Just got the Privia PX-3000

[New_to_casio_girl]

Hi all, 

 

I am a singer and played a bit of piano over the years. I have had the Yamaha P-155 in the past. I researched models in the $600 to $800 range and made a switch to Casio when I needed a replacement. The Yamaha had lasted over 10 years with no problems.

 

I have the Privia PX-3000.

 

My issue is that the headphone sound is tiny. I have the Sennheiser HD 280 pro, which I used with my Yamaha and the sound on headphones was the same as on the speakers without headphones. Granted the Sennheiser phones are a bit old. I tried buying new regular earbuds and it's the same small sound. You turn the volume all the way up and it's tiny and unsatisfying.

 

I called Casio and they said it should not be like that and they recommended returning it and exchanging it. But the new one is the same. Any advice?

 

Otherwise, I love this instrument.

 

 

 

[Casio Key]

You may need and adapter plug for those headphones to work properly with the keyboard.  

[Brad Saucier]

The HD280 pro's should work well with the PX-S3000.  Have you confirmed the plug is firmly connected?  If the plug is not fully inserted, it could affect the sound quality.

[New_to_casio_girl]

Yes, the plug is in. I am plugging it in the front. Should I be using the back of the keyboard? I asked someone at Casio about this but he said no, plug it in the front. the Sennheiser plugs in with no need for an adapter I the front. I used an adapter with the Yamaha. I also bought a Walgreens standard set of ear buds but it's the same sound. Perplexing.

 

[Brad Saucier]

Headphones should go in the front.  The sound quality should be excellent through headphones.  

[shep]

Hi , I use Sony headphones and the sound is great. My plug has 4 poles. Not sure if this is pertinent?

[Jokeyman123]

Sennheiser HD280-64 ohms-should be perfect for this, the older versions have the same specs. 

 

Hard to believe 2 PX-S3000's would have the same defect! Are you sure the dealer didn't just hand the same keyboard back to you? (I am not a very trusting person I grant that!)

Did you see that he gave you another different PX-S3000? Maybe a stupid question, maybe not. And Shep-4 poles, you mean 4 contact points or sleeves on the plug? This must be a 1/8" mini stereo designed for phones or tablets-I have quite a few-the 4th conductor is for using the mic connection. You only need 3 conductor plugs for stereo headphones, although these 4 conductor plugs will work in a stereo headphone jack depending on the design of the 3-conductor jack.  

 

https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/96156/4-pin-headset-pinout-pushbuttons-interface

[Dr Livingstoned]

Unfortunately the specs are not clear about this. No optimal impedance is mentioned.

It just says : " PHONES jacks: Stereo mini jacks (3.5mm) x 2 "

 

link : PX-S3000 Specifications | Privia | Electronic Musical Instruments | CASIO (casio-intl.com)

 

And maybe this :
Did you check the "touch response" (keyboard settings) ?  If it is heavy1 or heavy2, the sound will be less because the keys are less sensible

Did you check the "keyboard volume".  When I practise with "heavy2" I set this to the full 127 to get a good sound. 

Edited October 1, 2021 by Dr Livingstoned

[New_to_casio_girl]

Thanks for your suggestions. I don't think that it's the same keyboard. I returned it to the store on Saturday and a new one was shipped from the main facility, arrived Wednesday. Seems unlikely that two would have the same defect. Could be settings, though wouldn't that be an issue without headphones as well? Sounds very nice without headphones. Worth a try anyway. I don't see why it would need an adapter as it fits in the input place. I may go into the store and see how it sounds with headphones on the floor model. I love it and hope I can figure this issue out.

[Brad Saucier]

I was going to suggest trying it on a store demo model if you can.  They may be able to help you as well.  It's a good idea.  

[BillErickson]

I assume when you say "tiny" you mean that the volume doesn't get high enough?  I had the same problem with my headphones and PX-S3000.  I found that by adjusting both the Overall Volume Level to its max (127 -- see page EN-18 in the users guide) and the Part Volume for the Upper1 part (see page EN-17)  you can squeeze a little more volume out of your headphones.

 

 

[Joe Muscara]

I have the PX-S3000 and the Sennheiser HD 280 pro headphones, and the volume sounds fine to me. I'd say that sitting in front of the keyboard, the volume through headphones and through the speakers sounds similar.

[New_to_casio_girl]

Thanks all. I concluded that my Sennheiser HD 280 headphones are broken (can't remember when I bought, long time ago) and the drugstore ones I got for testing are not enough. I can also check out volume adjustments. Good to know. Appreciate your input! So this issue is probably resolved. 

[New_to_casio_girl]

I look forward to getting to know the community here. 

[Jokeyman123]

Might be that if these are older-the "impedance" on these are pro spec'd-at 600 ohms or so, so might not be broken, I have the older Austrian-made AKG240 pros-at 600 ohms I will get little volume form any of my workstations-as these keyboards are generally designed for a roughly 52 ohm or lower spec stereo headphones which is what I use for the Casios and other keys. When you shop for new headphones-the specs will make this clear.  Many of the older headphones were designed for this higher "impedance" rating and will work fine into the right matched professional audio equipment, or with a stereo headphone amplifier which are designed for these types of phones.  I suspect your headphones are that type.

 

I also have 2 sets of other AKG studio monitor phones-and are also not very loud as these were designed for monitoring through professional mixing consoles or recorders back when the 600 ohm spec was almost always used.  The nice thing is that with a good set of headphones in the 30-52 ohm range-these will also work well in your tablets, smartphones or any other smaller mp3 player, don't need much power-I use a variety of Superlux headphones-and can swap these into any of my Privias, mixing desks, digital recorders, PA system, all of my smartphones and tablets-and the volume is way loud-loud enough to damage my hearing if I'm not careful. Sound much better than earbuds too. Of course you don't want to be jogging around town with a big pair of over the ear "cans", unless they're glued to your head!

[New_to_casio_girl]

Thanks Jokeyman. I think it's the cord. I just ordered from B&H headphones from AudioTechnica, ATHM40X. Cords are detachable and replaceable. Also bought a pouch to put them in.