Piano sounds on Medeli keyboards

[papasmurph]

I imagine the AKX10 and derivatives using the same synth engine and samples have better quality sounds than the previous generation, but does anyone know about what differences to expect in piano sound quality (and playability etc) in the digital pianos in this regard?

E.g. would the GRAND510 or DP650 sound noticeable better than the stage pianos SP4200 or SP4000?

The GRAND510 has 1200 sounds and is relatively new, so a wild guess is that it uses the AKX10 engine too.

I really have my eyes set on a Yamaha DGX-670 replacing a Thomann SP-5600 (= Medeli SP4200), so this is more to find out whether there are more options to consider.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Spectral]

Hi!

The AKX10 has the possibility to load SF2 files via GrandSuite.

While 95% of the free SF2 files are crap, there are also some very good ones out there. The trick is to find them. And one problem is, that the good ones uses a lot of memory (200-400MB). Another problem is, that the more complex files typically not work on the AKX10. But nevertheless there are better piano sounds available compared to the factory sounds. I have for example a Salamander, a Steinway, 2-3 Yamahas, a Keyzone and a Maganda piano.

Another possibility is to buy a commercial sound pack. There are some seller… But I tried it and it was a big disappointment and complete annoying waste of money. I invested some time and found better free sounds. And since the commercial packs are encrypted, you can't load individual sounds, you always need to have the whole pack on your keyboard that consumes your memory. That makes it completely useless to me.

Regards!

 

[papasmurph]

Thanks for the response. When/if I buy something new I'll do more testing than I need last time. Not that I'm unhappy with the SP-5600. By being both a digital piano and a keyboard/arranger there's a lot to explore, yet with the possibility to turn all features off with the Piano button, and just play.

 

[Spectral]

…Don’t forget, a AKX10 is a keyboard with weighted keys; a SP-5600 is a digital piano with hammer action...

 

[papasmurph]

I know. That's why I got the SP-5600, but it has keyboard features as well. Not en par with the AKX10, but still.

 

[Gourockian]

I had a Medeli AKX10 for about a week but decided to return it, for a number of reasons. Some of the sounds and rhythms were a bit disappointing but for the price, I was okay with that.

However, one big issue for me was the keys. Not only are they slightly narrower than standard piano keys but the sides at the front are not flat vertical surfaces. As can be seen in the attached picture, each key has a strangely shaped indented area on both sides which creates an overhang of the key surface. I found it annoying when playing adjacent keys, unless deliberately playing further back from the front of the keys. as it sometimes felt like it added resistance to lifting off the keys, especially when playing fast. I have no idea why they are designed like that and none of the many keyboards I've owned over the years have had this 'feature'.

Then on two different days, the keyboard froze, where I could not change from one sound to another, except by rebooting. That was the final straw, so back it went. Shortly after, I bought a Korg Pa1000, which has full-size keys. Yes, it was a lot more expensive and I had to wait 8 months for it to be shipped but i think it was worth it.

Incidentally, as far as I am aware, none of the current Yamaha DGX or PSR keyboards utilize full-size keys. They are almost the same width but if used to playing a regular piano or organ, the difference is obvious.

 

[papasmurph]

They did that right on the SP4200: full width 2.35 cm and the front and sides of the keys are vertical (except for the "lip" at the front, so not waterfall). Pity if the DGX-670 doesn't have full width keys, but it's claimed that they are.

 

[Gourockian]

They did that right on the SP4200: full width 2.35 cm and the front and sides of the keys are vertical (except for the "lip" at the front, so not waterfall). Pity if the DGX-670 doesn't have full width keys, but it's claimed that they are.

You sure you're seeing 2.35 cm? I've measured all of my instruments, using a metric tape and none of the keys exceed 2.25 cm. They include Technics KN-2400, KN-5000, Kawai CP-137, Yamaha AR-100, CP-300, Tyros2 and Korg Pa1000.

After playing a couple of the Yamaha YPG and DGX keyboards, I found the slightly narrower keys a nuisance compared to using full-size keys for so long. I was told that all the current offerings from Yamaha use this size except for the Montage and Genos models, where they become actual full-size. Now, this may be incorrect information but based on my earlier experience, I tend to believe this to be the case.