Yamaha Arius YDP-144 Digital Piano - Classic and elegant home piano for beginners or hobbyists, in black

Product Information

If you’re looking for something that works for practice, the YDP-164 is a decent choice. The CFX concert grand is worth the price of admission, and the GH3 action means your fingers will get a similar weight and response as you would get on a real piano. The YDP-series has always focused on playability first and foremost, and the YDP-164 (as well as its predecessor) continues the streamlined approach. Speaking of close approximations, the GH3 is Yamaha’s well-liked piano action, previously appearing on the high-end CLP-series flagships.

The YDP-144 comes in at a hefty 83 lbs., 12 oz (38 kg). In terms of size, the dimensions are 53.4” x 16.6” x 32” (W x D x H). There isn’t much to comment about here, it’s just a great triple-pedal setup with a superb feel and responsiveness.The YDP series, also known as the Arius series, is Yamaha’s main line of quality, affordable digital pianos, aimed at beginner- and intermediate-level players.

Damper Resonance. Allows you to choose whether damper response simulation is on or off for the piano sounds. Just like an acoustic piano, the keys in the bass area feels heavier and gradually gets lighter towards the tremble part. Even when it comes to digital pianos, Yamaha is well known for delivering great sound and build quality, being one of the most sought-out brands for digital pianos at all skill levels. Looking upwards, there are digital pianos that have natural wooden keys installed, similar to the keyboard of acoustic pianos. You can usually find this feature on the digital piano models of the Clavinova line from Yamaha. Yes, the price is notably higher on those, but ultimately in most cases you get what you pay for. For example, the Yamaha CLP-545 is a digital piano model that fits into this category.The music rest even comes with a few score-holding pegs which were not part of the YDP-144. These are helpful inclusions that certainly help during sight-reading practice. The CFX grand piano isn’t the only highlight. Yamaha is also well known for their classic DX7 synthesizer, a mainstay in classic 80s music.

While I’ve made my distaste for the GHS keys known in the previous section, the concert grand sounds included with this model do make up for it. In early 2019, Yamaha updated the YDP line with new models, including the YDP-144, YDP-164 and YDP-S54 (slim, modern style version of the YDP-164), replacing the previous YDP-143, YDP-163 and YDP-S52 models. The harpsichord and vibraphone sounds are the same you get from the YDP-143, and I’ve always been partial to Yamaha’s versions of these sounds. Most sounds default to the two hall reverbs, and they sound realistic, with lightly diffused highs that prevent the overly ‘sparkly’ sounds you’d expect from an untamed reverb. Many of my fellow musicians share the same opinion and regard Sweetwater as their go-to music store. )These minute details were not part of the previous YDP-143 model, and it definitely makes the YDP-144 a better digital piano. With the update to the YDP-line of instruments, Yamaha implemented their CFX sound sampling, which was previously a hallmark of the CLP-series digital pianos. Thankfully, the YDP-144 retains the YDP-143’s relatively slim design, so it fits nicely into smaller rooms. Of course, if you want to use any of these two in bigger events, you will definitely need some type of amplification. But the speakers that are installed on these two pianos are bu any not under the level of their category.

The speaker system on the other hand, is another big let down of the new YDP-144. Even though it is slightly more powerful than the YDP-143, it’s still not nearly good enough. In the connectivity department, I can’t say that either of them offer any spectacular features. You can basically find what you would expect from a contemporary digital piano, but nothing fancy or cutting edge. Many time, on the other had you will probably not need any fancy connectivity options because you’re probably not a composer, but a beginner or intermediate musician, looking for an instrument to learn on or use in a home setting. Conclusion The music rest on the YDP-144 is collapsible . This is again identical to the music rest on the YDP-143.For example, Casio’s PX-870 includes some guiding indicators above the keys, which is a simple solution that manages to sidestep the problem of cumbersome controls. Looking at the Yamaha YDP-144 vs Yamaha P125 from a functions point of view, I can’t see a lot of difference either. They both have all the basic functions you would expect from a modern digital piano, without having too many bells and whistles. You can record what you play so that you can listen to it later on and take note of any mistakes that you make. This, together with other functions such as metronome are very helpful for beginners. Not so spectacular for more advanced pianists, though. It boils down to personal preference, but to me, there’s a certain magic that comes with a well-sampled piano.