Casio CGP-700BK Compact Grand Piano Review

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That Casio follows its mantra of “creativity and contribution” quite religiously, is evident by the numerous innovative and imaginative products they keep introducing year after year. With over 35 years of experience in manufacturing keyboards (and over 65 years in consumer electronics goods), Casio’s name stands synonymous to innovation and excellence.

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With its latest CGP line of digital pianos, Casio has managed to leave its competitors far behind in terms of technology, yet again. The new Compact Grand Piano (CGP) series of digital pianos by Casio feature ground-breaking technology, exceptional sound system and world class keyboard action, that makes them perfect for professionals and beginners alike. Casio CGP-700BK Compact Grand Piano is the first of this series, and promises to usher a new era in digital piano technology. Here is a detailed look at the Casio CGP-700BK!

Key Features of the Casio CGP-700BK

1) Color Touch Interface – This incredible new feature is a welcome addition to the world of digital pianos. With a beautiful 5.3″ high-resolution display, the Color Touch Interface lets you manage all the controls more conveniently and more effectively. Using only swipes and touch gestures, musicians can now navigate through tones, rhythms and various modes. In its price range, there is simply no match for Casio CGP-700BK’s Color Touch Interface.

2) 6-Speaker System – The CGP-700 sports four 20W+20W speakers in the top panel and two additional speakers in the included cabinet stand, to deliver a massive 40 watts of total sound amplification. While the top six speakers provide a rich stereo experience, the bottom two provide the requisite low frequencies to handle instruments such as drums and bass with ease. A six-speaker system is another first in digital pianos and easily has the best power output available, in its price range.

3) 88-Key Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II – With world class Tri-Sensor scaled hammer action technology, the Casio CGP-700 is able to recreate the touch and response of a 9 ft concert grand piano with precision. Suitable equally well to professional pianists and beginners, the CGP-700 delivers 127 times the resolution of other regular keyboards. It has the same weight and response as found in the real acoustic pianos, where the lower keys are heavier and get lighter as keys get higher. The simulated ivory and ebony keys retain the pristine feel of acoustic pianos, and prevent fingers from slipping.

4) World Class Piano Sound – A Multi-Expressive Integrated (MXi) sound source built into the Casio CGP-700 provides you with a rich, multi-dimensional sound experience. It contains an exquisite sample of meticulously recorded piano sounds using over two dozen microphones, from a 9′ grand concert piano. You can use the piano in stereo or mono mode, and instantly change the settings to adjust it for rock, jazz, classical or any other genre to suit your needs. This makes it one of the most dynamic and expressive digital piano ever with the most authentic piano sound.

5) 128-note Polyphony, 550 Tones, 220 Rhythms – The CGP-700 features a 128-note Polyphony, that allows it to deliver a masterful performance of songs from any genre. Furthermore, it has 550 newly developed instrument tones that include guitars, basses, strings, drums, organs and more. 220 ensemble rhythms (like Latin, Waltz) utilizing drums and percussions are also available to accompany your music, when playing with a full band. Apart from these, a solid effects system is also in place with reverbs, chorus, delays and other essential add ons such as rotary speakers for organs and phasers for electric pianos.

6) Split, Duet & Classroom Mode – The Split mode is used to play two different instrument sounds within a keyboard. e.g. You can play vibratone with left hand, and piano with your right hand at the same time to render a more complete performance. The Duet and Classroom modes make the CGP-700 an ideal musical instrument for educational purposes. Using the Duet mode, the keyboard is split into two equal ranges and allows two people (e.g. a student and a teacher) side by side on one instrument. Whereas the new Classroom mode splits the keyboard and configures the CGP-700 audio outputs to work with any external piano lab system. The presence of two headphone jacks can also serve as brilliant aids for a teacher and a student while learning a piano lesson.

7) High Portability – With a sleek design and weighing only 26 lbs, the Casio CGP-700BK is one of the lightest digital pianos around and is perfectly suited for any home or outdoor environment. The elegant wooden cabinet and stylish design only add to the overall appeal of the product, and to the flair of the room. Also, with the 1/4″ outputs, you can easily connect it to any external amplifier, mixer or PA system while giving an outdoor performance.

8) Other Features – Using a class-compliant USB port, the CGP-700 can easily connect with a PC, Mac or other devices, such as an iPhone, without the need to install any special drivers. This also means you can easily transfer and store your music as files in computers or smartphones, for further processing or sharing your music. It also includes a 17-track MIDI recorder and an USB audio recorder, to easily store your performance for future reference. An optional SP-33 pedal system is also available in addition to a SP-3 switch foot sustain pedal, to provide soft, sostenuto and damper resonance.

Pros:

  • Exceptional Color Touch Interface technology;
  • Brilliant sound quality of a Grand concert piano and 6-speaker system;
  • Sleek design and high portability;
  • Classroom and Duet Modes, that make it ideal for educational purposes;
  • Perfectly weighted keys;
  • 17-track MIDI recorder;
  • Incredible value for money;
  • 1+2 years of replacement warranty.

Cons:

  • Some customers have complained about the wooden stand of not being sturdy enough.

Conclusion

The Casio CGP-700BK Compact Grand Piano is a grand culmination of Casio’s 65 years of expertise in electronics and technology, and over 35 years in creating musical instruments. Loaded with incredible, never-seen-before features at an equally incredible price range, the CGP-700 is a complete product for every one from a pro to an amateur. This next generation digital piano stands as a proud testimony to the superior Japanese engineering, and comes strongly recommended by us for every piano enthusiast to give it a try.

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