Both Yamaha and Casio have long reigned supreme as two of the top companies for producing high quality digital pianos. After all, they’ve both been in the game for a very long time.
- Best under $300 > Yamaha EZ-220
- Best under $500 > Yamaha P71
- Best under $600 > Casio Privia PX-160BK
- Best under $1000 > Yamaha P125
The question of Casio vs Yamaha is one that is sure to spark some heated debates given both of the brands’ popularity today, and choosing between a Yamaha or Casio keyboard can be a difficult choice.
In this guide, we will compare and contrast the two companies to help you choose in your keyboard comparison.
Yamaha vs Casino – Best Digital Pianos under $600
Best Digital Pianos under $1000
If your budget is higher than $600 and you are looking for a more premium digital piano, then take a look at this list:
A Side by Side Comparison
The best way to decide the battle of Yamaha vs Casio is to compare each of the brands side by side in each important factor that makes a digital piano company great. This will help you decide which is more suitable for your needs and requirements. Both brands provide equally good products, but there are certain factors to consider first.
To compare Casio keyboards against every Yamaha keyboard would be almost impossible, but by looking at the brands and their products as a whole, you can get a pretty good feel for how each company stacks up.
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With that said, here are how the two brands face off in seven of the most important categories:
Sound Quality and Key Action
Sound quality and key action are the two factors that make playing a digital piano seem as if you are playing a quality acoustic piano instead. A good digital piano company will have a focus on creating innovations that will make their pianos have a more responsive key action and a more detailed and realistic sound.
Concerning this, both Casio and Yamaha have excelled.
- Casio’s Tri-Sensor keyboard they put in all of their Privia line pianos is superb and they have made strides in developing a powerful sound engine as well.
- Likewise, Yamaha has a range of excellent keyboards with the Graded Hammer Standard being their flagship keyboard and has also managed to develop some excellent sounding pianos.
All things considered, however, it is Yamaha that has a slight edge in this category.
Yamaha has the advantage of also producing a number of excellent concert grand acoustic pianos from which they record off of, and some of the company’s more expensive models simply sound and feel better than the more affordable Casio pianos.
How the Sound Quality Matches Up
Let’s explore the sound quality just a little more. If you compare the Yamaha P105 with the Casio PX150, you will find that both devices come with the standard 88 keys and 128 tones. However, Yamaha scores with 14 voices as against Casio’s 10. And, if you’re a studio musician and composer, you will certainly appreciate some additional features that Casio offers. Like, for instance, 4 kinds of chorus and reverb along with a six-point scale adjustable brilliance.
The different notes that you can adjust for crispiness can make a world of difference in the end piece you compose. As do the straightforward interface that includes three modes, the split, layer, and mode. And let’s not miss mentioning the metronome that ranges from 20 bpm to 255 bpm.
All the same, Yamaha isn’t too far behind with its P105. Their device comes packed with a Reverb, Damper Resonance and an additional feature that goes under the name of Intelligent Acoustic Control. You’ll also have the option of toggling the setting manually in place of the piano adjusting automatically. Further, the 10 pianist and rhythm functions seem to sweeten the deal.
Value for Your Money
There are plenty of digital pianos out there that are cheap, but finding a high quality digital piano that is enjoyable to play and still affordable is much more challenging. In order to fill this void, many of the top digital piano companies have set out to design low cost digital pianos that still sound, look, and feel like their more expensive counterparts.
In this regard, both Yamaha and Casio have done quite well, but it is Casio that comes out on top. There are several affordable Yamaha pianos, but every digital piano that Casio produces is affordable.
You can get a cheap Casio keyboard that is a great instrument and still feels and sounds great without breaking the bank. Casio’s quality combined with their affordability make them the best choice for getting the most value for the money you spend.
Brand Reputation
For some, brand name isn’t that big of a deal, but for others it can be a deciding factor. Whichever camp you fall in, sticking with recognized and reputable brands can definitely increase your chances of finding a high quality instrument. To begin, both Casio and Yamaha are giants in the world of digital pianos.
Both brands have fully established themselves and are renowned for producing high-quality instruments. It is Yamaha, however, that gets the edge in brand reputation.
Yamaha has been producing digital pianos for longer and is also a renowned manufacturer of high-end acoustic pianos. Despite their recent triumphs, there was a time when Casio actually had trouble getting their footing in producing digital pianos. Of the two, the most reputable brand is definitely Yamaha.
Catalogue Variety
This one is a really close call. At first glance, it would seem that Yamaha runs away with it. They have the larger catalogue and produce synthesizers as well as keyboards and upright digital pianos.
Casio, however, has made it a priority to provide a digital piano for every type of musician. In their Privia line alone you can find attractive furniture style pianos such as the Casio PX-850, portable keyboards such as the PX-150 and even a stage piano in the PX5S.
It isn’t as large a variety as what Yamaha offers, but having so many great digital pianos within one single high-quality line is definitely an advantage. Still, the size of Yamaha’s catalogue and all of the choices it offers cannot be overlooked, leading this factor to be a draw.
Digital Features
A large number of useful digital features are a big reason why so many people choose digital pianos over acoustic pianos. Adding features that are intuitive to use and are actually beneficial, however, can be a challenge for some companies.
Both Casio and Yamaha have made it a priority to outfit their digital pianos with a large number of useful digital features, and a piano from either company is sure to keep you occupied with exploring all of the various voices, effects, drum patterns and more that you can use.
It is Yamaha, however, that has the advantage in this category. Yamaha digital pianos have more useful features than any of the other top piano brands. One of the best of these features, especially for beginners, is the Yamaha Propriety Education Suite.
This program is like having a piano teacher built into your instrument that can be accessed at any time you please and is a great way to help a student sharpen their skills. It is programs like this as well as hundreds of other settings, modes, high quality voices and more that make Yamaha the better company in terms of digital features.
In fact, if you compare Yamaha keyboards to any of the other keyboards available you will see just how big an edge the company has in equipping their pianos with great digital features. Even the best Casio keyboard cannot compete in this area.
Quality of Construction – Casio vs Yamaha
No matter how good a digital piano sounds, it isn’t worth anything if it breaks down the first time you try and transport it. This is especially important for portable keyboards that are transported frequently from gig to gig. Whether a Casio or Yamaha keyboard is better in this area, however, is really too close to call.
A Casio keyboard comparison with any of the top brands will show you that these instruments are really well constructed, and the same goes for Yamaha. A company simply does not become as popular as these two have by producing products that break down.
Whether you choose a Yamaha or Casio keyboard, you can rest assured that you are purchasing a high quality instrument that is well-constructed and will not break under normal use.
Aesthetics and Design
If you are purchasing an upright digital piano to place in the middle of your home then you will want it to look attractive. Likewise, if you are on stage in front of an audience then it helps if you have a flashy, nice-looking keyboard rather than one that looks like a plastic toy.
As the saying goes, however, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, making the aesthetics of one particular brand hard to judge against the other. Both Yamaha and Casio make some beautiful furniture-style pianos as well as some eye-catching keyboards. If there is any separation at all, it might be a slight edge to Casio.
The furniture-style pianos in their Privia line are simply gorgeous and come available in three different color options. Many Casio pianos also have synthetic ivory and ebony keys which give an added touch of realism to their look.
Both companies have some beautiful instruments, but if it’s Casio vs Yamaha in the world of aesthetics then Casio has to have a slight advantage just because of their Privia line.
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Studio and Home Use
Depending on where you’re going to play music, knowing how to choose between a piano and a keyboard is important. When you want to play in your home, you’ll need to purchase a console digital piano. It can blend in well with your surroundings and looks like an acoustic piano. They come with built-in-speakers too, so you won’t have to find room for an amplifier.
Yamaha offers some great console digital pianos. One of their very best is the YPG-535. It has 88 soft-touch keys, making the device great for someone new to pianos. As it’s great for beginners, it’s no surprise that the YPG-535 comes with the Yamaha Education Suite. It teaches you all sorts of things, including note recognition. Of course, there’s a recorder and sequencer as well.
The product from Casio that’s equally as great is the Privia PX360. It has 88 full-size weighted keys, making it feel like you’re playing a grand piano. Speaking of grand pianos, the PX360 has the Casio Acoustic and intelligent Resonator. It’s a sound engine that makes it seem like you’re playing the real deal.
When it comes to home use, it’s safe to say that they both offer great options. As we discussed in the “Aesthetics and Design” section, Casio’s Privia line has pianos that are very furniture like. However, you need to take a look at the following series:
- Grand-Hybrid
- CELVIANO
They offer digital pianos that are more furniture-like than anything Yamaha offers.
When it comes to studio use, you want something that is very portable. This is because you will probably be moving it around quite a bit and taking it from place to place. This means that the product you settle on should be lightweight and not cumbersome. So, a keyboard is right up your alley. Both brands offer light keyboards. However, as Yamaha has a wider catalogue variety, you’ll likely find something for your studio from them.
Authenticity
The authenticity factor may be of special importance for die-hard fans of acoustic pianos. And, for users who will always believe that the ivory and ebony keys produce the best sounds. If you’re looking for the piano that can make you feel like a real maestro with the vibrations of a majestic device under your fingers, finding them in lightweight pianos isn’t easy.
However, should you compare the Yamaha P105 weighing at 11 kgs and Casio PX150 at 16 kgs, you’ll find that they appeal to the traditionalists also. Casio has added the “tri-sensor scaled hammer action” to all their Privia models and you can choose from three sensitivity settings that give you the authentic heavy feel of the keys. And, users have loved that they can choose just how light they want their keys to feel as they play.
Yamaha has attempted to bring you this feel with “four levels of touch sensitivity for a realistic acoustic response.” This feature is connected with the “Graded Hammer Action” keys to give you that authentic, acoustic feel. And, Yamaha lets you know that their devices can give you the real feel of playing on a full-sized grand piano.
Portability
As a musician, the portability of your keyboard is important. Even if it’s the best keyboard in the world, the fact that it’s heavy would make it impossible to use, especially if you’re someone who travels a lot.
What makes a digital piano feel heavy is the weight and number of keys it has. If you’re new to performing, know that weighted keys are important. The weight helps the keys mimic an acoustic piano’s feel.
As Casio and Yamaha are both big names in the game, it’s no surprise that they both have keyboards that are specifically known to be portable. When it comes to Yamaha, they have a whole series of easy-to-carry keyboards. These are their ‘P’ series.
Casio does not have a line to compare with this. Some of their most portable keyboards include the Privia PX-160 and the CDP-240.
As Yamaha has a whole line dedicated to portability, it’s safe to say that they are the winners here.
Casio vs Yamaha – Which Brand Is Better?
If you compare Yamaha keyboards with Casio keyboards then there is certainly a lot to analyze. Because of this, the question of Casio vs Yamaha keyboard is a difficult topic with plenty of supporters on both sides.
When it comes to popularity, it’s clear that Yamaha wins. They’re a brand that has been at the forefront of manufacturing musical instruments. This isn’t true for Casio, as they put out all kinds of goods from calculators to watches. That’s why your Yamaha keyboard may be more respected than your Casio one.
Still, there are a few distinct advantages to choosing products from either company. If you are looking for the most affordable keyboard which has excellent quality, then you can’t go wrong with the best Casio keyboard out there.
On the other hand, if the price isn’t a hindrance and you want a digital piano with great sound and plenty of features, then Yamaha is the better company.
The look of your keyboard is important too. After all, you’ll be taking it with you everywhere. We’ve established that Casio’s Privia line alone is very diverse. That being said, both brands give each other a run for their money when it comes to this.
How portable your piano is can go a long way too. Considering that Yamaha has a whole series dedicated to portable pianos, we think they take the cake.
Whether you should choose a digital piano from Casio or Yamaha depends on your needs, budget, and preferences. But keep in mind how much experience you have with using these devices. If you’re new to it, something like Yamaha’s Education Suite would be very helpful.
It’s clear that each brand excels at different things, so take a careful look at the benefits of each company before choosing a piano that is suitable for you.