REVIEW – Yamaha YDP142, YDP162, YDPS51 Digital Pianos

UPDATED REVIEW – February 2, 2016 – Yamaha YDP142, Yamaha YDP162, Yamaha YDPS51 Arius Digital Pianos – RECOMMENDED – The Yamaha YDP142, YDP143, and S51 have all been discontinued and new updated Yamaha pianois have replaced them. Please go to my latest reviews on the new YDP143 & YDP163 at the following link: Yamaha YDP143 & 163 Review.

Prior Yamaha YDP142 & 162 Review: Yamaha is a great music company and has been producing acoustic & digital pianos for a very long time. Professionals, teachers, studios, churches, and families own Yamaha pianos. Yamaha makes two mainstream lines of digital pianos, one is called the Clavinova series and the other is the lower priced Arius series. The Arius models have been out for many years and are sold in music stores and internet stores for under $2000US while the Clavinova series are priced at over $2000US and beyond $10,000US. The latest Arius models are the YDP142 ($999US internet price), YDP162 ($1299US internet price), and YDPS51US ($1349 internet price). With the exception of cabinet design, internal sound system, and key action, all three new models are identical with regard to their features and digital technology and all come with a matching bench. The YDP142 and YDP162 are offered in both a satin black walnut & dark brown rosewood color on the internet and the YDPS51 is offered in satin black and satin white. All models are fairly attractive as far as color, although I don’t like the style of the YDPS51 cabinet design quite as much as the others.

Yamaha YDP142 dark rosewood

The YDP142 (left pic) uses the same standard GHS key action as in the previous model YDP141 as well as the same audio power (12 watts total) along with the same speakers. The YDP142 has the biggest upgrade over the other models in that the previous YDP141 had only 64-note polyphony piano memory chip and the new YDP142 has 128-note polyphony along with 10 nice, but basic instrument sounds including harpsichord, strings, organ, etc, instead of the six sounds on the previous model. At $999 that’s a big improvement for Yamaha as compared with their other low priced previous models. The YDP142 volume knob & power button placement and design (as well as on the other two models) has also been changed and those things are definite improvements too.

All of theseYDP models now have 128 note polyphony, improved piano sound sample chip (called pure CF sound engine) with noticeably more realistic piano sound than before along with some cool features not previously found on YDP pianos. Some of these new features include USB connectivity to iPad & computer instead of standard midi ports (it’s about time!) and duo/duet play for two people playing simultaneously. The YDP142, YDP162, and YDPS51 have the previous model ability to layer two sounds together, transpose, have half-pedal sustain control and good overall pedal feel experience, reverb, MIDI recording and playback on 2 independent tracks with storage of one song, metronome, 3 level touch sensitivity control, and key cover. So when it comes to competing with other brands, the popularity of the Yamaha name, the lower pricing, along with these upgraded features, should help these new models do well and are worth serious consideration.

YDP142 w/key cover closed

Both the YDP162 and YDPS51 use the better Yamaha GH graded hammer key action (as opposed to the standard GHS action in the YDP142) which is weighted much more like an acoustic piano and is also more solid and quieter than the YDP142 standard GHS action. However, as I have mentioned in other Yamaha reviews I have done on models with the GH action, the keys are a bit stiffer/firmer to press down from a key resting position (called static touch weight) than regular acoustic pianos that I have played before. In other words it takes more finger pressure to press the keys down than it should. Although the GH key action is stable and quiet and certainly weighted more like an acoustic piano, the finger force (or pressure) in playing the keys from a key resting position is not natural in my opinion and therefore I personally prefer a more natural playing experience on digital pianos which would include other brands I have reviewed such as Roland and Kawai. Yamaha also produces a key action in their higher priced Clavinova models called GH3, but unfortunately those key actions feel the same as the GH with the exception of a third key electronic sensor under the keys..

Yamaha YDP162 with bench

The speaker system in the YDP162 & YDPS51 each have 40 watts total of audio power as compared with 12 watts total on the YDP142, so the that extra power allows for a much fuller, deeper tone which is definitely a nice thing in a piano and makes a noticeable difference. The 12 watt sound system in the Yamaha YDP142 produces a smaller & thinner sound as compared to a 40 watt system, especially in the bass keyboard range. Yamaha also has a newer digital technology they call “acoustic optimizer” which is supposed to further make the piano sound better in all the new cabinet models depending on volume levels you play at. Whether or not you can personally detect this optimized sound as being better is somewhat subjective but it’s always good to have more helpful technology as opposed to less. The YDP142 also has this same optimizer and is good as far as overall sound, but as I said, the 12 watt amplification in the YDP142 is definitely on the low side and the 40 watt audio power is a big upgrade on the other models and that’s what I prefer. Copyright AZPianoNews.com 2014

Yamaha YDP162 with bench

The YDP162 may be the most popular of the three new models because it is slightly under $1500 and has much better features in my opinion. It has a redesigned cabinet from the previous YDP161 and looks classier in its new cabinet…definite improvement there. The older YDP161 looked like the YDP141/YDP142 and now the newer YDP162 looks distinctively better then the YDP142 especially with its higher profile of more than an inch taller. Also, the YDP162 does not have the name “Arius” stamped on the music rack anymore and instead has the name “Yamaha” in 3D letters just above the keyboard…a very nice change and looks good. The YDP142 also took the

name Arius off the music rack and replaced it with the name Yamaha in the same place…not as visually appealing as the YDP162.  The YDPS51 (left pic in white, also comes in black) looks a bit top heavy (I do not personally like the small music rack and open lid configuration in this model), however the piano does look attractive and compact when the lid is closed up, but then you cannot play it when it’s closed:). The YDP162 has something new that no Yamaha cabinet pianos have had under $2000 which is the “ivory feel” key tops on the white keys. The next Yamaha model up to have the ivory-feel keys is the CLP525. The ivory feel keys give the fingers a key surface that is supposed to be better for a smoother and less sticky key playing experience. However it just depends on what is important to you and if it really makes a difference because and in reality, regular white hard plastic keytops are what you will find on regular acoustic upright & grand pianos such as Yamaha, Kawai, & Steinway, and I don’t hear professionals complaining about that when they play them:).

Yamaha YDP142

The Arius 142/162/S51 does not use the 3-sensor key action found in the higher priced Yamaha Clavinova series but overall for its price range the Arius does have a fairly good dynamic range and repetition in its key action and 3-key sensors are mostly noticeable if you are at a more advanced skill level playing faster repeating key strokes. Key action is the #1 thing to look for in any digital piano and following that would be piano sound realism & dynamics, pedaling, functions, digital features, USB/MIDI connectivity, and cabinet design & color. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting a key action that emulates an acoustic piano as much as possible, especially if you (or your children) are a student. Even though acoustic piano key actions tend to be different from one brand to the next (and even within the same brand), there are certain fundamentals which you need to look for. As I mentioned earlier, one of the most important aspects of key action movement is static (resting) touch weight. When you first press down a black or white key when it is not moving yet, there is a certain amount of force it takes from your fingers to press the keys down. Both the Yamaha GH action and GHS (found in the YDP142) have somewhat stiffer key touch, especially when playing softly or lightly. This is referred to as static touch weight, and although you may not know what a piano key movement should feel like when pressing on the keys,  if you play on an Yamaha Arius model and then go play a nice acoustic piano or another good brand of digital piano, you may likely notice the difference.

2015 model Kawai KDP90

Casio, which is also a very good brand, is now using a 3-sensor key action technology (left pic) in all of its pianos under $2000 along with a graded hammer weighted key action. Also, there is a new model Kawai digital piano that recently came out called the KDP90 which has surprisingly realistic piano playing realism (in my opinion) as compared to the Yamaha Arius series in key action movement (including static touch weight), realistic acoustic piano tone, and smooth pedaling. I have played this model and found it to be quite impressive. It has a similar traditional cabinet design like the YDP142/162 but is priced at just $1149 internet discount price. The Kawai KDP90 would definitely be worth looking at and I have done a blog review at the following link which I encourage you to read: Kawai KDP90 Review

Casio Privia PX860

Roland and Casio each have digital pianos in the lower price range near or under $1500 that are quite nice and I recommend them. Casio has an impressive line of digital piano models called the
Privia PX series (PX860 pic on left) which I like very much in this lower price range and they are quite a bit less money too. Roland has a brand new model called the RP401R (internet discount price of $1599) which in my opinion is much better than the Yamaha Arius series with regard to key action realism, pedaling ability, and a dynamic acoustic piano sound. This model comes in an attractive traditional designed cabinet with two color options, a 4-sensor ivory feel key action along with a grand piano key action feature called escapement, and the key action is smooth and responsive. This new RP401R also has a number of educational features including wireless iPad connectivity with Roland learning and piano function control apps. I would recommend
you read my blog reviews on these pianos at the links below. 

When it comes to these new Yamaha Arius models, as I have already mentioned, they have very nice improvements over the older models. They look good, feel good overall (except the key action issues I mentioned earlier), sound fairly realistic as compared to an acoustic piano with their new piano sound & better pedal sustain/decay time, and have some new, useful features. Of the three new models, I recommend the YDP162, YDP142, and the YDPS51 in that order because of features, price, and cabinet design based on comments I receive from people. I really do like Yamaha pianos and recommend them and I have been playing Yamaha instruments for many years. The bottom line is that in the under $2000 price range, you can probably be happy with any of these instruments, and that’s what counts… your musical happiness. But before you spend your hard earned money, I would advise you to also check out the other brands of new digital pianos under $1500 and compare them to what Yamaha has to offer. Once you do that then you’ll be able to say you made the right buying decision…no matter what that decision is:). Copyright AZPianoNews.com 2014

YDP162 w/closed key cover

Playing music and enjoying it as a child or adult is such incredible experience and I strongly recommend it to people no matter what your background, age, or playing skill level. It’s a wonderful way to express your deepest emotions while also being a relaxing, calming experience as well. Also, when you want to take out your frustrations on something, well then a good, fast, big piece of classical music on a piano can make that happen for you too…or jazz, pop, Latin, Country, or whatever! No matter where you are in life, whether a person is 3 years old or 93 years old, it is never too early or too late to play music. Music is everywhere you go in the world and is integrated into our lives in so many ways. Be a part of it and power up a good digital piano, turn up the volume, and play as soon as possible, and make sure you do it on the best instrument you can in your price range:)

Go to the following links for important additional digital piano reviews:

Casio PX780 review
Casio PX860 Review ($1099 internet price – comparative model to Yamaha YDP162) 
Kawai KDP90 review
Roland RP401R review