CGP-700 Audio In & Comparison with PX-560

[Philistine]

I'm looking to upgrade my 11-year-old PX-310.  I'm considering either the CGP-700 or PX-560.

 

First -- On the CGP-700 how does the 3.5mm audio-in sound?  Right now I have the outputs from my audio interface hooked into the inputs on the 310 to hear pianoteq, VSTs, mp3s etc. from the computer as I play (either through headphones or internal speakers).  That works fine, and the sound is good.

 

Would the 3.5mm audio in on the CGP-700 sound comparable using a two mono 1/4 to stereo 1/8 Y-adapter?

 

Second - I'm debating whether I'd get the extra $500 (including stand) use out of the 560 over the 700.  Although I like the "wow cool" of the 560, I'm dubious that I'd do editing on it, and I'm more likely to do synth sounds/editing through VSTs.  I like the idea of the extra speakers in the 700's stand (I don't really have a great place to put monitors where I have my piano).  How much difference does AIR make to the piano sound of the 560?

 

Thanks!

 

--Philistine

[Display Name]

Hi  Philistine and welcome to the Casio forums. 

 

First, re: the audio inputs. The stero 3.5mm (1/8") jack sounds just as good at the 1/4" line-ins. No difference in sound.

Second re: the PX-560 vs. the CGP-700. Besides the synth and editing capabilities, the piano sound on the 560 is more realistic. I won't get into the technical details (unless you want me to!), but the sound chip (AiR) in the PX-560 allows for more subtle details than the chip in the CGP-700 (MXi). Not that the there's anything wrong with the piano on the CGP-700, on the contrary it's quite good and uses the same "base" piano sound as the Privia's and Celvianos. So it's just a matter of the 560 being a more realistic simulation. But if you're using a VST for your piano sounds most of the time, it probably doesn't matter. 

And as you mentioned, the stand and speakers are a great addition. The PX-560's speakers are very good, but the CGP-700's 40 watt amp and speakers really pumps out some rich sound.  

It's a tough choice but the good thing is you can't go wrong with either one-- you just need to decide which one serves your needs better. 

[Philistine]

Thanks Scott.  That's great to hear about the input.

 

The difference in piano sound is my main nagging concern with the 700.  Given my 11-year stint with my last Casio, I tend to hold on to them for a while, so I'd like to have the best sound I can get. 

 

I have played around on the 700 at GC, and I agree it is good (substantially better than my 310, unsurprisingly....)  I haven't been able to find a 560 to play--or a 360 which I understand also has the newer piano sounds.  I'm itching for a reason to get the 560, but my fiscal sense keeps nagging me.  I posted over in the 560 forum with a little more info--essentially from a realistic standpoint, I'm probably not likely to use a lot of the feature of the 560 (or I could recreate them in VSTs).  If the piano sound were substantially inferior, that'd be a deal-breaker, but my understanding is that the difference is pretty small.  I was happy enough with the 310's piano sound (supplemented with Pianoteq, mostly to extend the decay time) and the 700 sounded good when I played it.

 

I appreciate your thoughts.

 

--Philistine