UPDATED REVIEW | Dec 1, 2023 | Yamaha CSP-170 REVIEW – Yamaha CSP-150 REVIEW | Yamaha Clavinova Digital Pianos with Smart Pianist technology | This new category of digital pianos uses an iPad to control the thousands of features in these two models from the color touch screen of your tablet device. However, more than that, it allows you to interface with piano music technology using a digital tablet in a variety of ways that were impossible just a few years ago. No other digital piano manufacturer is offering is offering these types of features except for Yamaha.
UPDATE:
Yamaha has just recently discontinued this CSP100 series which has been out for a number of years and been extremely successful. They are just introducing their new CSP200 series including CSP-255, CSP-275, CSP-295, and CSP-295GP mini grand style.
Previous review of CSP-150 and CSP-170: The Yamaha piano company has these two models of interactive technology digital pianos called the CSP-150 ($3799 internet price in matte black, $4299 in polished ebony) and the CSP-170 ($5149 internet price in matte black and $5749 in polished ebony). From the outside these two models look like they can just play piano because there are not all the buttons, sliders, and display screens so commonly associated with digital pianos. In other words these pianos only have a power button and volume control on the right side of the keyboard, and a function button on the left side of the keyboard, but nothing else beyond that. The CSP-170 & CSP-150 digital pianos look as minimalistic on the outside in cabinet design and function as a digital piano could possibly be, and still be digital. But you cannot judge a book by its cover and in the advanced tech world we are all living in, looks can be deceiving.
![]() |
Over the years I have had a number of digital piano shoppers tell me that they wished there was a really good digital piano out there that did not cost “an arm and a leg” (somewhere around $5000) and yet had the ability to not only replicate a real piano playing experience as closely as possible, and that it would look great, play great, sound great, and also have a variety of interactive fun and educational features for people of all ages & playing skill levels. Also, that this instrument would allow more advanced musicians access to professional interactive music
features that would stimulate their creativity…but still look as piano-like as possible.
So here’s a big question: what if you could do away with all the buttons, wheels, sliders, large built in display screen, and most other hardware on those expensive, interactive, technologically advanced digital pianos and take all of those features that are in those pianos and stuff it all into an iPad tablet and operate every function and feature of your piano (thousands of really cool features) from your iPad alone and use the familiar software controls of your iPad device to operate your piano? Then you would have your iPad color touch screen with all the familiar controls that you are used to having (for those who have an iPad tablet) and be able to have total control of a nearly unlimited amount of digital piano features for your piano that up until now have only been available on the more expensive digital pianos with all the hardware buttons and sliders. Wouldn’t that kind of thing be awesome?:)…I think so:).
This is precisely what the newer Yamaha CSP-150 & CSP-170 digital pianos are giving people; a way to have a more attractive digital piano cabinet in their home or venue that looks like a piano instead of an electronic device, but at the same time musically outperforms any other brand or model and is easier to use than the more expensive top digital technology pianos like the Yamaha Clavinova CVP pianos, along with some of the other brands. Using an iPad (or iPhone) and the proprietary Yamaha Smart Pianist app in cooperation with Apple company, makes these 2 models unique among its peers. These two digital pianos are the kind of instruments in my opinion that the digital piano industry has needed as an alternative to the more “ornate and over produced” digital pianos of the past and even some current models.
But as far as these actual pianos go, when you power up either the Yamaha CSP-150 or CSP-170, you get Yamaha’s best grand piano sound taken directly from its 9′ CFX concert grand which has a maximum 256-note polyphony along with natural organic resonances and tonal vibrations. The dynamic tonal range is smooth and very wide and there is a lot of music expression you can get out of these pianos when playing them.

left side of the keyboard and then simultaneously touching a specific key (from a chart in the owners manual) on the keyboard that triggers a preset function or feature. In this way you can have a variety of instrument sounds, rhythms, styles, metronome, and other features at your fingertips (literally) without needing to connect to any external device.
But what really makes these pianos incredibly amazing (in my opinion) is their proprietary Yamaha iOS app for iPad/iPhone called Smart Pianist. This is where all the real excitement and power resides and how these relatively ‘simple” pianos become monsters:). But before I talk about this very powerful Yamaha app, I want to talk about the key action in this model. The CSP-150 piano model has the GH3X plastic key action and also and internal 60 watt 2-speaker sound system whereas the the CSP-170 (below left pic) has a wooden key (white keys only are wood) key action. The CSP-170 has substantially increased internal audio offering 180 watts of power going into 4 speakers and amplifiers with the main speakers housed
in their own acoustic chamber speaker box mounted just underneath the piano. This produces a fuller, more resonate sound with improved bass reproduction. The CSP-170 is noticeably upgraded with bigger, fuller sound and I personally like the wood white key action of the CSP-170 better than the plastic key action of the CSP-150.
The Yamaha iOS/Android Smart Pianist app applies to both CSP models in exactly the same way with the same features although the Android version of the “Smart Pianist” app does not apply or work with all Android devices. So the choice for shoppers is…what can you afford to pay (your budget?) and which key action and internal sound system of these two pianos will most appeal to you? In my opinion there is only one choice assuming you can spring for the extra money, and that choice is…the CSP-170. This is because of its superior key action and its beefier internal sound system that really brings out the tone of the piano sound along with the incredible musical features of the Smart Pianist app.
Now lets talk about this Yamaha Smart Pianist app and some of the impressive musical things it allows you to do whether you are a beginner, a serious piano student, a recreational player, or an advanced pianist who wants to add even more enjoyment to their music. First it is important to know that when connecting an iPad to the piano for a simultaneous MIDI and audio connection so that your piano can “talk to” the iPad and the app, you can plug in a special USB lightning audio cable (included) from the iPad lightning connector going to the piano audio core MIDI connector located on the right side of the music rack. This connection is quick, simple, and secure and is two way communication so that you can hear the music audio portion of your iPad along with being able to control the various interactive features of the Smart Pianist app like triggering different sounds, songs, and other features while playing the keyboard on the piano. There is a separate MIDI port on the piano with the input connector located on the left side of the music rack so that you can connect other USB devices like a home computer to do other interactive musical things simultaneously.
So what interactive musical things does this proprietary Yamaha iOS/Android Smart Pianist app give you so that you will have more than just a digital piano and a few extra features? In other words…what makes the CSP-150 & CSP-170 so cool? The first thing most people want to with their new digital piano is to…you guessed it…play piano! But with the Yamaha Smart Pianist, you can change many things on the acoustic piano sounds in these pianos beyond what they do and sound like from the Yamaha factory. Yamaha has a feature called the “Piano Room” and in this virtual Piano Room you can make changes to the piano sounds to personalize them in a way that could be even more pleasing to your ears and fingers. You do this all with an intuitive, easy to understand list of piano sound changes on the app along with large icons/pictures of the pianos so you can see what is happening in real time.
I’ve only just begun talking about this new Smart Pianist app so here’s a big list of features that are part of this very extensive feature laden Yamaha app: You get access to a library of over 700 very high quality (HD) instrument sounds from additional acoustic pianos, electric pianos brass, woodwinds, guitars of every type, stringed instruments including the most realistic guitars, banjos, violins, harps saxophones, clarinets, trumpets, flutes, world instruments, and just about any other instrument you can think of. The authenticity and tonal reproduction of these instrument sounds are so good along with their detailed nuances that it’s easy to think
that you are hearing them “live.” You can even layer 2 or more instrument sounds together at the same time along with being able to split the keyboard anywhere you want to assign one instrument sound to the left hand and another one to the right hand with intuitive controls that would make an iOS iPad user very happy.
The Smart Pianist app also has “Music Styles” so that you can have an interactive playing experience with a backup orchestra or band on your piano while playing your piano music. Just about any type of music styles you can think of is in the app including Jazz, Latin, Big Band, Swing, Hard rack, Classic Rock, Light Rock, Waltz, Blues, Country, Western, New Age, Alternative, Broadway, Disney, Motown, and everything in-between. When you select a Music Style from the Style library, whatever song you feel like playing on the piano keyboard, those piano notes will have a professional back up band or orchestra playing along with you at any tempo you choose.
One thing that I find that helps expand a person’s musical ability and musical understanding is to be able to record themselves while they play along with being able to create more complex and engaging music. The Yamaha CSP-150 & CSP-170 Smart Pianist app offers these things with its ability to record your every note on one or both hands and then play them back in real time allowing you to slow the song down or even mute out left or right hand so you can analyze your piano practice and playing to get
a better idea of what you really sound like. You control all aspects of your recording and playback from the intuitive recording/playback section of the app. You can also playalong with any recorded part live in real time like you would be playing along with your piano teacher of someone else.

playing together.
OK, so what else can this Smart Pianist app do? Well one of the most interesting things it does is something that just about everyone I know would like to have and no other piano offers this feature. You can take just about any iTune song (MP3 audio song file) from your iOS iTune library or Android audio songs and play it through the piano and use that very impressive speaker system as a place to hear your audio audio/iTunes song files in beautiful stereo sound. I have heard it and it really does sound good. What is even more impressive is that the Smart Pianist app can convert the audio playback of the iTune song to actual sheet music notation on the iPad so that you can following along with the song and actually play it from sheet music while even controlling the tempo and the transposed key. Imagine
having sheet music displaying the notation to an iTune song and being able to play the piano along with the song. There are a number of built in famous, popular songs within the Smart Pianist app which display all the notation of those songs so there is a lot to play with already built in. Not only that but you can mute out different parts of the built in songs so that you can play the piano while controlling the accompaniment along with the right and left hand parts in different ways.

But none of this would truly be complete without being able to sing along with your favorite song…right? Well…not only does the CSP-150 and CSP-170 allow you to plug in a microphone to the piano mic inputs to sing through the internal piano speakers, but the Smart Pianist app displays the words (lyrics) to many audio/iTunes songs so that that you can read the words and sing them while the song is playing, kind of like karaoke only better. Beyond that, you can add special vocal reverb effects to your voice to give you pro
performance quality and play piano along with your singing and with the song that playing so you can experience and participate in a complete musical live performance. That’s pretty cool, and also if the song is not in your singing range (too low or too high) then you can transpose the song into a different key to sing along in a vocal range that better suits your voice…wow!
In addition to the lyrics feature and vocal mic connection to the piano and being able to control it, I know a lot of people who have always dreamed of singing with their favorite song but thought their voice was not good enough to do it, especially in “public.” The Smart Pianist app also lets you hear the vocal tracks to the songs you choose so you can sing along to it and still hear the original voice on the song.
Ok so all that is very cool but there is still one more very impressive thing the vocal feature will do for you. If you are a singer in a band or orchestra and want other voices to harmonize with you then that harmonizing can really sound great and add to your singing and playing enjoyment in a big way. Since you are just one person singing through the mic to get harmony you would need other people to sing live with you, know the song, and be able to perfectly harmonize with your voice. Since
this situation is not likely to happen anytime soon then if you want to take your singing dream even further, the Smart Pianist app provides an interactive vocal harmony feature when you sing.
The Yamaha CSP-150 and CSP-170 both have a feature built into the piano themselves called “follow along” streaming lights. Streaming lights is a new and very impressive interactive feature that will identify the black & white keys in a visual way that you are supposed to play on the piano keyboard while playing along with built in songs in the Smart Pianist app. Yamaha currently has a variation of streaming lights built into other models they have and that function is called “lesson guide” using guide lamps just above the keys to indicate the
keys to press down at the appropriate time while a song is playing back in that piano. Guide lamps are basically little lighted dots, one above each key and those dots light up.
So…if you do not play piano at all or you just want to learn a song more quickly, the new CSP streaming lights can and will help you do that and you can even slow down the song to any tempo to learn the notes without the song jumping out ahead of you. Streaming light feature also has other things it can do and all of its features are controlled by the Yamaha Smart Pianist app on your iPad or Android device. You can take your favorite song in iTunes, see the notation, learn the chords, see the notes, follow the light streams (at different tempos) on the piano and even sing the lyrics and do this altogether while being able control how you use this system right from the app in a very intuitive way using familiar iPad/iPhone or Android controls.
It would be easy for me to continue talking about this Smart Pianist app as the list of things it can do goes on and on almost without end. But I believe the main functions and features that I have described so far should give you a clear idea of the musical potential of both the CSP-150 and CSP-170 so that you can enjoy playing music in almost any way that you chose to do. The piano does have the standard digital features that most all of the other digital pianos out there have including duet play, splitting the keyboard into 2 sounds, layering 2 any sounds together, using a digital metronome for teaching, practice, and focusing on tempo and timing while being able to just play the instrument as a piano. The CSP pianos also have all the connectivity that a person would need including the mic/line input as I mentioned before, dual stereo headphone
inputs, auxiliary line input jack, audio output to connect to external speaker system if necessary (for church, school, outdoor event, etc), USB to device to connect external device to the piano (iPad, computer, etc), and standard MIDI connectors for MIDI in, out, and through to be used with older MIDI devices (keyboards, modules, etc).
In the final analysis, the new Yamaha CSP-150 and CSP-170 digital pianos have what a lot of people have been looking for in this price range: impressive and more authentic looking piano cabinets in nice finishes (including bench) with very few buttons/sliders, no built-in user display screen in the piano to worry about, and a very satisfying piano sound, key action, and pedaling response, especially in the CSP-170. Then you take those basic piano fundamentals and combine them with cutting edge music technology offering literally thousands of digital musical options as I previously described, all controlled by a single Yamaha proprietary Smart Pianist app designed in conjunction with the Apple company for its famous iPad and the new conversion to include (many) Android devices as well.
If you have multiple people in your family who would be playing or learning to play piano, or you are a piano teacher or beginner through advanced student, a school, university, or church, or even a professional performer, there are so many features in these pianos and ways to use them, in my opinion the CSP-150 or CSP-170 are pianos which can fit almost anyone’s musical needs including parents and their children who may want to go indifferent musical directions from each other and find the Smart Pianist app would be able to accommodate a variety of musical goals and tastes. If you play piano and just want to purchase a digital piano mainly for the sake of playing piano (just focusing on piano playing) then there probably are better options and likely for less money. But if you want a satisfying piano playing experience and some compelling interactive music features that can take you to the next level of music enjoyment and learning, then these pianos will make that happen for you.
but we all know nothing is really “free.” But with the high quality music and operational technology that Yamaha in conjunction with Apple (along with Android technology) is providing through its Smart Pianist app, you otherwise would have had to spend way more money in a self-contained hardware driven digital piano than you would be in these new CSP pianos to get all that technology and it likely would not be upgradable either. So the question is…are the these 2 pianos worth the price of admission…and the answer as far as I am concerned is a definite yes. Are they the best digital pianos in terms of just playing piano in their price range?…maybe they are and maybe they aren’t, it depends on your point of view. There are other great brands out there including Roland, Casio, and Kawai to name a few that offer very good digital pianos in similar price ranges. Also, the Yamaha CLP line of Clavinova pianos are also worth consideration.
If you want more info on new digital pianos and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.
Best. Purchase. EVER. 🙂 🙂 Absolutely LOVE my new Clavinova CSP-170!! Another superb review, Tim (and I've read most of them)! Having purchased the CSP on your sage advice, before you'd finished this review, I was thinking this exact "disclaimer" while I read it: Just be warned that when you get one of these pianos in your home and start playing on it, you may not get anything else done for awhile:).
Thank you so much for all your help and advice!!
Theresa Kaplan
HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Wonderful review of the CSP-170 and the piano totally lives up to it's billing. Tim is the real deal, with a breadth of experience and desire to help, and so is the piano. As a result of Tim's guidance, I made the purchase and could not be happier!
Tim,
Please clarify your statement below. Don't you mean to say… I notice a difference in the natural key movement of the CSP170 over the CLP645 (instead of CSP150)?
"I personally like the wood key action of the CSP170 much better than the firmer key movement on plastic key action of the CSP150. I notice a difference in the natural key movement of the CSP170 over the CSP150 with the CSP170 key action being somewhat lighter, smoother, and an action that works with you. But I would expect that in the CSP170 given the price difference in those two models."
Would you be able to use smart app with Yamaha NU1X ?
This comment has been removed by the author.
Yes, the Smart Pianist app will work and some features of the app will control the NU1X, but many of the app features of the Yamaha CSP models cannot be reproduced with the NU1X. Just depends on what you want.
Would you prefer this over the CLP 645?
Thanks you so much for this review. I've been reading and looking youtube movies a lot the last month, mainly the CLP-series. Decided I would prefer the CLP645 over the CLP675 especially after your review. Now looking at the CSP series. Especially the CSP 170 looking very promising, even has better speakers than the CLP645. So an improved 645, the CSP 170 will most probably be my choice…
Dieter
Dear Tim,
Many thanks for the great review. It is absolutely comprehensive. I have only one question. Could you please briefly compare the natural wood key action in CSP 170 and CLP 685? Which one is more realistic? I would much appreciate your kind reply. Thanks ever so much.
Dear professor Tim,
I’d like to thank you for this long e awesome review. It’s well detailed and helpfull. I just have a question on deciding to change my digital piano (casio) to Clavinova. Many others apps on teaching how to play piano will work on the yamaha csp? Or only the smart pianist? Best Regards, Fabiano Martins
Thank you so much for this very nice and informative review. I am very tempted to go for the CSP-170, but I have a question: can you use it as a simple plain piano. What I mean to ask, is, will it play out of the box without being connected to an ipad. I am asking this because it is an importnat aspect of the user experience in my opinion. Sometimes you want to do tec stuff, sometimes you simply want to play, without having to suddenly have to upgrade your ipad – 1 hour – upgrade your app . trouble shoot your app store account, etc, etc, etc.
I bought the CSP-170. You helped me a lot on my decision, thank you very much. I am very happy with it!!!
Finally, a great review of CSP series. Anyway, I have a question.
leaving out the question of price and appearance, is the difference between a CVP-705 and CSP-170 so great? is it just about having the electronic part outside the cabinet of the piano or are there substantial differences in the sounds? which piano would you buy from the two I indicated? Thank you
I am thinking of buying the CSP-170, but I read the music to score feature is not perfect. Is there a way to download the original score and play off that (with lights, for instance)?
How would you compare the CSP series with the CLP series? I will be purchasing a digital piano anytime soon and I am struggling with the comparison of the CSP-170 and the CLP-675… putting aside the NWX vs GrandTouch (I know you are not a big fan of the latter), is there any feature of the CLP-675 that would make it preferable to the CSP-170?
Which one would you prefer and why? CVP-705 or CSP-170?
I could be wrong, but I think only the Smart Pianist will work on it – However, it offers a huge range of things you can do and you may be able to replicate another app with the features of the Smart Pianist.
I love my CSP 170. It can be just a piano or just about anything you want with the Smart Pianist App. Your review convinced me to buy the 170, great review.
Hi! I have a simple question regarding audio recording – if you want to make a simple studio quality recording of a song simply singing and playing the piano using a good reverb on the voice, can it be done? I mean, can you simply record a studio quality (if the mic's good enough obviously) audio file of your singing and playing the piano live – either onto the iPad or a USB? Thanks for a thourough review! 🙂 /Jonas, Sweden
Hello
Very much enjoying your reviews. Noticed that also you found the p515 action heavy, but liked the action of the CSP-170, although they are the same. Or are they? Is there a difference in pivot points or otherwise making it lighter in the CSP-170?
All best
Michael
Hi there can anyone tell me if the csp170 can accept a usb bluetooth adapter? I find it unthinkable that Bluetooth audio /midi is not built into the csp pianos and are on most of the other ranges such as clp. Will there be an updated version ? Will an update be done through the smart pianist app? Thanks.
Bluetooth is ok for streaming recorded music. But introduces lag that is perceptible in live music. That's why music instruments don't build in Bluetooth. I have still tried to use a bluetooth dongle from Amazon to listen on AirPods but the lag is annoying. Rumor has it the next AirPods Pro will have a new non-Bluetooth solution that can work for live music. Likely that will require a dongle from Apple that is plugged into the CSP's headphone jack. I will be getting that for my CSP!
Many keyboards and pianos do in fact build Bluetooth midi into them and the lag is usually imperceptible. Adding the BT adapter to this was also decent, except for the fact that it doesn’t support the stream lights when using BT.
I have had the Roland HP 605, Kawai ES520, and the CSP-170 with BT Midi Adapter and never had an issue with lag using the iPad with apps.
Yes but if you get the BT adapter, make sure it is the USB Version as the Midi bridge does not support the follow lights.
Also, on the GP pianos in the CSP line support BT.
You also did a review on The One smart piano which seemed to have many of the same features at a much lower price (guide lights, app to control the piano, etc.) I'm trying to decide between the two in order to get my children interested in music and I really like the idea of the guide lights and app functions. The Yamaha seems to be a higher quality instrument but would it make sense to spend the $5K on a CSP-170 over the $1.5K for The One smart piano; especially considering it is for someone with no musical experience?
So does the csp support bluetooth audio through a usb bluetooth adapter?