?s for those with experience with 350/750/780/850

[EpiceeB]

Thanks so much in advance for any advice/experience you can share!!

I want to buy a digital piano and after reading a LOT online and trying out the limited selection at the local music store, I decided I really like the feel of the Privias. I was able to try the 150 and 350 and found the 350 to have noticeably better sound. Unfortunately, there are no 750s, 850s, or 780s to try locally, and I am wondering how their sound compares to the 350. I've read about the speaker watts, sizes, locations, and watched countless YouTube videos, but am wondering how they all compare in real life.

Brief background for context - I am not a serious or talented musician, but I enjoy playing for my own pleasure. This would be kept in my living room in lieu of an acoustic piano (we move frequently so an acoustic is not practical). I don't need something portable to take to performances or anything. I would be using it entirely at home through its internal speakers, so their sound quality is important to me. Regarding the 350/780 vs 750/850 features, i can't imagine what I would do with 250 voices - but I would enjoy all of the basic 18. I think I would be interested in playing with rhythms sometimes but it's not a necessity. And I don't need lots of fancy connectivity.

So on to my specific questions: I have found the 350+stand+Pedals for roughly the same price or slightly more than the 750. I prefer the look of the 750 but wonder how the sound quality compares. Has anyone been able to compare the two and have any insight?

Then I can't help but wonder if it would be worthwhile to spend the extra $200 for an 850 or 780 to get the theoretically better 40 watt speakers. I don't have money to burn and don't want to spend more than necessary, but when I'm already thinking of spending $800, I don't want to get cheap if an extra $200 would mean a big improvement. I'm hoping this will be a long-term investment. And speaking of the 780 and 850, I've found them for the same price. The 780 has a lot of extra functionality, so what is the advantage of the 850 to justify the the equivalent price, (besides that extra back panel on the cabinet)?

And lastly, what is the quality of the 750/780/850 cabinets like in person? It's so hard to tell from pictures online. Brown would be a better match than black for my living room, but I'm afraid it will look like cheap fake wood. What exactly are the cabinets made of?

In summary, my head is spinning trying to figure out the best option for me. I wish I could try them all out, but I guess stores can't stock all possible models. Sorry for the long post, and thanks for any info!

[ptt1404]

I had been comparing 150 350 750 directly at Guitar Center close home. I have to say that 750 is way better than the others. But you can get 780 for recording directly from USB. Honestly all the speakers wont satisfy you so I think an good headphone is a second choice after buying the piano 

[ptt1404]

I really hate my px 350 sound comparing to px 150. It's all mute esspecially the Classic Piano sound on px 350 completely sucks (my favorite from px 150).  They turned the EQ so bad so even that I have 14 choices of acoustic piano profiles and alot Electric Piano profiles but i don think I like them all because all of them so are muffed.

[Jokeyman123]

Is this muffled effect you refer to through headphones or through speakers? I have a detailed post about this in the PX350 section since I've disassembled my PX350 to modify the keybed to be more comfortable to play, and to be less noisy. I was also curious about why the PX sounded so muffled.

 

The speakers in the 350 are small, there are 4 altogether. 2 tiny ones fire up from the top near the music stand slot on either side and  the 2 main ones again pretty small fire out the back. If the PX is positioned against a hard wall or other similar surface, it brightens the tone somewhat. Against a curtain or something soft almost all the sound is absorbed so you as a player will not be hearing much of anything. And since the speakers are small, this makes it worse. In an open environment it sounds a little better. I usually turn the brightness control up but that's about all you can do. If you play a midi file with just piano and step around to the front of the PX, the difference in sound is quite pronounced. Even using decent powered small monitor speakers make a big difference. I guess to keep the weight low and to keep a slim profile small speakers were used inside.

[cpcohen]

 

. . .  

. Even using decent powered small monitor speakers make a big difference. 

 

+1.

 

If I remember right, the PX-780 is essentially a PX-350 (auto-chord, auto-accompaniment, hundreds of voices) in a nicer cabinet with better amps and speakers.  

 

Depending on how sensitive you are to subtleties of piano sound, you might, or might not, appreciate the improvement in the PX-850 sound generator (over the PX-350 / PX-780 sound generator).   I've never played a PX-850, and can't comment on how large the difference is.

 

A new pair of KRK Rokit 5 G3  powered monitors will cost you about $300.  They will drastically out-perform (in loudness, frequency range, clarity of sound) anything built into a DP in the price range you're looking at.  If you wanted to spend $200, I'd check the Guitar Center website (or other places) for a used pair. [There are lots of alternatives; the Rokit's are popular, and easy to find.  And you can add a subwoofer if you want to rattle the windows.)

 

Good headphones (if you don't have them) will run about $100, and out-perform the built-in loudspeakers in your target DP's.  

 

.        Charles

 

PS - bias -- I own a PX-350.  I play it, mostly, through a computer running Pianoteq software.  That's a reasonably-priced upgrade path.

[Jokeyman123]

Thanks Charles!