Yamaha is undoubtedly a giant piano maker and a brand that has stood the test of time. When you think about an acoustic or digital piano, Yamaha most likely pops up in your mind.
A couple of years ago, Yamaha surprised its customers again with another high-quality product series – Airus Series. Yamaha YDP 143 is one of the components of Airus Series and it’ll be our point of focus in this review.
We’ll go over the key features of this amazing digital piano, its pros and drawbacks and its other features.
Features
- Keys: 88, weighted
- Polyphony: 192
- Dimensions: 53.4” x 16.6” x 32”
- Weight: 84 pounds
Pros and Cons
Pros
The first thing that will possibly make you fall in love with this digital piano is its simple but alluring look. It is housed in a cabinet with an elegant traditional look featuring dark rosewood or black walnut finish. In as such, it will most likely match your décor.
When it comes to space utilization, this piano is a great option as it’s compact size makes it occupy just a minimal amount of space.
Although Yamaha YDP 143 doesn’t have actual hammers, it has meticulously weighted keys which gives you an experience similar to that you get while playing an acoustic piano. You can enjoy playing this piano even for hours as its black keys have a slip-resistant matte finish.
Cons
One of the major drawbacks of this piano is that it has limited selection of sounds. It has just 10 sounds. Also, it doesn’t have built-in rhythms.
Sound Quality of YDP-143
With a 192-note polyphony, YDP-143 will produce clear and very high-quality sound even when you play an extremely complex musical selection. This piano reproduces sound with full expression and all necessary dynamics, thanks to its Pure CF Sound Engine.
Key Action and Realism of YDP-143
Just as its predecessor YDP-142, YDP-143 features Graded Hammer Standard 88 keys keyboard action. Graded Hammer Action essentially offers a heavier touch in the low-end keys and a lighter touch in the higher end keys, with the response being almost the same of the hammers in a real grand piano. In as such, this piano can help you big time to learn the proper fingering technique.
Other features
Stereophonic optimizer
YDP-143 also comes with a headphone feature called stereophonic optimizer, allowing you to practice piano without distracting other people or being distracted. The feature makes you hear like the headphone sound is coming from a further distance instead of hearing it just the way it’s produced by the headphone. Nevertheless, the stereophonic optimizer retains the quality of sound.
Free iOS App
If you are an iPhone user, you can install the free iOS App that Yamaha offers for this piano on your iOS device and use it to control various functions of the piano hassle-free. From selection and use of the piano’s sound functions to recorder activation, there’re lots you can do using this app.
Duo playing feature
Besides, YDP-143 has a duo playing feature which allows two pianists to share its keyboard and play a duet. The feature divides the keyboard into two.
Yamaha YDP-143 Review – Final Thoughts
Yamaha YDP-143 looks elegant, feels like a real grand piano and its performance is great. However, if you want a wider sound variety and inbuilt rhythms, it won’t be the best option.