real actions / sampled sounds

[Dave Horne]

OK, so we now know that a typical US store offers about a 30% discount over the suggested price. Boy, you guys in the US do have good prices. (I'm an American living in the Netherlands and I miss the great prices you guys have.)

[humannoyed]

Originally posted by Thurmo:

I tried out the Kawai MP9500 recently and have never played a board that felt more like a grand. I'm a classically trained pianist who plays regularly on an acoustic in my home. And that includes all Yamaha's (of which I'm probably going to wind up buying either the P250 or the 120). It has solid wood keys, and the case design has to be elevated on top to accomodate the action mechanisms. It also has every bit as good of grand piano samples as the Yamaha. Read the reviews on Harmony-Central. When I got ready buy, it was too late, because Kawai discontinued them due to the fact that it was too expensive to make and be competitive. They were really gobbled up in a hurry. But they still employ the same mechanisms in their more expensive line of digitals - Like the ones with mahogany cabinets and built-in speakers. I got a quote on one of those, which was regular $4700 for $2700, but can't use that format in my setup. It weighs about 150 pds. Also, I found a MP9500 floor model at Jim Laabs.com for around two grand - But he was asking too much for a floor model. I know that I'm beating a dead horse here, but that's how impressed I was with the 9500.

I just found a used MP9500. I bought it feel unfelt hoping it as good as everyone says.

Kawai's site says the home models CP205, CP175, CP155 all have the same action as the MP9500.

 

I'll report my impressions when it arrives.

 

Day

[humannoyed]

Well I have had the MP9500 almost a week and wanted to give my opinion.

 

The action is nice - fluid and very playable. When I first played it I thought it felt a little light in comparison to my S80. To me that was a slight disappointment. I wanted a heavier action that would get me in shape to play on almost any piano. (I sure wish someone would make an 88 note machine with adjustable weighted action - Has anybody ever done that?)

What I found out from practicing on this thing however is that my playing transfers very smoothly to the Kawai RX7 I play at church. I think better so than my S80 and I am very pleased with that. Part of this I believe is due to the amount of dynamic control one has over the internal sounds in the pp to mf range. It is very dynamically responsive.

 

Speaking of the internal sounds, the grand piano sounds are okay (others are weak) but not as good as what else is out there. (I bought it mainly as a parked dedicated controller with the correct action)

 

Right after I got this thing I was asked to help the local community theater figure their new Motif8 ES. All I can say is that is one killer keyboard! Besides sounding great, I really think Yamaha's newer action (post S80) is better than just about anything short of these digitals that have real wooden keys and actual hammer mechanisms.

 

(I also think it was a very wise move to put basically the same actions (balanced or graded) on all of Yamaha's boards with 88 keys, even their cheaper keyboards like the S08 and P60 - good move Yamaha.)

 

The MP9500 is discontinued in the US (still available elswhere from what I read)

but showing up used now.

 

Used they can still be a good value, but in my opinion an extra $800 or so more for a Motif8 ES over the price of of a new MP9500 is very much worth it.

 

Day

[DJDM]

posted 10-08-2002 02:59

 

"Are these posts thinly disguised advertisements?

 

Just wondering."

 

- Dave Horne