Product: Yamaha P90
Price Paid: US $799
Submitted
04/08/2003
at
11:45pm
by
Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
10
The previous review below is false. The P90 did not even debut until May 2003!
The P890 is essentialy a P120 in black without the speakers and weighs only 37 pounds instead of 40 pounds (P120).
The instrument sounds are the same as in the P120. "Grand Piano 1" is comprised of 22 megabytes in a compressed format of triple strike piano samples. Not only are these the same 22 megabytes of piano samples used in the P120's "Grand Piano 1" but they are also the same samples as in the marvelous P250's "Grand Piano 1". The P250 sounds better because it's "playback engine" uses more expensive VLSI chips which produce greater "clarity, and improved string resonance effect and a higher polyphony.
Features
:
9
The action is heavy, about 79 grams of down weight required per key. It is the same action found in the P120 and the P250. If you think it feels different than the P250, you are right, the P250 key to sound connection "feels" or responds better due to it's superb "play back" engine. But turn the sound of both keyboards and the actions feel the same. It is probably the most "expressive" digital piano action available. It is very precise in that it allows you to easily play every velocity point between 1-127 with good control. On a Fatar for example you don't easily get to play every velocity point up and down the range (graph) and the Fatar range feels compressed as if you can only play p-f, not ppp-fff.
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
9
This is a subjective catgeory, but I liked the P90 sound well enough to sell my Kurzweil PC2X for the P90/P120. The P90's "Grand Piano 1" has a more "open" and "present" sound than the Kurzweil PC2X and the Yamaha responds so much more dramaticly and dynamicly to touch that it behaves more musicaly reagardless if the sound is perfect or not.
The Rhodes is also very expressive and realistic on the P90/P120.
Reliability
:
9
Very sturdy design and parts.
Customer Support
:
10
Overall Rating
:
10
In my opinion the P250 (71 lbs) is the finest digital piano available followed by close seconds with the P120 (40 lbs) and the P90 (37 lbs). In a "live band" situation I do not think you could hear the difference between the three since they all share the same samples for their "Grand Piano 1s". You will hear and feel a difference when playing the P250 solo piano or in a recording.
Product: Yamaha P90
Price Paid: US $999
Submitted
08/14/2001
at
05:26pm
by
Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
3
Grand Piano sound is OK. Lacks personmality. After 15 min. I was bored. Other sounds are really not professional quality.
Features
:
3
Action is OK. 64-note polyphony. Key depth is too shallow comparied to a real Steinway. Feels like a toy. Controls do NOT feel like they will last a long time. All jacks on the right side. This makes cable managemnet very challengin if it is in a rig in a tight or small location.
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
3
Grand Piano is not bad. Would like more varation in timbre when you play harder. Keyboard is Volicity sensitive, but key depth is too shallow (makes it feel like a toy). OK for a beginning student, not a professional.
Reliability
:
3
Contols looks and feel that they may not last long.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Have not to call Yamaha.
Overall Rating
:
2
NO. I would not get the Yamaha again. For about the same money, I would look at a Roland FP-3. The Roland has a much better piano feel, better dynamics (volume and timbre) over sounds and much better sounds. Flute, Sax, Organs, and Jazz vocals are an awesome bonus. Acoutic Guits is also excellenjt. Plus it acts as a GM sound module. It is a preference, play them both.
