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The Yamaha P85 Digital Piano features an authentic, natural sound with remarkable expressiveness in a compact, affordable piano.This new Contemporary Piano gives you all the dynamic, high-quality sound and natural piano response you expect from Yamaha, along with a high-quality built-in speaker system - packed into a slim, exceptionally affordable digital piano you can play virtually anywhere. No compromises, full quality.Exceptionally High-quality SoundThe gorgeous piano sounds of the P-85 feature meticulous digital sampling of a full concert grand piano - that change in tone and volume depending on how you play - thanks to Yamaha's sophisticated AWM Stereo Sampling.Realistic, Acoustic-like Touch ResponseEnjoy authentic, naturally expressive key touch - modeled after an actual acoustic piano, from the low notes to the high - with the Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keyboard.Ultra-compact, Stylish DesignThe attractive, slim, lightweight design of the instrument - less than 25 pounds - suits virtually any room decor, while the built-in speaker system fills your room with luscious sound.Extensive Voice Selection and Dual Voice FunctionThe versatile P85 also gives you a variety of other high-quality instrument Voices, including electric pianos, organs, strings and harpsichord - plus a Dual Voice feature for playing two Voices at once.Record Your PerformanceYou can capture your own playing with the song recording feature, then play it back for studying or accompaniment. There's even a built-in metronome for practicing and recording in perfect time.Expressive Half-pedal ControlFeatures a half-pedal effect that gives you greater acoustic-like expressive control over the sound (with optional FC3 Foot Controller or LP-5 Pedal Unit).
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 Great Digital Piano |
| Review Date: December 9, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Tritone, United States |
Pros:
1) Sounds like a Yamaha Grand Piano.
2) Touch/feels like a Yamaha Grand Piano
3) Considering the sound and the touch - the price is unbelievable.
Cons:
1) It has 2 built-in speakers which leave a LOT to be desired. The guy at the music store handed me a pair of Yamaha headphones - the difference in the sound quality was incredible.
2) He also recommended a Z stand for it which sells for 49 bucks. It is more stable that the standard X stand.
3) It comes with a really cheap sustain pedal. Amazon is showing a good option in the "Customers who bought this item also bought" M-Audio SP-2 US65010 $25 pedal.
4) And finally, I'm with the reviewer that said, "Where are my stage outs?" - especially when you consider the quality of the onboard speakers.
I gave it 5 stars anyway, between the 2 of us it should get 4 1/2 stars.
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Excellent value for the money
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| Review Date: March 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Martin Doege, |
The Yamaha P-85 is well-designed digital piano with the full 88 keys at a price point that is hard to beat. 10 different voices are included, which can also be layered in many different ways (e.g., octave-shifted). The grand piano voices and the first electric organ are in stereo (and there are two stereo headphone jacks at the front of the device) and sound absolutely amazing. Multisampling is used, and the samples are blended expertly, so there isn't that jarring effect where suddenly a completely different sample is played when you hit a key a little harder, as I noticed on the Casio PX-320. Polyphony on the P-85 is sufficient that dropped notes should not be noticeable. Reverb can be added to the voices to simulate small rooms (or concert halls), and there is a built-in very basic MIDI recorder.
The P-85 looks very stylish and has a solid, well-made overall feel to it. Although the keys are weighted, the instrument is remarkably slim and lightweight. In fact, the instrument looks serious enough (in the black version) that many of the higher-priced Yamahas and Casios seem pretty toy-like next to it, with their little LCD screens and all.
I think the included sustain pedal is mainly a friendly gesture by Yamaha towards parents: You don't want a Christmas morning to go sour because Santa forgot to buy a pedal! In this regard Yamaha is much smarter than Casio, where some digital keyboards don't even include a power adaptor. Third party gear such as the M-Audio SP-2 Pedal goes very well with the Yamaha.
All in all, the Yamaha P-85 looks and sounds great, is a joy to play, and has all the basics for piano playing covered, as well as some advanced features like voice layering. The quality, convenience (headphone jacks, easy recordings), and price of the P-85 make it pretty hard to fathom why anyone would bother with the hassle of a real grand or upright piano anymore. But I suppose the flower vase has to go somewhere... |
Good Deal
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| Review Date: June 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Zoe Nest, NY |
This keyboard is a very good deal for the price!
Pros:
The touch is almost like a real piano. They feel like the keys on a piano and respond quickly when pressed. However, you can still slightly feel the mechanicalness when you carefully push down and observe. Most people won't notice though, so this is not a problem at all.
The sound is great overall! The sampled sound of the keyboard sounds real, too.
The keyboard easily connected via MIDI to my Mac (Leopard) and works smoothly with Garageband, which I use to compose.
The 50 preset songs (Liebestraum, Moonlight Sonata, Pathetique, Maple Leaf Rag, etc.) are also nice to listen to. They are some of the best interpreted pieces I have ever heard! It's like having a free CD that you can listen to!
The keyboard is pretty flexible, as you can change the amount of reverb/echo, change the touch sensitivity, and transpose what you play into another key. I use some of these features often - they are really handy!
The model has all the basic features you probably need. A built in metronome, and a recording feature are included.
Cons:
Only ten instrument voices. I don't mind this but people who need more voices should consider another model.
The bass is a bit heavy compared to the treble. It may seem a bit louder and more noticeable than an actual acoustic piano.
The general sustain is a bit too short, both with and without pedal. I have the optional three-pedal unit, but the sustain is still too short. After awhile, I didn't notice, but once you sit in front of a real acoustic piano, you'll know the difference.
Overall, this is one of the best pianos you get get for the price. Once you have a good pair of speakers or earphones, this keyboard will sound very nice. However, if you are considering this as your primary instrument, I'd recommend an actual acoustic piano to this. |
Great value for the dollar
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| Review Date: October 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Robert Ruddy, Ottawa, Canada |
The good:
This piano looks and sounds beautiful! It has a nice slim, sleek design and is a lightweight at 26 pounds! I got what I wanted which is great piano sounds. I use the Piano 1 and Piano 2 sounds exclusively. The 64-note polyphony is fine for my needs and is an improvement over the P-60 and P-70 DPs from Yamaha. I like the feel of this keyboard, not as heavy as the Casio PX-320 (not a complaint by the way) but very much like an acoustic piano. Although I rarely use the feature, you can layer two sounds. I layer the grand piano sound with strings. It is also nice to be able to record a song in memory and play it back. Being able to hear yourself play is a valuable self-improvement tool. For what you are getting you can't beat the price! Casio might be slightly cheaper but I opted for Yamaha because of the name and service reputation.
The not so good:
The on-board speakers leave a lot to be desired. Using headphones, the sound quality of the piano is amazing. I am considering purchasing a pair of quality speakers (Bose, Logitech or Panasonic) to hopefully bring out the beautiful sound of this instrument. The pedal supplied (FC-5) is the cheapest one Yamaha makes. I recommend the FC-4 sustain pedal which looks like a real piano pedal.
Due to the speaker design, which emits sound out of the top and the bottom of the piano you really do need the L85 stand, which I have ordered. Forget trying to balance it on an X-stand. Like two other reviewers have already said, it would have been nice to have stage outs. That being said, I can live with having to use the headphone outputs as my stage outs.
Recommendation:
This is great digital piano for those who are simply looking for good piano sounds in a lightweight case. |
Amazing piano
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| Review Date: March 2, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Stephen Chan, Seattle, WA |
I purchased the P85 to learn the piano after stopping for 15 years. I picked the P85 because it was affordable, it would fit in an apartment with limited space, and it was the best sounding digital piano for the price. I've had the chance to try this piano against an upright acoustic and a grand piano, and while there are differences, it isn't difficult to transfer skills between them.
[+] good [-] bad [*] different than acoustic piano
THE SOUND
[+] Piano voices sound realistic. Each note is beautifully distinctive, and never goes out of tune
[+] Better with headphones. The richness of the notes is even better when listening through a good set of headphones
[-] Other voices are worthless. The recordings for the other instrument choices sound toy-like compared to the high quality of the piano recordings. It feels like you are playing with MIDIs when you use the other voices.
[-] Speakers lack power. The speakers are not good enough to reproduce the sounds of the original recordings.
[*] Max volume is softer than an acoustic piano. It is easy to get into the habit of hammering the P85 keys because the digital records will still sound good, and it never gets too loud. But when switching to an acoustic, the same banging will sound ugly.
[*] The sustain is shorter when holding the pedal. Since the digital notes don't interact with each other, you can continuously hold the pedal, and each new note you play can still be heard clearly. For acoustic pianos, the sustain is longer and the new notes jumble together with the previous notes creating a muddled wall of noise.
THE FEEL
[+] The keys have a nice weight to them which transfers almost exactly to the skills needed for an acoustic piano
[+] The size of the keys also transfers nicely to an acoustic piano
[-] The pedal is too small to use. Fortunately, better petals are available, and not expensive.
[*] The keys of the P85 were heavier than the upright acoustic I used, and similar to the grand piano. You will get stronger fingers playing the p85. I found I could play the upright better after spending some time with the P85, but that it took longer to transition back to the p85 after a few weeks with the acoustic.
THE FEATURES
[+] Ready to go. You can turn on the piano and start playing within a few seconds. There is no need to fiddle with setting as everything is optimally set as defaults.
[-] The metronome is one of the most annoying features of this piano. There is a left and right button which changes the speed of the metronome, but each time you press it, it seems to double the speed. So it is always too fast or too slow. And it has an extra bell that signifies the start of a bar in 4/4 time. In order to change the time signature or get a more precise speed, you need to hold down the metronome button and press a specific note on the keyboard. Which requires having the manual on you at all times. An extra button to control the time signature, and easier control over the metronome speed would have been ideal.
THE SETUP
[+] Lightweight. It is easy to pick up and move, and the small profile makes it less awkward to carry.
[+] Stable. It sits firmly on a z-stand, and I've never had a problem with it shifting while playing.
OVERALL
The P85 makes piano playing addictive because it sounds so good, but can lead to bad habits with how loud to play, and how long to hold the pedal. However the fundamentals of how to play transfer very well from the P85 to an acoustic piano. You can also play at any time of day or night without bothering others because of the headphones option. The P85 is a joy to play, and I highly recommend it. |
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November 23rd, 2009 | 
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