CLP 100 vs 900 series and 150 vs. 170

[wvoorhee]

I'm thinking (strongly) of buying a CLP 170 soon. The store did not have one in stock, but I was able to play a 150 and was pretty blown-away by the sound. There was a concert grand Yamaha near it and the sound of the 150 compared very well.

So I have two questions: Is the disk drive and other features on the 170 worth the extra $$$? The 150 had very good feel and sound.

Has anyone compared the 900 series to the 100 series? The store didn't have any 900s in stock and I was wondering what are the differences between the two. The salesperson tried to tell me that the 900s are all styled like grands and I know that isn't true.

Any help on 150 vs. 170 and 100 series vs. 900 series would be appreciated.

[RichardAndLily]

I just bought a CLP-170 a few weeks ago, after looking at most of the digital pianos. I tried to play as many as I could, but I picked the CLP-170 because I wanted the polished ebony finish, and the CLP-170 was the only CLP that had that finish. I also thought that I didn't want to buy another piano for a long time, so why not get the best one available?

I like the features of the CLP-170 - USB, iAFC (which doesn't work yet - I have to read the manual), and the sound and touch are very nice. I like to crank the volume and play Joplin's Solace with the vibraphone voice. It freaks out the dogs, and the sustained Vibe sound makes the walls throb.

The bench that comes with it is very nice too.

I don't think that you could go wrong buying either the -150 or the -170. I'm happy with my purchase.

Thanks

Richard

[wvoorhee]

Thanks. A little more research leads me to the conclusion that the 900 series is the older technology and I should stick with the 100s.

Still trying to determine if the 170's features are worth the extra $700 in price. They are quoting in the $3,200 range on the 170 and the $2,500 range for the 150.

The main difference appears to be the disk drive. Have you used it yet? Can you foresee this feature being important?

[RichardAndLily]

I haven't used the disk drive, but the sales man (Hi Ed!) used it to demonstrate using Diskclavier format songs.

My problem is that I haven't been home enough since I got the piano to explore all the features. I ran through the XG voices. They were mostly the same as on the PSR-290.

I put both the -150 and -170 pages from www.yamahaclavinova.com side-by-side, and the other main difference is that the area below the keyboard and above the pedals is filled in with two speakers on the -170, and it is empty on the -150. I think that is the extra amplifier portion. If you liked the sound on the -150, the -170 is even that much better.

(Here are the URLs:

http://www.yamahaclavinova.com/clp/clp150/down.htm
and
http://www.yamahaclavinova.com/clp/clp170/down.htm
)

It would be good if you could try them both side-by-side. If the difference isn't enough to merit the cost, then you should get the -150.

Another consideration might be availability. When I bought mine, I was told that the delivery time for another one from the factory was several months. Did your sales representative give you any idea when they would get a -170 in the store?

They are both incredible digital pianos.

Good luck!

Richard

[Dionz]

don't know how much it weighs... but the CLP170 is the first one with GH3 keyboard.

all other CLPs including the latest even-numbered CVPs still use the GH technology.

[kona001]

Hey, forget the CLP 170 or 150. What you want to get is the CLP990. I played all those models side by side and the CLP that felt the best, sounded the best, and played the best was the CLP990. It has 192 polyphony where the CLP 107 and 150 has 128 polyphony. It has a natural keyboard and not the standard GH or GH3 that appear on all the other models. The rom size on the CLP 170 is 36MB/54MB + 10MB (XG) and on the CLp990 has 89.4MB for the piano sample alone and 144MB of sounds in total. What's more, each note on the CLp990 is sampled at five separate dynamic levels so that the timbre is right from the meekest pianissimo to the most commanding fortissimo where the CLP170 has a 3 step levels only. You will notice the difference when you record what you play. The only advantage you get with the CLP170 is the new speaker system which are located in better positions on the Clavinova making it sound better in smaller rooms. You can find the CLP990 about the same price as the CLP 170 in most places so make your choice well. -Kona

[wvoorhee]

I was told that a 170 was at least a month from coming in. I guess they must be very popular. I've waited for a while to get back to the piano, so I guess I can wait.

Any comments on the prices I was quoted? I've seen them on the net for much less, but only in foreign countries. I even saw a scare tactic saying that Yamaha's made for other markets are not suitable for use in the U.S.

The dealer in New Orleans is the child of a music store family whose store had been around since 1857 and just closed. Now she's opened a piano only store (opened recently). As far as I could see, she's carrying only Yamaha and Pearl River pianos at this time. Could be the recent opening is contributing to the delay in getting in 170s for stock.

[kona001]

If you need a disk drive and want to save money, and get extra sounds. Buy the 150 ($2,500)and get a DRX1 ($800)module from yamaha. It comes with hundreds of orchestral sounds, a recorder and a disk drive. But if you want more sounds and a whole lot more features. Get the new CVP 209 or cvp210.

[davel]

Kona...I'm curious. What's a DRX1? When I look it up all I see is a DVD recorder. Do you mean a DSR1?

Dave

[kona001]

lol Yeah i meant DSR1.....

Yamaha just came out with a new motif called the ES which comes with virtually every sound you'll ever ever need including orchestral sounds which are newly recorded...And it comes with the Clavinova's Piano built into it as well as all the other Piano voices Yamaha has invented..

[kona001]

www.yamahasynth.com

is the link to see the motif es

[fredof]

I am really surprised about CLP 170 Piano Rom size.
The CLP 170 has 36Mb only dedicated to the piano and the CVP 209 has 112Mb for piano sample. I have played on both and the two seemed to have an excellent sound.
Why is there a so big sampling size difference ?
The CLP has perhaps a new sampling type ? (i've observed that the CVP210 has the same sampling size of the CLP 170 = 36 Mb).

[jakobf]

I own a CLP-170 and I'm very happy with it.

To address the original poster's questions, the main differences I find between 150 and 170 are:

- Better keyboard (GH3 vs. GH)
- iAFC system (very very nice)
- Disk drive

I actually use the disk drive quite a bit, but it all depends on how much your record, transfer MIDIs, download MIDIs to play on the piano, etc.

Also, with regards to the sample sizes - don't put too much weight into numbers (112MB vs. 36MB, etc.).. You could have 5GB of samples and still make it sound like crap. Side-by-side comparisons are necessary and even then, it's a matter of taste.

Personally, I never liked the CVP sounds, I never needs the big 640x480 color screen, so CLP-170 is perfect for me.

With regards to pricing, the price is almost always negotiable. I got mine for around USD 3200 including delivery (I live in Copenhagen, Denmark).