Yamaha YDP-163 Digital Piano Review

The Yamaha YDP-163 is the perfect digital piano for taking piano lessons (and for giving lessons) and comes with several advanced features beneficial to both students as well as teachers. With rich, expressive and fuller sounds, graded hammer-action keyboard, and a powerful 20-watt stereo speakers, the Arius YDP163 is a joy to play. [easyazon_link identifier=”B01DW69ZMW” locale=”US” tag=”keytarhq04-20″ cart=”n”]See PRICE of YDP-163 on Amazon[/easyazon_link].

Pros & Cons

• PROS – Good classic design, fuller sound, graded-hammer synthetic ivory keys
• CONS – No accompaniments

Who Is It For?
For serious piano beginner students.
For those who want an upright piano for practice, that is also a nice piece of furniture.

Yamaha YDP 163: Review

If you’ve always wanted a piano with the traditional looks, with synthetic ivory keytops, great keyboard action, this is the one to look for. Available for much less two thousand dollars, you get the luxurious feel of synthetic ivory keys and top quality stereo-sampled piano sounds that everybody expects from the Yamaha Arius series of pianos. Apt for home use, school, or church, you get the best looks, sound, and feel in an affordable package.

YAMAHA YDP-163 VS YDP-162

The YDP-163 is better than the YDP-162 (its predecessor) in a couple of ways.

• The YDP 163 has more polyphony than the YDP-162.
• The YDP 163 has GH3 Graded Hammer action, which is better than the one on the YDP-162 (GH – Graded Hammer action).

Yamaha YDP 163: Specs

Here are the key features of the YDP-163 piano:

1. 88 keys, GH3 sensitive keys
2. Pure CF Sound Engine for realistic sounds and expressions
3. 10 voices (grand pianos, electric pianos, harpsichords, organs, vibes and strings can handle any style of music)
4. Built-in songs — learn a right-hand or left-hand part individually, as the piano plays the other hand’s part
5. 192 note polyphony,
6. 3 piano-style pedals
7. 2-track recording
8. Built-in Metronome (5 – 280 BPM)
9. 2 headphone jacks for rehearsing with a student or duet partner, plus a handy headphone hanger
10. Choice of beautiful black or rosewood-finish, Cabinet is easy to assemble
11. Transpose, plus fine-tuning control
12. USB TO HOST – Connect the piano to a computer or mobile device
13. Powerful 20-watt stereo speaker system
14. Music stand, comfortable padded bench, power adapter, and “50 Greats for the Piano” music book included

Yamaha YDP 163: Video Review

Here’s video review of this piano:

Everything is included in the YDP163, and the assembling part is easy (having two people does help however). The sound is awesome, especially if you have good pair of headphones. The touch of the keys is like that of an acoustic piano. The keys feel more like ivory than plastic — there’s a matte feel to them that’s nice. The compilation piano music book that comes with the Arius is useful. The record function is also useful.

Competition Check

Not everyone can afford a Clavinova, even the used ones are expensive. The Yamaha Arius YDP-163 is a good alternative.

Priced over a grand, the Yamaha YDP-163 is perfect for the serious piano student or even for practicing. If you’re looking for better sound and more sounds, you can opt for the Yamaha Arius YDP-181. If you’re looking for something cheaper, you may consider the Yamaha DGX-660 or Casio PX-860 (these also offer good value for money).

Overall Ratings

If you are a serious beginner or an intermediate level player who’s looking for a better piano, you basically need a keyboard action built for more serious piano playing. The Arius YDP-163’s Graded Hammer action with Synthetic Ivory keytops, high quality sound samples, powerful 20W stereo amplifier, & many more features is what you need to become a better pianist.

There are also a lot of limitations with this digital piano. There aren’t many sounds, and you certainly will be hard pressed to move this sucker. But the grand piano sound that emits from this piano, coupled with the feel of the keys, is quite an extraordinary feat.

If you have the money, and you possess the dedication and commitment to play the piano, then this is certainly an instrument that’s worthy of your consideration.

Yamaha YDP 163: Buying Links & Pricing

• [easyazon_link identifier=”B01DW69ZMW” locale=”US” tag=”keytarhq04-20″ cart=”n”]Buy on Amazon[/easyazon_link] |
  Buy on zZounds

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KeytarHQ Editorial Team

KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.