Envy you guys. A few people said they bought it based on my review and they got the piano. When I ordered, it took me a year to get mine. Maybe Canada doesn’t get that much love from Yamaha.
@@RichardYangPiano everything was stuck in shipping containers for the last year. I just happened to be looking for it at the right time I guess. We will see how long it takes before it gets delivered!
This is a very good and honest review. With this one you can really hear what he means by saying that it lacks something in resonance and that the sustain is too perfect when comparing to a real piano. He's not biased in any way, even though he spent so much money on the digital. Of course if you would stand in the actual room he was playing the difference would be even greater, since some of the audio quality is lost in recording and then again by TH-cam's audio bitrate. Still you could hear every complaint he had clearly. This has convinced me to, for that price, buy a refurbished upright if I can.
Well done review and I think for the first time hearing a direct comparison of the digital grand versus a real acoustic grand is really beneficial to understanding the difference. I agree that through the speakers the sound is muffled. Through the direct output, the sound is much closer the the acoustic grand, but still not as dynamic. Thanks so much for this valuable review!
I started playing on a digital Casio Celviano 15 years ago. 8 years ago I moved countries and couldn't bring it with me. All that I could afford back then was a $700 Yamaha P105 that is still my only source of piano practicing today and now...I JUST purchased the N1X like 15 minutes ago and I am so nervous hoping I made the best decision of my life! lol! It was a lifelong dream to ever be able to buy an acoustic piano but then it evolved to not wanting to pay for calibrating it, and I like being able to practice late at night with my headphones and not disturb a soul and record etc, so I discovered the AvantGrand...Your review was very helpful and I hope you still love your piano after a few months of playing it! Thank you!
Still love it. Unless you do some pretty advanced repertoire, this is as good as it gets being non-acoustic. This piano does have limitations. So I still switch between the two pianos I’ve got. There are different pieces for each of the two pianos.
@@SeidySaku I have two major complaints. 1. When playing loud accented octaves, the sound coming out doesn’t quite match an acoustic, it sounds extremely dry. This can be fixed by adding reverb or a bit of pedal. But the point is, I shouldn’t need to do that. If you listen to my Unravel (currently on my channel home page), I wanted to record on this. But the “wall” (30 seconds in), it just doesn’t sound the same as a grand. 2. The more I play, the more I find the keys are very heavy. Digital pianos are usually known for having keys that are too light. Although heavier keys allow for better control, it is very tiring if I keep practicing my most challenging pieces. But unless you’re playing at an advanced level, I doubt you’d even notice these. I play many hours a day so I know.
Hi Richard, Thank you for your testimonial that is very valuable. I currently have a Yamaha CSP170 I bought in 2020 and received mid 2021. I made this choice for 3 reasons: - I live in an appartment near Paris (France) and I don't want to play loud, disturbing my neighbours : I needed a "silent" like piano, enabling headphones - I don't have enough space to have a grand piano - After 10 years playing piano I stopped playing during 50 years (yes!). When I decided to start again playing piano I wasn't sure if I would succeed to. Now, after more than one year I get back to a decent level of playing (Gabriel Fauré - Pavane, Schubert - Stanchen, ...). The CSP 170 has a pleasant keyboard and the sound with headphones is good (CFX Binaural Sampling). But when using speakers I found the sound very artificial and metallic. So I am considering the N1X or the N2, because I prefer to play without headphones but at low level. Your video is helpful for my decision making.
Some time has passed since I did my review. Now, I run Garritan CFX VST full time because once you listen to that, the stock sound just doesn’t cut it anymore. See example for sound: th-cam.com/video/qpqi22L6VtY/w-d-xo.html While I was able to use the N1X speaker to output the VST sound, it is pretty soft and there are occasional hiccups, might not be stable enough for a performance. But for own practice, it’s perfect. For your case you don’t want it loud anyway. Now, Garritan CFX is a $200 investment. With that, you can turn any digital piano into the best-sounding CFX. So the only thing left is the touch. N1X and N2 share the same touch. So the N1X is sufficient. The N3X for example, when you go higher, you get better speakers, which don’t really concern you anyway. One warning though, after playing this for so long, the keys ARE definitely much heavier than my grand. So it can be very tiring on difficult passages and repeating notes. The Kawai NV10S supposedly fixed that problem, but it’s at a price tag I’m not willing to pay. This means the N1X is the most practical hybrid you can buy now.
@@RichardYangPiano Thank for a so quick reply. Does the Garritan CFX VST change significantly the sound with speakerd ? How can the Garritan CFX VST be installed in the piano ? I would like to try it on the CSP 170 before jumping to the N1X. (I use the Smart Pianist app connected to the CSP 170).
Garritan CFX is installed on the laptop. You use a midi cable between the laptop and piano, and also audio out from laptop to audio in on piano. This is actually a great idea. You can try out the VST. If you find the touch of your current piano acceptable, you wouldn’t even need to change the piano. Now the difference is HUGE: Stock: th-cam.com/video/UYcuU_3B9Sc/w-d-xo.html VST: th-cam.com/video/w0YyDCZ8PsA/w-d-xo.html
fantastic review, thank you. exactly the kind of critical (good and bad) review that helps one to make a solid choice. i think i may have found my new piano.
Thank you for your honest review! It’s good to see a review not from a piano shop. Did you end up making a video going through the control panel and digital functions? I would be very interested to see that.
I thought about posting the control. But there’s not much to it at all, at least for what I personally use. Instead, I might do a review part 2, because I discovered a few cons after this first review. I know you’re about to ask what these are, a bit complex to explain. I’ll show in the follow up video with samples.
I informed myself now a lot about hybrid pianos and i can say, that you made (in my opinion) the best choice possible at the current moment. Maybe ne N3X is better but... thats 20k euros in my country and im not that rich. So, you sold me a N1X sir, even if you dont earn something off it, i want to say thank you, because its my first "real" piano after my ES 110 B.
Cool man. I tried on the N3X, wouldn’t get it even if I could afford it. The key top is simulated ivory, which should be nice. But in practice, it feels nice to touch at first, but any sweat in the hand will make it very sticky. Final warning, my order took 12 months to arrive!!
Ohh… if could thank me by binge watching some of my playlists, and LIKE if you like! That’ll help! I recommend Final Fantasy Piano Opera, Final Fantasy XV, or any of the two Kingdom Hearts albums. These should be very impressive. Cheers.
Thank you for this. It's a real player's point of view that we don't very often hear on the net and that's a good thing. I own a NU1X which is the upright version. I agree on everything you say. The touch of the key is just amazing and really feels like an actual acoustic piano and has nothing to do with any other digital piano (maybe the kawaii hybrid is comparable ?) even the casio celviano ap that I tried once which has a far too much soft touch compared to a real acoustic. I agree very much on the "too perfect" response. I had problems going from the NU1X to the grand piano with my teacher when playing very soft pianissimo stuff. Some notes just didn't sound on the acoustic because I couldn't measure the force I had to make to hit the string. With the NU1X, it feels like you have an infinite pianissimo game and whatever strength you put, you'll always have a sound and that never happens with a true acoustic piano. The other thing that is disturbing is resonance, especially with pedal on. It's much too precise, like you mentioned. When you go to an acoustic piano, you get overwhelmed by the quantity of sound and strangely, you have to be much precise with pedaling on a acoustic one otherwise it's a mess. But it's a very good piano anyway and all those thing are manageable. It's just good to play sometimes on other piano anyway whatever piano you practice with.
This is indeed an awesome review, much better than others on TH-cam. Thank you very much for sharing. I was hesitating on whether to get this or an upright acoustic as the price of N1X is very similar to an U1, if not more expensive. I tried it in store and was impressed with the key action, but still couldn't make up my mind. I don't own a grand piano but hoping that I can get on in the future. Before that, I think this is probably my best choice! I'm now about to head over to the store and place my order!
Yo, there’s no comparison to an upright. If you have a budget for a C5 or C7, maybe. But there’s really no need for an upright a anymore, whether it be sound, touch, etc.
Thank u for info. The Tom and Jerry moment had me laughing for 5mins!😂 I was always scared that would happen to me as a kid.. Acoustic sounds way better. One day i will like to get one but no space😢 I have a Yamaha P515 and it's great! But all e pianos lack that special spark of life.
Nice video Richard! Might have to get one myself.... One day :P Maybe your wife could use some wireless noise suppression headphones or earphones, I use that at work a lot and it cancels out 99% of the sound around you if you get a good one. I myself am using the Sony mx1000m4 Headphones, these are lightweight and really comfortable, The noise cancellation is excellent and I use them daily for like 8 to 10 hours a day. They have an earphones version as well but I haven't tested them. I've also heard of some other earphones that work against snoring at night, that might also be a good alternative as these are specifically made for blocking noise.
Ya man. If budget allows, don’t get a traditional digital, hybrid is the way to go. I think even with the key sound, it’s definitely less annoying than the full blown practicing sound I suppose. I wish I had got this much earlier. I really want to re-record a lot of my stuff on this. I sound like garbage on a regular piano recorded through a mic.
@@tylerhampton376 I’d say my music. She cranks up the volume when she works out so I know she’s okay with loud stuff, just not piano specifically. Making things more interesting, my son practicing is okay with her just not me. Haha.
Thanks eh. Now that I do, I can say this is the way to go. Depending on my mood, the sound I want to hear that day, I have choices. If by some miracle my kids grow up playing piano, we can even play together.
Thank you for this review and the experience you had with the instrument, Richard. My piano teacher told me I should get an acoustic piano or a hybrid. I was considering getting a YUS5 or a NU1X but it seems the technology has reached the point where getting a hybrid grand is better than a real acoustic upright. The price of the N1X is close to the Kawai NV5S, so the N1X is a clear choice for me.
If there’s no limit on budget, go with NV10S, which solved the heavy-key issue with N1X. Otherwise, N1X is the next best choice at such a lower price point.
@@RichardYangPiano Btw, woulld you mind telling me how much did it cost you in Canada? I was about to order it but the retailer would charge me the MSRP price ($12,200) which I think too expensive.
Great review! I'm not a piano enthusiast but your video was very informative. I like the feature that you can simply plugin your headphones so that it would be less bothersome for other people around the house. My question is who else would you recommend this piano for? If someone were to choose between an acoustic one and a digital one which one would you recommend?
I’m now a total believer. Unless you want to buy a Steinway or even a good grand at >5’7”, definitely get this one. Don’t bother with uprights or any other traditional digital piano. Main reason, you get the grand piano action, Yamaha CFX sound, ability to record direct audio and MIDI. This is as close to a real grand piano as can be.
This is a very well made review, thanks! I tried the N1X last week and I was impressed (I usually play on a Roland FP60X). But then, I also tried a Kawai Acoustic baby grand, with silent mechanism and there was a big difference. I think what makes the difference is the speakers as opposed to the sound board/strings of the acoustic instrument. Your review is consistent with that, because the headphones sound a lot better, you said. One thing you did not mention is the choice of instruments: in the N1X you choose between the Yamaha Grand and the Bösendorfer, which I found to be very different (and not bad…). Another point : I don’t appreciate the form of the housing, although that may be a minor consideration? Still left with a question: on many acoustic instruments, it is possible to generate a somewhat soft sound by applying a certain pressure build-up on the keys. Is this possible on the N1X? I have not noticed it. It may have to do with the strings, which it doesn’t have…
Turn the volume down? On acoustic, not opening the lid, with soft pedal, and with a big thick rug underneath is about as soft as it can go. Do be careful, since this review video, once I tried the Garritan CFX VST, I now find the stock N1X sound to be garbage in comparison. I recommend you listen to the first piece on My Personal Favorites playlist (Musique pour la tristesse de Xion) to get a feel of what it sounds like.
@@Maxime-ho9iv I’m sure the NV10S is much better, but at a price point outside of my comfort level. If you are able, that one should solve the heavy key issue.
You are in good company owning the N1x because an 11 y.o. Russian pianist and composer Elisey Mysin has the AvantGrand N1. And when we were in lockdown in 2020 he played some wonderful classic pieces on his youtube channel using the N1 hybrid piano.
Great video, very thorough and well made. Honestly, though, I must say the audio quality of the N1X is objectively disappointing. I was hoping to find a great difference between the external and internal mic recording, but both sound "muffled" and suffocated, nowhere near the clarity and the brilliance of the GB1, especially in the higher register. I understand that this is a common problem with all digital pianos, because the speakers always fail to replicate the sound of a real acoustic, but the internal recording suggests that the N1X doesn't sound so good with headphones either: it doesn't actually sound so different from my way cheaper Roland HP digital piano.
Garritan CFX to the rescue. If you look at my new releases, they were all done with Garritan. Sound is gorgeous. But as soon as you go with any VST, stock sound is now garbage.
@@FederSim Garritan CFX is a VST. It replaces the stock sound with professionally recorded sound. When you watch TH-cam and the sound is gorgeous it’s because of VST.
Regarding pedal release, you need to try Shigeru Kawai, it does exactly same, notes just disappear when lifting the pedal, no noise, no buzzing, nothing. I thought it is impossible, but it actually isn't
A huge thank you from Belgium for sharing explanations with us 💝 I bought one too and i love it. But it s difficult for me to play well trills and apogiaturas. Is this normal because of the heavy touches or it s because i m not still able to play properly on this piano ?
The only negative caused by the heavy keys would be repeated notes. For pretty much everything else, the heavier keys offer superior voicing control. Translation, it should be easier to play the passage.
Thanks rich, honestly been in the market for something compact [ live in one of those oddly small aussie suburban houses with kids] and feasible to move with little drama. Been playing since I was 5 and only being able to play while visiting parents is a pain.
If you’re serious about piano, you this this hybrid piano. But if you need portability, you might want something slightly smaller. I am very picky about the touch and key action so I’m very particular in this area. If you’re not as serious, something smaller should do.
Thanks for the helpful review. I was going to advise divorce, but I went to your channel and I can well imagine any housemate disliking your Disney repertoire. I'd love to be able to play those songs as well as you do. But maybe not listen to them for hours on end. I'm old and learning, playing a 16-year-old Nord Stage 88 I got used, with Pianoteq Steinway sounds and good monitors. So when I imagine buying a hybrid, I'd still use Pianoteq and external speakers. I wish Yamaha would just make a MIDI controller with that action.
@@RichardYangPiano My teacher, Phil Best is a big believer in the responsiveness of the physically modelled pianos in Pianoteq. When I started with him he called my Nord (with its highly-regarded sampled pianos) a 'corpse'. I finally got Pianoteq a year and a half later and the feeling of being connected to the piano is really life-changing. The algorithm interprets every nuance of your playing. With sampled pianos it's replaying someone else's key attack. All the arguments in favour of sampled sound are about other people listening, about realistic sounds of high-end pianos. For my teacher and now for me, it's about how it FEELS. And that affects our playing.
Thanks for the review, Richard! It's precious cuz all the other videos here on this topic is done by dealers who wanna sell this model. My question is that would you recommend getting an N1X, or an acoustic upright piano of similiar price for practicing? I worry that avantgrand would beautify the sounds I produce to cover up my lack of skills, like putting a heavy filter on a selfie.But I do want a substitue for a grand, especially one that can be be silent and avoid neighbours' complaints. I am an amatuer player who played for 10+years as a kid then stopped, currently trying to pick it up.
So I started with Yamaha U3, then to Yamaha GB1 baby grand, then to N1X. First, don’t get an upright, it is not remotely close to the other two in terms of key action, sound, and everything. N1X should satisfy all your needs. However, I’ve spent LOTS of time on all three pianos, turns out the N1X has the heaviest keys. This allows for much better control, but you can lose a bit of speed at the highest intensity. So far there’s only one scenario where the N1X does not behave the same as a grand, is on fast accented notes. It’s a bit too dry. But it can be compensated by other means (a bit of pedal or add reverb). Good example, if you go to my videos, find NieR Automata Dependent Weakling. The beginning section is a very good example. It plays much easier on a grand. But on N1X the sound is not quite right. Overall, if budget allows, you want the N1X. Unless you have enough budget to get a much larger grand. Because the baby grand sound is just too cruel and it’s hard to play ppp.
@@RichardYangPiano Hi Richard. So After reading your answer, which I appreciate so much, I went to the local YAMAHA flagship shop to try N1X out (twice, today n yesterday,lol). It's pretty nice. However, I found one strange thing the displaying N1X bothers me: the repetition on some keys are more acceptable than others. Like when I play really really fast on single keys, the sound is ok from some keys,like on a normal grand;but the sound is actually cancelled from some other keys, like on a very mediocare upright,or even a normal E-piano... Im not sure whether it's system bug for just this specific N1X on display, or it's a thing for all N1X. Do you find this problem on yours too? PS, I tried the N3X in the shop too, it does not have this issue, the repetition was ok.
@@patrickwang2261 Ohh, these anomalies do happen from time to time (three times after a month for me). For example, certain keys, after you press it and let go, the sound is held on, and pedaling not functioning. All I did was powered off, and power on, then problem is solved. This does make it seem a bit questionable. But it’s better than Windows crashing. Haha.
@@patrickwang2261 oh, I never get sound disappearing from other keys. This can happen on a regular digital because the chip can only pump out that many notes at the time, when you add more, the earliest note will start to disappear. This doesn’t happen on this. I can have pedal down and play all the keys, no sound is lost.
One year later, I’m now using Garritan CFX full time. The stock sound is no longer acceptable. But with VST, it’s the most gorgeous instrument I’ve ever owned. Some things haven’t changed. The keys are still heavy. And I think I’m actually physically stronger now as a result. Try this. The sound is unbelievable. th-cam.com/video/1YV1Lf63Ooc/w-d-xo.html
@@RichardYangPiano thank you for your response. I don't know what CFX is but it does sound great! Maybe a video on what that is and how it transformed the instrument for you?
@@InternalTaiChi ahh… from my review video, there’s the stock CFX sound. CFX is Yamaha’s top-of-the-line concert grand. Garritan CFX is a VST (virtual instrument) where the sound is professionally recorded into this virtual library. Since this is a digital piano, once we press the key, the computer VST software will turn that into the gorgeous sound. Same idea as the stock, but 1000% better, simulating the actual concert grand in a concert hall.
Hey Richard. Thanks for the great review; it was one of the deciding factors in my decision to buy an N1X. Ordered in July 2022 and received in December 2022. So far, I'm loving it. Not sure if you're still checking the comments, but I had a question about volume settings that you or maybe another viewer could answer. Is there a main volume level that would yield the equivalent decibel level (heard through the speakers) of an acoustic grand piano? When I crank it all the way up, it sounds like that may be too high. But I don't have an acoustic piano to compare to, and since you do, I thought you might have an opinion. I guess I would have the same question for when listening through headphones, too. Any advice appreciated. Cheers!
If you go to the video, there’s a time stamp where I talked about volume to address this very question. I have my baby grand right beside me. To get to similar sound level, it’s just very slightly over the 3 o’clock position. What I didn’t mention in the video, at 3 o’clock, it’s the same sound level to me sitting in front of it. For audience, you might need to increase just a bit more, close to maximum.
@@RichardYangPiano Wow, thanks for the quick reply! Just to make sure I understand, the raised indicator on the volume knob goes from about 7 o'clock clockwise to about 5 o'clock...so you're talking about 3 o'clock using that frame of reference?
The very beginning is “Grandma” from NieR. Here’s the complete recording: th-cam.com/video/dWdWt-cqF2A/w-d-xo.html Stay tuned as I plan to re-record this with Garritan CFX VST, which will make this so gorgeous. Here’s a good example with the upgraded sound. th-cam.com/video/ac9Gue7hDoo/w-d-xo.html
I super expensive but I would love the Shigeru Kawai Sk-ex concert grand piano, that would be my dream. Sorry about all these comments but I love pianos.
If the N1X uses real acoustic piano actions, I suppose it would also subject to regular regulation like an acoustic piano. For example, adjusting the tension of the repetition springs makes a huge difference in the repetition rate. Even though the avantgrand does not require tuning and voicing, I don't think it would be maintenance free.
Excellent review, I have an 87 C3 and need to get another for a location in Naples. Action is everything, and I don't think this action compares to a 6'1 C3 Grand. However, given that its a new piano action Im not sure. Do you have an opinion on the action from an older C3 (which is killing) to the NIX or even 3X - Thank you
As a background, my personal piano before the N1X is a GB1 baby grand. And I’ve played on Steinway D, C7, CFX, etc in concerts. After I did the review, I spent more time on my GB1, to my surprise, N1X action is quite a bit heavier, which allows for better control especially for playing soft passages. On acoustic, grands are typically on the heavier side until you get to the 9’ range where the touch becomes light again. The N1X is somewhere in between. I played C7 before not C3, I can only say they feel different (action), but honestly I can’t say which one is clearly better. Now, don’t get N3X in my opinion. When I tested it out, other than being bigger, N3X has simulated ivory key top (but same mechanical actions), whereas N1X has the same key top as an upright (just the key top, not action). This simulated ivory, when my hands started to sweat, it became very sticky. But for sure it’s louder than the N1X, but that’s not what I needed. Last thing, I discovered this after the video, there is one significant aspect where the N1X does not behave the same as a grand, which is when you played fast accented notes without pedal. On N1X I end up having to add some pedal to make it produce the same tone I need where I don’t need any pedal on a grand. Just something to watch out for. Other than this, going between N1X and grand is pretty smooth.
Thank you for this response. My C3 is a beast and I had it fitted with a silent system - but - now I have another home - this one in Naples Florida and because of size of room and humidity I think the N1X is better or the N2 (now discontinued) I don’t care about volume without headset - I need the action to be close - I like to play with a headset. I’m going to try it out. I will never part with my beloved 1987 C3 - the great Eldar, Zacai Curtis and many more of the jazz worlds best have played on it while I’m on drums - I won’t bore you with all the online videos, just want to say thank you for taking the time out. PS - Estonia 5.6 is also a serious contender with a silent system frankly it stalled! CM
What time stamp are we talking about? I suspect it’s just how I joined the different segments of videos together. The usb direct recording is always perfect.
amazing review, but there's something wrong about the keys noise complaining. In acoustic pianos, they make the same noise as you are experiencing, but you cant hear because the strings are louder than any "extra noise" the piano will make. Buut, when you have a digital piano, the sound don't have enough presence as in an acoustic. I think they cant make the keys as silent as this, because this is the exact way the keys are made for acoustic pianos.
The point of the comparison is that even when there’s no string to make a sound, it can be just as annoying to listen to. For a potential buyer without prior experience, he/she might think a “silent” piano is “silent”, which is far from the case.
@@RichardYangPiano Thanks for the reply! I meant to say what's the first song in your video that you played on your acoustic grand. I like the song, would love to know what it was. Also thanks for the video, this is great to get a real view of what it's like to own it.
@@stonebecame5155 try this: th-cam.com/video/1YV1Lf63Ooc/w-d-xo.html This sounds so gorgeous with the Garritan CFX. If you go to my NieR playlist, these are the most beautiful music on this channel.
@@RichardYangPianoThank you, I'm trying to find the song at time 13:40, wow it just sounds so good. I went to the youtube link but I think that's a different one?
Try this: th-cam.com/video/dWdWt-cqF2A/w-d-xo.html Stay tuned. I’ve re-recorded this using Garritan VST, just haven’t found the right time to release yet.
Great review! You have articulated my own experience with my N1X that I bought 2 years ago. I initially bought a new U3 and ended up selling a year later for a loss. Didn’t take into account how my husband and kids would not want to hear any sound. I thought the N1X would fit the bill but I do miss the sound and tone of an acoustic. Frankly, I think the AG makes me sound better than I should. If you have limited space and could only have one, would you choose a silent or transacoustic rather than the N1X is you want the silent feature? Thanks!
My number 1 requirement was recording capability. I needed something that can produce perfect recording (ie not having to use a mic). So this is as good as it gets. But it is unfortunate that the keys are much heavier than I expected. It is still easier to play on a real grand than this. So not exactly perfect, but given limited space, this is as good as it gets. Unless if you try the Kawai NV10S, but much more expensive. From what I’ve heard, the keys are lighter, but it has different set of issues.
Hello sir, great review. I don't play piano, but I'm helping my girlfriend do research on this piano. Very engaging video. I have 2 questions, our budget is for NU1X for around 5000eur. We could stretch it up to 8000eur for N1X, would you say it is worth it? Secondly, (and i don't know much about this topic), can I just hook up my stereo with floorstand speakers to these two models for a better sound? Thanks for replying.
External speakers should be better than the built-in speaker because when I use headphone everything sounds absolutely gorgeous. Now, I would highly recommend the N1X over the NU1X. The grand piano action is horizontal instead of vertical, which will get you much faster response than the upright version. I’ve played NU1X briefly, it plays like an upright, sounds pretty good. But you really want the N1X action, which is as good as can be for a digital/hybrid, except the Kawai NV series, which I believe has even better action.
really like this one, but the waiting time is sooooooo long... i placed order in April , still waiting, the sales told me it would probably arrive in 6 months, I am not sure if I should keep waiting for another half year. I really want to play the new piano asap!!
I have not. But I did consider NV10 in the beginning. But the price is just way too much for me to justify buying. But here’s what I learned: NV10 does not behave the same as a grand in this way, when you press a key so slowly, on an acoustic, you can do it without the key making a sound, N1X can too, but NV10 if the key is depressed, no matter how slow, it will make a sound. I also read a lot of NV10 firmware issues where certain keys can make inconsistent sounds at times. The plus, I spoke with another TH-camr rach3master, he mentioned that the NV10 has lower inertial weight so it’s not as tiring to play (his previous piano was N1). I would probably agree. Because the N1X keys are actually heavier than my acoustic grand. Pretty tiring to keep practicing the most difficult passages. I would really want to try the NV10 but couldn’t find a deal that has stock. I’m personally biased toward Yamaha though because I don’t like Kawai acoustic pianos.
Thank you, you played so well so I am subscribing not just for ur piano review, I may learn something. I am spoiled with a Shigeru Kawai 6’ but I am only a level 5 at best, and am gonna downsize so looking into something similar, or go find a baby grand. Well, they are 2 different worlds. There’s only the Yamaha Avantgrand and Kawai NV10. After weeks of watching and researching from expert like you, for a piano player and not a music producer (who cares more about midi/line recording), the most important has to be the action, pedal and the sound from the speaker. That’s what you interact with 2-4 hrs a day. As far as your take in the sound and speaker, you can look into connecting to a laptop via Pianoteq or Synthogy Ivory II, 2 of the best virtual pianos and either use the N1X speaker or another speaker and you maybe able to get better sound than what’s inside. I tested it and it models very well for example how lower bass notes come more from left speakers and treble notes far to the right to give the realisms of sitting on a real piano. The thing I like about Hybrid apart from the action is to test the haptic vibrations, the simulated shakes on your fingers when u sit on a grand because traditional digitals lacked than realism. I am still undecided, thanks for your input.
On your important things: Action: should be as good as it gets. But do note the keys are heavier, which is good for better control, but more tiring on fast passages. Pedal: they wiggle. But acceptable. NC pedal simply lowers the volume instead changing the tone like an acoustic grand. Sustain pedal, you can set the half-pedal point. I was very concerned before because I do half-pedal a lot, this did not disappoint. BUT, what I didn’t cover in the review, when you play loud accent notes, they can be pretty dry, you may need to add reverb or a bit of pedal to compensate. Again, somewhat acceptable but definitely not perfect in this area. Sound: put the headphone on. I really don’t like the sound from the speaker. On vibration, you don’t feel it on the keys. But when you play through the speakers, you’ll feel the vibration when playing the bass. This doesn’t really affect anything, with or without vibration I could care less. I hope you find this helpful.
@@RichardYangPiano Read this on pianoworld in case there is a chance to get rid of the muddy speaker sound: "You definitely don't want the N1X pressed up against the wall if you're using the onboard speakers. It was like that at the dealers when I originally tried it and it sounded very muddy. I have it a couple feet away form the wall and it sounds a lot better. The 16cm speaker is right on the back of the speaker box facing the wall. It needs some clearance."
Hello. Thank you for honnest rewiev i am about to buy n1x i have a few quastions.1 is there any technical problems so far?2 are keys like more heavier?3 are the noice from keys much louder or still the same( i have silent u1 and it makes lot of noice when in silent mode) and woud you still reccomend buy it in 2023? I am from small country and the onle hybryd here is n1x no kawai so your opinion is really matter and ill upercate for your answer.P.s you said about some othet cons if you can tell about them will be great.Thank you in advance
Kawai NV10S would be the superior option but it’s so much more expensive. My take is that, if you’re not at professional level, the N1X will be just great. Yes the keys are much heavier. But this offers you superior voicing control. The con is that it doesn’t work well on pieces heavy on fast repeated notes. But even for myself, this is perfect. Better yet, spend a bit more by buying the Garritan CFX VST. Then this will sound absolutely gorgeous. Please check out my Animenz playlist, or NieR, then you can hear the difference!
I am not a professional pianist anymore (my right hand were injured) so I can play or study something easier can't play fast.i wanted to ask you after watching your playing and your are very talanted pianist , so you can just plug In a vst and play it thru speakers or headphones only? Can you explain please thanks in advance
@@djshmul1 you’ll need a laptop, MIDI to USB cable, 3.5mm audio cable. Purchase and install the VST (I use PianoTeq for live feedback, since it’s very fast and responsive. I use Garritan CFX for final conversion only because it has the best sound.) Install ASIO4ALL driver (Google). Midi cable to piano, USB side to laptop. Audio cable, out from laptop, in to piano. Turn off piano sound (on N1X, it’s Func+C7 or C6, I forgot which). Then sound will be gorgeous.
I don’t know man perhaps they cut corners with the speakers, but you’ll never get acoustic sound from a digital piano, sounds great anyways and I hope you enjoy it
Hi have you tried playing this piano using Pianoteq VSTs? I have the N2 which is great, only there is no way to disable the piano’s inbuilt sound so that only the VST sound comes through the N2 speakers which is a shame, instead I have to use computer stereo speakers and that sounds miles better than the piano’s stock sound + VST sound together at the same time. Pianoteq’s VSTs really bring any digital piano to life.
th-cam.com/video/xdhsFACb9g4/w-d-xo.html This is a sample done with Garritan CFX. I’ve given up on real-time VST. The roughly half-second delay drove me crazy. So I just do my normal recording to midi, then convert after.
@@RichardYangPiano Yes, but what I mean is do this piano got any electronic failure issue？ Like some of the key no sound, or maybe sound/velocity suddenly too loud etc...
@@townnet It’s all great otherwise. I use Garritan CFX VST to significantly increase the sound quality (listen to my Animenz playlist or NieR). The heavy keys offer much better control. So it’s an acceptable trade.
Mine is a Yamaha-branded headphone, HPH-100 might be the model name. This was free-issued by the piano shop for delaying my order for so long. Nothing fancy, it works okay. No noise cancellation though.
I used to own the N1X but decided to sell it due to some of the cons you stated. While the touch is great, the speakers really do sound way too muffled and I don't enjoy playing with headphones too often. The samples are not great either. Tried playing VSTs like the Garritan CFX but it still did not sound too good coming out of those speakers.
I now record everything using Garritan CFX. And I just figured out how to do real-time VST with acceptable lag. I must say, after listening to the Garritan CFX, the stock sound is just not gonna cut it anymore. I experimented with feeding sound back to the N1X speaker, definitely not amplified enough being direct from the laptop, I’m gonna experiment with an audio interface and see if that can be improved. But overall, sound aside, N1X is now my primary go-to piano. I rarely play on my grand anymore.
@@RichardYangPiano One thing that bugged me about playing the Garritan on my N1X back then was that I couldn't play it as softly as I can with the built-in sounds. As you mentioned in this video, being able to play ppp is one of the pros of the N1X. Do you tweak around with the Garritan's velocity curve?
If you go to my playlist section, the NieR Automata album was all re-recorded with Garritan CFX. A quiet example: th-cam.com/video/c1D468C_Avo/w-d-xo.html Here’s the setting I used, copied from Rach3master. As you can see, the sound IS gorgeous. But without an audio interface box, you kinda do need a headphone for the sound to sound proper. forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2780276/re-garritan-cfx-concert-grand-full-settings.html
The problem with key nois I guess is more obvious than you would have with Kawai. Recently I tried several digital piano. The feeling of the keys Yamaha piano was solid and worthy, but noisy and a little rubber like. Neighbors from one floor deep eventually would think that you are practicing tap dancing at home.
@@RichardYangPiano I guess what they could mean is the option of being able to have sound came out of headphone. Mechanical sound from keys are still there regardless of any make and brand. Thanks for the videos.
Loud enough to annoy my wife. But I don’t think there’s any way around that. After you hit the key, the key is going to make some noise, one way or the other.
Op de Casio is herhaling van noten wel heel erg goed ,ik vind je uitleg over de Yamaha heel duidelijk en eerlijk over je bevindingen.ik heb heel lang getwijfeld welke digitale piano ik zou gaan aanschaffen, uiteindelijk was de doorslag voor mij het uitstekende klavier van de gp 510 van Casio ontworpen door C Bechstein .en de prijs was ook acceptabel.. ik vind jou vleugel echt een prachtig geluid hebben 🎶
you may have answered this but I am still not clear (my problem), I am looking for sound repro from a digital through the speakers that is as close to the acoustic as possible (I know this isnt acoustic piano), you said the sound through the speakers was 'muffled'...is that a deal breaker, or is it just a given with digitals, and what you get is still so very close to the target? (long question 😞)
I’m gonna give a long answer. Sounding muffled is not a deal breaker, but obviously it’s not perfect. This does sound more muffled than other digital pianos I’ve tried in the past. But having used VST (Garritan CFX and PianoTeq), no matter which one you use, it’s so much better than stock sound. So now, I don’t use stock sound from the N1X anymore, only VST. That somewhat resolved the speaker issue. Garritan CFX has the best sound, which I use for my final sound on my videos. But I use PianoTeq as live feedback because it’s much more stable. The VST sound doesn’t sound nearly as muffled. Bottom line, honestly, if you try any good VST, you’ll no longer be able to stand the stock sound. This means, “sound” is now irrelevant when you look to purchase a digital piano.
hi Richard, thank you very much for taking the time to reply, and the demo. I guess I can now ask the question I should have asked to start.....with Pianoteq can you play the software through the piano amp and speakers? I am looking for a dp that feels acoustic on the keys and sounds (as far as poss.) acoustic through the speakers onboard.
@@chrisgarnett9481 Yes with PianoTeq. You can play that through the piano speakers. You hit the Function key + C6 will turn off the internal speaker. Just in case if you’re also interested in Garritan, even though it’s so much more gorgeous than PianoTeq, the installation is huge, it feels a bit buggy, sometimes it craps out and you need to wait for a few seconds for it to resolve itself, and the volume through the piano is extremely low. Just a warning. But for the final sound, I wouldn’t settle for anything else. PianoTeq, on the other hand, the sound is a bit on the metallic side, but installation is so small, it opens in seconds (instead of a minute), very smooth operation, proper volume. By the way, I don’t use any audio interface, just my laptop. If you want the best touch, get Kawai NV10S. But for me, I can’t justify the extreme price delta. That supposedly solved N1X’s keys-too-heavy problem.
@@RichardYangPiano hi Richard, many thanks for taking the time for this and answering the question. I guess a lot of folks are happy to play through the headphones, I really would like a digital that gets as close to acoustic as possible through the speaker system and it sounds like with the onboard amp and speakers of the n1x can get there with the additional voices of pianoteq. Thanks again.
Opposite. It’s much heavier than my acoustic grand. So much so, there are things I can’t do in this piano, like fast repeated notes. But the plus is that due to the heavier keys, it is so much easier to do voicing and fine control.
@@RichardYangPiano which acoustic grand do you have? I played a Casio GP 510 and even if it's not real hybrid and doesn't have any simulation of escapement, it has an excellent speed repetition. Why you can't have fast repeated notes, doesn't it have any simulation of escapement, or the action doesn't do it? I wanted to buy this N1X , but it's much more expensive than the Casio GP 510, so I probably will take the 510. Even if slightly lighter than acoustic grand pianos as the Yamaha Grand
@@verymozart Mine is an entry level baby grand, Yamaha GB1. The N1X has escapement l, it’s real grand piano action. But the keys are so much heavier. After playing that, going on my grand, the keys are feather-like.
@@RichardYangPiano but have you ever played the Casio GP510? And which is the difference in the action between Yamaha N1X and NU1X . It the grand action and upright action maybe?
@@verymozart I don’t have much experience with digital piano. I have, however, performed on over 10 Steinways and a few other concert grands. So all comparisons are with acoustic pianos. The Kawai NV10S apparently fixed the key issue but the price is significantly higher. So for me the N1X will have to do.
@@giuseppepaparo8977 with VST (ie Garritan CFX), the sound is as gorgeous as a concert grand in a concert hall. The sample I provided should be a good indication
I once considered the N1X, but it is as pricy as a baby grand. I might as well save the money and put it toward a better acoustic grand. I ended up buying a Roland FP90 few years ago as my practice piano and recently a Yamaha C7 for performing and recording at home. After I treated the room with DIY Rockwool acoustic panels and using decent mics, the recordings sound very clean. Digital piano always sounds artificial and less genuine to me even with VST. The sustain doesn't behave like it is on an acoustic grand. My wife hates it when I practice with the headphones on, and actually demands that I turn on the speakers because I do play a lot of pop and romantic pieces which she is familiar with and enjoys listening to. I do understand your situation though.While I enjoy practicing classical/anime/gaming related technical pieces, my wife would describe them as dreadful.
I now run Garritan CFX VST. There’s no going back. The C7 should have superior action. But no matter how good, I think the Garritan CFX blows everything out of the water sound-wise. But you’re very fortunate to have a C7!!
That’d be overkill. We’ve learned to adjust our schedules. Hope you enjoyed the video otherwise. A lot of good stuff to be discovered on my channel. Cheers.
The best N1X review I've ever seen. very professional Infomation.👍👍👍
Bought one of these today myself; after playing it. The action, feel and response is the closest to an acoustic I have found thus far. Great review
Envy you guys. A few people said they bought it based on my review and they got the piano. When I ordered, it took me a year to get mine. Maybe Canada doesn’t get that much love from Yamaha.
@@RichardYangPiano everything was stuck in shipping containers for the last year. I just happened to be looking for it at the right time I guess. We will see how long it takes before it gets delivered!
@@RichardYangPiano My daughter ordered one in October. She's supposed to get it this week? next week? So - three months.
@@kristend344 i waited a year for mine.
Finally one great review on N1X. Thank you!
Thanks eh.
Grazie.
@@raffaeleclarino Yo, thanks man, truly appreciate it.
This is a very good and honest review.
With this one you can really hear what he means by saying that it lacks something in resonance and that the sustain is too perfect when comparing to a real piano. He's not biased in any way, even though he spent so much money on the digital.
Of course if you would stand in the actual room he was playing the difference would be even greater, since some of the audio quality is lost in recording and then again by TH-cam's audio bitrate.
Still you could hear every complaint he had clearly. This has convinced me to, for that price, buy a refurbished upright if I can.
@@stracciatella2782 you really gotta listen to what this piano can achieve with VST: th-cam.com/video/JxKXaFlc_d0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nvF3fRQWq9FnH3cJ
Well done review and I think for the first time hearing a direct comparison of the digital grand versus a real acoustic grand is really beneficial to understanding the difference. I agree that through the speakers the sound is muffled. Through the direct output, the sound is much closer the the acoustic grand, but still not as dynamic. Thanks so much for this valuable review!
Problem solved when you use VST. You’d be impressed with the sound from Garritan CFX. th-cam.com/video/-6LPEWKXUkY/w-d-xo.html
@@RichardYangPiano Can you use the VST but via the piano speakers?
@@Maxime-ho9iv Yes. But I use PianoTeq for live feedback. I use Garritan CFX for final conversion only. It’s not as stable as PianoTeq.
I started playing on a digital Casio Celviano 15 years ago. 8 years ago I moved countries and couldn't bring it with me. All that I could afford back then was a $700 Yamaha P105 that is still my only source of piano practicing today and now...I JUST purchased the N1X like 15 minutes ago and I am so nervous hoping I made the best decision of my life! lol! It was a lifelong dream to ever be able to buy an acoustic piano but then it evolved to not wanting to pay for calibrating it, and I like being able to practice late at night with my headphones and not disturb a soul and record etc, so I discovered the AvantGrand...Your review was very helpful and I hope you still love your piano after a few months of playing it! Thank you!
Still love it. Unless you do some pretty advanced repertoire, this is as good as it gets being non-acoustic. This piano does have limitations. So I still switch between the two pianos I’ve got. There are different pieces for each of the two pianos.
@@RichardYangPiano what would you say is the biggest limitation on this piano?
@@SeidySaku I have two major complaints. 1. When playing loud accented octaves, the sound coming out doesn’t quite match an acoustic, it sounds extremely dry. This can be fixed by adding reverb or a bit of pedal. But the point is, I shouldn’t need to do that. If you listen to my Unravel (currently on my channel home page), I wanted to record on this. But the “wall” (30 seconds in), it just doesn’t sound the same as a grand.
2. The more I play, the more I find the keys are very heavy. Digital pianos are usually known for having keys that are too light. Although heavier keys allow for better control, it is very tiring if I keep practicing my most challenging pieces.
But unless you’re playing at an advanced level, I doubt you’d even notice these. I play many hours a day so I know.
Hi Richard,
Thank you for your testimonial that is very valuable.
I currently have a Yamaha CSP170 I bought in 2020 and received mid 2021. I made this choice for 3 reasons:
- I live in an appartment near Paris (France) and I don't want to play loud, disturbing my neighbours : I needed a "silent" like piano, enabling headphones
- I don't have enough space to have a grand piano
- After 10 years playing piano I stopped playing during 50 years (yes!). When I decided to start again playing piano I wasn't sure if I would succeed to.
Now, after more than one year I get back to a decent level of playing (Gabriel Fauré - Pavane, Schubert - Stanchen, ...).
The CSP 170 has a pleasant keyboard and the sound with headphones is good (CFX Binaural Sampling). But when using speakers I found the sound very artificial and metallic.
So I am considering the N1X or the N2, because I prefer to play without headphones but at low level.
Your video is helpful for my decision making.
Some time has passed since I did my review. Now, I run Garritan CFX VST full time because once you listen to that, the stock sound just doesn’t cut it anymore. See example for sound:
th-cam.com/video/qpqi22L6VtY/w-d-xo.html
While I was able to use the N1X speaker to output the VST sound, it is pretty soft and there are occasional hiccups, might not be stable enough for a performance. But for own practice, it’s perfect.
For your case you don’t want it loud anyway. Now, Garritan CFX is a $200 investment. With that, you can turn any digital piano into the best-sounding CFX. So the only thing left is the touch. N1X and N2 share the same touch. So the N1X is sufficient. The N3X for example, when you go higher, you get better speakers, which don’t really concern you anyway.
One warning though, after playing this for so long, the keys ARE definitely much heavier than my grand. So it can be very tiring on difficult passages and repeating notes. The Kawai NV10S supposedly fixed that problem, but it’s at a price tag I’m not willing to pay.
This means the N1X is the most practical hybrid you can buy now.
@@RichardYangPiano
Thank for a so quick reply.
Does the Garritan CFX VST change significantly the sound with speakerd ?
How can the Garritan CFX VST be installed in the piano ?
I would like to try it on the CSP 170 before jumping to the N1X.
(I use the Smart Pianist app connected to the CSP 170).
Garritan CFX is installed on the laptop. You use a midi cable between the laptop and piano, and also audio out from laptop to audio in on piano.
This is actually a great idea. You can try out the VST. If you find the touch of your current piano acceptable, you wouldn’t even need to change the piano.
Now the difference is HUGE:
Stock: th-cam.com/video/UYcuU_3B9Sc/w-d-xo.html
VST: th-cam.com/video/w0YyDCZ8PsA/w-d-xo.html
@@RichardYangPiano thank you for your advice. I will have a try to Garritan CFX VST and will let you know.
Such a major difference in sound. Once you started playing the Yamaha grand it like BAM. Yes that’s what a Yamaha should sound like.
Even better now with Garritan CFX. The stock sound is no longer acceptable. Try this: th-cam.com/video/GU0BKfl1eAA/w-d-xo.html
fantastic review, thank you. exactly the kind of critical (good and bad) review that helps one to make a solid choice. i think i may have found my new piano.
@@_scott_ good stuff.
also good review. The sound on that n1x is incredible
If you go to my NieR or Animenz playlist, I now use Garritan CFX VST. The stock N1X sound is no longer acceptable.
@@RichardYangPiano will check it out! Also you're right you were the only person posting a review without an agenda. Thank you much
Thank you for your honest review! It’s good to see a review not from a piano shop. Did you end up making a video going through the control panel and digital functions? I would be very interested to see that.
I thought about posting the control. But there’s not much to it at all, at least for what I personally use. Instead, I might do a review part 2, because I discovered a few cons after this first review. I know you’re about to ask what these are, a bit complex to explain. I’ll show in the follow up video with samples.
@@RichardYangPiano that sounds great - thanks!
I informed myself now a lot about hybrid pianos and i can say, that you made (in my opinion) the best choice possible at the current moment. Maybe ne N3X is better but... thats 20k euros in my country and im not that rich.
So, you sold me a N1X sir, even if you dont earn something off it, i want to say thank you, because its my first "real" piano after my ES 110 B.
Cool man. I tried on the N3X, wouldn’t get it even if I could afford it. The key top is simulated ivory, which should be nice. But in practice, it feels nice to touch at first, but any sweat in the hand will make it very sticky. Final warning, my order took 12 months to arrive!!
Ohh… if could thank me by binge watching some of my playlists, and LIKE if you like! That’ll help! I recommend Final Fantasy Piano Opera, Final Fantasy XV, or any of the two Kingdom Hearts albums. These should be very impressive. Cheers.
Fantastic review - thank you!
Cheers.
Thank you for this. It's a real player's point of view that we don't very often hear on the net and that's a good thing. I own a NU1X which is the upright version. I agree on everything you say. The touch of the key is just amazing and really feels like an actual acoustic piano and has nothing to do with any other digital piano (maybe the kawaii hybrid is comparable ?) even the casio celviano ap that I tried once which has a far too much soft touch compared to a real acoustic.
I agree very much on the "too perfect" response. I had problems going from the NU1X to the grand piano with my teacher when playing very soft pianissimo stuff. Some notes just didn't sound on the acoustic because I couldn't measure the force I had to make to hit the string. With the NU1X, it feels like you have an infinite pianissimo game and whatever strength you put, you'll always have a sound and that never happens with a true acoustic piano.
The other thing that is disturbing is resonance, especially with pedal on. It's much too precise, like you mentioned. When you go to an acoustic piano, you get overwhelmed by the quantity of sound and strangely, you have to be much precise with pedaling on a acoustic one otherwise it's a mess.
But it's a very good piano anyway and all those thing are manageable. It's just good to play sometimes on other piano anyway whatever piano you practice with.
Just gotta try out some VST for the best possible sound:
th-cam.com/video/JxKXaFlc_d0/w-d-xo.html
This is indeed an awesome review, much better than others on TH-cam. Thank you very much for sharing. I was hesitating on whether to get this or an upright acoustic as the price of N1X is very similar to an U1, if not more expensive. I tried it in store and was impressed with the key action, but still couldn't make up my mind. I don't own a grand piano but hoping that I can get on in the future. Before that, I think this is probably my best choice! I'm now about to head over to the store and place my order!
Yo, there’s no comparison to an upright. If you have a budget for a C5 or C7, maybe. But there’s really no need for an upright a anymore, whether it be sound, touch, etc.
Thank u for info. The Tom and Jerry moment had me laughing for 5mins!😂 I was always scared that would happen to me as a kid.. Acoustic sounds way better. One day i will like to get one but no space😢 I have a Yamaha P515 and it's great! But all e pianos lack that special spark of life.
I challenge you to listen to this: th-cam.com/video/1YV1Lf63Ooc/w-d-xo.html
To me, that’s the spark of life. You need Garritan CFX VST!
Nice video Richard! Might have to get one myself.... One day :P
Maybe your wife could use some wireless noise suppression headphones or earphones, I use that at work a lot and it cancels out 99% of the sound around you if you get a good one.
I myself am using the Sony mx1000m4 Headphones, these are lightweight and really comfortable, The noise cancellation is excellent and I use them daily for like 8 to 10 hours a day.
They have an earphones version as well but I haven't tested them. I've also heard of some other earphones that work against snoring at night, that might also be a good alternative as these are specifically made for blocking noise.
Ya man. If budget allows, don’t get a traditional digital, hybrid is the way to go.
I think even with the key sound, it’s definitely less annoying than the full blown practicing sound I suppose.
I wish I had got this much earlier. I really want to re-record a lot of my stuff on this. I sound like garbage on a regular piano recorded through a mic.
Does your wife hate your piano or the music you play on it?
@@tylerhampton376 I’d say my music. She cranks up the volume when she works out so I know she’s okay with loud stuff, just not piano specifically. Making things more interesting, my son practicing is okay with her just not me. Haha.
@@RichardYangPiano Yeah, I get it I played Xion's theme on my piano and my grandma told me to stop playing that " funeral music! "
@@tylerhampton376 visited your channel. No video!! You need to upload man…
Hi ☺️ thank you very much!! Valuable information 👌 great review! Could you please tell me the name of the piece you are playing on this video 🙏
Here you go: th-cam.com/video/xdhsFACb9g4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=EEYqXWWBqMzg9wCk
Wow, you're a very lucky pianist to have two beauties!
Thanks eh. Now that I do, I can say this is the way to go. Depending on my mood, the sound I want to hear that day, I have choices. If by some miracle my kids grow up playing piano, we can even play together.
Thank you for this review and the experience you had with the instrument, Richard. My piano teacher told me I should get an acoustic piano or a hybrid. I was considering getting a YUS5 or a NU1X but it seems the technology has reached the point where getting a hybrid grand is better than a real acoustic upright. The price of the N1X is close to the Kawai NV5S, so the N1X is a clear choice for me.
If there’s no limit on budget, go with NV10S, which solved the heavy-key issue with N1X. Otherwise, N1X is the next best choice at such a lower price point.
@@RichardYangPiano Btw, woulld you mind telling me how much did it cost you in Canada? I was about to order it but the retailer would charge me the MSRP price ($12,200) which I think too expensive.
@@FingersKungfu 9200 plus 13% HST. CAD. You got the post inflation price.
@@RichardYangPiano thanks for sharing.
Great review! I'm not a piano enthusiast but your video was very informative. I like the feature that you can simply plugin your headphones so that it would be less bothersome for other people around the house. My question is who else would you recommend this piano for? If someone were to choose between an acoustic one and a digital one which one would you recommend?
I’m now a total believer. Unless you want to buy a Steinway or even a good grand at >5’7”, definitely get this one. Don’t bother with uprights or any other traditional digital piano. Main reason, you get the grand piano action, Yamaha CFX sound, ability to record direct audio and MIDI. This is as close to a real grand piano as can be.
I just bought the N1X thanks to your review :)
This is a very well made review, thanks! I tried the N1X last week and I was impressed (I usually play on a Roland FP60X). But then, I also tried a Kawai Acoustic baby grand, with silent mechanism and there was a big difference. I think what makes the difference is the speakers as opposed to the sound board/strings of the acoustic instrument. Your review is consistent with that, because the headphones sound a lot better, you said.
One thing you did not mention is the choice of instruments: in the N1X you choose between the Yamaha Grand and the Bösendorfer, which I found to be very different (and not bad…).
Another point : I don’t appreciate the form of the housing, although that may be a minor consideration?
Still left with a question: on many acoustic instruments, it is possible to generate a somewhat soft sound by applying a certain pressure build-up on the keys. Is this possible on the N1X? I have not noticed it. It may have to do with the strings, which it doesn’t have…
Turn the volume down?
On acoustic, not opening the lid, with soft pedal, and with a big thick rug underneath is about as soft as it can go.
Do be careful, since this review video, once I tried the Garritan CFX VST, I now find the stock N1X sound to be garbage in comparison. I recommend you listen to the first piece on My Personal Favorites playlist (Musique pour la tristesse de Xion) to get a feel of what it sounds like.
Very nice review.
Did you compare it to the Kawai NV10S before purchase?
@@Maxime-ho9iv I’m sure the NV10S is much better, but at a price point outside of my comfort level. If you are able, that one should solve the heavy key issue.
@@RichardYangPiano Oh.. that's strange, here where I live the N1X and the NV10S are exactly the same price (around €9k).
@@Maxime-ho9iv If that’s the case, you need the NV10S!
You are in good company owning the N1x because an 11 y.o. Russian pianist and composer Elisey Mysin has the AvantGrand N1. And when we were in lockdown in 2020 he played some wonderful classic pieces on his youtube channel using the N1 hybrid piano.
I’m already wondering what the next iteration will be like.
Great video, very thorough and well made. Honestly, though, I must say the audio quality of the N1X is objectively disappointing. I was hoping to find a great difference between the external and internal mic recording, but both sound "muffled" and suffocated, nowhere near the clarity and the brilliance of the GB1, especially in the higher register. I understand that this is a common problem with all digital pianos, because the speakers always fail to replicate the sound of a real acoustic, but the internal recording suggests that the N1X doesn't sound so good with headphones either: it doesn't actually sound so different from my way cheaper Roland HP digital piano.
Garritan CFX to the rescue. If you look at my new releases, they were all done with Garritan. Sound is gorgeous. But as soon as you go with any VST, stock sound is now garbage.
@@RichardYangPiano I'm sorry, what is Garritan?
@@FederSim Garritan CFX is a VST. It replaces the stock sound with professionally recorded sound. When you watch TH-cam and the sound is gorgeous it’s because of VST.
great review. Personally I would have spend the money on isolating the room and just keep the baby accoustic to play on.
N1X is now my primary go-to. The baby grand is just too unrefined.
THANK YOU!!
Great review!
Reddit right? Cheers man.
Regarding pedal release, you need to try Shigeru Kawai, it does exactly same, notes just disappear when lifting the pedal, no noise, no buzzing, nothing. I thought it is impossible, but it actually isn't
That’s comforting. It’s not a complaint by the way. Being able to let go of the sound without additional noise is surely a plus.
@@RichardYangPiano I think this issue was once pronounced between Hamburg and NY Steinway, former being silent when lifting the pedal.
A huge thank you from Belgium for sharing explanations with us 💝
I bought one too and i love it. But it s difficult for me to play well trills and apogiaturas. Is this normal because of the heavy touches or it s because i m not still able to play properly on this piano ?
The only negative caused by the heavy keys would be repeated notes. For pretty much everything else, the heavier keys offer superior voicing control. Translation, it should be easier to play the passage.
@@RichardYangPiano Thank you for your return 🙏
Thanks rich, honestly been in the market for something compact [ live in one of those oddly small aussie suburban houses with kids] and feasible to move with little drama. Been playing since I was 5 and only being able to play while visiting parents is a pain.
If you’re serious about piano, you this this hybrid piano. But if you need portability, you might want something slightly smaller. I am very picky about the touch and key action so I’m very particular in this area. If you’re not as serious, something smaller should do.
Thanks for the helpful review. I was going to advise divorce, but I went to your channel and I can well imagine any housemate disliking your Disney repertoire. I'd love to be able to play those songs as well as you do. But maybe not listen to them for hours on end. I'm old and learning, playing a 16-year-old Nord Stage 88 I got used, with Pianoteq Steinway sounds and good monitors. So when I imagine buying a hybrid, I'd still use Pianoteq and external speakers. I wish Yamaha would just make a MIDI controller with that action.
I have yet to experiment with VST. Garritan CFX is on my wish list. I have 0 idea how this works that’s why I never really pull the trigger.
@@RichardYangPiano My teacher, Phil Best is a big believer in the responsiveness of the physically modelled pianos in Pianoteq. When I started with him he called my Nord (with its highly-regarded sampled pianos) a 'corpse'. I finally got Pianoteq a year and a half later and the feeling of being connected to the piano is really life-changing. The algorithm interprets every nuance of your playing. With sampled pianos it's replaying someone else's key attack. All the arguments in favour of sampled sound are about other people listening, about realistic sounds of high-end pianos. For my teacher and now for me, it's about how it FEELS. And that affects our playing.
Thanks for the review, Richard! It's precious cuz all the other videos here on this topic is done by dealers who wanna sell this model. My question is that would you recommend getting an N1X, or an acoustic upright piano of similiar price for practicing? I worry that avantgrand would beautify the sounds I produce to cover up my lack of skills, like putting a heavy filter on a selfie.But I do want a substitue for a grand, especially one that can be be silent and avoid neighbours' complaints.
I am an amatuer player who played for 10+years as a kid then stopped, currently trying to pick it up.
So I started with Yamaha U3, then to Yamaha GB1 baby grand, then to N1X. First, don’t get an upright, it is not remotely close to the other two in terms of key action, sound, and everything.
N1X should satisfy all your needs. However, I’ve spent LOTS of time on all three pianos, turns out the N1X has the heaviest keys. This allows for much better control, but you can lose a bit of speed at the highest intensity. So far there’s only one scenario where the N1X does not behave the same as a grand, is on fast accented notes. It’s a bit too dry. But it can be compensated by other means (a bit of pedal or add reverb).
Good example, if you go to my videos, find NieR Automata Dependent Weakling. The beginning section is a very good example. It plays much easier on a grand. But on N1X the sound is not quite right.
Overall, if budget allows, you want the N1X. Unless you have enough budget to get a much larger grand. Because the baby grand sound is just too cruel and it’s hard to play ppp.
@@RichardYangPiano Hi Richard. So After reading your answer, which I appreciate so much, I went to the local YAMAHA flagship shop to try N1X out (twice, today n yesterday,lol). It's pretty nice. However, I found one strange thing the displaying N1X bothers me: the repetition on some keys are more acceptable than others. Like when I play really really fast on single keys, the sound is ok from some keys,like on a normal grand;but the sound is actually cancelled from some other keys, like on a very mediocare upright,or even a normal E-piano... Im not sure whether it's system bug for just this specific N1X on display, or it's a thing for all N1X. Do you find this problem on yours too?
PS, I tried the N3X in the shop too, it does not have this issue, the repetition was ok.
@@patrickwang2261 Ohh, these anomalies do happen from time to time (three times after a month for me). For example, certain keys, after you press it and let go, the sound is held on, and pedaling not functioning. All I did was powered off, and power on, then problem is solved. This does make it seem a bit questionable. But it’s better than Windows crashing. Haha.
@@patrickwang2261 oh, I never get sound disappearing from other keys. This can happen on a regular digital because the chip can only pump out that many notes at the time, when you add more, the earliest note will start to disappear. This doesn’t happen on this. I can have pedal down and play all the keys, no sound is lost.
@@patrickwang2261 sorry, one more, did the demo unit’s pedals wiggle left and right? If not, then I’ll have to call my dealer to improve mine.
Thank you for that review. How is the NX1 holding up a year later?
One year later, I’m now using Garritan CFX full time. The stock sound is no longer acceptable. But with VST, it’s the most gorgeous instrument I’ve ever owned.
Some things haven’t changed. The keys are still heavy. And I think I’m actually physically stronger now as a result.
Try this. The sound is unbelievable.
th-cam.com/video/1YV1Lf63Ooc/w-d-xo.html
@@RichardYangPiano thank you for your response. I don't know what CFX is but it does sound great! Maybe a video on what that is and how it transformed the instrument for you?
@@InternalTaiChi ahh… from my review video, there’s the stock CFX sound. CFX is Yamaha’s top-of-the-line concert grand. Garritan CFX is a VST (virtual instrument) where the sound is professionally recorded into this virtual library. Since this is a digital piano, once we press the key, the computer VST software will turn that into the gorgeous sound. Same idea as the stock, but 1000% better, simulating the actual concert grand in a concert hall.
@@RichardYangPiano I see. Thank you for explaining!
Is there a reason why you picked the N1X and not the Novus NV10 or another hybrid?
NV10 is a lot more expensive! And the most popular ones are N1X and NV10S. So price made a big difference.
And the casio gp310 or gp510? Do you think them?
Hey Richard. Thanks for the great review; it was one of the deciding factors in my decision to buy an N1X. Ordered in July 2022 and received in December 2022. So far, I'm loving it. Not sure if you're still checking the comments, but I had a question about volume settings that you or maybe another viewer could answer. Is there a main volume level that would yield the equivalent decibel level (heard through the speakers) of an acoustic grand piano? When I crank it all the way up, it sounds like that may be too high. But I don't have an acoustic piano to compare to, and since you do, I thought you might have an opinion. I guess I would have the same question for when listening through headphones, too. Any advice appreciated. Cheers!
If you go to the video, there’s a time stamp where I talked about volume to address this very question. I have my baby grand right beside me. To get to similar sound level, it’s just very slightly over the 3 o’clock position. What I didn’t mention in the video, at 3 o’clock, it’s the same sound level to me sitting in front of it. For audience, you might need to increase just a bit more, close to maximum.
@@RichardYangPiano Wow, thanks for the quick reply! Just to make sure I understand, the raised indicator on the volume knob goes from about 7 o'clock clockwise to about 5 o'clock...so you're talking about 3 o'clock using that frame of reference?
@@markladd9961 correct.
@@RichardYangPiano Perfect. Thanks again!
Very interesting point and question. As a proud N1x owner I also often thought about that.
What song were you playing for the intro? It's very beautiful and beautifully played as well!
The very beginning is “Grandma” from NieR. Here’s the complete recording: th-cam.com/video/dWdWt-cqF2A/w-d-xo.html
Stay tuned as I plan to re-record this with Garritan CFX VST, which will make this so gorgeous. Here’s a good example with the upgraded sound.
th-cam.com/video/ac9Gue7hDoo/w-d-xo.html
I super expensive but I would love the Shigeru Kawai Sk-ex concert grand piano, that would be my dream. Sorry about all these comments but I love pianos.
Always wonder what it plays like. I’ve only played Steinways in concerts.
@@RichardYangPiano I don't know. I've never even played a real piano.
My digital hybrid is the closest I've ever got.
I will be buying one for my granddaughter
She is so fortunate. I wish I could play on a grand as a kid. Instead, I grew up with Yamaha U1 and then U3.
If the N1X uses real acoustic piano actions, I suppose it would also subject to regular regulation like an acoustic piano. For example, adjusting the tension of the repetition springs makes a huge difference in the repetition rate. Even though the avantgrand does not require tuning and voicing, I don't think it would be maintenance free.
May I entertain you with this: th-cam.com/video/m9taBcWqkVs/w-d-xo.html
Sound is gorgeous.
Excellent review, I have an 87 C3 and need to get another for a location in Naples. Action is everything, and I don't think this action compares to a 6'1 C3 Grand. However, given that its a new piano action Im not sure. Do you have an opinion on the action from an older C3 (which is killing) to the NIX or even 3X - Thank you
As a background, my personal piano before the N1X is a GB1 baby grand. And I’ve played on Steinway D, C7, CFX, etc in concerts. After I did the review, I spent more time on my GB1, to my surprise, N1X action is quite a bit heavier, which allows for better control especially for playing soft passages. On acoustic, grands are typically on the heavier side until you get to the 9’ range where the touch becomes light again. The N1X is somewhere in between. I played C7 before not C3, I can only say they feel different (action), but honestly I can’t say which one is clearly better.
Now, don’t get N3X in my opinion. When I tested it out, other than being bigger, N3X has simulated ivory key top (but same mechanical actions), whereas N1X has the same key top as an upright (just the key top, not action). This simulated ivory, when my hands started to sweat, it became very sticky. But for sure it’s louder than the N1X, but that’s not what I needed.
Last thing, I discovered this after the video, there is one significant aspect where the N1X does not behave the same as a grand, which is when you played fast accented notes without pedal. On N1X I end up having to add some pedal to make it produce the same tone I need where I don’t need any pedal on a grand. Just something to watch out for. Other than this, going between N1X and grand is pretty smooth.
Thank you for this response. My C3 is a beast and I had it fitted with a silent system - but - now I have another home - this one in Naples Florida and because of size of room and humidity I think the N1X is better or the N2 (now discontinued) I don’t care about volume without headset - I need the action to be close - I like to play with a headset. I’m going to try it out. I will never part with my beloved 1987 C3 - the great Eldar, Zacai Curtis and many more of the jazz worlds best have played on it while I’m on drums - I won’t bore you with all the online videos, just want to say thank you for taking the time out. PS - Estonia 5.6 is also a serious contender with a silent system frankly it stalled!
CM
Frankly Estonia 5’6” sparkles
There's some clipping when you do the playback from the USB. Was that just an artifact of the editing, or was the USB recording itself clipped?
What time stamp are we talking about? I suspect it’s just how I joined the different segments of videos together. The usb direct recording is always perfect.
amazing review, but there's something wrong about the keys noise complaining. In acoustic pianos, they make the same noise as you are experiencing, but you cant hear because the strings are louder than any "extra noise" the piano will make. Buut, when you have a digital piano, the sound don't have enough presence as in an acoustic. I think they cant make the keys as silent as this, because this is the exact way the keys are made for acoustic pianos.
The point of the comparison is that even when there’s no string to make a sound, it can be just as annoying to listen to. For a potential buyer without prior experience, he/she might think a “silent” piano is “silent”, which is far from the case.
Great video! What are the songs you are playing on the acoustic piano?
I now exclusively play on my N1X. My grand is now for my kids to practice on.
@@RichardYangPiano Thanks for the reply! I meant to say what's the first song in your video that you played on your acoustic grand. I like the song, would love to know what it was. Also thanks for the video, this is great to get a real view of what it's like to own it.
@@stonebecame5155 try this: th-cam.com/video/1YV1Lf63Ooc/w-d-xo.html
This sounds so gorgeous with the Garritan CFX.
If you go to my NieR playlist, these are the most beautiful music on this channel.
@@RichardYangPianoThank you, I'm trying to find the song at time 13:40, wow it just sounds so good. I went to the youtube link but I think that's a different one?
@@stonebecame5155 This? th-cam.com/video/xdhsFACb9g4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=vDZ9-dr1YhrQkzWV
Hi, wanna know the short intro piece that you played from the beginning please? Thank youuu
Try this: th-cam.com/video/dWdWt-cqF2A/w-d-xo.html
Stay tuned. I’ve re-recorded this using Garritan VST, just haven’t found the right time to release yet.
When will you post the video about the control on the NU1X.
Thanks
That’s coming soon, probably as a short, evidently other than recording I don’t tinker with the settings. So should be short.
Great review! You have articulated my own experience with my N1X that I bought 2 years ago. I initially bought a new U3 and ended up selling a year later for a loss. Didn’t take into account how my husband and kids would not want to hear any sound. I thought the N1X would fit the bill but I do miss the sound and tone of an acoustic. Frankly, I think the AG makes me sound better than I should. If you have limited space and could only have one, would you choose a silent or transacoustic rather than the N1X is you want the silent feature? Thanks!
My number 1 requirement was recording capability. I needed something that can produce perfect recording (ie not having to use a mic). So this is as good as it gets. But it is unfortunate that the keys are much heavier than I expected. It is still easier to play on a real grand than this. So not exactly perfect, but given limited space, this is as good as it gets.
Unless if you try the Kawai NV10S, but much more expensive. From what I’ve heard, the keys are lighter, but it has different set of issues.
Hello sir, great review. I don't play piano, but I'm helping my girlfriend do research on this piano. Very engaging video. I have 2 questions, our budget is for NU1X for around 5000eur. We could stretch it up to 8000eur for N1X, would you say it is worth it? Secondly, (and i don't know much about this topic), can I just hook up my stereo with floorstand speakers to these two models for a better sound? Thanks for replying.
External speakers should be better than the built-in speaker because when I use headphone everything sounds absolutely gorgeous. Now, I would highly recommend the N1X over the NU1X. The grand piano action is horizontal instead of vertical, which will get you much faster response than the upright version. I’ve played NU1X briefly, it plays like an upright, sounds pretty good. But you really want the N1X action, which is as good as can be for a digital/hybrid, except the Kawai NV series, which I believe has even better action.
Thanks for the video. How much dose that kind of piano cost?
I bought it for $9200 CAD plus tax.
really like this one, but the waiting time is sooooooo long... i placed order in April , still waiting, the sales told me it would probably arrive in 6 months, I am not sure if I should keep waiting for another half year. I really want to play the new piano asap!!
It’ll be worth the wait. Right now you’ll only find the mainstream keyboards in stock, you don’t need those.
Richard, have you tried a Kawai NV5 or NV10 before buying the Yamaha N1X? Wondering if u have some perspective
I have not. But I did consider NV10 in the beginning. But the price is just way too much for me to justify buying. But here’s what I learned:
NV10 does not behave the same as a grand in this way, when you press a key so slowly, on an acoustic, you can do it without the key making a sound, N1X can too, but NV10 if the key is depressed, no matter how slow, it will make a sound.
I also read a lot of NV10 firmware issues where certain keys can make inconsistent sounds at times.
The plus, I spoke with another TH-camr rach3master, he mentioned that the NV10 has lower inertial weight so it’s not as tiring to play (his previous piano was N1). I would probably agree. Because the N1X keys are actually heavier than my acoustic grand. Pretty tiring to keep practicing the most difficult passages.
I would really want to try the NV10 but couldn’t find a deal that has stock. I’m personally biased toward Yamaha though because I don’t like Kawai acoustic pianos.
Thank you, you played so well so I am subscribing not just for ur piano review, I may learn something. I am spoiled with a Shigeru Kawai 6’ but I am only a level 5 at best, and am gonna downsize so looking into something similar, or go find a baby grand. Well, they are 2 different worlds. There’s only the Yamaha Avantgrand and Kawai NV10.
After weeks of watching and researching from expert like you, for a piano player and not a music producer (who cares more about midi/line recording), the most important has to be the action, pedal and the sound from the speaker. That’s what you interact with 2-4 hrs a day.
As far as your take in the sound and speaker, you can look into connecting to a laptop via Pianoteq or Synthogy Ivory II, 2 of the best virtual pianos and either use the N1X speaker or another speaker and you maybe able to get better sound than what’s inside. I tested it and it models very well for example how lower bass notes come more from left speakers and treble notes far to the right to give the realisms of sitting on a real piano.
The thing I like about Hybrid apart from the action is to test the haptic vibrations, the simulated shakes on your fingers when u sit on a grand because traditional digitals lacked than realism.
I am still undecided, thanks for your input.
On your important things:
Action: should be as good as it gets. But do note the keys are heavier, which is good for better control, but more tiring on fast passages.
Pedal: they wiggle. But acceptable. NC pedal simply lowers the volume instead changing the tone like an acoustic grand. Sustain pedal, you can set the half-pedal point. I was very concerned before because I do half-pedal a lot, this did not disappoint. BUT, what I didn’t cover in the review, when you play loud accent notes, they can be pretty dry, you may need to add reverb or a bit of pedal to compensate. Again, somewhat acceptable but definitely not perfect in this area.
Sound: put the headphone on. I really don’t like the sound from the speaker.
On vibration, you don’t feel it on the keys. But when you play through the speakers, you’ll feel the vibration when playing the bass. This doesn’t really affect anything, with or without vibration I could care less.
I hope you find this helpful.
@@RichardYangPiano Read this on pianoworld in case there is a chance to get rid of the muddy speaker sound: "You definitely don't want the N1X pressed up against the wall if you're using the onboard speakers. It was like that at the dealers when I originally tried it and it sounded very muddy. I have it a couple feet away form the wall and it sounds a lot better. The 16cm speaker is right on the back of the speaker box facing the wall. It needs some clearance."
When he plays the baby grand..... Oh man.... 💥💥💥💥
Hello. Thank you for honnest rewiev i am about to buy n1x i have a few quastions.1 is there any technical problems so far?2 are keys like more heavier?3 are the noice from keys much louder or still the same( i have silent u1 and it makes lot of noice when in silent mode) and woud you still reccomend buy it in 2023? I am from small country and the onle hybryd here is n1x no kawai so your opinion is really matter and ill upercate for your answer.P.s you said about some othet cons if you can tell about them will be great.Thank you in advance
Kawai NV10S would be the superior option but it’s so much more expensive. My take is that, if you’re not at professional level, the N1X will be just great. Yes the keys are much heavier. But this offers you superior voicing control. The con is that it doesn’t work well on pieces heavy on fast repeated notes. But even for myself, this is perfect. Better yet, spend a bit more by buying the Garritan CFX VST. Then this will sound absolutely gorgeous. Please check out my Animenz playlist, or NieR, then you can hear the difference!
I am not a professional pianist anymore (my right hand were injured) so I can play or study something easier can't play fast.i wanted to ask you after watching your playing and your are very talanted pianist , so you can just plug In a vst and play it thru speakers or headphones only? Can you explain please thanks in advance
@@djshmul1 you’ll need a laptop, MIDI to USB cable, 3.5mm audio cable. Purchase and install the VST (I use PianoTeq for live feedback, since it’s very fast and responsive. I use Garritan CFX for final conversion only because it has the best sound.) Install ASIO4ALL driver (Google). Midi cable to piano, USB side to laptop. Audio cable, out from laptop, in to piano. Turn off piano sound (on N1X, it’s Func+C7 or C6, I forgot which). Then sound will be gorgeous.
@@RichardYangPiano thank you a lot
I don’t know man perhaps they cut corners with the speakers, but you’ll never get acoustic sound from a digital piano, sounds great anyways and I hope you enjoy it
From the speakers no. But from the headphones it sure sounds amazing!
Hi have you tried playing this piano using Pianoteq VSTs? I have the N2 which is great, only there is no way to disable the piano’s inbuilt sound so that only the VST sound comes through the N2 speakers which is a shame, instead I have to use computer stereo speakers and that sounds miles better than the piano’s stock sound + VST sound together at the same time. Pianoteq’s VSTs really bring any digital piano to life.
th-cam.com/video/xdhsFACb9g4/w-d-xo.html
This is a sample done with Garritan CFX. I’ve given up on real-time VST. The roughly half-second delay drove me crazy. So I just do my normal recording to midi, then convert after.
Hi, so far this piano have any issue?
You did watch the video right?
Heavy keys, muffled speakers.
@@RichardYangPiano Yes, but what I mean is do this piano got any electronic failure issue？ Like some of the key no sound, or maybe sound/velocity suddenly too loud etc...
@@townnet It’s all great otherwise. I use Garritan CFX VST to significantly increase the sound quality (listen to my Animenz playlist or NieR). The heavy keys offer much better control. So it’s an acceptable trade.
@@RichardYangPiano Nice to hear that. Thank you, Richard.
What brand of headphones do you use?
I upgraded to a Yamaha P515 and my headphones are horrible now.
They were great.
Mine is a Yamaha-branded headphone, HPH-100 might be the model name. This was free-issued by the piano shop for delaying my order for so long. Nothing fancy, it works okay. No noise cancellation though.
I have a question. Since the piano action is based on an actual acoustic , does it require regulation just an acoustic action does ?
No idea. It still plays great.
Good question about hybrids..
I used to own the N1X but decided to sell it due to some of the cons you stated. While the touch is great, the speakers really do sound way too muffled and I don't enjoy playing with headphones too often. The samples are not great either. Tried playing VSTs like the Garritan CFX but it still did not sound too good coming out of those speakers.
I now record everything using Garritan CFX. And I just figured out how to do real-time VST with acceptable lag. I must say, after listening to the Garritan CFX, the stock sound is just not gonna cut it anymore. I experimented with feeding sound back to the N1X speaker, definitely not amplified enough being direct from the laptop, I’m gonna experiment with an audio interface and see if that can be improved. But overall, sound aside, N1X is now my primary go-to piano. I rarely play on my grand anymore.
@@RichardYangPiano One thing that bugged me about playing the Garritan on my N1X back then was that I couldn't play it as softly as I can with the built-in sounds. As you mentioned in this video, being able to play ppp is one of the pros of the N1X. Do you tweak around with the Garritan's velocity curve?
If you go to my playlist section, the NieR Automata album was all re-recorded with Garritan CFX. A quiet example: th-cam.com/video/c1D468C_Avo/w-d-xo.html
Here’s the setting I used, copied from Rach3master. As you can see, the sound IS gorgeous. But without an audio interface box, you kinda do need a headphone for the sound to sound proper.
forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2780276/re-garritan-cfx-concert-grand-full-settings.html
The problem with key nois I guess is more obvious than you would have with Kawai. Recently I tried several digital piano. The feeling of the keys Yamaha piano was solid and worthy, but noisy and a little rubber like.
Neighbors from one floor deep eventually would think that you are practicing tap dancing at home.
@@sebthi7890 It bothers the hell out of my wife. She would sometimes prefer me to turn the sound on even tho she doesn’t like it.
Dear sir. I used to have a Yamaha Silent U1 SH. When I was in silent mode, the keys still can be loud like yours. Just for sharing.
Good to know. I feel it’s a corporate lie to call this “silent” when it’s anything but.
@@RichardYangPiano I guess what they could mean is the option of being able to have sound came out of headphone. Mechanical sound from keys are still there regardless of any make and brand. Thanks for the videos.
How loud is the key action my Casio Privia 870 is a hybrid and it has obnoxiously loud key action.
Loud enough to annoy my wife. But I don’t think there’s any way around that. After you hit the key, the key is going to make some noise, one way or the other.
Ik heb zelf de Casio gp 510 heb je daar ook wel eens op gespeeld
This is the only I’ve played.
Op de Casio is herhaling van noten wel heel erg goed ,ik vind je uitleg over de Yamaha heel duidelijk en eerlijk over je bevindingen.ik heb heel lang getwijfeld welke digitale piano ik zou gaan aanschaffen, uiteindelijk was de doorslag voor mij het uitstekende klavier van de gp 510 van Casio ontworpen door C Bechstein .en de prijs was ook acceptabel.. ik vind jou vleugel echt een prachtig geluid hebben 🎶
@@richardvanasselt7704 this will blow your mind: th-cam.com/video/JxKXaFlc_d0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=t5sutv5j17qzPw08
"strange resonance out of nowhere" I do miss that too. But esp with AI , the random quirky resonances will come soon enough!
you may have answered this but I am still not clear (my problem), I am looking for sound repro from a digital through the speakers that is as close to the acoustic as possible (I know this isnt acoustic piano), you said the sound through the speakers was 'muffled'...is that a deal breaker, or is it just a given with digitals, and what you get is still so very close to the target? (long question 😞)
I’m gonna give a long answer. Sounding muffled is not a deal breaker, but obviously it’s not perfect. This does sound more muffled than other digital pianos I’ve tried in the past. But having used VST (Garritan CFX and PianoTeq), no matter which one you use, it’s so much better than stock sound. So now, I don’t use stock sound from the N1X anymore, only VST. That somewhat resolved the speaker issue. Garritan CFX has the best sound, which I use for my final sound on my videos. But I use PianoTeq as live feedback because it’s much more stable. The VST sound doesn’t sound nearly as muffled.
Bottom line, honestly, if you try any good VST, you’ll no longer be able to stand the stock sound. This means, “sound” is now irrelevant when you look to purchase a digital piano.
hi Richard, thank you very much for taking the time to reply, and the demo. I guess I can now ask the question I should have asked to start.....with Pianoteq can you play the software through the piano amp and speakers? I am looking for a dp that feels acoustic on the keys and sounds (as far as poss.) acoustic through the speakers onboard.
@@chrisgarnett9481 Yes with PianoTeq. You can play that through the piano speakers. You hit the Function key + C6 will turn off the internal speaker.
Just in case if you’re also interested in Garritan, even though it’s so much more gorgeous than PianoTeq, the installation is huge, it feels a bit buggy, sometimes it craps out and you need to wait for a few seconds for it to resolve itself, and the volume through the piano is extremely low. Just a warning. But for the final sound, I wouldn’t settle for anything else.
PianoTeq, on the other hand, the sound is a bit on the metallic side, but installation is so small, it opens in seconds (instead of a minute), very smooth operation, proper volume. By the way, I don’t use any audio interface, just my laptop.
If you want the best touch, get Kawai NV10S. But for me, I can’t justify the extreme price delta. That supposedly solved N1X’s keys-too-heavy problem.
@@RichardYangPiano hi Richard, many thanks for taking the time for this and answering the question. I guess a lot of folks are happy to play through the headphones, I really would like a digital that gets as close to acoustic as possible through the speaker system and it sounds like with the onboard amp and speakers of the n1x can get there with the additional voices of pianoteq. Thanks again.
Is the touch weight/action lighter than acoustic grand pianos?
Opposite. It’s much heavier than my acoustic grand. So much so, there are things I can’t do in this piano, like fast repeated notes. But the plus is that due to the heavier keys, it is so much easier to do voicing and fine control.
@@RichardYangPiano which acoustic grand do you have? I played a Casio GP 510 and even if it's not real hybrid and doesn't have any simulation of escapement, it has an excellent speed repetition. Why you can't have fast repeated notes, doesn't it have any simulation of escapement, or the action doesn't do it? I wanted to buy this N1X , but it's much more expensive than the Casio GP 510, so I probably will take the 510. Even if slightly lighter than acoustic grand pianos as the Yamaha Grand
@@verymozart Mine is an entry level baby grand, Yamaha GB1. The N1X has escapement l, it’s real grand piano action. But the keys are so much heavier. After playing that, going on my grand, the keys are feather-like.
@@RichardYangPiano but have you ever played the Casio GP510?
And which is the difference in the action between Yamaha N1X and NU1X . It the grand action and upright action maybe?
@@verymozart I don’t have much experience with digital piano. I have, however, performed on over 10 Steinways and a few other concert grands. So all comparisons are with acoustic pianos.
The Kawai NV10S apparently fixed the key issue but the price is significantly higher. So for me the N1X will have to do.
Pensi che il suono del n1x sia migliore di un buon verticale acustico?
The stock N1X sound is garbage. You need VST to get you the sound like this:
th-cam.com/video/JxKXaFlc_d0/w-d-xo.html
Grazie per la risposta. . Quindi un vst ascoltato con le casse incorporate del n1x può essere anche migliore di un buon verticale acustico?
@@giuseppepaparo8977 with VST (ie Garritan CFX), the sound is as gorgeous as a concert grand in a concert hall. The sample I provided should be a good indication
I once considered the N1X, but it is as pricy as a baby grand. I might as well save the money and put it toward a better acoustic grand. I ended up buying a Roland FP90 few years ago as my practice piano and recently a Yamaha C7 for performing and recording at home. After I treated the room with DIY Rockwool acoustic panels and using decent mics, the recordings sound very clean. Digital piano always sounds artificial and less genuine to me even with VST. The sustain doesn't behave like it is on an acoustic grand. My wife hates it when I practice with the headphones on, and actually demands that I turn on the speakers because I do play a lot of pop and romantic pieces which she is familiar with and enjoys listening to. I do understand your situation though.While I enjoy practicing classical/anime/gaming related technical pieces, my wife would describe them as dreadful.
I now run Garritan CFX VST. There’s no going back. The C7 should have superior action. But no matter how good, I think the Garritan CFX blows everything out of the water sound-wise.
But you’re very fortunate to have a C7!!
@@RichardYangPiano Even better than the Garritan, try the vsl pianos... There's no going back with the other vst
@@Nico-rw2tl Better than Garritan? I have my doubts. But I’ll give this a try.
is that a yamaha GH1 ?
My grand is the GB1, the entry level baby grand.
I'm surprised at a $12,000 msrp that it doesn't have built in BT connections.
Bluetooth dongle sold separately. I bought it and never used it once. Bottom line, I don’t think BT can add any practical function.
1:10 whaat 😂😂 I'd pay for someone playing all day 😂
Only if I were your neighbor. Haha.
Your baby grand needs tuning.
Sigh… can’t hold back those dollars any longer. Haha.
Divorce your wife, unless she pays for your bills!
That’d be overkill. We’ve learned to adjust our schedules. Hope you enjoyed the video otherwise. A lot of good stuff to be discovered on my channel. Cheers.
@@RichardYangPiano HAHAHAHA.... Always choose Piano over Wife!
Great review!