Jump to content


RogerL

Member
  • Posts

    20
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by RogerL

  1. For those that played the CP88 at NAMM, I am most interested in the action and if its as good (or better) then the CP4. The piano and keyboard sounds I can hear are good. Seems to me that most manufacturers have at least one good to great piano sound these days,maybe the sampling technology has improved so much. So, for me at least, its the action and keyboard connection that counts. Will find out soon enough when they hit the stores.
  2. I heard the CP88 piano as sounding a bit synthetic , like I initially commented on in the videos. However just like you mentioned and giving it the benefit of the doubt- just with a short time playing it with phones, plus add it the extreme noise factor from the floor - I can't be 100% conclusive on it. I hear the CP4 as having a less digital sound, a warmer tone in the middle for chords and lines. The new one had more presence in the top end for sure but I just didn't care as much for the overall tone. Again a short time on it, playing with phones (of questionable quality) with excessive background noise where I had to really strain to hear anything. And I only played the piano, no EPs or other sounds. Thanks for posting. I may not understand how manufacturers do things but aren't the CFX and Bosendorfer sounds in the CP88 the same as in the new AdavntGrande N1X that you liked much better. Are the sample sounds actually different? or just the speaker system you heard them through? Curious how the feel of the CP88 keyboard was. According to Yamaha PR its the same or maybe even upgraded from the CP4 but maybe thats not correct. The AvantGrande N1X may be nicer feel but the MSRP = $10,999 so a little too rich for my budget although it would look nice in my house. And were you able to check out the Dexibells?
  3. Nice playing, thanks for posting. Looking forward to all the NAMM postings about the new CP88 and how it compares to the P-515. There is a lot of chatter about the differences, I gather the CP88 doesn't have string resonance and escarpment. I don't really know how important these are for the causal player. I really like the new CFX piano in the 515, I hope its in the CP88. Piano sound, action and feel is what matters to me. The 515 is a lot less expensive so not sure why the CP88 has less features, puzzling. I didn't like the 515 speakers so why buy them, but if the CP88 sounds aren't any better why pay more? Yamaha is charging more so why not give more. But I know that all shall be revealed soon enough by you all lucky enough to actually go to NAMM.
  4. For what its worth, I went back to play the 515 and brought a pair of good headphones (Sennheiser 650HD) and spent more time. I like the keyboard more. The weight is a little heavy but I imagine better plays prefer this. The CFX in binaural mode sounds really amazing. I was less impressed with the Bosendorfer which is pretty soft but can be tweaked up in piano room settings. Speakers were ok, but not great. You also cant tweak any of the other sounds past reverb and EQ, so none of the Rhodes etc can be tweaked at all as far as I can tell. The built in sounds are good but there are only 7 of them in the Rhodes subset So... given that I believe to get good speaker sound one would need better speaker amps anyway (I am looking at the new CP8s or 12) so the built in speakers aren't worth it, and that I already have a CFX in my CP4 (although without the binaural feature), this isnt worth the upgrade to me. I am going to hold off and hope that Yamaha upgrades the CP4 soon. If one wanted a home digital piano with speakers then the 515 is a really good deal and worth it. Makes me also really appreciate the new 73 key Yamaha P121 which is only like $600 and has the new CFX and is super light. I am curious if anyone has a recommendation on keyboard amps for AP clarity.
  5. I would be very curious as to your thoughts and impressions when you do play the 515. I tried it at lunch today and wasn't as sold as I thought I would be. I found the action pretty stiff, more then my CP4 I think, and a little difficult to play (could also be my lack of technique). Normally I like a harder action but this one seemed too stiff to me. In one video, Bonners pointed the heaviness of the action out also, over 50 grams I believe. The sounds were very good (esp the CFX grand) but the others weren't great, but I was also listening through a pair of probably not so great headphones so that didn't help. At this point, not sure its worth upgrading from my CP4 yet (which I love) even though I like all the new features of the 515. May wait and see about NAMM 2019 (although I say that every year). But would be interested in what you think when you play one.
  6. I saw that thread thanks, it just stopped before anyone actually had one. But I will make my way over to Piano World and see what people say over there. For me, its the 515 versus the Kawai ES80 or KMP7SE and I cant quite decide. I know Bonners did a comparison. I guess the good news is that all these new keyboards sound great and the action is good. Maybe an abundance of riches these days so not to worry too much and spend the time practicing.
  7. I am looking at buying a P-515 but I am not finding hardly any posts on this keyboard. I know its new but they have delivered many I am told. The UTube videos look great but would be interested if anyone actually has one and especially how it sounds and how the action feels as compared to the CP4, which I really like.
  8. I tried the Grandstage and SV-1 side by side at my local music store today. I am just a hack so this isn't any kind of pro opinion, but as much as I wanted to like and even buy the GS, the SV-1 was just a lot more fun to play - specially the Rhodes. The SV1 Rhodes just sparkles and barks, there is something about them that just isn't in the GS. I suppose the GS acoustic pianos and organs are better but it all felt kind of lifeless. I am told SV-1 is made by Korg Italy and GS by Korg Japan. Maybe its that Italian flair but to me, the sounds and feel were different and the SV-1 was much more alive and one could play crazy notes and it all sounded good. Didnt get that feel on the GS at all. So, I really want Korg to do an SV-2 from their Italian design folks and I am going to pass on the GS, keep my CP4 (I love the acoustic pianos and the feel) until something better comes out. Funny how individual all this really is. I have the luxury of only playing for fun so no need to worry about some things that others have to. My two cents (or lira)
  9. I need a smaller board so I played both recently and really wanted to like the Grandstage more but the SV-1 just seemed more fun to play. Cant explain why, I just seemed to connect better to the sounds even though the pianos aren't as good. I want to give the GS another chance since I know the pianos are and most all non-Rhodes sounds are better and the SV-1 is now almost 10 years old so it needs to be updated. But it seems like Korg is replacing the SV-1 with the GS maybe? If I thought they would update the SV1 I would wait but seems doesnt seem like they plan an SV2. If they would just update the RH3 action I would buy in a heartbeat. My CP4 action is much better. I too follow Bens U-tube channel and his reviews and they are great and super helpful. I also appreciate the thoughts from Dave and all the other pros since I only play for fun.
×
×
  • Create New...