The Casio PX770 Digital Piano Black Bundle is an upgrade and newer model of the popular Casio Privia PX-760. But many of the features and functions haven't simply been updated; they have been redesigned and improved, making it worth a new, fresh look. The fact is, this digital piano is not just Casio's most affordable, entry-level console, but an exceptional digital piano with a value that far exceeds its sticker price.
Quick Overview of the Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle
While portable keyboards are great for travel and practice, for the serious student or experienced player, there is simply no substitute for a console piano. Having a piano in your home or studio space doesn't just add to the atmosphere and décor, but it constantly invites people to create, play, and experience music together. There is a reason that console pianos are showing up in cafes and bars, shopping malls and train stations – they bring people together.
A few minutes’ search will confirm that the Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle is widely recognized as simply the best digital console piano in its price range. Compared with the Privia PX-760, the PX-770 has an improved sound engine that even advanced pianists love, built on higher-quality samples and with better memory management for excellent tone, richness, resonance, and sustain times. While the improved cabinet design and addition of features between the versions are nice, it is the sound engine that has people so excited about the Privia PX-770.Summary of the Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle's Features and Specs
Keys
Songs
Ports and Jacks
Accessories Included
Touch Sensitive
Velocity touch sensitivity, 3 touch sensitivity modes, or turn touch sensitivity off
Voices
19 piano voices, including:
3 kinds of grand piano, Modern piano, Rock piano, Jazz piano, 2 electric pianos, FM electric piano, 60's electric piano, Harpsichord, Vibraphone, 2 strings, Pipe organ, Jazz organ, 2 electric organs, and bass
Effects
Polyphony
128 max levels of polyphony
Who is the Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle Most Suitable For?
The Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle is designed for serious students of the piano, who want the sound and feel of a classic acoustic piano for composing and practicing at home, but who can't afford one and haven't the space for it. It delivers an excellent piano quality in a compact space at an affordable price, with all the features someone needs when they are playing the piano on a regular basis.
It is also an excellent choice for people who used to play the piano in the past, but have let the habit go a bit and want to take it up again. It has a fantastic feel and sound, and Concert Play mode is a simple and convenient way to have the experience of playing with a full orchestra.
It has a contemporary, sleek design that will go well in any room of the house, and headphones so you can play to your heart's content without disturbing anyone, and it's an easy way to reconnect with an old love of music.
It's also a preferred console piano for instructors. With Dual Keyboard mode, you can split the keyboard and play side-by-side with a student, while the accurate touch response and keyboard weight system help to build strength and good technique in the hands.
Two headphone jacks allow two players to share music with each other without necessarily performing for anyone else, and the onboard lessons, rehearsal songs, and Chordana App compatibility help keep students engaged and progressing with enthusiasm.What’s Included with the Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle
The Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle comes with:
An adjustable X-style bench
A pair of headphones
Polishing cloth
Overview of the Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle's Features
Design
Two headphone jacks in the front are perfect for piano lessons or duets when you want to keep your practice private. Or use one jack for headphones, and another for an amplifier or other external sound system.
Functions
Dual mode allows you to play two instrument sounds at once, and is a common feature in digital keyboards. But the Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle has a fantastic layer balance feature, that allows you to independently adjust which tone is dominant, for more complex and nuanced sound.
Sound
The Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle has two 8-watt speakers, for more onboard power than many other keyboards. The console itself adds resonance and depth to the sound, and it has excellent sound quality at all volumes.
Features
Concert Play feature allows you to play along with high-quality recordings of a live orchestra. You can listen and practice along with the Concert Play tunes, and then turn off the piano channel and take the lead yourself. It's a fantastic way to learn and experience music.
The 60 songs in the media library can also be used similarly to the Concert Play songs, and you can practice the parts, adjust the tempo, and even add your own songs to the onboard memory.Chordana Play app
The Privia PX-770 is compatible with Casio's free Chordana Play app, and it's a great upgrade for the keyboard. Chordana Play has 50 built-in songs, and guides beginners through playing along with a visual piano roll display, a music notation display, or a split screen view that shows both. This visual approach helps people master playing and timing while also helping students learn to read music.
With the Chordana Play app, you can also take any MIDI song file, and play piano along with it in the app, or store it in the Privia PX-770 keyboard to play it online or offline. You can also use the app to assign tracks or melodies to each hand, alter the tempo, or transpose a tune, and use the repeat function to learn at your own pace.
The Chordana Play app also has an on-screen virtual keyboard display, so you can practice playing anywhere, on your tablet or smartphone touchscreen. The app will track your progress and keep score, making learning to play piano into a fun interactive game.
Finally, the app allows you to control the keyboard settings and functions, which is incredibly helpful when managing the numerous complex settings of the Casio Privia PX-770, and saves you from having to refer to the user manual.An Alternative Product to Consider
Most people naturally compare the Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano Black Bundle to the Yamaha Arius YDP103R because they are the entry-level console piano models for both brands, and Yamaha and Casio are both iconic brands with loyal fans, it's worth taking a look at both offerings
Advantages of the Yamaha Arius YDP103R
Console surface finish is higher quality, more wood-like in appearance, and slightly better construction
Has analogue-like half-pedal functions
Advantages of the Casio Privia PX-770 Digital Piano
Tactile surface on all the keys, not just the black ones
More polyphony
More instrument voices
More digital and ambient effects
More preset songs, ability to add your own MIDI songs
Greater transpose range
Ability to record a song
Lesson functions and Chordana Play app
Melody on/off function
Questions of preference between the Yamaha and the Casio
Some of the very strong opinions people have about these two digital console pianos are questions of preference, or what people are used to, rather than objective standards of which is better. Here are the two issues that strongly divide these keyboards and their fans:
AWM stereo sampling vs AiR sound source |
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Generally speaking, Yamaha's AWM Stereo Sampling is a very high-quality sound engine for their beginner-level pianos. These are complex, nuanced, high-quality recordings from the very best Yamaha concert grand pianos, with smooth waveforms and excellent layered sound quality. Casio's new AiR sound engine combines two interesting features. It's not just newer, higher quality instrument samples. It's also more efficient onboard memory management, which allows the source samples to be larger files. Larger sample file size doesn't just mean more quality and fidelity in the sound, but it also allows for more realistic sustain and decay in prolonged notes, and players notice the difference. Generally speaking, AWM piano samples are considered to have a better instrument sound, but AiR samples have better sustain and decay, with no audible looping. |
Graded Hammer System vs Tri-sensor Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard II |
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Yamaha's GHS key weighting system is common in all their beginner pianos, and many people are extremely familiar with the feel of playing a Yamaha keyboard weighted in this way. The Casio Tri-Sensor scaled hammer action is newer. Three sensors detect and respond to not just how hard the keys are pressed, but how swiftly, and the weight is driven by hammers, not springs. This also gives improved response to rapid repetition of the same key, which is a weakness in most digital pianos. While many people love the realism of the Tri-Sensor system, and find it adds more nuance and expression to their play, some people really love the Yamaha GHS system, and prefer the way those keyboards feel and respond. In this instance, because the Casio Privia PX-770 has excellent sound, great playing feel, and far more features than the Yamaha Arius YDP103R, it would be our pick. However, for committed Yamaha fans, the Arius YDP103R is probably worth the higher price. |
Conclusion
The Casio PX770 Digital Piano Black Bundle looks, feels, and sounds like a digital piano that costs double the price. It's an incredibly impressive package, and proves that a digital piano can sound great, feel pleasurable and expressive to play, and include the latest audio and connective technology, without costing a bundle.
