Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Yamaha N1X released at NAMM

The HD820s solve different problems - for example, listening in an externally noisy environment, or developing earaches when there is anything physically pressing on the ears. If you were doing studio recording, or your ears were physically sensitive to pressure, then they might make sense. But I'd like to steer people away from them as they are not an upgrade to the HD800S, despite that their numbering might suggest otherwise.

I played the N1X today at NAMM. Very impressive. Even in the ridiculously loud ballroom of the Marriott. I've never heard things that loud before in all my years going.

I was not a fan of the N1 but this seemed to have a fuller sound coming from the speakers and just more of a vibe of - yes I want to play this.

The Yamaha phones provided were of very low quality and gave a harsh sound to the tone. I would suspect with my Senn HD650s, it would have a more hi- fi and realistic tone.

The overall sound wasn't quite as full as the N3X next to it , but the tone, again from I could make out, sounded similar.

After 15 minutes on the P 515 and maybe 5 minutes on the CP88, this was simply like night and day with regard to playing experience and mimicking an acoustic.

There was no N2 there but just going on memory, this might compare favorably to that.

Recommended.

I wish I could go. It's only 12 miles from the me. I suppose I can't just walk in.

Does anyone know if the action is exactly the same in the n1x compared to the original n1?

Maybe you can ask one of the PW forum members in the trade that's attending to invite you as a guest. If you post a note on the piano forum, someone might agree to do that.

Anyone know of any detail tech spec comparisons between the AG N1 and the Novus NV10? I've found this thread and this thread, but neither compares tech specs. I've googled and come up empty. Anyone know of any blow-by-blow comparisons? (I realize it would all have to be updated for the N1X, but for me it is a starting point.)

I was certain they do (otherwise they are unnecessarily gimping the MIDI output) but don't have an AG available to test. I'm sure there are some owners here who can confirm one way or another...

Without starting a wild rumor, it's been mentioned that the key sensor was very expensive and difficult to manufacture, due to the grayscale measurement on each key. If Yamaha quietly replaced e smoked glass with a simply light shutter, it might drop the mfg cost enough for it to justify losing key-off samples. Not a very"Avant grand" move considering how no-compromise the rest of the instrument is, but seeing the midi spec sheet raises the possibility....

I'll wait for it to be available locally. There would probably be too much distraction/noise anyway to appreciate the instrument. Also, I wouldn't trade my N2 for an N1X anyway. Maybe the N2x will come out in the summer.

My N2 sends note off velocity events, but they are all 0.

Oh, how odd! Internally, three piano does have different key-off samples if you lift the key slowly, right?

When lifting the key very slowly, it sends 3 after touch events, 24, 22, 20. I can reproduce that consistently.

Ah, so perhaps Yamaha is addressing the note-off samples via a different mechanism than note-off velocity (but in any case is measuring it and sending the data)?

but that is not helpful, if you would want to attach Pianoteq to it and benefit from proper Note OFF Velocity.
Would that be behaviour be compliant to the MIDI standard?

I don't know. I'm not sure how useful the values are? They are always the same for the after touch events. If I release the key a little faster, then I get 2 events instead of 3. And yet a little faster, just 1. Then finally, with a normal release, no after touch events at all.

Sounds like Yamaha may have 4 levels of note-off and they are using afternoon events to pass those through. Who knows, could be a custom implementation prior to standardization of note-off velocities? In any case, key release speed is being recorded and passed off via midi it seems.

How is the back of the casing - is it any better than that of NV10?

One thing which puzzle me us that my old (2002) Clavinova has a LCD display with letters to ease the acces to advanced function. And now, 2019, a very high-end digital piano has still a 3 numbers LED display.

I know that the purpose of the piano is to play the piano with its 88 keys... but it seems me quite anachronistic.

I have understood that there's this 'Smart Pianist' iOS/Android app you can use to command the thing. Personally, I prefer this approach. Wise move from Yamaha.

Yamaha already makes a Clavinova (CSP) that has no on-board interface; everything is controlled from the app (except for volume/power).
I hope they take this approach for all their future digital pianos (including the AvantGrands).

So no phone = no piano? Sorry, not for me. At the piano my phone is nowhere in sight.