5 Responses to “Casio PX-400R Privia Digital Piano with 88 Full-Size Keys and Grand Piano Touch”

1. J. A. Connolly Says:
   May 28th, 2010 at 8:15 pm

   As a professional pianist/organist for nearly a half-century, I can tell you this: Casio has floored me with this keyboard! One usually associates the name “Casio” with entry-level toys. Not so the Privia series; these ‘boards are the real deal. While all the available sounds are more than acceptable, the acoustic pianos are particularly fine. But the real stunners are the electric pianos; from the “60′s” Wurlitzer-like patch to an authentic Rhodes and a very serviceable Yamaha DX/TX “digital” piano, I could scarcely believe my ears — especially at this price! Loads of extras come with the Privia (especially the 400R), including usable effects and a decent split/layer setup. So far, the only downside (for me, anyway) is the number of steps necessary to convert the ‘board to an external controller (I regularly use the piano to control the lower manual of a full Hammond setup); it would be nice to be able to set up a patch that could be accessed via one or two buttons, similar to a Roland, Kurzweil or Yamaha piano/controller.

   With the holidays fast approaching, the Privia is going to get a real workout. This is the true test of a keyboard — how it holds up to all that schlepping (“The road is a hard mistress!”). Guess we’ll have to wait and see…

   [April, '06: Follow up to the above] The Privias (now available in a more recent incarnation: the 555) are still hard to beat. I’ve been quite pleased at how well the 400 has held up — AND — I’ve yet to play anything that truly rivals its electric pianos (great acoustic pianos, too!) All in all, an excellent keyboard at a very attractive price.
   

2. Ryan Ding Says:
   May 28th, 2010 at 9:00 pm

   I first came across Casio Privia series mode when I tried out a PX-110 model in a local store. I was amazed by both the sound and the action. At that time, I was looking an 88 key hammer action keyboard to replace my 61-key toy. The PX-110 doesn’t have some of the features of my to-be-replaced keyboard (USB connection, memory for user songs etc.). So I searched the Internet for higher models and found px-400R. It appeared to be the perfect one to serve my purpose (it has the USB connection and all the other features). I’d say this is a beautiful piece with tons of nice features. I assumed that it sounds the same as the one I played in the store, read all the nice reviews here at Amazon.com, found a great deal from a local store and bought one. But soon found the sound was much worse. I went back to a local store and compared the two models side by side and confirmed my findings. Later I realized that PX-110, PX-310 and PX-700 from the Privia series used a new sound technology called “Tri-element ZPI”. I was so disappointment of the sound that I packed it up and shipped it back to the store. I replaced it with a px-310 model, giving up the nice deal and a whole bunch of nice feature for the better sound.

   If you have this model in your mind, please be aware that this model used the last generation of sound technology from Casio. Make sure you compare it with any of the three models that used the new sound technology (px-110, px-310 and px-700) and than make you decision.
   

3. R. Caldera Says:
   May 28th, 2010 at 9:57 pm

   I really love the piano. It’s great. It wont replace a real life-size Piano, but the PX-400R comes close to the sound and feel of one. I’ve been using it to play MIDI files from my computer and it almost feels like I have my own piano player in my living room.It has many natural-sounding instrument effects, as well as GM tones that include almost every instrument out there known to man.It also only comes with one pedal, so if you need to use 2, you have to buy the second one.You also need a special set of earphones to silence the piano while you practice late at night.

   If you’re buying it from an Amazon.com merchant, make sure you contact them to be sure you’re getting the stand. The listing says the stand is included by I still haven’t receieved the stand as of yet.

4. Soundcraft Says:
   May 29th, 2010 at 12:09 am

   I spent over 2 months looking for a non-wallet-braking digital piano and like most people say, i never thought CASIO could be a choice, but i was wrong.

   the PX-400R is great, the feeling, the sound and even the looks are more than i expected.

   if you are looking for a great deal, don’t hesitate to try this unit, your money will be well spent and your wallet will be happy too.

   the piano sound is very good, and the keyboard touch is unbelievable.

   save a lot of time looking for a better deal, there is no better deal for this price range (and even for higer prices) out there, use all the time i have spent on this, you won’t regret it.

   the only thing that i think could be better is the volume in the speakers, but you can always use an Amp and a pair of speakers.

5. Reader Rabbit Says:
   May 29th, 2010 at 12:59 am

   This model is either similar or identical to the Privia PX-555CS. Their successor is called the PX-410R (in most of the world) and the PX-575R (in North America). Casio’s dual numbering system causes needless confusion, but flatters Americans with an extra 100+ digits.

   I recently bought a PX-575R, which I consider amply worth the extra $200 or so. (Unless you want to use it as a MIDI controller — it transmits/receives MIDI via a USB port, rather than via dedicated MIDI ports as on the PX-400R or PX-310.) The PX-575R’s new triple-strike samples add realism to the piano and mallet patches. The new model also provides more patches and editing options, and offers a greatly improved interface for navigating among patches.

   The acoustic piano samples on all Privias are their weak link compared to those on similarly-priced Yamaha keyboards. Casio’s samples reveal their looping more in the high register, and sound a bit flabbier in the middle/low register (where Yamahas sound realistically tight and reedy).

   However, Casio’s action feels very pianolike. And I’m still experimenting with improving My PX-575R’s piano sounds: changing equalization settings, layering two piano patches, editing the patches’ decay/release settings via the “Synth” button, and downloading new waveforms (as “.ckf” files) from Casio official sites and user forums. It’s gradually getting closer to sounding like a real piano. And many of its non-piano patches (organs, electric pianos, vibraphones and other mallet instruments) are jaw-droppingly realistic and highly editable.

   If you’re considering these models, also check the Yamaha YPG-625 (positioned against the PX-575) and Yamaha P70 (priced like the PX-400R). Although Yamaha’s piano samples sound better, most other Yamaha patches aren’t as convincing as Casio’s, and Yamaha’s settings are generally less flexible. If you want a pure piano with handful of other instrument patches, you might also find something like a used Roland HP-1500 in the same price range.