Yamaha Arius YDP-142 Digital Piano Review
Sound
Yamaha are clearly taking Arius YDP range very seriously when it comes to the sound. They have taken numerous recordings from their very own concert acoustic grand piano, and somehow jammed it into the Yamaha YDP-142 – and it certainly shows!
For a detailed list of the technology used and the features available, please follow this link to Yamaha’s official page – http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical-instruments/keyboards/digitalpianos/arius_series/ydp-142/?mode=model
I have owned many pianos over the years, ranging from acoustic uprights to baby grand’s, from digital stage pianos to digital home pianos. The Yamaha YDP-142 comes under the category of ‘digital home piano’, and does a fantastic job!
If you are a beginner and looking to buy your first piano for the home, then this would be ideal. Rather than spending thousands of pounds on an acoustic piano that needs tuning every few months, you would be much better off consider paying a fraction of the price for this, bearing in mind it sounds and plays like a real grand piano!
There are also numerous other voices to play around with if you fancy it. For example, strings, electric pianos, organs etc. The YDP-142 also has the ability to combine voices. My personal favourite is piano and strings. I love playing piano ballads adding the strings to the already great grand piano sound. It really does give it a very ‘movie theme’ sounding effect.
To see and hear just how this piano sounds, watch this:
Touch and feel
The graded hammer standard (GHS) provides you with the touch and feel of a real grand piano (bass is heavier and gets lighter as you go up the keys). If you are a beginner and are wondering whether or not this is going to make a difference for you, then it’s worth noting that the answer is yes.
It doesn’t really matter if you are just starting out and you haven’t really played a great deal yet. If you do choose this piano then you will benefit right from the start with the ‘grand piano’ feel. The moment you touch a piano you begin to learn how it plays and feels. If you start out with this piano, then you are instantly beginning to get used to how a real grand piano would feel – from the weight of the keys, to the GHS effect.
Price
At around £550, the Yamaha Arius YDP-142 offers fantastic value for money. Gone are the days when you would have to spend thousands of pounds on a digital piano to get a realistic sound, when comparing them to an acoustic.
Technology has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years, and you can now spend well under a thousand pound to play something which sounds and plays like a grand piano.
Sure, you may like the look of an acoustic and feel that it would be much better to have a ‘real’ piano in your home. But you need thousands of pounds to do that!
The YDP-142 offers amazing value for only a fraction of what an acoustic would cost, and you are going to get a much better and crisper sound. It’s important to remember that Yamaha have literally recorded their very own grand piano, and put the sound into this digital piano. What more do you need for £630!
Summary
The Yamaha Arius YDP-142 really does appeal to any pianist – no matter what level you’re at. The price sits perfectly in the comfort zone of anyone’s budget, allowing a complete novice to start their journey on becoming a successful pianist, or offering a great piano for an experienced player.
Not only does this digital piano play and sound great, it also looks great. The rosewood finish is immaculate, and clearly no expense has been spared. It does make you wonder how Yamaha make any money, when you think about the man hours which must have gone into creating and building such a fantastic piano.
If your budget allows for this digital piano to be considered, I would certainly not hesitate to buy it. There may be plenty of other makes and models out there for the same price, but you will struggle to match this one. Yamaha, like they always do, have beaten the rest yet again!
