Yamaha YDP 162 Review

In our Yamaha YDP162 Review, we are exploring the top features of this beautiful digital piano which combines beauty and functionality. It plays beautifully. You will notice the realistic feel of this piano as soon as you sit in front of it. This comes at a cost. It is more expensive than many other digital pianos on the market.

The brand Yamaha is known all over the world for their digital pianos as well as a huge range of audio equipment and instruments. You can rest assured that your piano is very high in quality if you opt for a modern Yamaha model.

Sound Quality

Let’s start at the most important feature; the sound. If you plan to spend this kind of money on a digital piano, one which sounds synthesized or low quality is not desirable. Fortunately, the YDP162 sounds exceptional, with a sound system built around the CFIIIS concert grand piano, also made by Yamaha. This piano has been sampled to create the CF sample set that is present in most of the modern Yamaha digital pianos such as the YDP 143 model.

Yamaha have combined great sound with 128 note polyphony so you can play even complicated melodies without dropping notes.

This has an acoustic optimizing feature. The way the acoustics are amplified from the piano is improved as a result. A graph of the frequency response and the way this alters the resonance while playing is available on Yamaha’s website. Listening to the piano itself is the best way to understand how this works. This function provides a more expressive experience when you are playing and the sound is richer as a result.

Feel and Comfort

Your playing experience is vital. Yamaha has included features with this in mind. A realistic feel on the keyboard itself makes it seem like you are playing an acoustic piano. The materials used replicate ebony and ivory and this helps with grip and improves the feel on your fingers.

Yamaha seem to have thought about everything possible when designing this piano. The YDP 162 even has a moisture wicking effect on its keys letting you play even the sweatiest gigs! The Yamaha product description says that “Its surface absorbs finger moisture allowing serious pianists to play comfortably for longer.”

The ‘action’ of a piano is vital. This piano replicates the feel of an acoustic piano as well as most of its competitors. The Yamaha YDP 162 uses a Graded Hammer action which is designed to create the same resistant feel that the mini hammers on a grand piano would give. It feels very similar to playing an acoustic model.

The YDP 162 is taller than its predecessors. It has a 33-inch height which provides an upright piano look. On top of this, it allows the sound to be naturally richer and deeper.

There is a touch sensitivity setting within this digital piano. This is something that not a huge amount of digital pianos offer. You can choose between Hard, Medium, Soft and Fixed options on the piano, so you can opt for one which suits your playing style. If you find that you hit the keys hard you can adjust accordingly in order to give a more expressive style.

Speakers

It is important that the speakers included allow you to hear the rich sounds of the piano properly. If you are playing gigs regularly then you will probably be plugging into PA systems and other speakers. At home, your inbuilt speakers will be the way you hear your playing.

Do the Yamaha YDP162 speakers live up to expectation?

In terms of speaker power, the 20 Watt amp which is inbuilt is more than enough for playing solo at home or even playing with others in an acoustic band practice. Gigs will need more amplification.

20W is more powerful than many of the competing pianos, many of which have 12-14 Watt systems.

The audio clarity is good quality, too, with plenty of clarity and not much chance of any interference or distortion. You can plug headphones in for solo practice if you so wish, this means you won’t annoy the neighbors!

This piano lets you record your playing, and even record multiple layers on the two track recording interface. You can layer a melody with chords or even two different sounds.

There are 10 sounds in total to choose from. You might think that isn’t many. There are digital pianos with more options for sounds, but Yamaha has focussed on the quality of the sounds rather than quantity. There are still some great options. The grand piano is combined with harpsichord, multiple organs, strings and a vibraphone.

The three standard piano pedals are inbuilt, so you can further alter the character of the sound. These pedals help the Yamaha to sound and feel like an acoustic model. Effects are also inbuilt, you can control the reverb, resonance and of course control the Intelligent Acoustic Control feature.

USB to host capabilities mean you can plug this into a computer. This will allow you to record into your favorite software with ease, or even control virtual instruments.

Features for learning piano are also a good addition to any digital piano. The Yamaha YDP series doesn’t disappoint in this regard. 50 songs are built-in to this piano, and you can play them as demos or follow the included book “50 Greats for the Piano”. If you are a beginner, this might be invaluable on your journey to learn to play.