Casio AP-250 Review
The AP-250 is the first model in the Casio Celviano range of pianos. The piano is basically the same as the Privia PX-150 and PX-750, and this review will highlight the differences. However, the main part will be identical to the review of the Privia models, except for the additional song storage facility of the AP-250.
First Impressions
The AP-250 is presented in a much more traditional styling than the Privia PX-750 which I know some people look for when considering the purchase of a digital piano. The cabinet is available in either simulated black wood or brown oak finish, complete with 3 pedals and sliding keyboard cover. The internal amplification is 2 x 8 watts, through two speakers, which is identical to the Privia PX-750, and pretty much standard at this price level. The sound is certainly loud enough for home use, and should you wish to practice in silence there are 2 headphone sockets located on the front of the instrument. Although the cabinet is certainly larger than the Privia, it is still fairly compact, and weighs approximately 87 lbs.
Review
The control panel of the AP-250 is very uncluttered and simple to operate. There are three dedicated buttons for selecting either Concert or Modern grand piano and electric piano. The other sounds are selected by pressing the Function button and using the keyboard to call up the required tone and sound names are clearly marked above the keys. The Function button is also used to control several other features, but more about those later. The only other controls on the panel are for the metronome, recording, volume control and the power button.
The Keyboard action
Having played several of the Privia models over the years, one of my biggest issues with the original models was the keyboard action, which I didn’t feel was up to the quality of some other manufacturers’ products. Casio have certainly worked hard to improve this over the past few years and the AP-250 features the new “Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard II”. Having 3 sensors on the key enables variations in keystroke speed to have more influence on the sound and also for keys to be replayed before they have fully returned to rest position. This results in a much more responsive and natural feel and also allows for very fast note repetition.
In keeping with other many other manufacturers Casio have now added a simulated ebony and ivory textured surface to the keys. This is a welcome improvement, making the keyboard feel much more natural to play and preventing fingers from slipping when playing for long periods of time. The keyboard is also ‘scaled’ as Casio call it, which means the weighting of the keys becomes progressively lighter as you move from the lower to higher notes, simulating a traditional acoustic piano, something found on most current digitals.
I know that the weighting of the keys on digital pianos is always subjective, especially among more professional players, but I really believe Casio now has an action that is of a quality, equal to, if not better than many other products of a similar, and in some cases a higher price.
So after all that talk of the action, what about the sound? After all, a piano can have a great keyboard action, but if it doesn’t have a sound to match then it’s all a bit pointless. The AP-250 has 18 inbuilt sounds including a new Concert grand piano sound, which is produced using Casio’s Morphing technology. This enables the tone of the piano sound to change more naturally through different dynamic levels. On early digital pianos there wasn’t enough memory to store much detail from the acoustic piano, and this often resulted in a sound that had no tonal variation whether playing soft or loud, only the volume changed. Over the years improvements in technology have enabled manufacturers to incorporate recordings of a piano at different dynamic levels, so there is tonal change in the sound as you play. The problem often occurs however that the changes are sometimes too noticeable. Several of the top digital piano manufacturers have developed technology to improve this and Casio’s “Multi dimensional Morphing” and Acoustic Intelligent Resonator (AiR) technology is their answer. This results in a much more natural change of tone through the dynamic range.
Three times the amount of memory has been used to store the sound compared with the previous model, so much more detail has been incorporated. Damper resonance is also included when the sustain (damper pedal) is pressed. This reproduces the effect of additional strings resonating, as on a traditional piano when the pedal is used.
The four other acoustic piano sounds are Modern, Classic, Mellow and Bright. The modern sound is very much a pop grand, or studio piano sound with more brilliance than the concert grand sound, and there is also more reverb. Classic piano is perhaps best described as a standard piano sound, not as full as the Grand, but a good sound for general practice. This sound would be ideal for softer classical pieces. The last two, Mellow and Bright are pretty self-explanatory! It is great to have five sounds to choose from, many other products at this level only have two. I can’t say that I was particularly keen on the Bright piano sound but I thought the other 4 are very good, and the main Concert Grand Piano sound is excellent. A brilliance facility is also included, enabling the player to adjust the tone of any sound to suit their preference. A very useful feature, and again something that many digital pianos at a similar price do not have.
The 3 electric piano sounds range from the 60/70’s electric to the typical FM piano sound of the 80’s, and are good. All three have a good dynamic range, and feature the appropriate effects, as do all the sounds, where necessary. Again this is great flexibility at this price level, and coupled with the brilliance control, some great variations can be achieved. Harpsichord and vibraphone are next, both are reasonable. Then there are two string sounds, which are ok. The first has a slow attack and the other is a brighter more classical sound. To be fair, the string sounds on most instruments at this price level are not that hot and are generally used to mix with another sound (more about that later). It’s always personal preference, and I think most people will buy a digital piano based on the quality of the actual piano sounds, certainly when it’s for home use. The other tones are an extra for many players, especially beginners.
Following on we have the four organ sounds. Pipe organ is the first, and Casio have avoided falling into the trap of making it a huge cathedral organ, which although can sound impressive, rather restricts its use. Instead they have opted for a medium sound which is far more useful for playing hymns. The jazz organ sound is fair and the 2 electric organ sounds are ok. Not the best organ sounds I’ve ever heard, but a useful selection never the less.
Lastly there are 2 bass sounds which when either is selected split the keyboard into two sections. The bass sound plays in the lower 3 octaves and the right hand part will still have the sound that was in use before the bass was activated. One of the sounds is acoustic bass with a ride cymbal, which can be really effective with a piano sound in the right hand for jazz style playing. Only the 2 bass sounds work in this way, it is not possible to use any other sounds in the left section of the keyboard. Not a true split-keyboard as on some of the more expensive instruments, but still a useful addition to the instrument. It is also possible to layer any two sounds over the entire keyboard (except the bass tones) and the volume balance between each of the sounds can be adjusted.
Additional features
In keeping with most digital pianos, a metronome and basic recording facility are also incorporated. The tempo of the metronome can be adjusted using the Function button and the keys marked plus and minus, or you can input an exact tempo using the numbered keys. Having a small LCD display indicating the tempo would be much better, but to be fair, many pianos at this level use a similar system to the AP-250.
There is a simple 2-track digital recording facility, which although has no internal permanent storage is ideal for a quick and easy capture of a performance. As well as storing your own playing, the AP-250 has a library of 60 performance pieces stored in memory and comes complete with a songbook. It is possible to split the left and right hand parts and play along. Or you can just sit back and listen!
An extra feature of the AP-250 over the Privia models is the ability to add up to 10 additional piano songs (midi file format) to internal memory using USB and a computer.
There are several other features that are controlled using the Function button and the keyboard. These include transpose, reverb, chorus, brilliance, touch sensitivity level, metronome, song volume, as well as several more. There is also a lock feature enabling the AP-250 to be set to a fixed sound. Ideal for stopping small fingers from fiddling with the controls when they should be practicing! A USB socket is also included for connection with a computer enabling you to use music software and various apps that are now available.
Conclusion
The AP-250 is a good quality starter digital piano. It’s not perfect, but then I don’t know of any instruments that are. The keyboard action is very good and certainly much better than older Casio Celviano instruments. There are a good choice of piano sounds, and having a brilliance control is a nice feature at this price level. Some of the other sounds could perhaps be better, but I think beginners buying this instrument will mostly be interested in the piano tones. Apart from the song storage feature and the cabinet styling there is no difference between the AP-250 and the Privia PX-750, in terms of technical specification. There is about $200 difference in price (based on general internet pricing) so I guess “you pay your money, you take your choice”. Both are great value.
Pros
- Traditional style cabinet but still fairly small and lightweight
- Tri-sensor keyboard with good quality action
- 128 note polyphony (avoids notes dropping out when using the pedal)
- 3 pedals as standard with half pedaling and damper resonance
- All extra functions clearly marked above the keys
Cons
- No display for metronome tempo
- Using the Function button for some of the features can slightly fiddly
- Some of the non-piano sounds could be slightly better.
