For those who are after a high-quality digital piano from a respected brand, the Yamaha YDP-145 Arius is an excellent choice. At an attractive price, this piano not only features a classic, timeless design, but also a grand piano sound sampled from the high-end Yamaha CFX concert grand. Added to this is the GHS (Graded Hammer Standard) keyboard, which features a responsive 88-key weighted and graded hammer action for an authentic playing feel. The speaker system delivers a natural sound with an authentic spatial feel thanks to the use of Tone Escapement technology, in addition to which the Smart Pianist app enables users to select instrument voices, adjust various settings, record their performances, and much more. Given this range of features, the YDP-145 Arius piano is also sure to find favour among more advanced users as well.
Yamaha has not compromised on the most important aspect of the YDP-145 Arius: The sound. By sampling the company's flagship concert grand pianos, Yahama has taken the renowned voluminous sound of its CFX series and placed it in a compact digital piano. The sound is made even more authentic by VRM-Lite technology, which was previously only available in the manufacturer's significantly more expensive digital pianos and simulates in real time the complex harmonic resonances and vibrations of the strings and soundboard that make up the sound of a concert grand piano. This gives the YDP-145 Arius a particularly realistic sound that convincingly reproduces all the nuances of an acoustic instrument.
The best piano sound is only as good as the keyboard that is used to bring it to life. The GHS (Graded Hammer Standard) keyboard of the Yamaha YDP-145 Arius reproduces the touch of an acoustic piano, from a naturally heavy feel in the lower keys to a lighter touch in the upper octaves. This ensures a realistic playing feel with precise expression control, which also benefits beginners in particular. Realism is also a key feature of the pedals: The damper pedal has a half-pedal function, allowing for precise control and providing rich expressive variation.
For decades, Yamaha has been one of the world’s best-known manufacturers of musical instruments and audio technology. The Japanese company’s long history began at the end of the 19th century with the harmonium. The product range has constantly expanded since then, which has made Yamaha one of the few manufacturers today to offer almost the entire range of existing musical instruments: From upright and grand pianos to guitars, wind instruments, and bowed string instruments and from drums and percussion to electronic keyboards and synthesizers. Yamaha is also a major force in the field of audio engineering as a manufacturer of mixing consoles, amplifiers, PA systems, and more. Yamaha's guiding principle is to combine traditional craftsmanship with state-of-the-art technology.
Combing a digital piano with a tablet or smartphone opens up a whole world of further possibilities. The YDP-145 Arius is compatible with the free Yamaha Smart Pianist app, which can be used to customise the sound and resonance settings and also contains the sheet music for the digital piano's more than 350 integrated songs and practice pieces, including many classics and rewnowned etudes by Beyer, Burgmüller, Czerny, and Hanon. Other practical features for practising include the integrated record function, which enables separate recording and playback of both hands as well as the option of splitting the keyboard into two sections with the same piano sound and octave range.
VRM Lite
Digitally reproducing the sound of an acoustic piano or grand piano is very complex, because all the components of the original are constantly interacting with each other: Keys, dampers, strings, and soundboard - all adding up to an impressive sound with many complex nuances and resonances. For a truly authentic sound, it is therefore not enough to simply sample each key at different volumes - just as important is how the vibrating strings and the other parts of the instrument influence each other. The VRM-Lite technology of the Yamaha YDP-145 Arius emulates this interaction of the individual components virtually and in real time. This ensures a much livelier sound than simple digital pianos that rely solely on sampling.