Yamaha Arius YDP-161 88-Key Graded Hammer Piano with Bench

zZounds' Take on Yamaha Arius YDP-161

Perfect for families, piano teachers, or as a top-quality practice instrument in a home or school setting, the Yamaha Arius YPD-161 digital piano provides uncompromising grand piano sound with a graded hammer action keybed. Complete with sturdy music stand, power adapter, built-in 3-pedal unit, and a comfortable padded bench, this Arius has a robust 40-watt speaker system for room-filling sound and dual headphone jacks for those late-night practice sessions. MIDI In and Out jacks are compatible with any MIDI-capable recording, composition, and educational software, while the on-board metronome and 2-track song recorder help you rehearse. Finished in your choice of black walnut or dark rosewood to match any decor, this exquisite instrument is stunning in both looks and sound.

The Feel of a Piano-Building Tradition

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' noble pedigree is in Yamaha's Graded Hammer (GH) 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, become larger as you move from the right, treble side of the keyboard to the left, bass side. This means that the low notes require a heavier touch, while the high notes respond to a lighter touch. A graded keyboard is a must-have for professionals, and crucial for students to develop proper playing technique. While maintaining the gradation, the entire keyboard's touch-sensitivity is adjustable to hard, medium or soft to match a student's strength. The YPD-161 model in particular features an extra key sensor that offers superb playability for fast, repetitive-striking techniques like trill and tremolo.

The YDP-161 also includes 3 piano-style foot pedals, with half-pedal control that varies the piano's sustain length, depending on how far the sustain pedal is pressed. Most digital pianos only offer an on/off damper function, but the YDP-161 recreates the subtleties of a partially engaged damper, for playing techniques once only possible on an acoustic instrument. 128-note polyphony ensures that no notes are unnaturally cut off, even when the sustain pedal is used.

The Sound of an Acoustic Piano

Yamaha knows how a piano is supposed to feel, but more importantly, they know how it's supposed to sound. The Arius YDP-161's Advanced Wave Memory sampling system captures the nuanced sound of a world-class concert grand piano. Each note on the YDP-161's keyboard was recorded at multiple volumes and playing styles, so that softer notes don't just sound quieter, they sound gentler. Likewise, louder notes don't just have more volume; they have more force and presence. The YDP-161's 40-watt stereo speaker system recreates each note in stunning detail -- or simply plug in headphones under the front panel to practice late at night without disturbing neighbors. In addition to two expertly-sampled grand pianos, you'll find electric pianos, harpsichords, vibes, church organs and strings -- a total of 10 sounds to choose from. You can easily layer two sounds (strings and grand piano, for example), or add one of 4 types of reverb to add a sense of space and dimension to the Arius' rich sound.

High-Tech Tools For Teachers and Students

The metronome is the most fundamental of practice aids, and the Arius YDP-161 has one on board, with tempo adjustable from 32 to 280 beats per minute and six time signatures. Meanwhile, the two-track digital song recorder lets students hear their own performances -- a huge incentive for self-improvement. Using the included "50 Greats for the Piano" music book, students can play along with one of 50 pre-loaded songs, slow them down to any tempo, and practice left- and right-hand parts independently while the YPD-161 plays back the other hand's part. Using an optional USB-MIDI interface and Yamaha's free Musicsoft Downloader software, you can transfer and store up to 10 standard MIDI song files from your computer on the YDP-161.

Don't forget another feature that you won't find on an acoustic piano: pitch transposition. If you're accompanying a singer or playing along with a recording in a challenging key, you can shift the entire keyboard up or down 6 semitones. It's also possible to fine-tune the pitch of the entire instrument from A=427 to 453 -- useful for playing along in tune with any recording, or playing a four-hands, two-piano duet with an acoustic piano. And of course, as a digital instrument, the Arius never requires the services of a piano tuner!

If you're ever looking for the right piano for your home, the Yamaha Arius YDP-161 deserves serious consideration. When a "real" piano doesn't fit your space and budget, the YDP-161 can provide authentic acoustic piano sound and feel, plus a host of useful features for pianists of every experience level. It's the perfect instrument for piano students, professional musicians, and piano lovers of all stripes.

Features:

- Advanced Wave Memory stereo sampling recreates the sound of an acoustic instrument from pianissimo to fortissimo
- Graded Hammer keyboard provides natural grand-piano playability with graded key weight throughout the keyboard range
- Beautiful black or rosewood-finish cabinet is easy to assemble
- Music stand, comfortable padded bench, power adapter, and "50 Greats for the Piano" music book included
- On-board 2-track recorder records standard MIDI format
- Built-in metronome
- 50 included songs with Part Cancel function -- learn a right-hand or left-hand part individually, as the piano plays the other hand's part
- MIDI In and Out jacks provide connectivity with any MIDI-compatible software and hardware
- Transpose +/-6 semitones, plus fine-tuning control
- 10 voices: grand pianos, electric pianos, harpsichords, organs, vibes and strings can handle any style of music
- 4 types of reverb provide spacious, dimensional sound
- 2 headphone jacks for rehearsing with a student or duet partner, plus a handy headphone hanger
- Powerful 40-watt stereo speaker system

Manufacturer's Description for Yamaha Arius YDP-161 88-Key Graded Hammer Piano with Bench

Perfect for beginning students and experienced players alike, the ARIUS / YDP series provides true piano sound and feel. The Yamaha YDP161 has a Graded Hammer keyboard that makes it a true joy to play, both in practice and in performance. The 3-level AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling Voices deliver remarkably authentic sound. Moreover, the damper pedal includes a half-damper effect, giving you nuanced expressive control over the sustained sound. Dual Voice capability lets you play two different instrument sounds at the same time, while a 2-track song recorder allows you to capture your original musical ideas and performances.

Graded Hammer (GH)

Just as on a traditional acoustic piano, lower notes on a GH keyboard have a heavier touch, while the higher ones are more responsive to lighter playing. GH features an extra key sensor capable of reproducing fast repetitive playing of a single note with perfect articulation.

Variable Touch Sensitivity

Select the hard, medium or soft setting to match your playing style or finger strength. Turn off sensitivity for a fixed response setting, ideal when playing the organ.

Advanced Wave Memory

The AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) is a sampling system which creates the realism of an acoustic instrument by using digital technology to record the instrument sound and applying high-quality digital filter technology to the recorded audio samples. The waveform of the sound created by playing the key of an acoustic piano differs depending on the playing strength from pianissimo to fortissimo. The AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling can produce such dynamic nuances by recording samples of various playing strengths. The greater the number of samples used, the higher the expression.

128-note Polyphony

Conventional digital pianos quickly run out of notes during fast, dense legato passages: sustained notes are cut off as the instrument "steals" notes to make room for new notes. A maximum of up to 128 notes can be played at once.

Damper Resonance

Damper Resonance samples provide the rich and broadening tones produced in pedaling. Using these comprehensive gradations, YDP-161 model can realistically reproduce the complex sounds of a grand piano.

Half-Pedal Control

It allows the sustain length to vary "step-by-step" depending on how far the pedal is pressed. The farther you press the pedal, the more the sound sustains.

Song Recorder

The built-in, 2-track performance memory allows you to record a backing track, and then step into the spotlight and solo over it. Best of all, you can change tempo or Voices even after you've recorded your performance. There's also a built-in metronome to help you stay in perfect time.

50 Preset Piano Songs

A selection of 50 different piano songs is provided for your listening pleasure. These recordings were chosen for their beauty as well as their functionality. Since many of the songs are classic piano pieces, anyone taking lessons can listen to them for reference. zZounds is an authorized dealer of Yamaha products.

Keyboard:
- Touch Response: Hard, Medium, Soft, Fixed
- Type: GH

Voice:
- Number of Voices: 10
- Number of Polyphony: 128
- Piano Voice Quality: AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling
- No. of Dynamic Steps: 3

Effect:
- Reverb: 4 types
- Brilliance: No
- Damper Resonance: Yes
- Dual: Yes
- Split: No

Song:
- Playback: Number of Preset: 10 (Voice Demo)
- Songs: 50 (Piano)
- Recording: Number of Songs: 1
- Number of Tracks: 2

Metronome: Yes

Pedals:
- No. of Pedals: 3 (Damper with half pedal effect, Sostenuto and Soft)

Overall Control:
- Tempo: Yes
- Transpose: Yes
- Tuning: Yes
- Scale Tuning: No

Display: Type: No

Jacks & Terminals:
- MIDI: In/Out
- TO HOST: No
- Headphone: 2
- AUX. In (L/L+R, R): No
- AUX. Out (L/L+R, R): No
- AUX. Out (L, R): No
- USB to DEVICE: No

Outboard Content: Song: Pianosoft Solo: Yes

Amplifier / Speaker
- Output: 20W x 2
- Speaker: (12cm x 6cm) x 2
- Speaker / Headphones Control: No

Cabinet:
- Key Cover: Sliding
- Headphone Hanger: Yes

Power Supply: AC Adaptor (Included)

Dimensions and Weight in Packaging

Black

Shipping Weight: 129 lbs

Shipping Dimensions: 17 x 22 x 56 in

Dark Rosewood

Shipping Weight: 134 lbs

Shipping Dimensions: 17 x 56 x 22 in