Casio CT-S1 Now With 76 Keys

[Saul]

This is interesting given that we are now in a world where the Roland Go Keys 3 and 5 have changed perceptions of what an entry-level keyboard should be...or perhaps not, depending on your point of view Anyway, Casio has just released a 76 key version of the CT-S1, aptly named the CT-S1-76.

So this is the same keyboard as the CT-S1 with the only difference being the extra keys. RRP is £349 which is of course the same price as the Roland Go Keys 3. Now you could argue that for someone wanting to learn piano, 76 keys are better than 61. But I would argue if you want to learn acoustic piano, buy something with a weighted 88-note keybed.

My point here is that 76 synth-action keys is not really going to add much to your piano-playing skills.

That RRP of £349 will probably drop to something closer to £299 but I still think the Roland Go Keys 3 is not only better value for money but hugely superior in sound quality and the range of sounds and functions on offer.

It's going to be hard going for Casio and Yamaha competing with the Roland Go Keys 3 & 5.

https://yamahamusicians.com/casio-launc ... ful-sound/

[sonic2000gr]

Interesting. I would expect them to release something more premium with 76 keys rather than the S1.
You are probably right it doesn't serve much purpose. I have a friend here who plays in a cover band and he needs76 keys on his synth for splits (with different parts in each split). But I don't get an entry level 76 key 'piano like' keyboard. There are enough of them already.

And in fact when I decided to up my piano skills, I went directly for a P515. I don't have a 76 key unweighted keyboard. It would serve no purpose, esp without splits / layers.

[Saul]

I think it is just a way of leveraging a little more revenue out of the CT-S1 at a minimal production cost

I could see the logic if this was a synth but not for something that is aimed at aspiring piano players.

All these entry-level keyboards have been left behind in the wake of what Roland has done with the Go Keys 3 and 5.

[mx49]

But I don't get an entry level 76 key 'piano like' keyboard. There are enough of them already.

I am not aware of many 73/76 note piano-like keyboards in this price range. I would be interested in a Casio CDP-S360-76. I would not call the CT-S1 a piano-like keyboard. As I understand it, CT refers to Casiotone, which is/was their affordable synth line.

[anotherscott]

This goes directly up against the Yamaha NP-32. Yamaha apparently does well with that. The line (30-->31-->32) goes back to 2008, so there's apparently a successful niche there that they've pretty much had for themselves, doing well with that 76 even though they've also offered 61-key versions of the same boards.

As for competing with the Go, it's almost certainly a better "entry piano" board, not just for the extra keys, but I think its piano sound and feel is better (though there is always some subjectivity when it comes to sound and feel).

It would be nice to see a CT-S500 with 76 keys though. As has been mentioned, then you can also really take advantage of the extra keys for splits (which, BTW, is still something Casio does better than Roland in this comparison... the Go lets you have one sound above the split point and one below, IIRC, while the Casio S500 allows you to layer two sounds above the split point while playing one below).

[Saul]

The AiX sound chip does a good job but does not match the ZEN-Core sounds of the Roland Go Keys 3 and 5. I have owned the CT-X700 and CT-S1 and as impressive as they were on release the ZEN-Core engine, in my opinion, wins out in every respect including acoustic piano.

But yes you are right in that the CT-S1 is not pitched at budding pianists. Or at least that is not how Casio pitches it but my guess is that these make up a larger proportion of the people who might be buying such a keyboard.

[anotherscott]

The AiX sound chip does a good job but does not match the ZEN-Core sounds of the Roland Go Keys 3 and 5. I have owned the CT-X700 and CT-S1 and as impressive as they were on release the ZEN-Core engine, in my opinion, wins out in every respect including acoustic piano.

I've been doing some gigs with the pair of a CT-S500 and Fantom-07. (CT-S500 has same action and piano sounds as CT-S1, though it probably has more variations of the piano sound.) The Casio is my "bottom" (although I physically place it on top, because its music rest is a convenient place for the iPad). I'm not sure how much is the action vs. the sounds, I haven't compared in detail, but I much prefer playing the Casio for pianos/EPs rather than the Roland (which is part of the reason I came up with this combination to begin with). And as it happens, the Casio meets-or-beats Zencore for some other sounds, too (banjo is one that comes to mind, Casio's is much better than Roland's). But this will vary depending on which sounds you are comparing. The point is that, at least to me, neither's sounds are universally better than the other... and piano in particular is much more enjoyable for me to play on the Casio.

More recently I saw this video, which compares (presumably) the main piano sound of the CT-S1 and the Go. Again, there can be subjectivity to this, but to me, the Casio easily has the better piano sound. He also measures the amount of "springiness" of the keys, and the Go is much higher. The Casio has one of my favorite actions for piano, as semi-weighted actions go, at least as long as we're talking about relatively low cost and lightweight boards... and one of the best things about it is that it doesn't push back as much as many other actions do. (Real pianos require very little effort to keep a key depressed once you've played it, and that's something I look for. To me, keys that push back more are harder to play with finesse, and just generally seem more fatiguing to play.)



(And I didn't realize Yamaha was up to NP-35 already... I wonder why they skipped 33 and 34...)

So my personal conclusion of the CT-S1/CT-S500 beating the Go for piano is based on my preferring the Casio for piano even over the higher end Fantom-0, and that measurement that showed the Go has a noticeably "springier" action compared to the Casio action I enjoy playing. But of course, as they say, YMMV.

[Saul]

It is all down to preference. Some prefer Nord, KORG, Roland, Yamaha, Casio or modelled instruments such as Pianoteq. The only important thing is what YOU like. I prefer the Roland over the Casio. I prefer Pianoteq over sampled pianos. Which is more realistic? I don't know and I don't care. All I care about is whether I like it.

So what I was saying about ZEN-Core being better than Casio's AiX is true for me. It doesn't have to be true for anyone else

[sonic2000gr]

I am not aware of many 73/76 note piano-like keyboards in this price range. I would be interested in a Casio CDP-S360-76. I would not call the CT-S1 a piano-like keyboard. As I understand it, CT refers to Casiotone, which is/was their affordable synth line.

My bad, when I said 'piano like' I meant in the looks only. Cheap weighted 76 key pianos are quite scarce. Yamaha has dropped the P121 and no replacement has appeared. I am still hoping for a P221.
But coming back to the CT-S1, the 61 key version is about 230 euro in Thomann right now. Let's say the 76 will be about 300. At 360 you can get a Casio CDP-S110 with hammer action and 88 keys. I think they just want to compete with the Yamaha NP series as already said.

[Jokeyman123]

Several of us at the Casio music forum have been suggesting a 76-key, but weighted-as the PX-5S and PX-560 and others in their lightweight piano action group of instruments. We didn't get one. We got this instead. I guess the musicians who would prefer a piano-action instrument already have one-and the fact that these have USB and midi for "legacy" stuff-I use computers and hardware modules that still use mid DIN, and these CT series don't, I imagine these are being geared toward many younger players who may not have much in the way of midi DIN equipment, Casio I guess markets that which sells the most quickly. Survival in the marketplace means addressing your audience, and I guess older musicians like me-they must know we are already pretty well stocked up on their, and other's music noise-makers. They seem to innovate every few years-and then drop out. Many of us have also hinted at a possible CZ re-issue for example, Behringer has something, but its a tiny module, and I think it has become vaporware- don't see it anywhere. Maybe Casio sniffed it out, and the Behringer factory might be a little too close to Casio's! I believe Casio still has patents on the PD synthesis, I'd have to check. Could be why the Behringer CZ isn't around, or might be sold out everywhere, although I can't find anyone online that bought one yet. and weighted 76 keys, I think only Nord has one?

[sonic2000gr]

Really, what is Casio thinking with this price?

This is almost twice the price of the 61 key version and more expensive than Casio's own weighted key versions.

[amwilburn]

Really, what is Casio thinking with this price?

casio.png

This is almost twice the price of the 61 key version and more expensive than Casio's own weighted key versions.

For $399 CAD it would do well (Np35 is $499), and even at $499 CAD it would do okay (Yamaha putting the speakers to the left and right of the keys makes their NP's extra wide). The CTS1 is $299 here. But 399 Euros... that's $599 CAD!? (actual price here is $499 CAD). But at $600 CAD in Europe? yeah, only $200 less than a new PXS1100. And that has 88 weighted keys with 3 year warranty!

THe GOKeys 3 and 5 sound great; but having loved the keys of the original GoKeys61, I wasn't expecting to strongly dislike the new keys (the new gokeys, the black keys are *really* shallow, and it feels weird. So in term of touch, I'd be willing to bet the CT1s76 would be the winner (Yamaha's NP keys feel a bit light as well, the CT1s feels better). But you also have to take into account warranty; here the CT1s & GoKeys are 1 year vs 2 for the Yamaha's, plus compatibilty with SmartPianist (which is what changed from Np32 to 35).

I'm so very disappointed with the Gokeys actual keys :1

Mark