Were this a perfect world, every home would have an indoor swimming pool, basement movie theatre, and Yamaha Grand Piano. Unfortunately, most homes are subject to the real-world limitations imposed by space and budget. Scratch the pool and the theatre, but don't discount your dreams of owning a genuine Yamaha Grand; the Yamaha Arius YDP140 digital piano is an exquisite instrument in every respect, and it's as easy to own as it is to love.
Yamaha has been building acoustic grand pianos for over 100 years, and you can bet that their digital pianos benefit from the experience. The first place you'll notice the Arius's design pedigree is in its Graded Hammer Action keyboard. It recreates the weight, movement, and natural resistance of an acoustic piano's mechanical keys. . . but that's not all. A piano's hammers, the elements that actually strike the strings, get bigger as you move from the right (treble) side of a keyboard to the left (bass) side. This results in a lighter, feathery touch on the high notes and bit more hefty feel down low. The Graded Hammer Action keyboard mimics this character. The result is an instrument that feels and plays like its acoustic brethren. Anyone used to playing an acoustic piano will be right at home on the YDP140, and vise versa. Another subtle touch: the YDP140's three piano-style foot pedals with half-damper action. What is half-damper action? The damper is the mechanism on an acoustic piano which, when lifted away from the strings, amplifies the notes' sustain and prolongs the decay. Most digital pianos only offer an on/off damper function, but the YDP140 recreates the subtitles of a partially engaged damper for playing techniques that are every bit as expressive as when played on an acoustic instrument.
Yamaha knows what a piano is supposed to feel like, but more importantly, they know what it's supposed to sound like. The Arius is imbued with Yamaha's Advanced Wave Memory Dynamic Stereo Sampling, which recreates the most nuanced sonic elements of a world-class grand piano. Each note on the YDP140 keyboard was recorded at multiple volumes and playing styles, so that softer notes don't just sound quiet, they sound gentler. Likewise, louder notes don't just have more volume, they have more force. The stereo sampling really brings out the richness of the Arius's sound; the sampled piano was recorded the same way you would hear it in person, so listening the the Arius is like being in the same room as one of the finest grand pianos ever made.
This beautiful sound and sophisticated playability come packaged in a handsome, wooden housing (with matching bench!) that will grace your home with the same elegance and class an artisan grand piano would, but at a fraction of the size and cost.
Beyond the pristine sound and elegant styling, Yamaha includes some helpful tools for learning. The metronome is the most fundamental of practice aids, and the Arius YDP140 has one on board. It also includes a digital recorder, so that students can hear themselves play--a huge incentive to self-improvement. Students who learn on an Arius can also play along with one of fifty pre-loaded songs. . . it's like having a piano tutor who's always available, and who doesn't charge by the hour! Add a dual headphone output, and you've got the perfect piano for lessons, with or without an instructor.
If you're ever looking for the right piano for your home, the Yamaha Arius YDP140 should be the first instrument you investigate. Even if you do have the space to fit a full-sized concert grand piano, the sound, feel, and extra features on the YDP140 are everything a real piano can offer, and more. It's the perfect instrument for students, experienced players, and piano lovers of all stripes.
