Good quality digital — Pianoconcerto Forum

Member

Posts: 9
City: Varese

November 21, 2016, 17:24

Good morning everyone.

After carefully consulting your forum, I have finally decided to register.
My name is Massimiliano and I have been a certified pianist for over twenty years.
As I wrote in the welcome post, although life has led me down a completely different path, the piano has never left me, nor have I abandoned it. Family aside, the greatest emotions of my life have been given to me, are being given to me, and will always be given to me by the piano, whether played or listened to.
Now I am trying to transmit this wonderful passion to my children, aged ten and (almost) eight, whom I have been teaching for a few years using an unweighted digital keyboard ( ), since my glorious Schimmel upright remained at my parents' house.

Self-citation finished, I submit for your kind attention a truly original question, which surely no one else has ever asked before: which piano should I choose?
Ok ok, just kidding...
More data is needed.

Firstly, I would lean towards a good digital piano (obviously 88 keys and with a weighted keyboard), as hybrids/silent pianos (which I would prefer) have a significantly higher price, as is obvious.
The budget: I would not want to spend more than €1,500, or thereabouts.
Brands: I prefer Kawai and Yamaha, but I am not ruling out different solutions (Casio? Roland? Other?).
A few months ago I had the chance to get my hands on a Kawai CN 24 and it impressed me quite a bit; reading about the improvements made (compared to the CN 24) on the more recent CN 35, my first choice, at least regarding Kawai, would fall exactly on that model (the CN 35).
However, I would like to hear the opinion of those who have tried both the Kawai CN 35 (or 25 or 24) and a Clavinova of a comparable category.
Keep in mind that I don't need a professional piano, but I also wouldn't want to get an instrument that would need to be changed too soon in the desirable eventuality that my children persevere in their studies.
Furthermore, there is still my Schimmel upright, which I will bring home sooner or later.

Forgive me for rambling, especially considering the fact that I have just joined the forum.
Regardless of any answers, I thank you for the service you provide and I congratulate each of you for the passion we share: the piano!!!

Have a good day everyone.

Max

Thesimon

Administrator

Posts: 4,504
City: Ariccia, RM

November 21, 2016, 19:21

In my opinion, you could opt for two different solutions since by mentioning "silent" technology you lead me to think that you probably live in an apartment building where there are hours to respect and where, despite this, arguments with neighbors are always lurking....

The first solution is to invest the entire amount in a good digital piano. Between the Yamaha Clavinova series and the Kawai CN, personally, I prefer the latter. I haven't had the chance to test the CN35 yet, so I wouldn't be able to tell you what the improvements are. Certainly, Kawai's action on digital pianos is cutting-edge. I also like the sound more, but that is a matter of taste.

The second option is to look for a more modest digital model (in the range of €700) and invest the rest of the amount to install the silent system on the Shimmell once you have to bring it home. In this way, you will have a "digitized" acoustic piano that will allow you to play even during nighttime hours without having to give up the quality of an acoustic action, while at the same time having a portable solution for all other needs.

BaroneQ

Member

Posts: 9
City: Varese

November 22, 2016, 10:28

Good morning Simone.

First of all, thank you very much for the exhaustive response.

In effect, I like both solutions that you are proposing to me.

Some time ago I had tried a Clavinova, of which unfortunately I do not remember the model (it cost 700/800 euros, from memory), and a Kawai CN 24 (which at the time cost 1,390 euros): they certainly were not two digital pianos in the same range, but the Kawai really impressed me, both in terms of sound and - above all - key response.

Now I have read online about the improvements made to the CN 35 (compared to its little brothers 24/25) and for this reason at the moment I would be more oriented towards Kawai, even though I have always had a weakness for Yamaha, perhaps also because they remind me of some concerts I played on magnificent grand pianos of the Japanese giant...

Thank you for expressing your preference regarding the general level of Kawai and Yamaha; it is exactly what I am looking for.

We will see if someone else intervenes to give us their opinion.

As far as the possibility of installing a Silent system on the Schimmel is concerned, it is a hypothesis that I will evaluate carefully in the coming years.

It also depends on how much it costs; I haven't inquired about it yet.

On that front, I studied it from when I was little until my diploma and even today, after thirty years, it is perfectly in tune...

I would like to renew the symbiosis "modernizing it" with new Yamaha technologies, provided they do not compromise the original mechanics.

We'll see...

Thanks again!