Casio Privia PX 160 Review – Best Value for the Price
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Casio Privia PX-160 is one of the best digital pianos from the Casio Privia line. Its powerful features with compact and portable design attract lots of players.
Featuring its excellent key action and other features you find in more expensive models, Casio PX 160 has become a solid option in the list of best digital pianos under $500.
So, does Casio Privia PX 160 fit your needs? In this article, we’re going to review this digital piano in detail, covering several aspects you would consider.
Here’s what you’ll get to know:
What are the main features of Casio PX 160?
Is Casio PX 160 worth the price?
Casio PX 160 vs other models
Table of Contents
An Overview of Casio Privia PX 160 Digital Piano
Casio Privia PX 160 Specs
An 88-key fully-weighted digital piano with ivory and ebony key surfaces
Weighted action: Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II
Sound: Multi-dimensional Morphing AiR Sound Source
Touch sensitivity: 3 levels and off
Polyphony: 128 notes
Voices: 18 instrument sounds
Modes: Duet, Dual, Split
Educational Features: 60 built-in songs
Recording Function: Built-in 2-track recorder
Sound effects: 4 types of Reverb and Chorus
Metronome: Built-in Metronome
Connections: USB to Host, sustain jack, 2 headphone jacks, line out jacks
Speakers: 12cm x 2
Amplifiers: 8 W + 8 W
Weight: 25.5 lbs
Dimensions: 52″ wide x 11.5″ deep x 5.6″ high
Accessories: AC Adaptor, A sustain pedal (SP-3), Music Rest
Casio Privia PX160 is an 88-key fully weighted digital piano with ivory and ebony key surfaces. This model is the successor of the PX 150 and it gets several improvements in sound quality and other features you need.
The digital piano has become very popular among beginners and intermediate players for its authentic weighted action and powerful features you would associate to more advanced models, including 2-track recorder, onboard recording function, ivory and ebony key surfaces, etc.
The built-in recording function and textured key surfaces are not common in this price range. Casio PX 160 is probably the only model that is equipped with the built-in recorder as well as ivory & ebony key surfaces among the digital pianos under $500.
It’s one of the best portable digital pianos, the weight is only 25.5 pounds. And its compact design can let you put it anywhere you want.
Plus, for beginners, Casio Privia PX 160 is loaded with built-in lessons to help you practicing two-hand skills.
Undoubtedly, key action and sound are the two most important factors of every digital piano.
The Key action is one of the main areas that make Casio PX 160 shines. It’s equipped with Casio’s famousTri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II weighted action, which allows you to feel the realistic response of every delicate touch. This weighted action technology uses three sensors to catch the dynamics of your playing, giving you the ultimate key-to-sound experience.
Weighted keys are that when you press the keys, there is some resistance responding to your finger and you can feel some natural weight.
Impressively, the keys of Casio PX 160 are finished with simulated ivory and ebony keys to give you textured feel. It’s not a common feature that you would see in other models. Compared with others that do not have ivory and ebony key surfaces, Casio PX 160 offers a more authentic feel to your playing, just like playing on an acoustic piano. Additionally, you can avoid slipping off the keys when your hands are a little sweaty.
When it comes to the comparison with Yamaha’s famous GHS weighted action, Scaled Hammer Action offers more authentic weighted action as GHS only uses a 2-sensor detection system and no ivory & ebony key surfaces. Therefore, the weighted action of Casio PX 160 is considered to be more suitable for intermediate players.
Casio PX 160 is equipped with a Multi-dimensional Morphing AiR Sound Engine. Together with its improved 12cm x2 speakers, the sound you’ll hear is full of richness and spaciousness. Every note was recorded at 4 different velocity levels to recreate the sound of a concert grand piano accurately.
The keys come with 3 different levels of touch sensitivity and off, allowing you to play any music pieces with incredible expressiveness.
Keys with touch sensitivity means the harder you press the key, the louder sound you’ll hear. You can feel melodies going up and down by hitting the keys harder or lighter.
As for polyphony number, 128 notes can be produced simultaneously in Casio PX 160, which is the average number of digital pianos in this class.
Polyphony number is one of the most important factors that affect sound quality, which means the maximum number of notes a digital piano can produce simultaneously. It usually works with sustain pedal and sound effects. When you use sustain pedal, the notes need enough polyphony number to keep all the notes sounding as you continually add more notes.
The more polyphony number it offers, the more expressiveness can be added to your performance. For Casio PX 160, the polyphony number of 128 notes is enough for beginners and intermediate players to play most music pieces.
Onboard recording function is another feature that makes Casio PX 160 shines.
It’s not like other digital pianos which you need to connect to other devices by the USB port and then record. All you need to do is pressing the buttons on the board to record and playback.
It’s a very useful tool for players from all levels to practice by allowing you to record your performance and then playback to check where you got wrong or need to be improved.
Impressively, Casio PX 160 is loaded with a 2-track recorder. You can record each track separately and then play them back together as one song.
Plus, it can be very useful for practicing two hands individually. For example, you can record one track of your left-hand part first, and record your right-hand part while listening to the playback of the previous track.
Casio Privia Px 160 is a great digital piano for beginners thanks to the built-in lessons and 60 preset songs.
In the beginning, two-hand skill is a common thing that many novice players struggle with. In Casio PX 160, built-in lessons allow you to practice two hands individually by turning off one of the parts.
Additional features
After looking at the main features of Casio Privia PX 160, let’s dive into its additional features.
There are 18 instrument voices in Casio PX-160, including:
5 Grand piano voices (concert, modern, classic, mellow, bright)
4 Electric pianos
2 Strings
1 Harpsichord
1 Vibraphone
4 Organs (Pipe, Jazz, 2 Electric)
1 Bass (Lower)
You can use these instrument voices to play certain musical styles, such as pop music, classical music, etc.
Among 18 instrument tones, there are 5 grand piano voices. Each voice gives you a new insight into playing experiences, encouraging you to try which one suits your favorite songs best.
Additionally, you can use these voices with Dual Mode, which allows you to combine 2 different voices together. It’s a great feature for exploring different instrument combinations.
Check the review and listen to the different instrument voices in the video.
Casio Privia PX 160 has several jacks for you connect other devices, including USB to Host, sustain jack, 2 headphone jacks, and line out jacks
Two headphone jacks allow you to take piano lessons privately. Your teacher and you can use headphones at the same time.
Line out jacks can be used to connect audio equipment or an Amplifier for getting a more powerful volume. If you’re a gig-musician, it’s definitely useful to connect external speakers.
Additionally, Casio PX 160 comes with a sustain pedal and there is a sustain jack for plugging in.
Things You Need to Pay Attention to
Well, one trouble often occurs in the digital pianos or keyboards. The buttons confuse you and you may get lost where you are. There is no ‘default’ option in this digital piano, so it’s maybe a bit annoying to figure out how to get back to the default setting.
However, there are detailed instructions in the Casio px160 manual. You can check the setting you need in the manual.
Accessories
Casio PX 160 comes with several accessories:
AC Adaptor
A sustain pedal (SP-3)
Music Rest
Color
Casio Privia PX 160 is available in black and gold (champion) on Amazon.
The digital piano in black delivers a piano-look appearance, especially with a furniture stand. The white looks contemporary and you can choose it to fit the decoration of your room.
Casio PX 160 bundle
Casio Privia PX 160 doesn’t come with stand, bench, and headphones. However, the seller provides various bundle choices that offer accessories you need.
Bundles
Casio PX 160 Portable bundle
Casio PX 160 Home bundle
Picture
Accessories
• An X-Style Stand
• An Adjustable Padded Bench
• A Headphone
• A Sustain Pedal (SP-3)
• A FurnitureStand
• A Wooden Double Size Piano Bench
• A Headphone
• A 3-pedal unit
[iconheading type=”h3″ style=”fa fa-caret-right” color=”#b7672a”]Casio PX 160 vs Yamaha P45[/iconheading]
Yamaha P45 has been a very popular model and it’s the most affordable in the Yamaha ‘P’ series.
Compared with Casio PX 160, there are no ivory and ebony key surfaces on Yamaha P45. Therefore, the feel of the keys on the P45 is not as realistic as the PX 160.
Additionally, a short part of Yamaha P45 is it only has 64 notes of polyphony whereas the polyphony number of the PX 160 is 128 notes. 64-note polyphony is fine for beginners but intermediate players may find it struggling to play complex pieces.
Well, the main attribute of Yamaha P45 is it delivers high-quality sound and realistic weighted action without any bells and whistles. These aspects make it perfectly fit for beginners. Plus, its affordable price is very appealing.
Yamaha P45 is about 50$ cheaper than Casio PX 160. Also, there is an Amazon-exclusive model (Yamaha P71), which is completely identical to the P45 yet the price is $100 cheaper than the PX 160.
[iconheading type=”h3″ style=”fa fa-caret-right” color=”#b7672a”]Casio PX 160 vs Yamaha P115[/iconheading]
Yamaha P115 is another digital piano from Yamaha ‘P’ series. It’s a mid-range Yamaha digital piano.
It’s equipped with Yamaha’s Pure CF Sound Engine, which is the higher version of Yamaha P45’s AWM sound engine.
I’ve had once to play them side by side. In my opinion, the sound of Yamaha P115 is more realistic than Casio PX 160. It sounds more like an acoustic piano whereas the PX 160 is a bit synthetic. Together with 192 notes of polyphony, the sound of Yamaha P115 is gorgeously resonant and you’ll definitely enjoy it.
As for the weighted action, Yamaha P115 uses GHS which is marketed as an entry-level weighted action. Compared with Yamaha P115, Casio PX 160 offers a more authentic feel and it benefits from its simulated ivory & ebony key surfaces.
Check out the video to get a more detailed comparison: Casio PX 160 vs Roland FP30 vs Yamaha P115
Casio Privia PX 160 is an 88-key fully-weighted digital piano for beginners and intermediate players. Also, it can be a huge leap up in sound, keys and other aspects if you use it to upgrade your old keyboard.
The model stands out for its excellent weighted action and acoustic piano sound. Together with the recording function and textured keys which you probably wouldn’t see in other models, Casio PX 160 is well worth investigating.
To conclude, Casio Privia PX 160 is an impressive digital piano, considering all the useful features that come with it.
