Yamaha YDP143R Arius Series Console Digital Piano Review

Neal Bricker

In this Yamaha YDP143R digital piano review, we will look at what this new digital piano in the Arius series has to offer. The Yamaha YDP143R comes with many advantages that would make you expect it to cost a fortune. Let us go through the characteristics that make this piano have such great reviews from the piano world.

“For more great Digital pianos and how they compare, have a look at our best digital pianos review”

YAMAHA YDP143R ARIUS SERIES CONSOLE DIGITAL PIANO SPECIFICATIONS

• 4 x 16.6 x 33.4″ (1357 x 422 x 849 mm) In size
• 75 lb (38 kg) In weight

Control Interface

• 88 keys
• GHS keyboard with matte-black key tops
• Touch Response – Soft, Medium, Hard, Fixed

Pedal

• Number of Pedals – 3
• Half pedal
• Functions – Damper, sostenuto, soft

Panel Language

• English

Voices

• Tone Generation – Pure CF Sound Engine, Damper Resonance
• Polyphony – 192 Maximum
• A preset number of Voices – 10

Effects

• Reverb – 4 types
• Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC) Functions

Songs

• Preset Songs – 10 Demo Songs, 50 Piano
• Number of Songs -1
• Recording – Songs: 1, Tracks: 2
• Data Capacity – Approximately 11,000 notes
• Compatible Data Format – Playback: SMF (Format 0, Format 1), Recording: SMF (Format 0)

Functions

• Dual/Layers
• Duo
• Metronome – 5 to 280 BPM tempo range
• Transpose – -6, 0, +6
• Tuning – 414.8, 440.0, 466.8 Hz Connectivity

Storage

• Internal Memory: Total maximum size approximately 900 KB (user song: one song approximately 100 KB, loading song data from a computer: up to 10 songs)

Connectivity

• DC IN – 12 V
• 2 x 1/4″ TRS Headphone
• USB to HOST
• Amplifiers – 2 x 6 W
• Speakers – 2 x Oval – 4.7 x 2.4″ (120 x 60 mm)

Power

• Power Supply – PA-150 or an equivalent recommended by Yamaha
• Auto Power Off Function – Yes
• Power Consumption – 8 W (When using PA-150 AC adaptor)

Included Accessories

• Bench – Yes
• Song Book- 50 Greats for the Piano
• Others – Owner’s Manual, Quick Operation Guide

YAMAHA YDP143R DIGITAL PIANO REVIEW – FEATURES

The Yamaha YDP143R is a mid-range digital piano, popular with intermediate and piano students alike. It is an upgrade from a previous YDP-142 model and comes with great features that we will look at below.

DESIGN

This instrument comes in a quality and classical looking body that complements the decor of any room. Despite looking heavy, it is quite light enough to move around whenever needed.

Additionally, the piano comes with a sliding cover to house the keyboard from collecting dust when not in use.

The control panel is quite standard with seven buttons, a Volume knob and a Power button on the right. The piano, unfortunately, does not come with a display panel. However, the user manual will get you started until you memorize buttons. Another easier way is to use the Yamaha controller app to navigate through the piano’s settings.

KEYBOARD

This digital piano comes with 88 GHS weighted key mechanism. This means that the keys will imitate an acoustic piano’s action to provide a smooth touch while playing.

Also, a great way for beginners develop proper finger placements

SOUND

The YDP143R comes equipped with the Pure CF sound engine to provide a rich piano sound sampled from Yamaha’s CFIIIS 9′ concert grand piano.

The piano has with10 different sounds plus four different reverb types to add depth and ambiance to the sound.

Yamaha added two other features in the YDP143R for the purposes of further improving the sound whenever needed.

The first one is the Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC) feature. This will adjust the quality of the sound when in low volume to make bass and treble note audible.

The second one is the Stereophonic Optimizer, used when you are using the headphones while playing the piano. This feature adjusts the spacing and the separation of the sound to make it more natural and realistic.

POLYPHONY

The YDP143R has an impressive 192-note polyphony. This means that this instrument can handle even the most intricate and complicated musical selections without dropped notes.

SPEAKERS

The piano comes with two speakers located on each side with a 12W total power output. The sound is further enhanced by Yamaha’s Acoustic Optimizer making it full and well balanced over the entire frequency range.

CONNECTIVITY

There are two 1/4” stereo jacks at the back of the piano. These jacks are used for connect to your headphones or as a line out for things such as external amplifiers.

To connect the piano to your computer or to an iOS device, there is a USB to Host port at the bottom of the piano for that purpose. In addition, Yamaha offers free apps for iOS devices where you are able to control the pianos functions through an interface.

Pros

• Great sound quality
• Comes with quality build
• Graded Hammer Action
• Impressive 192-note polyphony
• Compatible with piano apps
• Comes with an improved pure PC engine
• Has an integrated recorder
• There is an Auto power-off function

Cons

• There are limited sound effect options
• It is quite bulky for transporting
• Doesn’t come with a display panel

The YDP143R digital piano comes with a great build quality and offers the player a rich and authentic playing experience. The graded action gives a realistic performance and would be a great choice for upcoming piano players.

This piano could use a couple of tweaks such as adding a display panel for easy control and an addition of built-in songs. However, it is still a great piano that will satisfy any pianist.

We hope that this Yamaha YDP143R digital piano review has given you plenty of insight to help you come make a purchasing decision.

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