My impression: Yamaha P250 vs CP300

[sporter]

Very short review here:

 

I have both set up in my studio right now, and have been doing A-B comparisons..P250 comes out on top every time in terms of tone, expressiveness (playability) and action.

 

Keyboard magazine does not concur according to the review I read in the latest issue...

 

FWIW...

 

Cool buttons and features=CP300

Best Piano=P250

[alexibm]

can you post recordings of both instruments, if you can play same MIDI file on both instruments.

 

Thank you !

 

I am torn between Kawai MP8/MP4, YAMAHA CP300/250, and Roland 700.

[fdelvecchio]

Can you comment on the feel of the keyboards? Are they the same?

[sporter]

 

Originally posted by alexibm can you post recordings of both instruments, if you can play same MIDI file on both instruments. Thank you ! I am torn between Kawai MP8/MP4, YAMAHA CP300/250, and Roland 700.

 

 

Sorry, I didn't get a chance to do this, I had to load the 250 up on the van for a gig.

[sporter]

 

Originally posted by fdelvecchio Can you comment on the feel of the keyboards? Are they the same?

 

 

No, they are different. I've had the 250 almost two years, and it's loosened up some; broken in, while the cp300 has that "new piano" feel, if you know what I mean.

 

Having said that, the 250 keys seem to travel a little farther, and have more bounce at the bottom. Overall a tiny bit lighter, but again the comparison might be false since it's a new piano verses one played often for quite sometime.

 

But the actions on both these boards are incredible. Very, very close to the big Yammie acoustics.

[wikwox]

Haven't owned both(one would be nice) but I much preferred the feel of the CP300. Tone was perhaps better on the CP300 but what I really liked was the mono piano sound, it was noticeably better. On stage I would be playing amplified in mono, currently I do no solo work in the smaller venues these pianos are ideal for. I found the action on the P250 too much like my P90, too stiff and not really expressive enough.

[Jazz+]

I owned one of the first P250s, before they relaxed the actions, and it was very expressive but really stiff like driving a Mack truck.

I could not produce fast eight note lines that were legato on the P250, the attack was too loud and the sustain too soft. The CP300 piano sounds more natural ("organic") to my ears. The P250 may be better for rock, funk, pop, blues gigs. But I am sure the CP300 has a "bright" agressive piano too.

 

I have no idea how the CP300 would behave live through my PA which is always a different story compared to headphone testing. A store with a noisy background would more simulate live tha headphones. Headphones is what you get with recording. Try it out when Guitar Center is real busy with a pair of Mackie speakers to simulate "live."