Customer Reviews

Yamaha PSR-175AD Portable Electronic Keyboard with Adapter

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I beg to differ with the previous reviews. Before I go on, let me state for the record that I have been playing classical piano for over 15 years, and I bought this keyboard for jamming and multitrack recording (both midi/audio).

First, for those who are confused with the entry level Yamaha portable keyboards, the PSR-175AD is almost exactly the same as the PSR-175 and the PSR-172. The only difference is that the PSR-172 is much more widely available than the 175s. That said, let's analyze the more important features:

Keys: You get what you pay for. 61-keys is quite all right for beginners and for those who want to do some basic multitrack recording. Better players should go for a bigger keyboard, unless you don't mind using the transpose feature. However, I gave this keyboard a low rating because the keys are not truly touch-sensitive. These keys are not sensitive to the amount of force you exert on them -- the volume for each key remains the same regardless of the amount of force you exert on it. Instead, the keys are only sensitive to the length of time that they are depressed (this should have been called a portable organ instead). By playing on this keyboard, you will never be able to develop a feel for a real piano which requires varying amounts of force applied to different keys. Thus I would not recommend this keyboard for serious beginning piano players because it only hurts your musical foundation.

As for the other features, the sound patches are adequate for most users and are rather standardized in similar entry-level keyboards. I have no complaints because most of the main instruments are there and sound decent enough (piano, organs, guitars,wind, drums,etc). There is also an automated drum synthesizer that's been preprogrammed to different music genres (e.g. soul, rock, jazz, blues, etc).

Regarding size and weight, this is a small and light keyboard and I have no trouble carrying it around to jamming sessions.

On a final note, I recommend shelling out a little more (about $50) for the PSR-273, another 61-keyboard which is just one step higher and offers touch response keys that feel and react more like a real piano. A touch response key produces a louder sound when you strike it harder, vice-versa. Further, the PSR-273 is only slightly larger and heavier.

Hope this review helps. =)

I bought this keyboard elswhere. Wish I had bought it here. Amazon includes the power cord. Great keyboard, great sound. The Grand Piano feature is the best!

I bought this keyboard on sale at Wal-Mart for about $90 after tax, as a Christmas present for my boyfriend. I was a little nervous about not being able to listen to it beforehand, but boy it sounds great! The Portable Grand feature is especially nice with a sound very similar to a real piano. It has many other features too, including many other instrument sounds, backbeats, and a built-in tutorial program complete with book of sheet music for 100 (short) songs. One very nice thing is that it comes with a power adapter so that you can start playing right away... I noticed some of the other keyboards did not include this.
My boyfriend is really enjoying this keyboard and has taught himself 4 of the songs from the book in just the last two months (playing two-handed), with no previous musical training! His sister was so impressed when she heard it that she went out and ordered the same model from Amazon for herself. I think the other reviewers are right that this would have cost a lot more money a few years ago. It has a ton of great features and is really a fantastic keyboard for the price.

I am a musician and a singer and I have played on pianos, electric pianos and keyboards of different types. I have had this keyboard for sometime now and I must say the quality of "grand piano" sound is much ahead of the price you pay (I have used it more often than other available voices). If you buy a $2000 electric piano, you may get a slightly better sound quality and a few more keys. The keyboard has 100 built in voices and they range from piano to organ to guiar and distortation guitar to accrodion and harmonica. Most of them sound satisfactorily. 10 sounds are split, i.e., half the keyboard sounds something and the other half sounds another instrument. There are a few DJ settings too if you want to add those kind of sounds to your music. It has a metronome too if you need to organize your speed of playing.

Something that I think the keyboard lacks is some sort of sound editor (even a simple one) that helps you add sustain or echo to the voices. Instead, 10 of the voices are sustained voices and none of them are the grand piano.

It has 100 built in rhythms too that range from pop to rock to country. You can play your own accompaniment with them or there are quick buttons for accords that makes the keyboard play an auto-accompaniment along. There are two preset auto-accompaniments for each rhythm and you can switch between them anywhere in the middle of music by press of a button.

There are also 100 built in music pieces apparently for those who want to learn and play music. The keyboard has buttons to teach you how to play by first playing left-hand and the right-hand and then both hands together. These songs are what you will be practicing. I haven't used this feature as I already knew how to play.

In general I think this is a good keyboard based on the quality of sound and it is very light too, so you can take it anywhere with you very easily. Also it comes with the power adaptor which is a convenience (I haven't used it with batteries yet to check the consumption).

I'm not a pianist, but I grew up with one and I know what a piano sounds like. When this keyboard is used in baby grand mode, I have trouble telling the difference between it and my sister's piano. I would love to have a real piano in the house, but there is no room for it, so this turns out to have all the sound (just not the look of a real piano). Also, you can't beat this price. This piano is better than some selling for 5 times the price (I tried a few out in stores). Yamaha is the best brand on the market. You can try their better models if you have the money, but unless you use it for concerts, you wont need anything more than this.

Well built with a nice sound and lots of features - it has captured my daughter's imagination, which is the main thing.

I received the PSR-175 about two days of ago and to my surprise, it surpass my expectations. Besides being extremely light, it also comes with a power adapter, musical book, instruction booklet, and even a Yamaha instructional DVD. The sound quality of this keyboard is excellent. As the other reviewers has said, the portable grand is the best feature of all. Its sound is so rich like that a real grand piano, that one would almost think it is a grand piano. The PSR-175 contains 100 voices, 70+ styles, and 20+ songs. It has a built-in dictionary that show you what chords you are playing. This is an excellent keyboard for those who are just starting to learning how to play. With no previous piano teaching, I have already learned how to play Amazing Grace, Silent Night, and Working on the Railroad. I'm now learning how to play Fur Elise. The only thing this keyboard doesn't have are touch sensitive keys. But overall, this is an excellent keyboard for such a fair price.

this is the keyboard i own because of technology advances youre getting a keyboard that woulda cost around 500 in the 80s for 100 the sound quality is suberb the piano the organ all sound like worldclass expensive keyboards it has 100 built in songs(mostly classical) and 100 sounds from flutes to harps to banjo u name it it has them all it also has an oboard drum machine and hundreds of various styles of music i use it when i play guitar u can have a whole band going on and record your guitar on top of it so its great to have around to create ideas or live performance its loud with good clarity and bass and has outputs for a keyboard amp if u plan on taking it to a gig overall i woulda paid 300 for this quality great sounding keyboard and its only 109 with adapter! the other reviewers right in the store this keyboards the same price without the adapter they charge 1999 for so if u buy this get it off amazon o and the box makes a nice keyboard stand until u can get a real one

I purchased 4 keyboards for a piano lab at one of our schools. I was pleased with the quality , performance, and overall look of the instrument. My students play in groups using different band sections and we are studying each section (woodwinds, percussion, etc. ). We are having the musical time of our lives. Thanks for a great product.

Good basic keyboard for beginners. Great keyboard with very good sound. Well worth its money.