Yamaha Arius, 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Beginner and Intermediate Players, Dynamic Response, Grand Piano Sound, 3-Pedal Unit, Upright Design, Bench Included, Black, (YDP105B)

Yamaha pianos are pricey for sure, even their digital brands. But we all know why. And I'm not disappointed at all. I purchased the Rosewood digital version, and it arrived promptly in a few days. Big package and heavy, even for the UPS driver. The unit was extremely well packaged, no damage at all, and all the parts were there. Some assembly is required but it's really simple and straightforward. The only trouble I had, assembly it alone, was how heavy the main section piece (the piano keys assemblage itself) was, so be careful lifting it if you're doing it alone. Optimal is placing the main part of the YDP with someone else helping out.Once assembled the Rosewood is beautiful. Yeah, it's not a 80K grand piano build, but for what you are paying instead I find it fits the bill. The real value of this baby, however, is under the hood. Literally to, since one of the nicest features of this YDP is a sliding cover on the keyboard, and it is very smooth and slides just like a regular piano over the keys. The keys themselves, are high quality, and again, no difference really from an actual piano - including weight, touch etc.But like I said, the real value - where all the money is going is "under the hood". Once I plugged it in and listened to it - and played it for my first time. Wow. Like, this is about as close to a Yamaha grand piano you'll ever get inside your home. And you can even wear headphones while playing on your grand piano. The sound from this YDP is incredibly authentic - you really actually do feel like you're playing on the real thing. So, it's money well spent if you're serious about your piano playing and can't afford or have room for a grand piano inside your house. I'm a happy camper. Haven't even tried out all the extra features that come with the unit, though I did decide to go with this YDP-165 model as I didn't need so many extra bells and whistles as the more expensive 184 has. But the 165 still comes with the computer App you can plug into the piano using USB, and has a number of useful other sounds including Organ. Also has a built in metronome and quite a few other features (as you probably already have read about.)No complaints. Worth the investment. Recommend! It's Yamaha right!

To be honest, I didn’t get chances to try digital pianos of other brands - I just found a YDP-144 in nearby Guitar Center and feel it’s good. Then I ordered YDP-165 from Amazon thinking it won’t be wrong to get one even better. Having Yamaha YDP for half month so far I’d say it’s a good decision to buy YDP-165.Pros:The keyboard and sound of YDP-165 is truly like a real acoustic piano. The key’s weight is exactly right to me — and I remember YDP-144’s key is kinda lighter but I cannot tell much difference since I don’t have chance to compare them side by side. And I even feel YDP-165’s keyboard delivers better feel than entry-level acoustic piano I have in the house of my hometown, as YDP-165’s keyboard uses anti-slippery materials which reduce the chance of pressing wrong key.Anyway, I totally have no complain regarding sound and keyboard of this digital piano. I can use this digital piano to play “The Maiden’s Prayer” comfortably - so I think this piano would be well suitable for beginner to at least intermidate-level players.The design and color are beautiful and elegant too. The compact size well fits my small apartment (even it’s not YDP S series) .Cons:The craft isn’t as good as IKEA furniture (see photos), so you may notice some tiny imperfection. Some screw holes’ position isn’t 100% accurate so it may take some of your energy to well install the piano; but these are just tiny details. After assembling the piano is quite solid. Overall, the quality of Yamaha is reliable.Unlike some models in CLP series, YDP-165 doesn’t have screen and more than a dozen of buttons on control panel. I prefer YDP’s simpler control panel because it makes digital piano more like a traditional acoustic piano instead of digital keyboard. The negative side is that it’s difficult to set up your piano. Leaning how to use key combination to set up piano is even harder than learning how to play “The Maiden’s Prayer” , so you may have to buy a MIDI cable, or spend another 50 dollars buying a Yamaha Bluetooth adapter to connect piano to your iPad. I think Yamaha should have the adapter coming with Piano for free as YDP-165 is already sold at a much higher price in the US compared to Asian market. Also you have to buy an additional 6.35mm earphone adapter if you want to connect your earphone/headphone to this piano.