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When thinking about digital pianos, one brand that is inevitably going to spring to mind is Casio. They have been one of the leading brands in musical instruments for decades now and with new models being brought out all of the time, this isn’t something that is set to change anytime soon. One model that has particularly intrigued us is the Casio PX160 digital piano. Having received rave reviews from thousands of customers, we were eager to try it out for ourselves to see what it has to offer and we were very impressed. Please read on below to find out more about what we thought of the PX160.
Pros:
Cons:
In terms of design, this is very much the standard that you will have come to expect from Casio. The Casio PX160 is available in black, white and gold. One thing that we did notice with this particular model is that it is significantly more portable than a lot of their other models. It is made of plastic, but you honestly wouldn’t know this if it wasn’t in the specifications. The plastic that they have used feels incredibly durable. There is no cheap feel to the outer casing or the 88 keys.
This is definitely where the Casio PX160 excels. It has 88 fully weighted keys which are 
actually the same size as a standard acoustic piano, giving you an incredibly realistic experience. There are no springs at all with this one; each key has its own hammer. This really does make a difference in terms of how authentic the playing experience is. Whilst the keys themselves are made of plastic, they certainly don’t feel it thanks to the unique matte covering that offers a real piano feel.
What we like about the PX160 is that it has some vast improvements on the previous model in terms of speaker quality. With its predecessor, there were issues not only with the volume, but also slight distortion issues for some people. This is not the case with the PX160. There are two 8 watt speakers built in which are a massive improvement on the quality in general of the previous model which is great to see. There would be no problems performing in a small room with just the built in speakers.
The Casio PX160 is a little different in the way that they have laid out their connectivity options. First of all, at the front of the keyboard, you will see two headphone jacks. To the rear of the keyboard however, you will see a USB A to B connector which will enable you to connect your digital piano to your computer for MIDI recording and editing. As well as this, there is a port to connect a sustain pedal and a port to connect your piano to an external amplifier.
In terms of portability, the PX160 is fantastic. It is significantly smaller than a lot of the digital pianos on the market at the moment and it is really lightweight at just 26lb so easily light enough to transport if you plan on performing live gigs.
This is another area where the Casio PX160 really shines. This particular digital piano is capable of multi-track MIDI recording. This allows you to record up to two tracks, layer them, and then play them back through an external device and even edit them if you wish. The only downside is that the piano will only store one song at a time, so if you record another then your previous recording will be deleted. The best way to avoid this issue is to transfer your recordings to an external device.
There are 18 different instrument sounds built into this digital piano, which is around what you
would expect for a piano in this price range. However, there are plenty of functions that you combine with these sounds which make the PX160 stand out. First of all, there is the Split Mode which allows you to keep the base to one part of the keyboard. Layer Mode also allows you to layer two different instrument sounds so that they can be played at exactly the same time.
The Casio PX160 actually comes with a sustain pedal which is a great additional feature to have. This will enable you to hold certain notes at different times during a piece of music. It is a fairly basic sustain pedal but it is perfect for the beginner.
The main extra feature that stands the Casio PX160 out from the rest is the fact that it offers so many different connectivity options. All of these options make this digital piano perfect for those who wish to compose and record their own music; something that a lot of pianos in this price range don’t offer.
Overall, the Casio PX160 is a fantastic piece of kit. We were thoroughly impressed with the realistic feel of the keys and the variety of connectivity options, plus the different modes that allow you to master playing. This piano is perfect for the beginner as well as those who perform live on a regular basis and its versatility is just one of its major plus points. We highly recommend it.
