden keys susceptible to negative effects from a hot and humid environment?
Please review yamaha clp 645, and clp635
Hello James, thanks for yours reviews, what's your opinión to the rh3 action Korg for playing classical music?
More closed to Yamaha p125 or the 515 thanks.
Oh I love the Korg RH3. It's one of the top actions in stage pianos these days. It works great for classical and is a robust action that I have played hard on for years with no problems. The P515 is heavier, and even better in my opinion. It has a more substantial feel that more closely mirrors the feel of a real piano, and it also plays like a dream. The p125's action is good for the price, and handles most music very well, but the RH3 or NWX are certainly an upgrade.
Thanks you very much for your quick response, your opinions are very valuable and accurate.
Have you already played the yamaha CLP 695 GP? Or CLP 765 GP?
Have you ever reviewed a Clavinova? What are your thoughts?
Could you please make a review about Casio CDP S 350??