PX-S1100 compared to CT-X700

[Sbc]

Hi, I am a newbie and I just bought a pre-owned px-s1100 to replace my ct-x700. Here are my humble observations. Please understand that these are coming from an inexperienced person.

 

1. The sound is much warmer. Initially I even thought of it as 'muffled'. Maybe because the speakers are facing away from me? Or are grand pianos supposed to sound that way?

2. The weighted keys are definitely heavier but strangely after an hour or so to get used to them, they are actually easier to play; especially the black keys. With the ct-x700 when I play the blacks nearer to the fall board it will either be too soft or will be too loud if I hit them harder to compensate.

3. The matt finishing on the keys is a blessing. This is a significant upgrade for me as my fingers are now less likely to slip off the blacks.

4. I was initially worried about the px-s keys but now realised that the ct-x700 has even less key travel near the fall board. Again this is an improvement for me.

5. The first time I tried to play a piece on the px-s I got disorientated with the keys! The extra 2 octaves worth of keys threw me off. Also it does not help that the 61-key starts with a C and the full 88-key starts with an A.

 

That is all I can think of for the moment. I am just a casual learner, nothing too serious as this is not my main hobby.

[Brad Saucier]

Default grand piano tones usually sound warm and muffled on digital pianos until you really dig into the keys and make them bite into the brighter dynamics.   If you find the keys are a little too heavy, I suggest setting touch response to light so you can reach those brighter dynamics easier.  And yes, the speakers face the wall, so that's part of it too.  Some good headphones or monitors is really the best way to hear the piano sound in it's full glory.  

[Sbc]

Thank you for your reply. I have never touched a 'real' piano before so I have no idea what it should be like.

[Sbc]

After owning it for 4 days, I found myself preferring the 'Grand Piano Bright' 90% of the time. Does any acoustic piano sound like the bright piano? Or is it just a 'made up' sound? I have some hearing lost - I cannot hear frequency above 9KHz. Maybe that is the reason I find the 'Grand Piano Concert' muffled?

 

And oh, I tried with a pair of Takstar HD2000 headphones and it sounded much clearer. So I infer that the speakers are the 'weak link'. If Casio would put a pair of tweeters on the PX-S series it would be wonderful.

Edited December 13, 2022 by Sbc

[Brad Saucier]

Acoustic pianos can be voiced differently depending on how the hammer felts are needled.  Harder felt hammers will sound very bright.  Some pianos even have metal tacks installed, like a honky tonk piano, to make it sound very metallic.  

[Joe Muscara]

And realistically, acoustics in general (I mean acoustics as in "the properties or qualities of a room or building that determine how sound is transmitted in it") can greatly affect how an instrument sounds. I think keyboard manufacturers try to provide as neutral an instrument to start with, but everything changes how things sound, the room, the surfaces in it, where you are relative to the sound coming out of it, etc..

 

In the end, pick something you like and go with it. And if you get a chance to play a decent or better grand piano, do it. The more, the better and it will help inform your choices.

[Brad Saucier]

Definitely.  I had an upright piano in a room with hard floors, where it sounded bright and loud.  Moved it to a room with carpet and lost much of the brightness and volume, I mean, to my ears.  Of course the piano didn't change, but the room absorbed the sound before it reached my ears.