Casio SA-46 Review (2021): A Mini-Keyboard That’s Perfect for Kids

Please click image for more info

At first glance, the Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard is so small, it may be tempting to think of it as a toy, and not a serious instrument. And yet this little package has a surprising punch, with more features, better sound, and just an overall fun package that kids as well as adults will find irresistible.

Overview of the Casio SA-46 32-Key Keyboard

The Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard is designed for children, with a compact size, small keys, and a fun, colorful design that will appeal to children of all ages. It is also fairly rugged, and can withstand some hard use, so it’s a good option for even young children.

 However, it’s so fun and appealing that even musically inclined adults will find it irresistible. The built-in tones, rhythms, and sound effects make it engaging for all ages. It would be a great gift for a musical friend, to take on a road or camping trip, or addition to any playroom or classroom.

Casio SA-46 32-Key Video Overview

A short video introduction of Casio SA-46 32 – Key Portable Keyboard.

Casio SA-46 FAQs

When did the Casio SA-46 come out?

The Casio SA-46 came out in 2011.

What are the dimensions of the Casio SA-46?

The dimensions of the Casio SA-46 are 18.5 x 9 x 2.7 inches.

What is the weight of the Casio SA-46?

The weight of the Casio SA-46 is 2.9 pounds.

How much does the Casio SA-46 cost?

The Casio SA-46 costs $44 in Amazon but it can vary depending on where you buy it.

How many keys does the Casio SA-46 have?

The Casio SA-46 has 32 Mini Keys.

How many sounds does the Casio SA-46 have?

The Casio SA-46 has total 100 Sounds.

Where can I see a demo/test of the Casio SA-46?

You can see a demo/test of the Casio SA-46 here.

Where can I see an unboxing of the Casio SA-46? 

You can see an unboxing of the Casio SA-46 here.

Where to buy the Casio SA-46?

The Casio SA-46 is available in large shops including Walmart and Amazon.

Casio SA-46 vs SA-47

Preset 16 on the SA-46 is “REED ORGAN” while on the SA-47 it’s “HARMONIUM”. That’s the only difference between the two models. Otherwise, they’re identical.

Casio SA-46 vs SA-76

The digital piano Casio SA 46 is slightly cheaper than Casio SA 76.

Similarities between the models are:

• The digital piano Casio SA 46 is slightly cheaper than Casio SA 76.Similarities between the models are:
• They have 10 built in songs.
• They have piano tone/organ tone one-touch button and 5 drum pads.
• They have 8cm x 2 speakers.
• They have identical input and output connections.

Differences between two models are:

• Casio SA 46 is only coming with 32 keys while Casio SA 76 is with 44 keys.
• Casio SA 46 has 0.5W＋0.5W amplifiers but Casio SA 76 has 0.8W＋0.8W amplifiers.
• Casio SA 46 has dimensions of 446 x 208 x 51mm and weighs 1.0kg (Excluding batteries). Casio SA 76 has dimensions of 604 x 211 x 57mm and weighs 1.4kg (Excluding batteries).

Apart from the above differences they are identical to each other.

Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard’s Specs

Specification	Description
Keys	32 mini-size keys
Weight	Weighs just over 2 pounds without batteries
Display	LCD Display
Instruments	100 built-in instrument tones
Polyphony	8 levels of max polyphony
Tuning control	Yes
Built-in songs	10 built-in songs: Ode to Joy Little Brown Jug Minuet in G Major Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Yankee Doodle The Nutcracker Greensleeves Jingle Bells Silent Night Ethnic Tune
Power	Operates on AC power or 6AA batteries

Who the Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard is Most Suitable For

source

The Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard is designed for small children, as a simple introduction to playing an instrument. The small overall size and mini-size keys are designed for young children, as are the bright colors of the base, the easily accessible drum pads, and the fun, kid-friendly rhythms and sound effects. Kids will enjoy hearing cartoon-inspired instruments, laser gun effects, and all the other fun sounds they can make with this keyboard.

 However, it also gets rave reviews from adults, who are surprised at how good the sound is, and love the 80s-inspired tones, cool retro look, and find it fun to play with. Some pros even use it as a portable keyboard to help compose songs, or use the unique tones and effects to layer into compositions.

What’s Included with the Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard

Be warned that the basic Amazon keyboard purchase does not include a power supply. It needs to be purchased separately, or purchase a different Amazon bundle that includes the power supply. The dedicated Casio AD-E95100 is the best power supply for this keyboard because it has the correct fit that will be stable enough when children are playing with the keyboard.

Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard’s Features

source

The Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard has a lot of features in a tiny package.

FEATURE	DESCRIPTION
Design	It’s available in four colors, and construction is fairly sturdy and rugged, able to withstand some rough use by children.
Sound	It has a full 100 built-in instrument tones, and many of them have a kid-friendly, cartoonish-sound that is retro and fun. 50 built-in rhythms express a wide range of musical styles and genres and make it fun to play along. While more advanced musicians often prefer drum effects to be keyed, kids will love the drum buttons for their fun and ease of use.
32 mini-size keys	32 mini-size keys are great for small hands, and the small size fits easily on a lap or table, making it easy to play anywhere and take anywhere. Battery power also adds to its portability, making it great for road trips and picnics.
LCD screen	The LCD screen is small, but provides just enough information to control your settings, navigate menus, read notes, or follow along with lessons.
Functions	One wouldn’t expect a tiny beginner keyboard like this one to have polyphony or tuning controls, but the Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard does. They are simplified, with only 8 levels of polyphony, but still more than one might expect in this package at this price range.A one-touch piano/organ button lets you quickly reset to these preset settings without navigating the menu.
Dual keyboard	Piano teachers can split the keyboard in half, so that teachers and students can play beside each other and learn how to play the piano properly.
Features	The built-in songs are also kid-friendly, and simple enough for anyone to learn. Built-in lesson functions guide learning and practice in a simple, easy-to-follow way.

Pros & Cons of the Casio SA-46

PROS

32 mini-size keys, lightweight and compact, and the ability to be battery powered make this a fun little keyboard to take anywhere and be played by anyone 100 built-in instrument tones, 50 built in rhythms, and 10 built-in songs give ample opportunity for exploration, expression, and creativity for even the earliest beginners. Adults love the high-quality, retro-inspired sounds and instruments too, finding fun effects and sounds with every new key press Drum keys are fun and interactive for kids, and they can access drums and percussion effects without navigating a menu, making it simple for even small children to start making music 8 levels of polyphony aren’t much, excluding many complex, overlapping sounds, but it’s still more than many small keyboards offer, and children are unlikely to noticeably exceed the limit Lesson functions use the LCD screen to provide simple piano instruction while following along with the onboard song library. It’s a fun way to practice the songs and start learning piano technique The keyboard shuts itself off after only about 4 minutes without a key being pressed. This may seem like a short time, but in this keyboard, it’s a great feature. Not only does it conserve batteries and energy, but it’s consistent with younger attention spans and makes it easy to set aside and forget

cons
No EQ or volume control for the drum effects independent from the key sounds. The drums are loud, and it would be nice to be able to independently control the drum volume, especially when kids are mashing on the buttons.

Casio SA-46 Manual

If you’d like to check out the nitty-gritty of the Casio SA-46, here’s a link to the model’s manual:

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD CASIO SA-46 MANUAL

An Alternative Product to Consider

The Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard is an unusual combination of features that are hard to match:

• Tiny and portable
• Playful and rugged design
• Good quality of sounds and voices

It’s easy to find toy-like keyboards for kids, but they have a poorer sound quality. It’s easy to find comparable sound, but those keyboards are bigger and more expensive. The Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard has a special ability to appeal in looks and sound to both musical kids and musical adults, at an incredible price point, making it hard to compete with.

However, there are a lot of toy pianos for kids, and many of them have desirable features, like bright colors, recording and playback functions, built-in microphones, and other fun accessories. A good option for a portable keyboard that is intended to be a child’s toy is the aPerfectLife 32 key multifunction portable keyboard.

Like the Casio SA-46, the aPerfectLife keyboard has 32 keys, is compact and lightweight, and is battery powered. It comes in a range of bright colors, and is bundled with a microphone.

However, it’s also clear that the aPerfectLife 32 Keys Multifunction Portable Electronic Musical Kids Piano Keyboard is a toy; the number of instrument voices and built-in rhythms is extremely limited, there are no tuning or polyphony functions, and it can only be battery powered, with no AC adaptor. It’s also not durably constructed and won’t last for long when used extensively by a child.

​

It’s a good toy, but really doesn’t compare with the Casio SA-46 for features and sound, and most children will either quickly break it, or quickly outgrow it. Considering that the Casio SA-46 has so much more to offer, and is only slightly more expensive, it’s generally not worth downgrading to a less robust keyboard, even if it has a fun microphone.

Accessories for the Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard

Because the Casio SA-46 is so special, and so affordable, the best option is to get it as a fun instrument for the whole family, and invest in a few accessories to get the most use out of it.

Headphones

Headphones are a must if you are giving the Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard to a child. The drum effects are loud, even at low volume. A great choice for the Casio SA-46 are the Elecder i37 Kids Headphones. These over-the-ear, adjustable headphones have comfortable padding for hours of wear, and are foldable and lightweight, so they are just as portable as the keyboard. 

They have good sound and bass response, and filter out background noise and distractions. The cloth cord is durable and won’t tangle, and they even have a one year warranty. They come in a range of bright colors, some of which just happen to perfectly match the Casio SA-46 keyboard, so it will look like it’s a matched set.

Piano stickers

Even when small kids are just playing around with a keyboard, it’s not too early to help them see and learn music at the same time. Piano stickers help kids identify the names and notation of the notes they play, and are a good introduction to reading music. 

However, the Casio SA-46 has very small keys, so conventional piano stickers may not fit on this tiny keyboard. The Piano Stickers for 32 Key Melodica are a good choice, because they are colorful, small, and removable when they are no longer needed.

Some adults love this keyboard so much that they wish it had more ports, so they could record MIDI from it. Naturally, there are some adventurous souls online who have done just that, and there are videos on YouTube of how to hack the Casio SA-46 to make it more versatile. This keyboard has a surprisingly diverse fan base, who have maximized the possibilities in unexpected ways.

Playing on Casio SA-46 keyboard

Please see our Casio SA 46 Tutorial and Answers to Commonly Asked Questions about Playing on the Casio SA 46 Keyboard.

Digital Hourglass Casio SA-46 Review

https://youtu.be/iG0IC7K42Zs

Conclusion

The Casio SA-46 32-Key Portable Keyboard is so fun and appealing, it has the potential to be one of those toys that you get for the kids but end up playing with all the time yourself.

It’s an enjoyable way to get children interested in playing music, but also just a fun thing to have around the house or on road trips, when you want to play and enjoy music.

It may be small, but it has a great range of musical features and capabilities, and has won over enthusiasts around the world.

Casio SA-46 (click image for more info)