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The new Casio Privia PX-330 redefines the digital piano category with unprecedented sound quality and performance in a sleek package that is supremely portable. Featuring all new grand piano samples and a new Tri-Sensor 88-note scaled hammer action keyboard and weighing only 26 lbs., the Casio Privia PX-330 is versatile enough for any home, studio or stage.
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Technical Details
- 88 weighted, scaled hammer-action keys- 128-note polyphony
- 250 tones (with layer and split)
- Reverb (4 types), Chorus (4 types), Brilliance (-3 to 0 to 3), Acoustic Resonance
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By Ray Lyon
I am a professional jazz pianist of some 30+ years. I recently bought this keyboard as a much needed gigging and practicing piano that was light weight, had built in speakers, 88 note key weighted action and a good piano sound. You will find all of this and more in the PX-330. I don't think there is any other keyboard currently being manufactured that provides all these features at this low a price point.
Pros:
- great weighted action... a bit mushy but one can certainly adapt to it easily.
- good piano sound, but not without its faults (see below) It reminds me of the sound of the Kurzweil pianos.
- auto arranger with tons of grooves for practicing and jamming.
- good selection of song style presets... it even has "Giant Steps" for all you jazz pianists to practice on. Any tempo, Any key.
- some interesting world beat grooves are included along with standard pop, rock, latin, etc. grooves
- weighs only 25 lbs... this is one of the best features of all!
- skinny... easy to carry
- built in speakers lead to instant gratification when turning on the keyboard and playing. You just sit down and play. No muss, no fuss.
- good contruction. Uses alot of plastic. Not as good as Roland or Yamaha but good enough
- pitch bend wheel is a surprise bonus
- nice LCD display is a big improvement over previous models
- line inputs let you bring in a submix from an mp3 player, iPod, or mixer
- two separate 1/8" mini stereo headphone outs
- good for education and dual playing... the keyboard can be split into duet mode each playing the same sound
- the auto harmony feature is very good and alot of fun to play around with. (dual voice, three voice, etc.)
- memory card slot for saving your patches and performances
- excellent price and value for the money
Cons:
- piano sound is good but suffers from too fast a decay in the middle register. It's difficult to make a melody "sing" or play in a smooth legato style. This decay problem would be fine in pop or rock music, but for jazz and classical it is a definite flaw.
- there is no way to adjust the volume of the primary piano sound when using splits or accompaniments. You can decrease/increase the accompaniment, but cannot increase the main voice independently.
- there is no way to adjust the reverb wet/dry depth. I find this particularly irritating, since certain styles of music require more reverb. Access to a heavier reverb would also help cover over some of the flaws in the piano sound. However, you can adjust the reverb wet/dry depth on the individual accompaniment parts. Why they didn't include this feature on the main sound is a mystery to me.
- labeling of buttons is too dark and hard to see, especially in dim lighting
- buttons lack tactile "feel", are shallow, and can easily be missed in the heat of a performance. Combine this with hard to see labels and you have a recipe for disaster. However, most of the buttons do have LED lights which helps in seeing what is engaged.
- unit comes with a cheap sustain pad/switch which easily flips over when playing. For serious playing you will need to buy a separate sustain pedal.
- the polarity of the pedal is reversed and cannot be changed internally like many other keyboards. This forces you to buy Casio's pedal unit. A work around is to buy a sustain pedal with a polarity switch, or a regular sustain pedal which you can adapt reversing the polarity of the wires.
- the unit supports half-pedaling which is great, but only if you buy the Casio pedal board.
- the much ballyhooed "acoustic resonance" feature is barely discernible and for all intents and purposes contributes nothing to the piano sound.
- multiple button and combination button pushes can easily make for confusion. You will need to sit down and really learn this keyboard to effectively use its features esp. during performance.
- some of the auto accompaniment parts are pretty cheesy, and the non-piano sounds are just so-so.
- at maximum volume there is some distortion in the piano sound coming out of the built in speakers.
I did not mean do denigrate this product by listing all the cons... overall, its an excellent low priced piano packed with features not found in other brands that cost more. I just wish I could get comfortable with the fast decay in the middle register, and have more control over the effects.
I have Synthogy Ivory on my laptop, and on more important gigs I use the PX-330 as a controller for the Ivory piano. I bring the output of the Ivory back into the line inputs. Now that's a righteous piano sound! Nevertheless, I am happy i bought this keyboard and am sure it will serve me well as I continue to make music.
By L. Rouse (New Bern, NC)
I was looking for a digital keyboard to complement my Roland Juno Stage. The Stage is a great live performance keyboard, but lacks a full keyboard, and doesn't replicate very well the action and weight of an acoustic piano keyboard. I researched a number of digital pianos before coming across several very positive reviews of the Px-130 and -330 pianos. In fact, everything I read was so positive that I decided to take a chance and purchase the px-330 sight unseen. I have had the 330 several delays and I love it. The 330 is lightweight, but very solidly constructed. The keyboard itself, in my humble opinion, superbly replicates the touch and sensitivity of an acoustic piano. There are a variety of acoustic piano patches, which sound very, very good, even with the built in speakers, and even better using a pair of headphones (I haven't tried the keyboard with my Behringer keyboard amp yet, but I'm expecting very good results when I do.
bottom line: I highly recommend this keyboard, especially if you are looking for an economical and quality substitute for an acoustic piano. If you are looking for a basic version of this instrument, without the additional patches, but still with the same quality construction and excellent piano sounds, consider the PX-130 as well.
By Rose Gonella (Lancaster, CA USA)
This piano is perfect for my needs. Its programming is easy to learn, and it sounds just lovely. It's an excellent value for the money. I'm very happy with it.
By PenName
This review is for the Casio Privia PX330:
Overall I really like this keyboard for practicing quietly at night and for connecting to a computer. I've been playing it for about a month. Here are my thoughts so far:
Key Touch Sensitivity:
The Casio web site advertisement states: "authentic piano touch that captures every detail and nuance of your performance". If that is your expectation, you will probably be disappointed with this keyboard. I have compared the Casio with two pianos that I play regularly (a Yamaha Baby Grand and a Spinet) and the Casio falls short of both pianos in this area. The Casio keys feel harder to press and do not have the volume/pressure sensitivity or dynamic range of the real pianos.
On the up side I will say that the Casio keyboard touch feels much better than other electronic keyboards I have tried in this price range and it also does a decent job of changing the volume depending upon how hard you press the keys.
Sound:
The keyboard sound using my own headphones (Sony MDR-V6) is great. The on-board speakers are ok, but sound a bit muffled on some of the piano styles. (Fortunately you can buy external speakers and connect them to this keyboard.)
Construction.
The keyboard is fairly light weight and not too hard to move around (although I'd wish it had carrying handles). The plastic music stand (included) and parts of the keyboard appear a bit on the thin side.
The keys visually look large, but I can't really explain why. I measured the entire width of all the keys and it is a match to my real piano.
Connectivity:
I've used the USB connection to my computer with no problems (Windows XP).
Functions:
Tons of functionality. The ones I've tried work well. Selecting some of functions can be a bit confusing though (pressing combinations of buttons, etc.), so I find myself going back to the manual to look up how to select them.
Misc:
- It comes with a nice printed manual.
- The sustain function using the included pedal does not seem to carry out the piano tone long enough, although it does vary depending upon what type of sound you have selected. (I don't know if the sustain length is a function of the pedal or the keyboard.)
Also note that there is a very nice Casio video showing this keyboard on YouTube. Search for "Casio Privia PX130 Preview". The video review is done with the Casio PX-130 which I think is the same keyboard as the 330 one with a few less functions.
Conclusion:
If you are looking to duplicate the sound/feel of a real piano, this is probably not the right keyboard for you. If you're looking for a really nice digital piano with touch sensitivity and lots fun features, then this is a nice choice.
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Buy Casio PX-330 88 Key Digital Stage Piano with Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action Now
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