Playing the piano is said to have numerous benefits. It provides a way to express your creativity and is a source of entertainment and comfort.
Some people choose to play the piano as a hobby because it is a great way to unwind after a long day at work while some people choose to play the piano professionally.
There are also people who are still in the learning stages of playing the piano and are looking for a way to master the art.
Casio is one the top brands for acoustic and digital pianos. A great option for all piano players is the Casio Privia PX-160. This is a digital piano that is incredibly user-friendly.
It is very compact and comes with all the accessories included. Casio pianos are known for their sturdy build and professional finish.
Traditionally, digital pianos only came with features that were useful to professional players. The price tag and the unnecessary features made a lot of people shy away from Casio. But the Casio PX-160 comes with features that are suitable to both professional and amateur players.
PX-160 piano provides an authentic sound and comes with a classic black chassis giving it a professional look. The piano has an array of features that make it the perfect piano for all.
Without any further ado, Let's get into the review.
Privia PX160 Design
1. Professional with a touch of elegance
Casio piano players are known for their authenticity and are a feature that has keeps drawing customers back to their products, and the same goes for the PX-160.
The piano comes with a triple pedal system with a sleek black finish and redesigned speaker system that gives it an elegant look. The great aesthetics of this piano make it the perfect piano for both professionals and beginners.
2. Weight
Casio PX-160 piano weighs 11.5 kilograms (25.5 lbs). Although it is classified as a heavy instrument, the sheer stability and durability of the piano make it a worthwhile purchase.
3. Dimension
The size dimensions of the PX-160 piano are 52’ x 11.5’ x 5.6’ without a music stand. With an optional keyboard stand the dimensions are 52’ x 11.5’ x 30.2’. These are the standard dimensions for a piano.
4. Maintainability
Unlike acoustic pianos that require a lot of maintenance and usually turns off a lot of people, digital pianos have minimal maintenance requirements in addition to being portable and having numerous features.
The piano is fairly easy to maintain. You need to use a soft moistened cloth with water or a mild detergent.
5. Colors
Casio PX-160 piano comes in 3 colors: Black, White and Gold. The sleek black finish gives it an elegant and modern look.
The neutral color makes it a great option for all types of piano players- professional and beginners.
6. Functionalities
The Casio PX-160 comes with 88 keys, a tri-sensor scaled hammer action keyboard II and simulated ebony and ivory keys.
The buttons have playback features and some support style sounds.
Other functionalities includes a GRAND piano button, a duet mode button and auto power off that turns off the piano after four idle hours.
Build Quality
1. Simple and Elegant
Setting up the PX-160 is quite easy. Not only is the piano compatible but it also comes with an elegant design. The all black piano will be a great addition to the interiors of your home.
You can choose to buy the piano by itself, or you can opt for the optional CS-67 stand. The stand has a design that looks incredibly stylish.
It is fairly easy to install as well. All you have to do is insert the bottom of the music stand into the groove on top of the Digital Piano’s console.
The stand provides a lot of stability and durability. It puts the Casio PX-160 at an optimal height, and the SP-33 pedal system provides the same three pedal functionality as a grand piano.
2. The simple way to set up your hardware
To set up the hardware for the system all you have to do is attach the foot pedal and the music sheet to the piano.
Connect your power cable to the power supply, and you are ready to start creating some beautiful music.
The box comes with a deluxe sustain pedal or you can opt-in for an SP-33 pedal that comes with a three-pedal functionality.
3. Does not take too much space
In addition to easy setup and a great addition to your room, the PX-160 does not take up too much space in your home. The versatility of the piano allows you to set it up in various places in your home.
The dimensions along with its portable stand allow for it to be set up anywhere in your home. You can also put the keyboard in a keyboard bag should you wish to take the instrument elsewhere to play.
What's in the box?
The package comes with a furniture style piano bench, a deluxe sustain pedal, an AC Adaptor (AD-A12150) and a manual.
(Keep in mind, that Casio Privia PX160 has 5 different bundles such as beginner, digital piano, essentials bundle, home bundle, portable bundle. Each bundles have different accessories and the cost may vary between the bundles too)
1. Furniture Style Piano Bench
The bench has a sleek black finish and gives the instrument a professional look which makes the piano a great addition to your home.
It is cushioned and very comfortable to sit on which makes the piano a great addition to your home.
2. Deluxe sustain pedal
The box comes with an SP-3 Damper pedal that is quite easy to attach to the piano.
For beginners, this pedal is more than sufficient, but if you are a more serious piano player, we suggest you opt for an SP-33 pedal which has a three pedal functionality.
However, this is only a suggestion as the damper pedal that the piano comes with might suit most players just fine.
3. AC Adapter
The AC adapter is very compact and can be used to power up the device. The auto-switching adaptor can be used worldwide.
It has a 100-240V AC 50-60hz input and a DC 12V Output, this power supply is more than sufficient for the keyboard.
4. Manual
The manual is very detailed and comprehensive. Any questions you may have about the functionalities of the piano are clearly explained in the manual.
It provides a lot of information about the setting up of the instrument along with an explanation for each of the 88 scales, weighted hammer action keys.
Keyboard
Aesthetics
The black finish gives the piano a professional look and can add to the aesthetics of your home.
The 88-keys on the Casio PX-160 keyboard are very high quality and have a smooth strings, giving you the look of a performer.
Feel
Given the price point, this keyboard is a great investment. The key bed has a tri-sensor key that is usually exclusive to models that are priced twice as high as the Casio PX-160.
This allows for better pivotal motion and results in more accurate response when the keys are played, especially when there are repetitions.
The key tops have synthetic ivory and ebony finish that feels close to the material used in an acoustic piano. The keyboard is defined by its excellent small details.
The is pretty rare for a piano that retails at such a low price. For added professionalism, the Casio PX-160 keyboard has a realistic hammer response, damper noise and damper resonance that gives it an authentic feel.
Impact
The keys feel sensitive to the impact of touch which means the lighter you press, the lower the sound will be. The keys on the PS-160 are fully graded from left to right. The lower register keys offer more resistance than the higher register.
This allows you to play more expressively and grown your piano playing skills over time. This is fairly uncommon in digital pianos such as the PX-160.
Casio's Privia PX-160 Keyboard is fully weighted which means the it uses hammers striking the strings to simulate the real feel of an acoustic piano.
Fixed
For beginners who are currently taking piano lessons, the arrangement of the keys is more important than the pressure you put on each key.
Therefore, you can use the fixed option in this case, and this removes the sensitivity of the keys and which means that no matter the amount of pressure you put on the keys, the volume remains the same.
If you are new to playing the piano and do not want to indulge in hard plays, this is the option best suited for you.
Hard
The exact opposite of the fixed option, is the hard option which has the widest range of volumes for even the tiniest pressure applied to the keys.
This option is better suited to an aggressive player who wants to go from soft sounds to extremely loud sounds.
It can be used by more intermediate and advanced piano players who can play on both ends of the spectrum.
Soft
This option is for those who want to play softer music. The volume range is not varied although the keys feel sensitive to touch and can be used to play lighter music.
It comes with general customization and is a great option for anyone who does not want to make mistakes while playing.
Medium
If you want a neutral option, the medium impact is what you need to go for. It strikes a balance between both volume ranges. The sounds are more realistic and can sound similar to a traditional piano.
The Privia PX-160 keyboard has many impact customization's that make it a great option for both beginners and professionals. The impact specifications can be made to the piano voice.
Sound Quality
Speakers
Casio Privia PX-160 has a great speaker system that can light up any room when you play. The acoustics are produced by the newly introduced two-round speakers and a highly refined design that provide a deep, heavy sound.
The luxuriant reverberations are essential to the piano range from clear, delicate high tones to the powerful, dignified tones.
Engine
The Casio’s main sound source is multi-dimensional AIR (Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator) which provides a stereo sampled of grand piano sound on the PX-160.
It is the meticulously recorded sound of a 9-foot grand concert piano at four dynamic levels.
Hit the play button below to listen to Casio PX-160 sound sample!
The AIR engine delivers the great sound dynamics that are remarkable for a powerful performance. Damper Resonance is stimulated by AIR for a realistic sound when the damper pedal is used.
Casio PX-160 provides a realistic feel thanks to its Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II keyboard. It also delivers incredibly rich sounds and has a classiness when you are playing it.
In addition to its great acoustics, you also have string ensembles and electric pianos which were derived from Casio's PX-55 stage piano.
With the stellar sounding rear ported speakers, dual headphone output and dual line output, it is no surprise that the Casio PX-160 is one of the most anticipated pianos.
Polyphony
The Casio Privia PX-160 can produce about 128 different notes at the same time (polyphony).
It has a transpose function that allows strength control of sound strength and allows for easy playing with other instruments. With a 128-polyphony, it can play most of the songs.
Versatility
The Privia PX-160 model has some different instrument voices. It has harpsichords, organs and electric pianos along with sound effects such as Split, Layer, Duet and Octave Shift.
The Split mode can be used in two tones at a time so you can play a different tone on your left and a different one on the right. The texture and color of the music using this model with a brilliant adjuster, reverb function and chorus effect.
These features make the model a great investment given its reasonable price point. The versatility of the piano also makes the Casio PX-160 a great option for beginners, intermediate and professional piano players.
Features
Modes
There are three modes available, and they are:
1. Dual Mode
With the dual mode, you are not limited to playing just a single sound on any particular note.
Instead, you layer the sounds of two instruments simultaneously to create melodious music through this mode on your keyboard.
2. Split Mode
If you are uncomfortable with playing two instruments on the same note as with the dual mode, the split mode may be a better option for you.
This is where the keyboard is split into two sections with keys into each of the sections playing two different instruments.
Depending on the sound of the instrument you choose, you can decide how you want to split the ratio of the sounds.
3. Duo Mode
While the split mode allows you to adjust the ratio of the sounds. The Duo mode lets you play two instruments on equal halves of the keyboard with each side having an identical tone and pitch range.
This is a great mode for beginners and is used by most piano instructors.
Playback and Recording
The digital piano has a multi-track MIDI recorder that allows you to record your music and play it back at any time. The recording consists of two tracks. Once you record your first track, you can play it back while recording the second track.
Once you've recorded both the tracks, you have the option to turn off one of the tracks to practice that part and re-record it or play them both together.
For instance, you can record the right had to part on one track and the left-hand music on the other track and then turn of each hand to practice them separately.
However, the instrument only lets you record one song when you record the next song, and the previous one will be automatically deleted.
Preset songs
Casio PX-160 has 50 built-in preset songs available. You can play all the songs and make modifications as you please. You are also free to use the MIDI tracks that you download from the internet as well.
However, only one use song is allowed in the internal memory. Hence, you always need to be prepared to transfer all your records on to a system.
Fine Tuning and Transpose
Casio PX-160 has various effects to adjust the pitch of the keyboard to match another instrument or vocalist and can help play the songs written in a difficult key.
The transpose function lets you raise or decrease the pitch of the entire keyboard in semitone steps. This lets you play a different song in a different key without actually learning how to play the key.
The transpose also allows you to play the song in an easier key while you still hear the song as though it was played in the original key. The octave key changes the pitch of the keyboard and the octave units.
For example, when you play middle C, you will hear the tenor C or the soprano C depending on how many octaves have shifted.
With the fine-tuning function, you can raise and lower the pitch of the entire keyboard in 0.1Hz steps from a standard pitch of A4 key= 44 oHz.
Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC)
If the volume of the piano is turned down, the IAC or Intelligent Acoustic Control adjusts the quality of the sound to make increase its clarity and balance.
Power Saver
When the keyboard is inactive for more than 4 hours, the Auto Power Off function automatically turns the keyboard off.
This is an optional feature but comes in handy should you be worried about the battery power.
Metronome
If you are looking to practice timing and steady tempo, the metronome is an essential tool for you.
The Casio PX-160 lets you adjust the beats per measure of the volume of the metronome to suit your needs.
Connectivity
Headphone Jacks
If you choose to practice silently, the piano comes with two headphone mini-jacks (3.5mm).
This lets you plug two pairs of headphones which is useful if you are playing a duet.
Ports
It comes with a USB (type B) port. All you need is an A or B USB cable. With the connection established, you can use it to exchange MIDI files or use the instrument as a MIDI controller.
Digital Controller App
The digital controller app is an iPhone exclusive app that lets you perform more diverse controls on the Privia PX-160.
Once connected to the app, you are going to able to be able to make some of the more intrinsic modifications to the keyboard.
Additional connections includes the Line Out R, L/Mono and the sustain pedal jack.
Pros of Casio PX-160
Cons of Casio PX-160
Conclusion
Like any keyboard, the Casio PX-160 has its flaws such as keys that are a little bit squeaky. With that being said, Casio is known for making incredibly responsive keys, and we see that in play here in the piano.
The keyboard feels and responds the way an acoustic keyboard would. The versatility of this digital piano makes it great for both beginners and professionals.
Looking for other keyboard reviews? You can read this article where we listed 10 best keyboard pianos.
