“P” is for “piano”: Yamaha P-S500 digital piano

While we’re distracted with “CK”, “AN”, and whatnot, Yamaha sneaks out a new P-series digital piano in Europe: the Yamaha P-S500.

Natch, you can read all about the P-S500 at Yamaha’s European web site. Physically, it’s a minimalist slab that’s designed primarily for the home or small studio market segments. Cost is about 2,100 Euro and I would expect it to retail for about $2000 USD in the States.

Basic features [courtesy of Yamaha] are:

Compatible with Smart Pianist app installed to a smart device
Stream Lights feature helps you perform even if you can’t read music notation
Enjoy playing along with the 403 preset Songs, covering a wide range of genres from pop music to classical music
Audio To Score function converts your favorite audio songs into piano accompaniment scores
Authentic Yamaha CFX & Bösendorfer Imperial concert grand piano Voices
Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM)
88-note weighted GHS keyboard
Huge variety of 660 high-quality instrument Voices, including Super Articulation Voices
Built-in Auto Accompaniment features with 370 Styles
Microphone input and automatic Vocal Harmony

Auto-accompaniment, styles, Super Articulation voices? We’ve seen these features in the DGX series, notably, the most recent DGX-670 model. The table below compares the P-S500 against the DGX-670. The DGX-670, by the way, goes for considerably less dough: $850 USD.

                DGX-670           P-S500 
                ----------------- --------------------------------- 
Main piano:     Yamaha CFX        CFX, Bösendorfer Imperial 
VRM:            Yes               Yes 
Key-off sound:  Yes               Yes 
Action:         GHS               GHS 
Piano Room:     Yes               Yes 
PB wheel:       Yes               No 
Dual/layer:     Yes               Yes 
Split:          Yes               Yes 
USB audio:      Play/record       Play/record 
Bluetooth:      Yes               Not built-in (optional)
Amplification:  2 x 6W            2 x (20W + 6W) 
Speakers:       2 x (12cm + 5cm)  2 x (12cm x 6cm oval+2.5cm dome)
Display:        480x272 color     80x16 mono LCD 
Weight          47.2 pounds       48.1 pounds

Here’s the decoder ring for Yamaha acronyms: Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM), Graded Hammer Standard (GHS), Super Articulation (SA), Cool (velocity switched), Live (stereo), Organ Flute (drawbar organ).

The P-S500 looks to be the upscale, uptown sibling of the DGX-670. At 48 pounds, I don’t think you’ll want to schlep the P-S500 out of the house very often. In terms of styles and voices, the P-S500 is superior:

                          DGX-670  P-S500 
                          -------  ------ 
Total voices              601      660     
    VRM voices            9        13     
    SA voices             49       111     
    Natural voices        11       25     
    Sweet voices          26       27     
    Cool voices           53       47     
    Live voices           68       58     
    Organ Flute voices    0        29 
Total styles              263      370     
    Pro styles            215      328     
    Session styles        19       25     
    Free Play styles      0        3     
    Pianist styles        29       13 
Drum Kits                 29       29

The P-S500 factory voice set includes many of my favorites. If you’re looking for a more than decent, mid-level keyboard with auto-accompaniment and a graded hammer keyboard, the P-S500 is worth a look. Versus a mid-level arranger keyboard, you’re still giving up a pitch bend wheel, multi-pads, style control buttons, MIDI record/edit, etc. If you just want to play and have a good piano experience, I’d go with the P-S500 in a heartbeat. (The DGX-670 is no slouch, either.)

There are many other differences that I’ve glossed over. So, if you’re trying to decide between DGX-670, an arranger or the P-S500, be sure to dig into the manuals and data list files. Yamaha doesn’t always make it easy to compare, especially as to your specific musical goals and use cases.

One enormous difference needs to be emphasized, however. The P-S500 front panel is utterly minimalist. If you want to exploit the P-S500 to its fullest, you must use the P-S500 with the Yamaha Smart Pianist app on a tablet (Apple or Android). In this respect, the P-S500 is more like the CSP series of digital pianos for the home. It’s like a CSP without the furniture. The CSP models have enhanced GH3X or NWX keybeds which improve the piano playing experience. Given that the Smart Pianist is almost a necessity, it’s kind of weird (cheap) to omit built-in Bluetooth.

Yamaha are certainly giving us choices!

A final, electronics nerd comment. While studying the internal design of current arranger, synth and digital piano products, the designs often seem like a deconstructed tablet connected to a keybed, tone generator and MIDI/USB interface. The digital electronics are remarkably similar. With the P-S500 and the CSP series, it’s like Yamaha said “Aw, the heck with it” and moved functionality out of the piano (arranger, synth) chassis into a stock, commercial tablet like iPad or Google Pixel tablet. I don’t think we have seen the end of this approach to instrument design…

Other reviews and comments about digital pianos:

Sand, software and sound

Electronics and computing for the fun of it

“P” is for “piano”: Yamaha P-S500 digital piano