Tag Archives: Yamaha P-S500

New year, new piano

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Happy New Year!

It’s been a pleasure to ring in the new year with a Yamaha CSP-170 Clavinova Smart Piano. If you’re not familiar with the CSPs, check out my articles about the CSP-100 series and the now current CSP-200 series.

In short, the CSP pianos combine Yamaha’s Clavinova piano technology, learning features (score display and playback, stream lights) and basic auto-accompaniment into a single traditional home piano form factor. The CSPs eschew a complicated user interface, opting for a minimalist, two-button front panel: power OFF/ON button, FUNCTION button, and volume slider.

First and foremost, CSPs are Yamaha digital pianos, as Yamaha likes to say. In this post, I concentrate on the CSP-170 as a home piano. I bought the CSP-170 at a close-out price as Yamaha was clearing inventory when Series 200 deliveries began.

Appearance

I rarely discuss an instrument’s physical appearance in much depth as synth and arranger front panels are “seen one, seen ’em all.” The CSP-170, however, sits in our high-traffic dining room. You can’t miss it!

Yamaha CSP-170 Smart Piano (matte black)

Our CSP-170 is the matte black model. The matte finish is the best match for our contemporary house. The matte black model costs a bit less than the polished ebony — not really a concern.

The CSP-170 looks like the traditional spinet piano — the old family piano that we ditched just before moving out West. The CSP-170 has attractive clean lines and fits into the contemporary styling of our home. As a piece of furniture, it is constructed solidly and feels like a quality instrument. Definitely a step up from Arius.

I originally considered a P-515 “portable” digital piano and stand. When Yamaha announced close-out pricing, it made sense to step up to the CSP-100 series. A P-515 on its stand is not as physically attractive or formal as the CSP. The CSP cabinet allows for a better more powerful sound system than the P-515 as well.

CSP-170? Heck, yeah.

The CSP-170 piano samples and playability are on par with the P-515. The main pianos are the Yamaha CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial. I played them both during my piano quest and I still enjoy playing them today.

I prefer the CSP-170 sound system over the P-515. The CSP-170 has bi-amplified speakers: woofers in a downward facing speaker box and mid/high ports left and right at chest level. The P-515, like many portables, has bi-amplified upward firing speakers. The P-515 sounds brighter due to the direct sound from its speakers. The CSP-170 sound field is similar to a spinet; the sound is indirect and takes some of the edge off the CFX. My only knock on the sound system — auto-accompaniment lacks air and sparkle. You won’t hear snappy snares.

I should note that I also play MODX and Genos, both through studio monitors. Thus, I’m used to a crisper sound for auto-accompaniment and percussion.

The CSP-170 provides plenty of volume. I don’t practice at thundering volume and setting the volume slider somewhere near the middle is adequate.

I’ve been playing the CSP-170 for one month, mainly piano. It is so convenient to push the ON switch and play. I can sneak in short playing sessions while waiting for my spouse to get ready for our daily walk, etc. The minimalist user interface is not an issue for quick play as one can select one of the main voices (CFX, Bösendorfer, Suitcase Rhodes, Wurli) by holding the FUNCTION button and hitting the appropriate key. I keep a function cheat-sheet on top of the piano for reference.

Full functionality requires the Yamaha Smart Pianist app. The app is handy, but most times, I haven’t needed it. I’ve tried a few of the Smart Pianist features: stream lights, score display, song and score playback, and auto-accompaniment. I’ll have more to say about them in future posts. So far, my only knock against them is the rather poor written documentation. Yamaha provides the bare minimum and neglects to explain certain notable features (e.g., adaptive styles). The written documentation understates the advanced capabilities built into the CSPs and the Smart Pianist app!

Smart Pianist Piano Room lets you set the lid position, brilliance, Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) and more. Once you get the desired piano tone, save all the settings in a Registration for recall later.

NWX keyboard action

I suspect that the CSP-170 is the last instrument which Yamaha will make with the Natural Wood Escapement (NWX) action. If you browse the forums, you’ll see all kinds of comments about NWX, or this, or that. My advice is to go out and play a variety of brands and actions. Then choose. Ignore “action trolls.”

I find the NWX to be smooth with a weight letting me control the piano sound — to play in a nuanced way. (It might not work for you and that’s OK.) The NWX does not trash my hands unlike GH3X, GHC and, yes, the new GEX Montage M8X keyboard. When you try and test, be sure to play for an extended period of time. Then ask, “How do my hands feel?” NWX passed this test for me several times over.

Dealers provide a valuable service in this regard. It took me months and multiple playing sessions to arrive at my choice. Be sure to patronize the dealers who help you out even if the price is a little higher. They’ve earned it.

Summing up

Would I buy the CSP-170 again? At the close-out price ($3,600 USD), absolutely. The CSP-200 series models have a number of improvements (GrandTouch, more voices, more styles, both CFX and Bösendorfer binaural) at a higher price. If you try an NWX (maybe a P-515?) or a GH3X and you like it, there are still CSP-100 series pianos available at close-out pricing. It’s first come, first served, limited quantity only.

Yamaha would need to completely blow me away with the CLP-800 series in order to get me to upgrade. Seriously, I’m good.

Copyright © 2023 Paul J. Drongowski

Yamaha CSP-170 in the house!

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At long last, my Yamaha CSP-170 Smart Piano arrived!

Classic Pianos Bellevue

Before saying anything else, I want to give a shout-out to Classic Pianos in Bellevue, Washington. I got a friendly and welcoming reception when I visited their showroom in August during my piano quest. I like to support local dealers when possible and Classic Pianos left me with a very positive first impression. [They had to endure my banging around, too.]

Yamaha CSP-170 Smart Piano (matte black)

So, when I heard about close-out pricing on CSP-100 series pianos, I gave them a call. They checked out the situation with Yamaha and offered the reduced price on the Yamaha CSP-170B (matte black) model. The only catch was availability because they needed to place an order with Yamaha. Classic Pianos staff were helpful and courteous during the wait — even checking on the status of their order with Yamaha.

Classic Piano rolled in “white glove” delivery which I did not expect at the close-out price. CSP pianos are quite heavy and assembly would have been a real chunk for two 70 year-olds. Thus, I’m really grateful for the extra service. Martinson Piano Moving handled delivery and in-home set-up.

At this point, all is well. Thank you, Classic Pianos (Bellevue).

Why CSP-170?

Yeah, why? The CSP-170 is the “old” CSP-100 series, right?

If you read my reviews of the Yamaha P-515 and CLP-785, you’ll know that I like the NWX keyboard action and the CFX/Bösendorfer piano sounds. I would have loved to buy the CLP-785, but its price is above my target budget.

My biggest beef with the P-515 (and the CLP series, for that matter) is the relative paucity of secondary sounds. Once you’ve tasted Yamaha MODX or Genos, you know what Yamaha is capable of. The P-515 XG sounds are sufficient for playing back XG MIDI files, but the voices aren’t up to the same quality level as mid- to upper-range Yamaha arranger keyboards or synths.

When the CSP-100 series was first announced, they struck me as innovative, but price-y. The CSP-170 (and 150) secondary sounds are roughly the same as the PSR-SX700 arranger. The extra sounds pushed the initial CSP-170 price ($5,400 USD) above the somewhat comparable CLP-745 (as far as base piano and sound system are concerned.)

Yamaha announced and began shipping the CSP-200 series last Summer. The second generation CSPs have a larger secondary sound set and GrandTouch keyboards. Pricing with respect to CLP remains high due to the CSP’s extra features.

For whatever reason, CSP-100 series were (are?) overstocked. [You can still find close-out CSP-150 and CSP-170 pianos today.] Yamaha reduced the price of the CSP-170B (matte black) model to $3,600 USD. A P-515 package for home costs about $2,000. So, the $1,600 delta above the P-515 buys a very nice cabinet, a superior amplification system, auto-accompaniment, learning features (stream lights) and a wealth of high-quality secondary sounds. Buying a CSP-170 for $3,600 is a bit of a “no brainer”, if you don’t want or need quasi-portability.

As I mentioned, the only catch is availability and waiting time. In a recent earnings call with financial analysts, Yamaha admitted that they have inventory issues and are over-stocked in certain specific product categories (e.g., entry-level digital pianos). Some of the glut is pandemic-related; some excess inventory is due to a slowed Chinese economy. Yamaha may be shifting stock from far away, for all we know. My CSP-170 was manufactured (Indonesia) in November 2022. I’d love to know its history!

Here I am today, a happy camper. I’ll be posting my initial impressions as a new owner/player and will have more to say about the Yamaha Smart Pianist app. Please, stay tuned and thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2023 Paul J. Drongowski

Yamaha VRM vs. VRM Lite

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Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) is one of one of Yamaha’s strongest differentiating technologies. Many of Yamaha’s home and portable digital pianos implement some form of VRM. Up to this point, the CP series stage pianos and other products in the synthesizer (music production) product families do not have VRM. Perhaps this will change in CP Gen 2. Yamaha arranger keyboards do not feature VRM, either. [Some synths and arrangers have a damper resonance insert effect. See “Synthetic fun” below.]

Yamaha Virtual Resonance Modeling [Source: Yamaha]

Sampled piano can sound lifeless even when the damper pedal is depressed. VRM adds a subtle dynamic quality to the overall sound. I tried turning VRM off via Piano Room while holding down notes with the damper pedal applied. There is a subtle difference in the sound. With VRM on, the overall tone (such as the P-515 or DGX-670) is fuller, more dynamic. Personally, I find the effect pleasing enough to regard it as a “must have” feature.

In slightly more technical terms, VRM adds sympathetic resonances such that the piano tone grows (blooms) over the duration of the notes. Acoustic piano makers and technicians go to great lengths to add and tune pleasing harmonics through resonance. Acoustic pianos are incredibly complex machines in the scientific sense!

You’ve probably read Yamaha’s description of VRM on its web site or in an owner’s manual. If you’re unsure of what it all means, then I recommend doing the same experiment yourself and hearing the difference. [Get thee to a dealer.] Whether you like the effect (or not) is personal. If it doesn’t immediately strike your fancy, please read on. Some models let you tweak VRM depth in Piano Room.

VRM technology has evolved since its introduction in 2014. The first models with VRM were the up-scale CLP 575 and 585. Per usual Yamaha practice, VRM trickled out to lower-end models in the 600 series and to the CSP and CVP series. Another thing happened, too. Yamaha began referring to “original VRM” and “enhanced VRM”. Yamaha describes original and enhanced VRM in the following way:

The original VRM (CSP-150/170) calculates the various states of the strings for each of the 88 notes on the keyboard, from one instant to the next, and timing and depth of damper pedals pressed.

Enhanced VRM (CLP-635 / 645 / 675 / 685 / 665GP / 695GP) now also calculates aliquot resonance in the upper octaves, and the full resonance of the soundboard, rim, and frame.

The calculations require some heavy mathematics and are computational intensive. I’ll say more about this in a future post. I will say, now, that VRM is a substantial, technological achievment!

Lately, Yamaha have dropped “original” and “enhanced” in favor of “VRM Lite” and “VRM”. I contacted Yamaha support asking about the specific modeling components supported by VRM and VRM Lite. They replied:

  • VRM has five components in it:
    • Damper resonance
    • String resonance
    • Body resonance
    • Duplex scale resonance
    • Damper noise
  • VRM Lite has two components:
    • Damper resonance
    • String resonance

As you would expect, VRM Lite is a subset of VRM. I preseume “duplex scale resonance” means Aliquot resonance although technically the two are related, but not identical.

If your Yamaha digital piano has VRM or VRM Lite, you’ll have one or more VRM-related settings at your disposal in Piano Room and/or the Smart Pianist app. The DGX-670, for example, has three settings:

  • VRM effect ON/OFF
  • Damper resonance effect depth
  • String resonance effect depth

Thus, you can ditch VRM entirely, or individually control the amount of damper or string resonance. The latter two settings let you dial in the amount of each effect to suit your preference. P-515 (enhanced VRM) provides five settings:

  • VRM effect ON/OFF
  • Damper resonance effect depth
  • String resonance effect depth
  • Aliquot resonance effect depth
  • Body resonance effect depth

Special thanks to Dan (Yamaha Support) who chased down this information for me.

Synthetic fun

Yamaha Montage/MODX, Genos, and other Yamaha synths implement a Damper Resonance effect “that reproduces the rich harmonics and unique sound characteristics of an actual grand piano when using the damper pedal.” [Check the Data List PDF for your particular model.] The Damper Resonance effect depends upon the sustain pedal (Damper Control) — you must depress the sustain (damper) pedal to hear the effect.

For Montage/MODX cheap thrills, select the four-part “CFX Concert” Performance. All four parts assign Damper Resonance to insert effect A. The initial dry/wet balance is set to D21>W or thereabouts. Raise the dry/wet balance to D<W63 — full wet. Now when you strike a note and depress the damper pedal, you’ll hear only the sound of the damper resonance effect.

For further background information about the Damper Resonance effect, check out Half Damper Function, Damper Resonance Effect and Key Off Sample (Motif XF).

Copyright © 2023 Paul J. Drongowski

Here are my working definitions for Aliquot resonance and duplex scaling.

“Aliquot is a stringing method for pianos that uses extra, un-struck strings in the upper octaves to enhance the tone. These strings sympathetically vibrate with other strings in an acoustic piano, resonating with overtones, and adding richness, brilliance and complex color to the sound. Since they do not have a damper, they will continue sounding even after you release your hands from the keyboard.” [Source: Yamaha P-515 Owner’s Manual]

“Duplex scaling, built into some grand pianos, can be found on that portion of the string in the treble section between the back bridge pin and the hitch pin which is normally the non-speaking part of the string and dampened with a strip of cloth. Where there is duplex scaling this section is deliberately left open to resonate in sympathy with the speaking part of the string and add brightness to the upper partials.” [Source: Cambridge Piano Tuner]

These two Yamaha videos are still informative after 13 years: Stereo Sustain Samples and String Resonance.

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

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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.

Yamaha P-S500 digital piano

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:

Copyright © 2022 Paul J. Drongowski