Lightweight semi-weighteds: CK61, CT-S500, Liano

[The Piano Man]

Can’t really add much to Scott’s reply.

 

For me, the XE20 gives me a portable piano for wedding ceremonies/accompaniments etc. The built in quarter outs and the quality piano sample, powerful speakers and a reasonable hammer action at a very fair price (£599 UK) made it a no brainer.

 

The Liano is superlight. Sometimes I prefer a semi weighted action if I have a long night of heavy playing in a band context. I could also see me purchasing Hammond and/or Rhodes/Wurly apps for iPad and using the Liano to control it.  Sure, no drawbars for the Hammond but a nice keyboard action. The battery powered ability is a handy tool to have. 
 

I also have Grandstage 73 for when only the highest quality will do. 
 

In summary, I certainly don’t NEED all three but then again, I am sure we all understand the GAS!

[Chummy]

would you say the Numa Compact SE and the Roland go:keys 3/5 belong to this list? I played a tiny bit with the go:keys 3 but couldn't find the Numa at the store sadly. I wonder if anyone tried this model since no videos on YouTube of people demoing it.

[AnotherScott]

2 hours ago, Chummy said:

would you say the Numa Compact SE and the Roland go:keys 3/5 belong to this list? I played a tiny bit with the go:keys 3 but couldn't find the Numa at the store sadly. I wonder if anyone tried this model since no videos on YouTube of people demoing it.

I haven't played the SE/XSE, but it seems to be a slightly enhanced Numa Compact 2/2X. I like them, they have a lot of capability for their price/size/weight, though personally, I never connected with playing piano on them, and they're also heavier than those others, though still light at 15.6 lbs. I do wonder how they would play if the keys were less tightly sprung I haven't played a GO.

[Chummy]

@AnotherScott I see

 

I do like the Casio CT-S500 but I wonder, If I could add more cash (even x5/x6 times the price theoretically) and get a better , more professional lightweight portable board that has improvement in any number of the following categories:

* better sound engine

* a drawbar organ engine with drawbars

* more keys than 61, up to 76

* better/louder speakers

 

 

Things I'd compromise about given these^:

* a marginal weight increase

* NO built in speakers, but has the ability to be powered either by batteries or a battery pack

 

I can't find anything... I know there is the CK61, but from reviews I read, the action is... worse? and according to a YouTube review, most of the non piano/EP sounds e.g synths, pads, choirs are absolutely horrendous. So... having NOT played the Yamaha, would you say the Casio better than the Yamaha in every way except for the interface / drawbars/ split layer / audio interface etc. etc. the other stuff I didn't mentioned above that is^

 

I was looking at the Dexibell Vivo S1, but being metal and having a weighty software I'm not sure if it is even portable to take in public transport + long walks (+ an amp, stand etc.) The Casio CT-S500 is seemingly perfect, I just WISH it had more keys and maybe better sounds and controls, for more money ofc.

 

P.S My problem is the Liano is: not enough sounds, the non-piano sounds are bad. But mainly, no split for bass+ upper sound. I really do need to be able to do this in ensemble situations when we have no bass player... Other wise, I'd love korg to make a more "Stage friendly" oriented liano, same form/action, with 73/76 keys, 250 QUALITY sounds and split/layer.

 

[stoken6]

1 hour ago, Chummy said:

I do like the Casio CT-S500 but I wonder, If I could add more cash (even x5/x6 times the price theoretically) and get a better , more professional lightweight portable board that has improvement in any number of the following categories:

* better sound engine

* a drawbar organ engine with drawbars

* more keys than 61, up to 76

* better/louder speakers

Casio's WK700 gives you 2 and 3, I don't know about 4 and I suspect not 1!

 

Regards, Mike.

[AnotherScott]

3 hours ago, Chummy said:

I do like the Casio CT-S500 but I wonder, If I could add more cash (even x5/x6 times the price theoretically) and get a better , more professional lightweight portable board that has improvement in any number of the following categories:

* better sound engine

* a drawbar organ engine with drawbars

* more keys than 61, up to 76

* better/louder speakers

 

Things I'd compromise about given these^:

* a marginal weight increase

* NO built in speakers, but has the ability to be powered either by batteries or a battery pack

 

I think Mike's comments on the bigger Casio (WK7600 is the actual model) were right, with the additional caveat that earlier Casio action isn't as nice. But it's heavier than the Dexibell S1 which you already find too heavy at its 18.74 lbs. Once you leave the realm of boards with speakers, I think the Kurzweil SP6-7 is the lightest board that will otherwise give you just what you want (allowing for knobs rather than sliders for the drawbar controls), but it's still 17.53 lbs.

 

3 hours ago, Chummy said:

I can't find anything... I know there is the CK61, but from reviews I read, the action is... worse?

 

I prefer the CT-S500's keys, but others may disagree. It's not a bad action.

 

3 hours ago, Chummy said:

and according to a YouTube review, most of the non piano/EP sounds e.g synths, pads, choirs are absolutely horrendous. So... having NOT played the Yamaha, would you say the Casio better than the Yamaha in every way except for the interface / drawbars/ split layer / audio interface etc. etc. the other stuff I didn't mentioned above that is^

 

I think some of the non-piano sounds are better on the Casio, and some are better on the Yamaha. I never know how to comment on "synths and pads" because there's no reference. I mean, I know what real strings, horns, winds, and reeds sound like, but synths/pads could be anything so it's all subjective. I imagine youtube has sound demos for these things for both boards, though. CK obviously has better organs, though (even apart from having the drawbar control).

 

I'm not sure about comparing the speakers. I think I mentioned elsewhere... out of the box, the Casio speakers seem stronger, but there's a menu option to boost the levels on the Yamaha and I've never compared using that capability. The Yamaha speakers also face forward, which means that the speaker comparison can also vary depending on listening psition. That is, even if you though the Casio speakers sounded better to you as the player, it's possible that the Yamaha speakers could sound better to the audience.

 

3 hours ago, Chummy said:

P.S My problem is the Liano is: not enough sounds, the non-piano sounds are bad. But mainly, no split for bass+ upper sound. I really do need to be able to do this in ensemble situations when we have no bass player... 

 

For non-piano sounds, I think the Liano Rhodes is okay. Not anything spectacular, but perfectly usable. Lack of Wurli is a bummer. Strings are okay. Sadly disappointing harpsichord. It doesn't matter to MathOfInsects, but it matters to me. 🙂

 

Since Liano has a built-in audio interface, it's easy to connect it to an iPad with a single cable, run it in Local Off mode, and get your splits/layers that way, still hearing the sound out of the Liano's speakers. 

[The Piano Man]

9 hours ago, Chummy said:

 

P.S My problem is the Liano is: not enough sounds, the non-piano sounds are bad. But mainly, no split for bass+ upper sound. I really do need to be able to do this in ensemble situations when we have no bass player... Other wise, I'd love korg to make a more "Stage friendly" oriented liano, same form/action, with 73/76 keys, 250 QUALITY sounds and split/layer.

 

Could Korg re-use the Liano case but add in a chip/board with sounds from their arranger series or the Kross series?

 

Alternatively, at the higher end of the market, I could see some mileage in a Vox Continental replacement, perhaps back under the Korg branding. Add real drawbars, internal power supply, 4 way splitting/layering like Yam YC and Nord competitor products, upgrade the CX3 organ engine and voila, sell like hotcakes 

[stoken6]

1 hour ago, The Piano Man said:

Alternatively, at the higher end of the market, I could see some mileage in a Vox Continental replacement, perhaps back under the Korg branding. Add real drawbars, internal power supply, 4 way splitting/layering like Yam YC and Nord competitor products, upgrade the CX3 organ engine and voila, sell like hotcakes 

Absolutely. The Nord Electro is a ready-made template for these kinds of boards, and it's a proven success. (Although even the latest Electro only supports 3-way split I think).

 

Cheers, Mike.

[stoken6]

6 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

Once you leave the realm of boards with speakers, I think the Kurzweil SP6-7 is the lightest board that will otherwise give you just what you want

That (sadly no longer manufactured) Kurz was a secret weapon - because it supports high trigger, it makes a great lower manual under a clonewheel. 

 

But if we're leaving speakers behind, the Vox Konti, Roland VR730, and Hammond SK1-73/SK Pro all appear on the radar. Studiologic's Numa Compact 2x is worth a mention (with speakers, although not dramatically better than Casio's), with a slightly unusual 88-note format. 

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Chummy]

I'm waiting for AnotherScott's comparison between Casio CT-S500 and Roland Go:Keys 5 ! Who's with me?