Yamaha P125 vs Casio PX-770 Review: Why the Yamaha P125 Beats Out the Casio Console Digital Piano

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When making this Yamaha P125 vs Casio PX-770 comparison, I had a hard time choosing a winner. But after diving deep into the features and giving both pianos a good listen, I had to choose the P125.

While both of these options have great tone, feel, and a couple of extra features, the versatility of the Yamaha P125 put it on top. Aside from being the portable option, the Yamaha P125 boasts more piano voices and extra features than the Casio PX-770, which is why it’s the clear-cut winner.

On the other hand, the Casio PX-770 is still one of the best console digital pianos available on a budget. With top-notch tone generation, a realistic feel on the keys, and a 3-pedal footswitch, this is a great option for those looking for a piano to practice with at home. While it isn’t portable, it’s still a great instrument that any beginner or novice pianist would love.

Yamaha P125 vs Casio PX-770: Comparison Chart

Image
The Winner (#1)
YAMAHA P125 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano with Power Supply and Sustain Pedal, Black
The Runner-up (#2)
Casio Privia PX-770WE 88-Key Digital Piano (White)
Model
Yamaha P125
Casio PX-770
Number of keys
88
88
Hammer Action
GHS Weighted Action
Scaled Hammer Action
Touch Sensitivity
Hard/medium/soft/fixed
3 Types, Fixed Touch
Tone Generation
Pure CF Sound Engine
AiR (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator)
Effects
Reverb, IAC, Damper Resonance, Sound Boost
Brilliance, Chorus, Flanger, Reverb
Polyphony
192
128
Dual Mode
Split Mode
Number of voices
24
19
Duo-Mode
Auto-Accompaniment
Yes, 20 factory presets
No
Aux Out
USB Connectivity
Song Presets
21 x Demo, 50 x Factory, 1 x User
60 x Factory, 10 x User
Pedal included
Footswitch
3-Pedal Unit
What I like
Price
$699.99
$899.00
The Winner (#1)
Image
YAMAHA P125 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano with Power Supply and Sustain Pedal, Black
Model
Yamaha P125
Number of keys
88
Hammer Action
GHS Weighted Action
Touch Sensitivity
Hard/medium/soft/fixed
Tone Generation
Pure CF Sound Engine
Effects
Reverb, IAC, Damper Resonance, Sound Boost
Polyphony
192
Dual Mode
Split Mode
Number of voices
24
Duo-Mode
Auto-Accompaniment
Yes, 20 factory presets
Aux Out
USB Connectivity
Song Presets
21 x Demo, 50 x Factory, 1 x User
Pedal included
Footswitch
What I like
Price
$699.99
More info
The Runner-up (#2)
Image
Casio Privia PX-770WE 88-Key Digital Piano (White)
Model
Casio PX-770
Number of keys
88
Hammer Action
Scaled Hammer Action
Touch Sensitivity
3 Types, Fixed Touch
Tone Generation
AiR (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator)
Effects
Brilliance, Chorus, Flanger, Reverb
Polyphony
128
Dual Mode
Split Mode
Number of voices
19
Duo-Mode
Auto-Accompaniment
No
Aux Out
USB Connectivity
Song Presets
60 x Factory, 10 x User
Pedal included
3-Pedal Unit
What I like
Price
$899.00
More info

Last update on 2024-12-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Yamaha P125 vs Casio PX-770: Differences

When writing this comparison, I figured the best way to decide on a winner was to compare specific features head to head. And after doing that, I found that the Yamaha P125 was the winner by 3-1. The Casio PX-770, while a great instrument, simply couldn’t beat out the tone, features, and portability of the Yamaha P125.

Feel & Playability

The Winner: Casio PX-770

Casio PX-770 is the winner in term of piano's feel & playability
Casio PX-770 is the winner in term of piano’s feel & playability

This is the only feature where I found the Casio PX-770 to be the winner. While both pianos sport a variation of progressive hammer action, the Casio PX-770 features textured keys which provide a much more realistic feel compared to the P125.

Hammer Action

The Yamaha P125 sports the Graded Hammer System (GHS) of Yamaha. This is present on many of their digital pianos and is a great feature for any pianist to have. The GHS system features heavier keys on the left that get progressively lighter as you move up on the keyboard. This mimics the feel and weight of playing an acoustic piano, so you get a very familiar weight when playing the P125.

The Casio PX-770 sports a similar hammer action, just not the exact same system as the Yamaha P125. You still get heavier keys on the left that get lighter as you go up, which is about standard for most console digital pianos. While the difference between the PX-770 and the Yamaha P125 is barely felt when it comes to hammer action, I have to say that the Casio PX-770 feels a bit more realistic.

Key Texture

In terms of key texture, the Casio PX-770 is the winner without a doubt. The keys feature a coating that mimics the feel of ivory on the white keys and ebony on the black keys. This is a great extra feature as it provides a more realistic and familiar feel, especially if you’re used to playing acoustic pianos.

On the other hand, the Yamaha P125 doesn’t have any coating on the plastic keys. This is one of the biggest complaints people have about the instrument. When playing the Yamaha P125 the hammer action is undoubtedly realistic. However, the keys feel like plastic, which is very noticeable if you’re used to playing real wooden acoustic pianos.

Tone

The winner: Yamaha P125

While both of the pianos use a variation on the sampling method for tone generation, the Yamaha P125 has superior tone. While tone is a very subjective thing to judge, I found that the Yamaha P125 features brighter and more realistic sounds compared to the Casio PX-770. On top of that, the Yamaha P125 has a much wider sound library, which gives you much more versatility.

Tone Generation

The Yamaha P125 has superior tone
The Yamaha P125 has superior tone

The Yamaha P125 uses the PurceCF Sound Engine. Simply put, the piano basically plays a sample or recording of a real piano whenever you hit the key. The reason this is different from other options on the market is that the samples were recorded with top of the line equipment on the Yamaha CFIII concert grand piano. The CFIII is one of Yamaha’s most famous pianos and features a signature bright and crisp tone. The PureCF Sound Engine mimics that tone very well, and you can get a great piano tone reminiscent of grand pianos when playing the P125.

On the other hand, the Casio PX-770 uses the Casio AiR system. This is also a variation on the sampling method for tone generation. However, the difference is that the piano is equipped with a bigger memory, so Casio could load higher quality samples with longer decay times. This makes for a very realistic sound that is hard to match in its price range.

With that said, there’s no doubt that the PureCF Sound Engine provides crisper and clearer tones than the AiR system since it samples a real Yamaha grand piano.

Number of Voices

The Casio PX-770 comes with 19 different voices. For a console digital piano in this price range, this is a lot. And since it uses the AiR system, you’re ensured of high-quality tones. On the Casio PX-770 you can choose from a variety of acoustic piano, electric piano, strings, synth, and piano voices, which gives you a fair amount of versatility. 

However, the Yamaha P125 comes with 24 different tones which obviously makes for more versatility than the PX-770. The P125 still features the standard tones you need for all pianos which you can also find on the Casio PX-770. The main difference, however, is that there are more options in each category, which allows you to play a wider variety of styles and genres.

Piano Features

The winner: Yamaha P125

Another area where the Yamaha P125 was the clear winner is the piano features. The Yamaha P125 features more playing modes, accompaniment features, and better app integration than the Casio PX-770. This is about what is expected from Yamaha, especially considering that the Yamaha P125 is the more expensive option between the two.

The Yamaha P125 was the clear winner for the piano features
The Yamaha P125 was the clear winner for the piano features

Playing Modes

On both pianos, you can use dual mode and split mode. However, they have different names depending on the instrument. Dual mode is a great feature that allows pianists to create unique sounds that you won’t hear on standard acoustic instruments. When you activate dual mode, you load two different voices on the piano at the same time. So, whenever you press a key the piano plays two voices simultaneously, making for a very unique sound.

Split mode is a great feature for piano lessons. With this mode, the keyboard gets divided into two smaller keyboards with the same tuning and voice. This allows the teacher and student to play at the same time without having to cross over each other. If you’re a piano student, this is a very valuable feature as it’s very important to watch how your instructor performs certain techniques to get it right.

One playing mode that you have on the P125 that isn’t available on the PX-770, however, is split mode. In this mode, you also divide the piano into two, but you can set a different voice to each side of the piano. For example, you can load strings onto the right side and a piano voice on the left side, allowing you to play both the rhythm and melody parts simultaneously. If you’re a performer or jam with other musicians, this is a very useful feature, and it’s a slight let down that it isn’t available on the PX-770.

Accompaniment

Another reason the Yamaha P125 offers more versatility is that it has auto-accompaniment features. When you load one of the preset songs in this mode, the piano will load a backing track with which you can play along. This makes for loads of fun when practicing at home, but it’s also very useful when it comes to performing. The Casio PX-770 doesn’t have this feature.

With that said, both pianos do have some preset songs that you can play and jam along to. However, since it’s the more versatile option, the Yamaha P125 simply has more songs from which pianists can choose. One advantage of the Casio PX-770, though, is that you can make your own preset song and save it on the piano, which you can’t do on the Yamaha P125.

Connectivity & App Integration

The Yamaha P125 integrates with a wider variety of different apps
The Yamaha P125 integrates with a wider variety of different apps

Both of these pianos have USB outputs. This allows you to connect the pianos to your computer or smartphone and use it like a MIDI controller. However, keep in mind that using the Yamaha P125 and the Casio PX-770 as a MIDI controller is a complicated process since this isn’t the main purpose of the instruments.

While they both offer USB connectivity, the Yamaha P125 is the winner because it integrates with a wide variety of different apps. On the Yamaha P125, you can connect to partner apps such as Smart Pianist which are designed to make it easier to use the P125. You can use the apps to tweak the sound, switch between modes, or even use it to learn a bunch of different songs.

Portability

The winner: Yamaha P125

When it comes to portability, there’s no real competition between these two pianos. However, keep in mind that the Casio PX-770 is not designed to be portable. A console digital piano like the PX-770 is best used for venues or as a home piano. It’s a fairly large and heavy piano, and while you can theoretically move it around to different locations, it’s very tough. The Casio PX-770 is heavy and bulky, and the stand it comes with takes up a whole lot of space.

On the other hand, the Yamaha P125 is made to be brought around. It’s fairly lightweight and you can use just about any stand for the piano. While it has the option of a furniture stand, if you plan to bring this piano with you to gigs, rehearsals, lessons, and jams, then it’s best to go for the basic piano stand instead.

Yamaha P125 vs Casio PX-770: The Similarities

These are two very different instruments, so it’s expected that they don’t share that many similarities. Aside from having progressive hammer action and an 88-key keyboard, these pianos don’t share too many other similarities. They both offer a fair amount of effects and are great options for beginners and novice pianists.

The Yamaha P125 is the more expensive option, so it comes with more premium features and also has crisper and brighter tones. While both these pianos offer great piano sounds, the Yamaha P125 offers more versatility, which is why it’s the winner. However, if you need a good console digital piano on a tight budget, the Casio PX-770 can still serve you very well. 

Quick Rundown of the Yamaha P125

YAMAHA P125 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano with Power Supply and Sustain Pedal, Black
  • A fully weighted digital piano with 88 full sized piano style keys
  • GHS weighted action is heavier in the low keys and lighter in the high keys, just like an acoustic piano
  • The pure CF sound engine faithfully reproduces the tone of the acclaimed Yamaha 9 feet CFIIIS Concert grand piano; Tempo range: 5 to 280
  • Split mode lets you play a different voice with each hand; Tuning: 414.8 440.0 to 446.8 hertz
  • USB to host connectivity with MIDI and audio transfer means you only need 1 cable to connect to your music making software

Last update on 2024-12-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Pros
  • A portable option for musicians on the go
  • Offers realistic progressive hammer action using the GHS
  • Crisp and bright piano tones from the PureCF Sound Engine
  • A great option for beginners and novice pianists
  • Offers a wide range of different effects
Cons
  • The keys have a plastic feel
  • The more expensive option between the two

Quick Rundown of the Casio PX-770

Casio Privia PX-770WE 88-Key Digital Piano (White)
  • 88 scaled, weighted hammer-action keys with simulated ebony and ivory textures
  • Stunning new piano sound with detailed resonance, plus 18 other Tones
  • Stereo speaker system built into stylish, modern wooden cabinet
  • Versatile practice, performance, and MIDI recording tools
  • 3 year manufacturer extended warranty

Last update on 2024-12-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Pros
  • A great console digital piano on a budget
  • Offers realistic hammer action and key texture
  • Comes with a fair amount of tones and voices
  • Comes with a 3-pedal footswitch
  • Has a couple of different playing modes
Cons
  • Not as versatile as the Yamaha P125
  • Bulky and hard to move around

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