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CGP 700 Sound Disappointment


Shawn

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I just recently purchased a Casio CGP 700 and I have to say, the external speaker quality is not very good. It sounds very tinny, and cheap.

 

I've read that flipping the stand so that the speakers are facing outward and up against a wall gives it a richer sound. While this helped, it still sounds pretty bad. The piano sounds too much like it's coming from under me.

 

I've also noticed that the onboard speakers shutoff when the stand speakers are plugged in, which doesn't make sense to me. I would think that they would handle the high end. I wasn't too excited about the piano sounds either, the high end sounds too "pointy," and sounds really fake.

 

I had a Yamaha DGX 640, which sound richer,  and was thinking of getting the 660, but decided to try the cgp 700. I might make a swap, since the DGX piano samples are much richer with better speaker quality. Does anyone agree with this? Or am I the only one for some reason. It seems like most people love the cgp 700, but I can't say I do.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions to improve my experience? Or should I should I just make the swap? Any input would be much apprectiated.

 

 

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I will say that it sounds pretty good through headphones. I'm still not crazy about the piano sounds, but with some reverb they're not bad. But I also noticed that the headphones volume doesn't go very loud.

 

I really like the feel, action, and features of the piano. Not to mention it looks good. But if I have to invest 300 bucks for better external speakers, it's not worth it. I want to keep it, but it's a no go if I can't get the speakers to work well.

 

Is it possible that my speakers are defective? 

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I suspect something is defective in your CGP.  The CGP-700 speaker system is 40 watts. It has good bass response and clear high end that fills a room with sound.  I heard this keyboard at summer NAMM 2015.  With only the CGP's own speaker system, it was loud and clear on the noisy NAMM convention floor. It held it's own very well.  

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I cannot call myself an expert, however the fact is that I am becoming very picky once the subject related to the quality of a piano sound.

I have spent sometime with PX-360 (which is 99% same as your model). I played  on CGP-700 as well. 

 

Answering to your question I can say the best sound you can get right now it is by using headphones.

None of built-in speakers provide quality PX actually able to produce.

In my experience I get the best sound with toll loudspeakers.

However just good loudspeakers do not solve the problem in the most appropriate way.
Since you are looking for a piano sound, this means you need an appropriate cabinet :)
I am not aware of any manufacturer who builds such acoustic systems (cabinet that looks like an upright piano) for home use.
Therefore it looks like a DIY project. (Or try something like PX-860)

 

Longer I use PX more I like its sound ( maybe this is why my opinion could be considered as slightly biased )

I have pretty toll ceilings in the living room (like 20 ft or so).
The sound of PX is great from the distance.


Solutions:
1) Headphones
2) Upright piano style acoustic system.

3) Exchange to PX-860.

Off course  the most realistic is just to add an amp and external speakers ( at least it will add lows ).

 

I actually in addition have a mixer with EQ(no USB). EQ is never used to adjust PX sound. However it solves the problem with loudness ( if you do have one, I do not use headphone output on piano at all so I cannot judge that)

 

Other comments about CGP. I did not buy one since the stand does not  look firm. I know that for a piano the stand has to be very solid, Therefore I have built it myself. A lot of digital professional instruments do not have built-in speaker at all. So who cares about those speakers. 

 

 

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So I hooked the CGP 700 to my pair of KRK RGP5G3's, and the sound still isn't that good. The piano samples are just so fake sounding to me. Upon reading reviews, there are a few people who agree with me about the speakers, so I don't think it's defective. I'm going to return it and swap for a Yamaha DGX-660. A lot of people say Yamaha's sounds are fake, but my DGX 640 sounded fine. I will miss the touch and look of the CGP 700, though.

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4 hours ago, Shawn said:

So I hooked the CGP 700 to my pair of KRK RGP5G3's, and the sound still isn't that good. The piano samples are just so fake sounding to me. Upon reading reviews, there are a few people who agree with me about the speakers, so I don't think it's defective. I'm going to return it and swap for a Yamaha DGX-660. A lot of people say Yamaha's sounds are fake, but my DGX 640 sounded fine. I will miss the touch and look of the CGP 700, though.

About missing a feel - the best feel from my experiance i found on Roland. try that before buying 660.

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On 11/1/2016 at 10:55 PM, Shawn said:

I played one the other day, and it sounded pretty similar to my 640. The sample at 2:26 and 2:46 don't sound half bad:

 

I never got the hate for Yamaha's sound. It's a pleasant rich, warm tone if you ask me.

It sounds good there as its coming through external speakers (plus then the speakers on your computer).

Play it at full volume yourself ,and let me know what you think. I hated it - sounded very tinny and electronic. The 640 sounds a lot better.

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  • 4 months later...

The taste for piano sounds is  as  diverse as  taste for  good  wine.

One person  may  love  a  sound and hate  another and  the other  will be  the opposite.

I have  shopped for  a piano and a portable  one  for a  while now  and I believe  that  if  you  really want  a  nice  piano  sound, then  consider a  Kawai ES110 for the under  $1200 price point, and portability is  your  concern.  The CG700 has  far more sounds, rhythms and  other bells and  whistles,  but I agree that the piano sounds  are not  the  same  elegance as other  dedicated digital pianos.

 

Because I  wanted the  sound  to be   better, I  did  also  buy  a  console  Piano CN35 which  to  my  ear is  very pleasing and  often  I prefer  playing it  compared to  my  35 year  old Yamaha C3 Grand.

 

My recommendation is to spend the time  playing the instrument  in the showroom,  and using YOUR OWN headphones  too.  At the end of the  day if  the sound really  bothers  you, flog it on eBay or Craigslist and get the  keyboard  you really  like . Life is too short  to  have to  put  up with  annoyances like this .

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

Recently came back from Vegas.
I saw that local musicians are using a lot cheap Yamahas and Privia.

Just want to share some experience I had:

I was passing by a bar in my resort I heard excellent piano.
I knew that bands are changing every night, so I stopped to look inside - who is playing and most importantly what he is playing on.
Hah. To my surprise it was one person, playing on Casio PX 360.
The sound was just like a concert grand piano.
Awesome !!!
 

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  • 10 months later...

Comment about the headphones not being loud enough. Look at the numerous posts I have about this subject-apparently the Privias and possibly many digital pianos need very specific kinds of cans to sound right. This has everything to do with impedance matching and I have done alot of listening tests with various headsets, including monitor headsets. Higher impedance pro headsets may or may not respond loudly enough with your Privia. Look at my posts here re the Superlux at 32 ohms per side which sound fantastic which I did not expect. My AKG K52s sound terrible with my Privias (the 350, 575 and 560) but 100% better with other sound sources including computers, phones and my stereo. MY AKG 300s and 301s which are monitors, are loud enough but not as strong as the Superlux, since these are much higher impedance. My old Austrian AKG K240M monitor 600 ohm cans which sound so realistic I have to check I don't have my huge stereo speakers on, but are barely audible with the Privias without a headphone amp. With the headphone amp, wow!

 

As for speakers-if you want your keys to sound like a real acoustic grand, I use a powered mixing board and 2 3-way 10" speaker enclosures, makes a little difference. I've played Clavinovas, very nice but different than the Casio Steinway. One man's (or woman's) gold is another's garbage. Go into a studio and see what has to happen to get even an 8-11 footperfectly tuned grand to sound right in a recording! It is a daunting task for the best, I've had the experience...not fun.

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