HybridSpecs

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HybridSpecs

NU1XA

N3X

N2

N1X

NU1X

Cabinet Color Polished Ebony/Polished White Polished Ebony Polished Ebony Polished Ebony Polished Ebony/Polished Brilliant White
Finish Polished Polished Polished Polished Polished
Dimensions Width 1,501 mm (59-1/8″) 1,481 mm (58-5/16″) 1,471mm (57-15/16″) 1,465 mm (57-11/16”) 1,501 mm (59-1/8″)
Height 1,024 mm (40-5/16″) 1,014 mm (39-15/16″) Lid up : 1,734 mm (68-1/4″) 1,009mm (39-3/4″)With music rest : 1,181mm (46-1/2″) 1,001 mm (39-7/16”) With music rest : 1,167 mm (45-15/16”) 1,024 mm (40-5/16″)
Depth 462 mm (18-3/16″) 1,195 mm (47-1/16″) 531mm (20-7/8″) 618 mm (24-5/16”) 463 mm (18-1/4″)
Weight Weight 108 kg (238 lb, 2 oz) 199 kg (438 lb, 12 oz) 142kg (313lbs., 1oz.) 117 kg (257 lbs., 15 oz) 111 kg (240 lb, 11 oz)
Keyboard Number of Keys 88 88 88 88 88
Key Surfaces – White Acrylic resin Ivorite® Acrylic resin Acrylic resin
Key Surfaces – Black Phenolic resin Phenolic resin Phenolic resin Phenolic resin
Touch Sensitivity Hard2/Hard1/Medium/Soft1/Soft2/Fixed Hard/Medium/Soft/Fixed Hard/Medium/Soft/Fixed Hard/Medium/Soft/Fixed
Keyboard Action Specialized Upright Piano Action for NU1XA Specialized Grand Piano Action Specialized Grand Piano Action Specialized Grand Piano Action Specialized Upright Piano Action for NU1X
Type Ivorite (white keytops)
Tactile Response System (TRS) Yes Yes
Pedal Type Grand Touch Pedals with GP Response Damper Specialized Grand Piano Pedal GP Response Damper Pedal GP Responsive Damper Pedal
Number of Pedals 3 3 3 3 3
Half Pedal Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Functions Damper (with half-pedal effect) , Sostenuto,Soft Damper (with half-pedal effect) , Sostenuto,Soft Damper (with half pedal effect), Sostenuto, Soft Damper (with half-pedal effect) , Sostenuto,Soft
Sensor/Driver Hammer Sensors Non-contact continuous detection electromagnetic inductive type Non-contact optical fiber Non-contact optical fiber
Key Sensors Non-contact continuous detection electromagnetic inductive type Non-contact optical fiber Non-contact optical fiber Non-contact optical fiber
Key Cover Soft-Close Fallboard Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Music Rest Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Tone Generator Piano Sound Spatial Acoustic Sampling (Yamaha CFX, Bösendorfer Imperial) Spatial Acoustic Sampling (Yamaha CFX, Bösendorfer Imperial) Spatial Acoustic Sampling (Yamaha CFX, Bösendorfer Imperial) Spatial Acoustic Sampling (Yamaha CFX, Bösendorfer Imperial)
Binaural Sampling Yes (Yamaha CFX Grand and Bösendorfer only) Yes (Yamaha CFX Grand Voice only) Yes (Yamaha CFX Grand Voice only) Yes (Yamaha CFX Grand Voice only)
Key-off Samples Yes Yes Yes Yes
Smooth Release Yes Yes Yes Yes
Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) Yes Yes Yes Yes
Polyphony Number of Polyphony (Max.) 256 256 256 256 256
Preset Number of Voices 28 10 5 15 15
Tone Generation Tone Generating Technology Spatial Acoustic Sampling
Types Reverb Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Brilliance 7 types + User 5 5
Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC) Yes Yes Yes Yes
Stereophonic Optimizer Yes Yes Yes Yes
Preset Number of Preset Songs 50 Classics, 28 voice demo songs, 303 Lesson 10 preset songs, 10 voice demo songs 10 10 preset songs, 15 voice demo songs 50 Classics, 15 voice demo songs
Recording Number of Songs 250 10 1 10 10
Number of Tracks 16 1 1 1 1
Data Capacity approx. 500 KB/Song approx. 550 KB/Song 300KB (approx. 30,000 notes) approx. 550 KB/Song approx. 550 KB/Song
Recording Function Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Compatible Data Format Playback SMF (Format 0, 1) SMF (Format 0, 1) SMF (Format 0, 1) SMF (Format 0, 1)
Recording SMF (Format 0) SMF (Format 0) SMF (Format 0) SMF (Format 0)
Overall Controls Metronome Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Tempo Range 5 – 500 5 – 500 5 – 500 5 – 500 5 – 500
Transpose -12 – 0 – +12 -6 – 0 – +6 Yes -6 – 0 – +6 -6 – 0 – +6
Tuning 414.8 – 440.0 – 466.8 Hz (approx. 0.2 Hz increments) 414.8 – 440.0 – 466.8 Hz (approx. 0.2 Hz increments) Yes 414.8 – 440.0 – 466.8 Hz (approx. 0.2 Hz increments) 414.8 – 440.0 – 466.8 Hz (approx. 0.2 Hz increments)
Scale Type 7 types 7 types 7 types 7 types 7 types
Audio Recorder/Player Recording Time (max.) 80 minutes/Song 80 minutes/Song 80 minutes/Song 80 minutes/Song
Recording WAV (44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo) WAV (44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo) WAV (44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo) WAV (44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo)
Playback WAV (44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo) WAV (44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo) WAV (44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo) WAV (44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo)
Bluetooth Yes (Audio/MIDI) (varies by area) Yes (Audio) (varies by area) Yes (Audio) (varies by area) Yes (Audio) (varies by area)
Storage Internal Memory approx. 1.4 MB approx. 1.4 MB approx. 1.3 MB approx. 1.5 MB
External Drives USB Flash Drive USB Flash Drive USB Flash Drive USB Flash Drive
Connectivity Headphones Standard stereo phone jack (x 2) Standard stereo phone jack (x 2) x 2 Standard stereo phone jack (x 2) Standard stereo phone jack (x 2)
MIDI In/Out In/Out In/Out In/Out In/Out
AUX IN Stereo Mini Stereo Mini L/L+R, R Stereo Mini Stereo Mini
AUX OUT [L/L+R] [R] (Standard stereo phone jack) [L/L+R] [R] (Standard stereo phone jack) L/L+R, R [L/L+R] [R] (Standard stereo phone jack) [L/L+R] [R] (Standard stereo phone jack)
OUTPUT [L] [R] (XLR jack, balanced)
USB TO DEVICE Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
USB TO HOST Yes Yes Yes Yes
Auto Power Off Yes Yes Yes Yes
Power Supply AC Adaptor(Output: DC 24 V, 2.5 A) AC Inlet AC Inlet AC Inlet AC Inlet
AC Adaptor PA-500
Spatial Acoustic Speaker System Yes Yes
Soundboard Resonator Yes
Amplifiers (40 W + 45 W) × 2 80 W x 2 + 45 W x 4 + 35 W x 5 + 25 W x 4 30 W x 6 (45 W + 45 W) x 2
Speakers (16 cm + 2.5 cm (dome) with Bidirectional Horn) × 2 (16 cm + 13 cm + 2.5 cm) x 4 8 cm x 3 + 13 cm x 2 + 16 cm x 1 (16 cm + 1.9 cm) x 2
Included Accessories Owner’s Manual , “50 Classical Music Masterpieces” music book, Online Member Product Registration, AC adaptor PA-500*, Power cord*, Felt key cover, Headphone hanger, Headphone hanger screws, Felt strip set, Bench* *May not be included depending on your area. Check with your Yamaha dealer. Owner’s Manual, AC Power Cord, Cord Holders (3 pcs.), Felt Key Cover, Bench*, My Yamaha Product User Registration *May not be included depending on your area. Check with your Yamaha dealer. Owner’s Manual, Power cord, Warranty*, Felt Key Cover, Bench*, Online Member Product Registration, Felt strip set *May not be included depending on your area. Check with your Yamaha dealer Owner’s Manual, Power cord, Felt key cover, Bench*, Online Member Product Registration, Felt strip set, “50 Classical Music Masterpieces” Music Book *May not be included depending on your area. Check with your dealer.
Separately Sold Accessories Headphones (HPH-50/HPH-100/HPH-150), AC adaptor (PA-500), USB wireless LAN adaptor (UD-WL01) *May not be available depending on your area. Headphones (HPH-50/HPH-100/HPH-150), Wireless MIDI Adaptor (UD-BT01/MD-BT01) *May not be available depending on your area. Headphones (HPH-50/HPH-100/HPH-150), USB wireless LAN adaptor (UD-WL01), Wireless MIDI Adaptor (UD-BT01/MD-BT01) *May not be available depending on your area. Headphones (HPH-50/HPH-100/HPH-150), USB wireless LAN adaptor (UD-WL01),Wireless MIDI Adaptor (UD-BT01/MD-BT01) *May not be available depending on your area.
Spatial Acoustic Speaker System Yes
Soundboard Resonator Yes
Amplifiers 22W x 10 + 80W x 2
Speakers (13cm + 2.5cm) x 3 + (8cm + 2.5cm) + 16cm x 2

Using SmartPianist together with a AvantGrand N3X

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Using SmartPianist together with a AvantGrand N3X

Using SmartPianist together with a AvantGrand N3X

1. Check that the N3X instrument firmware is V2.0 or above.

 You can check the details on the V2.0 firmware on the download page. For details on downloaded and updating, refer to the PDF file included in the Firmware folder.

2. There are two methods for connecting an instrument to iOS devices with Smart Pianist V2.1 installed.

A. Connect using a cable

An Apple Lightning – USB Camera Adapter and USB cable (sold separately) are required.

Connect the USB cable to the USB TO HOST port on the instrument.

A. Connect using a cable

*If you are using iPad pro 12.9 inch 3rd generation or iPad pro 11inch, please use Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter or Apple USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter.

B. Connect wirelessly using Wi-Fi.*Varies by area

The UD-WL01 (sold separately) must be purchased to use a wireless connection.

Connect the UD-WL01 to the USB TO DEVICE port on the instrument.

B. Connect wirelessly using Wi-Fi.*Varies by area

What kind of piano should a beginner buy?

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What kind of piano should a beginner buy?

This is a question that has been asked by every parent looking to give their children an instrument to practice on while taking piano lessons. Most professionals believe pianos that have real weighted keys, touch sensitive actions, and 88 keys are minimal requirements. The Yamaha Clavinova Digital Pianos are accepted by many Universities and Piano Labs for Piano majors to practice on and so would be an excellent choice for parents in many cases.

What kind of piano should a beginner buy

Can I buy an inexpensive piano for their lessons at first?

If you buy a bad piano, and your child gets good, can you really tell? This is a funny line, but the truth is it is probably worse. The student with an inferior instrument is going to be discouraged if what he or she hears is not that good. Also, If you have a quality piano teacher and your child takes lessons for 4 or more years, the cost is something like this: $150 times 12 equals $1,800 per year and this times 4 years equals $7,200. Why would you not get the best piano you can to take advantage of these years making both student and teacher happy.

Should we purchase an Acoustic Piano or Digital?

Until recently the best answer was acoustic because of multiple factors; However, the better Digital Pianos like the Yamaha Clavinova have gotten so good, and don’t ever need tuning, and students can practice with headphones. But I strongly recommend listening to your teacher for advise about this. Yamaha has wonderful acoustic and digital pianos for this very situation and is one of the most respected pianos in the world.

Should I buy new or used?

When you purchase a new instrument, you will get a warranty. Good quality pianos will look, feel, and play well. When you purchase used you may not have the experience to even know it is playing like it should or not. Each used instrument is a unique set of circumstances and actually may help teach bad habits, and incorrect hearing. I went to college with a man who had perfect pitch, but had learned incorrectly on an out of tune old upright.

 

Benefits of Piano

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Benefits of Piano

What are the Benefits of achieving Piano level 2?

    1. Substantial increase in neural connectivity
    2. Significantly higher SAT scores
    3. Greatly reduced risk of drug/alcohol abuse
    4. Notable reduction of anti-social behaviors
    5. Increased self esteem
    6. Enhanced ability to concentrate/focus
    7. Development of personal discipline
    8. Superior working memory, auditory skills, and cognitive flexibility

What are the Benefits of achieving Piano level 2?

Children who are allowed to quit music lessons usually quit early. When parents insist on helping their children to get to a level where they can play well, they’re not as likely to quit! Your goal should be to help your child get to Level 2. Once they’re at Level 2, they will almost always never stop playing the piano!

Here’s how we define Level 2:

The ability to read an intermediate piece of music; play using both hands; use the expression pedals; and sound musical.
In other words, kids who get to Level 2 become smarter, happier and more well-rounded!

Girl Playing Father Watches

Helping your child reach Level 2 on piano is the single most effective way you can give them a leg up in life!

 

Gray Market

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Gray Market

FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GRAY MARKET PIANOS (By David Durben)

“BUYER BEWARE” TAKES ON NEW MEANING WHEN IT COMES TO THESE INSTRUMENTS.

Have you ever heard the term “gray market piano”? Many people shopping for pianos may come across this phrase when doing research online or speaking with a dealer. Shopping for a new piano can be a daunting task, and if you have little (or no) experience buying one, it can be easy to be misdirected by sellers offering gray market pianos – instruments purchased in large quantities in Japan or other Asian countries, packed into shipping containers, and then brought into the United States for resale. They may be great instruments in excellent shape – and they often come with an attractive price tag – but before you jump at the opportunity to buy one, there are a few things you need to know:

1. You may be looking at major repair problems down the road. Only a handful of piano makers, including Yamaha, build pianos specifically for the three major world markets: Asia, which is a moist climate; Europe, which is fairly dry by comparison; and the U.S., which is considered to be extremely dry. (Keep in mind that we are talking about the INDOOR climate, as opposed to outdoors.) In winter, heating systems remove substantial moisture from the air, and in summer, air conditioning systems also lower the humidity. In addition, American homes tend to be better insulated than homes in many other countries, further isolating the interior from whatever moisture might be in the outside air.

The problem is that, when a piano that’s intended for a moist climate is placed in a dry environment, there is the likelihood that its structural integrity will be threatened as the wooden parts lose moisture. This in turn can cause warping of case parts, cracks in the soundboard and/or loose tuning pins. And while soundboard cracks are often only cosmetic in nature, loose tuning pins will have a direct effect on the ability of the piano to hold its tuning. If that happens, the only practical solution is to re-pin the piano with oversized tuning pins – a procedure that typically comes with a fairly high price tag, since it often encompasses re-stringing the piano too. That’s why, when Yamaha builds pianos destined for the U.S., it seasons the critical wooden components – including the soundboard, bridges, ribs and pin block – by drying them to a much lower moisture content using computer-controlled kilns and other advanced manufacturing technologies.

2. Lack of warranty. There is absolutely no factory warranty coverage on gray market pianos, so if you ever need any of the (likely, and likely expensive) repairs cited above – or any other repairs, for that matter – you’re strictly on your own.

3. “New” may not really be new. Many gray market pianos represented as “new” are actually used pianos that have been reconditioned by independent piano shops. Others have been sold to third party entities, who then ship the products into the U.S. for unauthorized sales.

4. Replacement parts can be difficult to find. It’s always a good idea to verify the true origin and backstory behind any major purchase. You wouldn’t buy an existing house or a used car without trying to learn all you can about its history, would you? The unfortunate reality is that you won’t ever truly know everything about a gray market piano, ranging from its cabinet style and finish to its year of manufacture and/or internal components. There are many models and styles of piano built for other areas of the world that are quite different from those sold in the U.S. As a result, finding parts can become a rather complicated affair for the owner of a gray market piano since even the manufacturer may be unable to assist you.

If you or someone you know is being offered a gray market Yamaha piano, or if you want to verify whether or not your Yamaha piano was built for use in the United States, you can use our free serial number finder tool available here.

ALL U3 Pianos are not the same

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ALL U3 Pianos are not the same

What’s the difference between U3F, U3G, U3H, U3M, U3A, U3N Yamaha U3 pianos?

First of all, Yamaha established the International Corporation (current Yamaha Corporation of America) in 1960 and introduced their pianos to the US in small quantities. The U3 style also was not yet popular in the USA at that time when most purchased decorator style console pianos. The additional lettering system that Yamaha have used for their U3 line of pianos can be a bit confusing and often not even known. Check out the following to help improve your understanding of this model.

Manufacture location

The first thing to say is that the Yamaha U3 is made in Japan at the Hamamatsu factory which is responsible for making all of Yamaha’s highest quality pianos including the Yamaha CFX concert grand piano.

Beyond that, you will want to know what year it was made and whether there were any good or bad periods of Yamaha piano manufacture. You should also fully understand what a GRAY MARKET piano is. Please also read about this.

What do the letters stand for

If you look just to the left of the serial number of most Yamaha U3 pianos you will usually see a letter. The most common tends to be “U3H” but it can be anything from U3F, U3G, U3H, U3M, U3A, U3N, U3E. If you do not see the extra letter, you can determine the year made from the serial number and know which series it is. Here are some bits of information about what those letterings stand for.

Here are my comments about the various models

Yamaha U3F

The F has shown up in the later 1990’s series; However most of the serial numbers of these pianos will range from around 100,000 up to 1,000,000. If the piano is in original condition or has only had minimal reconditioning work then you should try to avoid that piano. If the piano has been properly and professionally reconditioned then it should be fine but I would still recommend that (a) you get the piano inspected by an independent technician and (b) perhaps save up $1,000 more to buy a U3G (below) instead

Yamaha U3G

These models date from the early 1970s, have serial numbers between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 and are a better option compared with the U3F (above). The U3G is likely to have a similar, soft sound to the U3F (particularly in the bottom few octaves) although the rest of the keyboard can sound very nice if properly reconditioned. Overall, my opinion on the U3G is that you should try hard to stretch your budget and go for a newer model if possible. If you must buy a U3G please do hire your own independent technician to inspect the piano for you, it will be the best $100 you can spend. You must make sure a piano of this period has been properly reconditioned and will hold it’s tuning.

Yamaha U3H (1970-1980)

Yamaha U3 pianos in this category are mostly good and have serial numbers ranging from 2,000,000 up to 3,000,000. The U3H comes from a time when Yamaha had perfected what a modern piano should be. Strong, reliable, consistent, warm tone, beautiful action and, most importantly, top quality materials and top quality workmanship which (in my opinion) you don’t find in any of the modern pianos being produced by countless piano factories that are springing up all over the world producing cheaper and cheaper pianos. The U3H ranges from about 1970-1980 and I find that from the 1975 point onwards the qualify is very high. Some of the early 70s U3H pianos can be very nice but I recommend sticking to the later ones.

Yamaha U3M (1980-1982)

You can trust a Yamaha U3M to be of a very high standard of build quality. You do still need to make sure that a full reconditioning process has been carried out before buying a piano from this period but providing that work has been carried out to the right standard then you will get yourself a very nice piano at a sensible price.

The Yamaha U3M typically has a nice, positive tone about it but without being harsh or overly bright like some of the younger U3s can sometimes be.

Yamaha U3A (1983-1988)

The U3A can sometimes have a slightly stronger bottom 2 octaves than the U3M but this is only an occasional blip and by no means a set rule. I fully recommend this model alongside the U3M.

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What Piano Level Am I

Primer (Level pre-1):

  • Knows finger numbers
  • Knows musical alphabet
  • Basic staff awareness
  • Basic keyboard awareness
  • Can play one hand at at time
  • Has proper hand placement and form
  • Developing rhythm and steady beat
  • Generally music from method books
  • Generally practices 10-15 mins/day

Beginner (Levels 1-2):

  • Bass and Treble Clef
  • Plays both hands together
  • Play rhythms more comfortably
  • Keeps steady beat
  • Left hand plays mainly basic chords
  • Dynamics and articulations
  • Can play C, G, and F key signatures
  • Generally practices 15-20 mins/day

Late Beginner (Level 3):

  • Major and minor chords, scales, and arpeggios
  • Left hand becomes more complex
  • More complex rhythms introduced
  • Can play songs with 2 flats/sharps
  • Technique developing
  • Sight reading developing
  • Musicality developing
  • Generally practices 20-30 mins/day

Often people ask “What piano level am I, and why does it matter?”Many educators rank piano levels as the above:

Clavinova vs Arius

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Clavinova vs Arius

Step Ups From YDP 184 To CLP-735:

  • New Yamaha CFX Sampling
  • CFX Binaural Sampling
  • Split Mode
  • USB to DEVICE
  • Grand Touch-S vs GH3
  • Escapement action system, which is more like an acoustic grand.
  • WiFi connectivity (with optional UD-WL01)
  • Improved Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM)
  • WAV audio playback & recording (via USB to DEVICE)
  • 1/8″ Aux Input
  • 1/4″ L&R Aux Output
  • 16-track, 250 song recorder (vs. 2-track, 1 song)
  • Bosendorfer Sample in the CLP-735
  • 5 Year Parts and Labor in your home warranty vs 3 years drop off warranty on YDP184
  • Another difference between the Arius and Clavinova is how their headphone sound. One of the biggest advantages of a digital piano over an acoustic one is the ability to practice silently and the CLP700 series has stepped it up a notch with binaural sampling. To put it simply, when you wear headphones whilst playing any CLP700 piano, it’s as if your sat in the playing position of $200k Yamaha CFX concert grand piano. The sound hits the front of you in wonderful stereo, as it would be if playing an acoustic grand, instead of just directly into your ear from the sample. It’s a strange sensation at first! It makes playing with headphones feel more natural and enables you to do it for longer without ear fatigue.

 

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