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A First-rate Piano-learning Experience





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Our Product Research Team





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The Yamaha CSP-170 provides what might be the ultimate piano-learning experience. Its Natural Wood X keyboard is one of the most authentic offered, while its Yamaha CFX and Bosendorfer Imperial grand piano voices radiate from a premium speaker system. There's also a bevy of features that make learning the piano a lot of fun. Mastering your favorite songs is easy ? simply import them from your smart device, then use the Stream Lights feature to learn which notes to play and when. Being loaded with state-of-the-art tech doesn't detract from the Clavinova CSP-170's appearance, however ? everything is controlled via your iPad, leaving the CSP-170 with a classic, traditional appearance in any setting.





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Yamaha Clavinova CSP-170 Digital Piano Review





Product Overview





Joy to Play





First And Foremost a Piano





Quick Demo





Smart Pianist App - The Piano Room





Play Along with Songs on Your Tablet





Great With or Without the App





Yamaha CSP-150 and CSP-170 Digital Piano Unboxing and Assembly





Your Personal Backing Band





Record Your Music





How to Choose the Best Digital Piano or Keyboard for Your Sound


Real Grand Expression gives you the experience of playing an acoustic grand





The Clavinova CSP-170 delivers the authentic feel and response of a real acoustic piano. Yamaha calls it Real Grand Expression ? and they should know. They've been perfecting their piano-making craft for over a century, and their grand pianos are standard equipment in top studios and on premier concert stages worldwide. Packed with unique, expertly integrated Yamaha technologies, the Clavinova CSP-170 delivers renowned expressive capability as it precisely executes your nuanced musical intent through the responsive touch of its keys and the feel of its pedals. As you play, you'll revel in the experience of playing an acoustic grand piano.





Natural Wood X (NWX) keybed delivers stunningly realistic playing feel





The material used for Natural Wood X (NWX) keyboards is cut from wood that has been carefully dried specifically for use in making musical instruments. Yamaha's NWX key action gives you incredibly realistic grand piano touch and response. Fitted with the same hammer system and springless mechanism as a grand piano, NWX keyboard action gives all keys an authentic resistance that increases from the top register to the lower ? just as on an actual acoustic piano. This means that you can pound out thunderous low notes with your left hand on the Clavinova CSP-170 and let the fingers on your right dance on the high notes. It also features Yamaha's 3-sensor technology, which accurately senses and interprets the behavior of the keyboard for superbly realistic feel and response. The NWX keyboard features an escapement mechanism that gives you the feel of an acoustic piano as it goes through the let-off of the jack and the fall of the hammer when a key is played very softly. Add to that the superb feel of Yamaha's synthetic ivory and ebony keytops, which mimic the tactile surface of the keyboards once used in the finest pianos. Yamaha utilizes a highly absorbent material that gives you the ideal texture and feel while preventing your fingers from slipping even after hours of performing. Take it from Sweetwater; the Clavinova CSP-170 is a keyboard that begs to be played.





VRM physical modeling, for stunning realism and expression





In a grand piano, sound resonates throughout the body of the instrument, producing distinctively rich, room-filling reverberation. Yamaha uses their Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) to re-create this acoustical phenomenon in the Clavinova CSP-170. VRM calculates the various states of the strings from one instant to the next for each of the instrument's 88 notes. This enables vivid, richly varied expression that reflects the infinite number of factors involved in a live performance, including the velocity with which you strike the keys, which keys are pressed, and your pedal timing.





The inimitable sound of the world's finest concert grand pianos





The Clavinova CSP-170 grand piano voices are sourced from premium, hand-selected Yamaha CFX and Bosendorfer Imperial concert grand pianos tuned to perfection by top professional piano tuners. Only then were the sounds meticulously sampled in varying velocities, for a stunningly realistic grand piano sound with smooth tonal transformations perfectly matched to key pressure. From staccato to legato, you get a superbly expressive sound that responds beautifully to your touch. Featuring Yamaha Smooth Release technology, as well as Key-Off and String Resonance samples, the CSP-170 gives you realistic crisp staccatos and luxurious legatos, for a nuanced response just like a real grand piano.





Full-bodied resonance, just like an acoustic piano





In a process analogous to that of an acoustic piano, the Clavinova's body materials and speaker positioning are meticulously calibrated to ensure that the instrument resonates optimally. To achieve a sonic image uncannily close to a grand piano's, the CSP-170 employs tone escape ports in multiple locations throughout the cabinet; this allows the sound from the speakers to be projected naturally to the listener's ears without getting trapped inside the instrument. The body of the CSP-170 has Acoustic Optimizers that control tone and regulate the flow of sound, for natural, smooth sonic richness across the entire keyboard range.





Instantly record your ideas with the built-in song recorder





The Yamaha CSP-170 has a 16-track recorder to capture your creativity. When it's time to share your music, simply record your performances to a USB flash memory device as a WAV audio file. With 16 tracks and the CSP-170's 692 high-quality instrument Voices and 29 Drum/SFX Kits, you can build up complex arrangements for compelling demos or flesh out new song ideas.





Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC) is ideal for playing at home





You can't always rock out at home without disturbing your family or roommates. As expected, the Yamaha CSP-170 sports dual headphone outputs, but for those occasions when you prefer not to use headphones, the CSP-170 lets you adjust your speaker volume while compensating for the loss of bass and treble you get at lower levels. Yamaha calls it Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC); we call it brilliant. IAC acts like the "Loudness" contour on vintage hi-fi receivers, boosting highs and lows at lower volumes so you enjoy balanced sound at any setting.





State-of-the-art technology with a traditional look





Tucked under the Clavinova CSP-170's traditional-looking facade is a boatload of advanced features. Audio To Score makes learning your favorite songs simple, by scanning the music on your smart device, analyzing it, then generating a piano score. And playing new songs is a piece of cake, thanks to the Stream Lights feature, which uses four LED lights above each key to show you which notes to play and when. Vocal Harmony 2 (VH2) enhances your vocal performance with up to three virtual background singers and provides pitch correction, vocoder, and effects. You can also use Melody Suppressor to attenuate the melody of songs on devices connected to the Clavinova CSP-170's Aux Line Input jack, adding new dimensions to sing-alongs. And everything is accessed via the touchscreen on your iPad ? and all the Clavinova CSP-170's internal features are hidden underneath, yielding the appearance of a classic piano.





Which Clavinova is right for you?





Yamaha's Clavinova line offers a digital piano solution for any budget and situation. If you're having a hard time figuring out which Clavinova is right for you, check out our in-depth buying guide, where we outline the differences between the models. And of course, your Sweetwater Sales Engineer is always happy to help you make the perfect choice!





Yamaha Clavinova CSP-170 Features:


Synthetic ivory/ebony keytops for authentic piano feel


692 Voices and 29 Drum/SFX Kits make crafting beautiful-sounding arrangements easy


Binaural Yamaha CFX sample that sounds stunning through headphones


Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) vibrates and reverberates like a real acoustic piano


Yamaha CFX and Bosendorfer Imperial grand piano samples


Stereophonic Optimizer elevates your sound to the next level when using headphones


Natural Wood X (NWX) keyboard action with escapement


Acoustic Optimizer technology


Smooth Release, Key-Off, and String Resonance samples


Traditional upright design with front legs and Yamaha logo


5-year parts and labor, in-home limited warranty


Real Grand Expression (RGE) sound engine; 256-note polyphony; dual-layer capability


Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC); DSP Smooth Release


Onboard reverb effects (58 presets) and Master EQ (5 presets/1 user)


Audio To Score scans the music on your smart device, analyzes it, then generates a piano score


Stream Lights uses 4 LED lights above each key to show you which notes to play and when


Vocal Harmony 2 (VH2) beefs up your vocals with up to 3 virtual background singers


Enhance your vocal performance with pitch correction, vocoder, and effects


Melody Suppressor attenuates the melody of songs on devices connected to the Aux Line Input jack


Tablet-based interface keeps the elegant, traditional look of a classic piano


16-track recorder; 403 songs


Soft, sostenuto, and damper pedals; half-damper effect


USB MIDI for connection to your computer


Metronome; dual headphone outs


Built-in 45-watt 45-watt bi-amped stereo speaker system


Matching bench, music rest, and key cover included