Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Review - Affordable Home Piano

Introduction

We're back with another piano review and today we'll be focusing on the Casio PX-770. This is an 88 key digital piano built for home use and the least expensive furniture style model in the Casio Privia lineup.

There's a nice cabinet, integrated triple pedal, and lots of other things to like about the PX-770.

Let's dive into the Casio PX-770 review and see where it stands among the rest of the very crowded mid-range home digital piano class.

Powerful Stereo Amplification System

The PX-770 uses several of the same components and processing that you'll find in other parts of Casio's broader digital piano lineup.

The PX-770's award-winning Multi-Dimensional Morphing AiR Sound Source with 128 notes of polyphony has been used in several Privia models and is widely regarded as a very solid piano sound engine with adjustable reverb and brilliance.

Casio's been continually developing the AiR Sound Source and improving it, and the current version represents Casio's true arrival as a big player in the mid-range digital piano market. The sample is well recorded and generates a beautiful new stereo sound, and there's an extra synthesis on top of the sound in the form of realistic damper resonance and hammer response.

The PX-770 is equipped with a very capable eight watt per side speaker system output for 16 watts in total. The speaker boxes are on the bottom and there's some venting going on at the top, so you get some high-end frequencies coming through the ports.

This approach is a less expensive way to simulate having a set of small tweeters at the front. We're quite impressed with the quality of the sound that comes out of these on the PX-770 even if 16 watts isn't enough to create a true grand piano experience - a more powerful stereo amplification system is required for that truly immersive audio spectrum spanning experience.

In terms of other instrument tones, there are 19 in total, including 4 other grand piano sounds. The default patch is clearly the focus and likely the most versatile, but the remainder of the sounds, including some electric pianos, organs, strings, and others are generally pretty decent.

 

Tri-Sensor II Scaled Hammer Action

The action on this Casio Privia PX-770 is probably one of the strongest parts of this instrument.  Casio's scaled hammer actions have been steadily evolving over the last few years as they've been playing a little bit of catch-up against Yamaha, Kawai, and Roland.

It was only a few years ago that Casio digital pianos didn't really have an action design that was durable or considered a reasonable substitute for an acoustic piano action. Those days are gone and we're now dealing with a company that's building good innovative hammer actions, which can actually be spoken about and debated in the same breath as the Yamaha and Roland actions of the class.

The PX-770s' Tri-sensor Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard II uses a triple sensor as the name would suggest which makes it a really interesting choice to use as an input device for recorded MIDI data due to its solid touch sensitivity.

There are nice simulated ebony and ivory textures on the piano keys that deliver a pretty natural feel. It's not as extreme as the ivory keys of old, but you're definitely getting some additional grip here for when your hands get sweaty.

The key spacing is nice and consistent and in general, we feel like this action is a more advanced, better-designed action than what you'll find in the PX-S1000 for example. There are also 3 levels of adjustable touch sensitivity so you can have a comfortable touch regardless of your playing style.

We wouldn't call the Tri-Sensor II the best action for the price, but it's close.

Features/Connectivity - USB, MIDI & Chordana Play App

The first feature we'll look at that the PX-770 is equipped with is the Concert Play function. Basically, they have 10 famous orchestral pieces preloaded into the piano and you have the ability to play along with the full orchestra recording of the piece. Super fun. You also have the option to turn off the piano part as well.

Then we've got a Music Library, which features MIDI files of 60 other well-known works for a fun listening experience or for playing along with, plus you can add 10 additional songs of your choice. The PX-770's convenient features also include a Metronome,  Transpose (changes the pitch of the entire key range), and a Master Tuning function.

There are also some alternate playing modes like Duet mode (divides the keyboard into 2 equal pitch ranges), and a built-in 2-track MIDI recorder. The PX-770's two-track MIDI recorder is more than you usually get for this price point. This is a decently impressive features list for a home digital piano when you consider the cost of the instrument.

The cabinet of the PX-770 features a really slick modern design and includes a built-in keyboard cover and integrated triple pedal unit with damper, sostenuto, and soft pedals. Connectivity includes two headphone ports so you can connect 2 sets of headphones at once and class-compliant USB to host for connecting to apps for Mac and Android.

The PX-770 is available in Black (PX-770BK), White (PX-770WE), and Brown (PX-770BN).

 

Closing Thoughts

For people who are looking for a new piano around $1,000 Canadian dollars or so, the PX-770 is a really compelling option, and definitely, more than holds its own against a competing Yamaha YDP model.

Considering you don't need to add a stand or pedals, the overall value makes the PX-770 ideal for those shopping within a $1,000 budget.

You just might have trouble finding one in stock as the PX-770 has been a huge seller over the past few years - another brilliant instrument for the price from Casio. Thanks for reading our Casio PX-770 review and stay tuned for the next review!

The post Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Review - Affordable Home Piano first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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Yamaha DGX-660 vs Casio PX-770 Digital Piano Review Comparison & Demo

Introduction

Wondering how these popular $1,000 dollar digital pianos stack up? You've come to the right place. Definitely check out the video comparison if you haven't already done so, but here we have the written companion piece.

The Yamaha DGX-660 and Casio PX-770 are two very popular instruments available for about the same price, and yet, they're very different musically and are ultimately aimed at different end-users.

Let's jump right to a general overview.

Opening Thoughts

The primary reason we've decided to do this comparison is that these two instruments cost virtually the same amount of money - otherwise, they're actually very different.

Lots of people will end up with these two pianos on their shopping list without necessarily being aware of just how different they are from one another, hence why we've decided to do a comparison. Hopefully, this comparison will help make it clear to you which of these two instruments will be the better fit.

Casio PX-770

The Casio PX-770 would be described as a traditional home digital piano. The functionality is limited, but the focus is mostly on tone production, cabinet, and action.

Yamaha DGX-660

The Yamaha DGX-660 Portable Grand on the other hand is actually more of an arranger keyboard, and it replaced the Yamaha DGX-650. The piano component is there, but the focus is really on having a ton of sounds, recording capability, and versatile auto-accompaniment styles.

You might be thinking that since both pianos are the same price, you must be getting more for your money with the DGX-660. This isn't necessarily the case though, depending on your needs, and that's what we'll be breaking down.

We'll start the comparison by looking at each piano's action.

Piano Keyboard Action Comparison

Casio PX-770 Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard II

Starting with the PX-770 and we have Casio's Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard II. This action appears in the higher-level PX series and Celviano series, but not in Casio's top-of-the-line grand piano series.

This action uses a triple sensor and a textured key top, and it happens to be a lot quieter than the first-generation tri-sensor action. Anyone who had written the first generation action off before because they weren't happy with the mechanical noise will be much happier with this action.

Yamaha DGX-660 Graded Hammer Standard

The action over on the DGX-660 is Yamaha's Graded Hammer Standard or GHS action for short. This is the basic 88-key weighted action you'll find in most of Yamaha's digital pianos, such as the Arius series, under about $2,000 or so. It's solidly built and well waited, but there are a few reasons why we and many others prefer the action on the PX-770.

The first reason is due to the texture of the PX 770's keys. If you're playing in a humid environment or if you're a more percussive player, your fingers have the potential to glide on the GHS action, with your skin peeling back. The texture on the PX 770's action prevents this.

The triple sensor on the Tri-Sensor Scaled Action would make this a better choice if you were going to be using your piano to trigger software instruments because the MIDI output will be more accurate. With the GHS, we're talking about a dual sensor, so there's a potential for it to be a little less consistent in terms of its MIDI output and touch response.

If you were a customer in our store and you were looking at these two and simply focused on a good piano experience without the need for extras, whether you're a beginner or have some piano experience, the PX-770 is probably going to be the more logical choice here by virtue of it's better action.

 

Cabinet and Pedal Comparison

Casio PX-770 Cabinet and Triple Pedal System

The second important point of comparison is the cabinetry. The Casio PX-770 comes with a more substantial and sleeker cabinet that features an integrated triple pedal system.

Again, for people who are going to be using their instrument primarily for piano playing out of the box, the PX-770 comes out here once again.

DGX-660 Withstand Box and Sustain Pedal

The Yamaha DGX-660 comes to withstand in the box though it can be used as a portable digital piano, a triple pedal unit will be extra. The sustain pedal included with the DGX-660 is one of those basic footswitch pedals, so even if you don't need a triple pedal, you'd want to upgrade from the basic footswitch.

 

Digital Piano Tone Quality Review

When we get into the quality of the tone,  this gets very subjective. We'd definitely recommend checking out at least this section of this video as Stu demos the sound engines of both pianos back to back.

The fact is, what one person thinks is a great sound, another person might think is too muddy. It's just highly subjective.

 

Yamaha DGX-660 Sound Engine

From a specs standpoint, the DGX-660b is using Casio's Pure CF Sound Engine with a strong 192 notes of polyphony. It's also loaded with over 500 sounds (388 of which are XGLite) including concert grand pianos, other acoustic pianos, electric pianos, organs, synths, and guitars among others.

This engine is based on a recording of the Yamaha CFIIIS grand piano, with a high-quality synthesis of things like damper resonance for an authentic playing experience. The Piano Room feature lets you choose from different acoustic piano setting presets (like reverbs) to create your own piano environment, easily controlled on the LCD screen.

 

Yamaha DGX-660 Speaker System

The Yamaha DGX-660 has a 4 speaker system driven by a 12-watt amplifier.

Features Review: Yamaha DGX-660 and Casio PX-770

This is the area where the DGX-660 really shows what it's all about. While both pianos have features like a Metronome, Transpose, and the ability to connect to external devices to access apps for iOS and Android, the DGX-660 has a lot of extras.

For one, it has USB Audio Recording built-in, which is a huge plus for some as you don't need to buy additional gear if you're working with a DAW to transmit audio (WAV) information. You can also record MIDI and playback directly on board.

The auto-accompaniment feature is really strong and includes accompaniment settings like Smart Chord and a Style Recommender, easily navigated via the control panel.

Yamaha DGX-660 Microphone jack

The Yamaha DGX-660 also has a rare microphone jack, and you can read sheet music from the LCD courtesy of a score display feature.

Closing Thoughts

We hope that this has been a quick and helpful clarifier if you were considering these two pianos on a site like Amazon based solely on price. We have done individual reviews for both of these instruments as well, so we'd recommend checking out Merriam Music if you'd like to see a more in-depth breakdown of each piano.

Thanks for reading!

The post Yamaha DGX-660 vs Casio PX-770 Digital Piano Review Comparison & Demo first appeared on Merriam Pianos

2359 Bristol Cir #200, Oakville, ON L6H 6P8

merriammusic.com

(905) 829-2020