Of all keyboard piano brands out there, the two most considered when making purchase decisions are Yamaha and Casio keyboards.
It should be noted that of the two brands, it is Casio that gets recognized as being the most cost-friendly brand across many of its keyboard offerings. Yamaha, while known for its quality, is also known for being a bit on the pricey side.
In terms of audio quality, it would be best if you have access to a physical keyboard in a brick-and-mortar music store in your area so you can listen first hand and gauge your impressions for each keyboard.
This is because in order to assess the keyboard quality, one has to have proper sound tests and have ears attuned to difference in sound quality (because, yes, sound quality differs between these two brands).
For this reason, it is necessary to create a comparison where features of both brands are displayed clearly.
It should be noted that of the two brands, it is Casio that gets recognized as being the most cost-friendly brand across many of its keyboard offerings. Yamaha, while known for its quality, is also known for being a bit on the pricey side.
In terms of audio quality, it would be best if you have access to a physical keyboard in a brick-and-mortar music store in your area so you can listen first hand and gauge your impressions for each keyboard.
This is because in order to assess the keyboard quality, one has to have proper sound tests and have ears attuned to difference in sound quality (because, yes, sound quality differs between these two brands).
For this reason, it is necessary to create a comparison where features of both brands are displayed clearly.
Which brand is right for which user?
A very common question asked between these two brands is which caters to the beginner market and which brand caters to the pro market.
Preference would depend on needs when selecting between both brands. For beginners, Casio is the choice, whereas Yamaha is the choice for pro or experienced users.
Even though Casio is more common, the higher quality of Yamaha keyboards is definitely helping in its popularity.
The overall quality of Yamaha keyboards is much better than Casio, this is according to music professionals, such as pianists who play live on stage or a stage musician performing in a band.
The delicate hand movement required to use a professional keyboard piano, and the highly attuned ears of musical professionals, in addition to the excellent synthesizers provided by Yamaha, make it the piano of choice for the experienced musician.
While Yamaha competes with quality, Casio competes with price and features. Not all experienced musicians are rich and wealthy, therefore they often look for a slightly lower-quality keyboard alternative such as those made by Casio. Moreover, when it comes to beginners with almost no musical experience, price definitely gains the upper hand, and most definitely go for a Casio.
A very common question asked between these two brands is which caters to the beginner market and which brand caters to the pro market.
Preference would depend on needs when selecting between both brands. For beginners, Casio is the choice, whereas Yamaha is the choice for pro or experienced users.
Even though Casio is more common, the higher quality of Yamaha keyboards is definitely helping in its popularity.
The overall quality of Yamaha keyboards is much better than Casio, this is according to music professionals, such as pianists who play live on stage or a stage musician performing in a band.
The delicate hand movement required to use a professional keyboard piano, and the highly attuned ears of musical professionals, in addition to the excellent synthesizers provided by Yamaha, make it the piano of choice for the experienced musician.
While Yamaha competes with quality, Casio competes with price and features. Not all experienced musicians are rich and wealthy, therefore they often look for a slightly lower-quality keyboard alternative such as those made by Casio. Moreover, when it comes to beginners with almost no musical experience, price definitely gains the upper hand, and most definitely go for a Casio.
Here's the full review for the top 10 beginner keyboards included in the video above: http://soundselectric.org/best-beginner-keyboards-under-200/
Brand
In terms of brand, Yamaha is known as a top-notch one, with many products at the high-end price range.
Yamaha provides an array of arrangers and synthesizers for multiple needs. This variance in customization is something that Casio does not provide, hence its lack of popularity with professionals.
This doesn’t mean that Casio has accepted that their brand be known as “the cheap” alternative forever. Casio is presenting a lot of upgrades to their line-up, whether it be in the form of synthesizers, arrangers, or pianos. Their reputation is already quite improving, according to the recent reviews.
Sound and Feel
Price is a great gauge for quality. It’s difficult finding any products for Casio that exceed the $1000 range, making Yamaha the obvious winner here.
Stability is also a great component of quality sound. Therefore, the sound quality may feel quite different from one keyboard to another, especially when testing out the cheaper Casio keyboards.
However, sound quality is not an issue if you can hook the keyboard to external speakers because this negates the need for the in-built speakers.
Obviously as a beginner, you may not have the money or the expertise to consider external speakers. Ultimately, the choice in this case is up to the user.
Volume quality and intensity
Discussion of in-built speakers is not necessary if the keyboard would be connected to external speakers. As a general rule though, quality of in-built speakers matter greatly for gigs where the crowd is quite near to the pianist (hence no need for external speakers). This is why in these situations, i.e. smaller spaces, Casio keyboards are good enough.
There are two options so a pianist does not rely on the built-in speakers:
Also, a better option for hearing keyboards, would be to use monitor earphones, allowing the pianist to cancel outside noise regardless of space to monitor their playing accurately.
Value for each dollar
As mentioned previously, Casio provides that greatest value for each dollar spent. While seemingly of lower quality, this value is seen in the number of features present in their keyboards.
In my opinion, the best value Casio keyboard is the Casio LK-280. Read this in-depth review to find out if this keyboard is for you.
For Yamaha keyboards, I think the model that offers the best value for each dollar is the Yamaha EZ-220. Check out this detailed Yamaha EZ-220 review .
Obviously, value is in the eye of the beholder. Features may matter to some, while quality will matter to others.
Range of Piano Keyboards
Yamaha’s lineup contain products like synthesizers, workstations, with music recording equipment including studio monitors and PA systems. Casio unfortunately does not have a good degree of variance in their lineup. While they do have a few keyboards in WK and CTK series for pro users, those are still not a match to the likes of Motif and Fantom.
Casio has buffed up their competitive advantage by introducing the Privia, this being a mid-price range piano that is able to compete with some of Yamaha’s top-notch products. This may be a sign that Casio is starting to care more about quality.
The best choice
What you choose will depend on your requirements. Most players with experience focus on sound quality, but not necessarily on volume. Volume can be boosted by the methods mentioned previously, and additionally, quality is key, especially when testing out new performances.
For many beginners, selecting a keyboard with many features while ignoring sound quality, especially to their beginner ears, is quite tempting.
Final Thoughts
With synthesizers and keyboards, Yamaha’s brand is much more respectable, outshining Casio in terms of quality. Yamaha is the piano of choice for on-stage performances, especially if you have generous budgets that exceed $1000.
Cost-wise, Casio’s are a bargain in terms of value per features. If you have a tight budget, and are new to music where your focus is on increasing skills, instead of pumping out the best of quality tunes, Casio is perfect for you. Most of their keyboards are below $1000, with a coming lineup of various models that provide even more value per dollar.
Brand
In terms of brand, Yamaha is known as a top-notch one, with many products at the high-end price range.
Yamaha provides an array of arrangers and synthesizers for multiple needs. This variance in customization is something that Casio does not provide, hence its lack of popularity with professionals.
This doesn’t mean that Casio has accepted that their brand be known as “the cheap” alternative forever. Casio is presenting a lot of upgrades to their line-up, whether it be in the form of synthesizers, arrangers, or pianos. Their reputation is already quite improving, according to the recent reviews.
Sound and Feel
Price is a great gauge for quality. It’s difficult finding any products for Casio that exceed the $1000 range, making Yamaha the obvious winner here.
Stability is also a great component of quality sound. Therefore, the sound quality may feel quite different from one keyboard to another, especially when testing out the cheaper Casio keyboards.
However, sound quality is not an issue if you can hook the keyboard to external speakers because this negates the need for the in-built speakers.
Obviously as a beginner, you may not have the money or the expertise to consider external speakers. Ultimately, the choice in this case is up to the user.
Volume quality and intensity
Discussion of in-built speakers is not necessary if the keyboard would be connected to external speakers. As a general rule though, quality of in-built speakers matter greatly for gigs where the crowd is quite near to the pianist (hence no need for external speakers). This is why in these situations, i.e. smaller spaces, Casio keyboards are good enough.
There are two options so a pianist does not rely on the built-in speakers:
- The first is to buy a small portable powered speaker with onboard bass/treble controls. Doing so would mean that the external speakers would be sufficient to supply the volume needed, cancelling the need for a PA.
- The second option that may be followed on stage is to plug the AUX OUT of the digital keyboard to a PA, allowing you to continue hearing your piano in smaller venues.
Also, a better option for hearing keyboards, would be to use monitor earphones, allowing the pianist to cancel outside noise regardless of space to monitor their playing accurately.
Value for each dollar
As mentioned previously, Casio provides that greatest value for each dollar spent. While seemingly of lower quality, this value is seen in the number of features present in their keyboards.
In my opinion, the best value Casio keyboard is the Casio LK-280. Read this in-depth review to find out if this keyboard is for you.
For Yamaha keyboards, I think the model that offers the best value for each dollar is the Yamaha EZ-220. Check out this detailed Yamaha EZ-220 review .
Obviously, value is in the eye of the beholder. Features may matter to some, while quality will matter to others.
Range of Piano Keyboards
Yamaha’s lineup contain products like synthesizers, workstations, with music recording equipment including studio monitors and PA systems. Casio unfortunately does not have a good degree of variance in their lineup. While they do have a few keyboards in WK and CTK series for pro users, those are still not a match to the likes of Motif and Fantom.
Casio has buffed up their competitive advantage by introducing the Privia, this being a mid-price range piano that is able to compete with some of Yamaha’s top-notch products. This may be a sign that Casio is starting to care more about quality.
The best choice
What you choose will depend on your requirements. Most players with experience focus on sound quality, but not necessarily on volume. Volume can be boosted by the methods mentioned previously, and additionally, quality is key, especially when testing out new performances.
For many beginners, selecting a keyboard with many features while ignoring sound quality, especially to their beginner ears, is quite tempting.
Final Thoughts
With synthesizers and keyboards, Yamaha’s brand is much more respectable, outshining Casio in terms of quality. Yamaha is the piano of choice for on-stage performances, especially if you have generous budgets that exceed $1000.
Cost-wise, Casio’s are a bargain in terms of value per features. If you have a tight budget, and are new to music where your focus is on increasing skills, instead of pumping out the best of quality tunes, Casio is perfect for you. Most of their keyboards are below $1000, with a coming lineup of various models that provide even more value per dollar.