P120 noise questions

[rewired]

OK, I've read the posts about the 'noise' in the P120 and don't mean to start that whole thing up again. But unfortunately I also noticed this today after playing the P120. My best description is hiss that's going through a noise gate while the sample fades out.

 

I had to have the volume up full with headphones on the hear the P120 better as the store was quite busy, so maybe this made the problem seem worse than it is. But it was very obvious to me on the woodbass voice for example.

 

I was able to try two P120's at different stores, both had the problem. For some reason it was more prominent in the left ear of my headphones on the first. And on the second it was bang in the center, which made it less of a problem for me as I found it easier to block out.

 

I could hear the noise through the speakers, but only with my ear up close. So it wasn't a headphone related problem. I didn't notice it on the P60 and I couldn't try the P90 to see if that was the same. Is it?

 

I really liked the P120, but the noise problem is something that personally I cant stand with my guitar gear and I end up sitting for ages trying to dial the noise out rather than playing. So I'd not want that to happen again.

 

For all the people that notice the noise, how have you dealt with it? Have you just accepted it and become used to it over time? Is it only obvious on the less important sounds like bass? Is it only really a problem with the volume and brightness up high? Is this simply the P120 showing its age?

 

Thanks for any advice.

[David Loving]

If the noise is annoying, just start looking at another style of digital piano. Personally,I would not buy this one with a characteristic that bothered me. I would not be interested in how others handled the flaw, I'd just go on looking elsewhere. Actually, I bet about all these pianos have their little chinks in the armor. You're fortunate you found this one before the check cleared. My sp88x annoys me some because I think the decay sets in too fast, but I work around that. Maybe this is nature's way of telling you you need a p250 or an rd 700 or rd 170.

[Mike Martin]

A P120 exhibiting this noise should be serviced. This is not normal behavior.

[rewired]

Well, considering how much the P120 costs, I'd not have thought this should be a problem. But then I heard it on two models in different shops on the same day. And I've read about it quite often including on these forums. So all I can imagine is there are a lot of P120's behaving abnormally. I was actually going to buy it until I noticed noise on the wood bass, which is pretty much the last sound I tried as I was playing through the sounds in the order the buttons are.

 

Like I said, I had to have the volume up all the way, and often the brightness too. I don't have any gear that wouldn't be hissy doing the same. And it was how the noise was being dealt with, the 'noise gating' effect that bothered me. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it was just the manner in which I had to demo it that made this problem seem worse than it is.

 

I have very basic ability on piano, so I play a lot of slow sustaining passages. So I would noticed this noise gate effect quite a bit if it is common to all P120's. When listening back to the built in demos, I couldn't hear the noise because so much is going on. So I guess as I improved it'd become less of an issue.

 

And I'd rather not have to chose another digital piano as the P120 has everything I'm looking for. And compared to the Rolands I have tried I much prefer the Yamaha's. I will be going back again to listen at a lower volume as I hope this was the reason for the noise. And I'm going to try the P90 as soon as I can, to see if I have the same problem with that.

 

Thanks.

[Dave Horne]

Noise - I just sold a Roland JV2080 with five cards and one note in one of the string patches had an extra noise built in to itself. With headphones and playing one note at a time and listening real closely, I could hear it; it actual use, I could not.

 

Is the piano in question 'noisy' when playing in the 'real world'?

 

The general discussion reminds me of something I came across decades ago. I worked a few months in a piano store when I was in college. I spoke with the guy who did the touch ups. They would sell and move a new piano and there might be a scratch or a nick and this guy would touch up the piano and make the spot disappear. The new owner could not find the damaged spot and asked where the spot was. When the spot was pointed out, the new owner was once again unhappy. True.

 

Talk to a piano refinisher or a touch up guy and you'll hear the same story over and over again.

 

Noise - same thing. Can you hear it while playing a job with other musicians or only with headphones playing one note at a time. If the noise is built into the patch, you either live with it or buy another piano - the choices are really quite simple. The third approach is to buy the piano and be constantly unhappy with that one patch. My two cents.

[Superbobus]

What's been read on other forums, still goes on in the mind. I never noticed any noise. The only thing that's going on, is some overtones, to make the piano sound less digital. But noise? Nah...

[rewired]

I was able to play a P120 in a very quiet room today, and it seems it was just a matter of having the sound too loud and bright last time that caused me to hear the noise. This time, I didn't need the volume higher than a third the way up for it to seem loud. And I wasn't able to hear the noise unless I also wanted to blow my eardrums out. Lesson learnt: don't pass judgement on something while someone plays slap bass at full volume 20ft away. Glad I didn't

 

It sounded great. I may have to get one now