General
If you're accustomed to the sound of a grand piano, finding an affordable digital piano that approximates that sound may prove tricky. However, Casio's Privia PX-860BN might surprise you. This comprehensive, dark brown instrument offers more than practical digital options, and produces an excellent sound. Responsible is its AiR sound generator, aided by features like String Resonance, Damper Resonance, Hall Resonance, Key Off Simulator and Lid Resonance. The latter, for instance, simulates the effect of an opened or closed piano lid. The PX-860's keyboard consists of 88 keys that feel like real ebony and ivory, and are equipped with a mechanism that reproduces the pleasant response of acoustic piano keys.
PX-860BN: endless piano pleasure
The PX-860 comes with a stand, three pedals, a headphone hook, a sheet music stand and a book with the sheet music for sixty music pieces that are programmed into the piano itself. If you want, you can switch the left or right-hand part off, and practise each hand individually. Even more exciting, however, are the ten Concert Play songs, which provide you with full orchestral backing while you play. If you get bored of hearing the same old piano sound over and over again, you can simply select one of the PX-860's other grands, or even opt for a funky electric piano or a jazzy organ. It's also possible to record your own performance as a WAV file - simply use an (optional) USB stick and you can store up to 99 songs. The piano is even capable of playing back WAV files via USB.
Sound and playing experience
To precisely register the force of your key strokes, the PX-860BN is equipped with a tri-sensor mechanism. Quick repeats are accurately reproduced and this Casio is even capable of simulating the tiny differences in timing that occur due to different playing styles and keys. To make the sound really authentic, factors like attack, sustain and decay have been taken into account, and you can clearly hear the difference in timbre between softly played passages and more vehement parts. Damper Resonance effectively simulates the rich resonance that's audible when you press down a sustain pedal, while the equally impressive String Resonance reproduces the sound of strings resonating along with a lower note. Finally, it's possible to influence the overall timbre of the Privia PX-860BN by opening the lid that covers the speakers.
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