Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67742 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Yamaha
• Model: P-85S
• Released on: 2008-06-29

Manufacturer's Description
The latest model in the long and best selling 'P' series from Yamaha: The P-85S (Silver finish) is lighter and more compact than the previous P-70 model but includes improvements to the sound quality and operability.

The sound of the 10 voices uses Yamaha's AWM sampling technology coupled with 64 note polyphony and an improved speaker system. The Graded Hammer (Standard) keyboard action is perfect for a portable piano whilst maintaining a superb natural feel.

On top of the P-85 all the control buttons are laid out in a comprehensive way with many operations requiring one touch. There is a record/play function for 1 track enabling you to practice and layer performances. There is an optional stand (L-85S) and 3 pedal board bar (LP-5) available.

Box Contents

• P-85S
• adaptor
• music rest
• sustain pedal

Customer Reviews

A Great Piece of Kit
I like this piano, I like it a lot. It's very compact at only 29cm deep and yet has 88 full size keys and it's the keys that are the really strong point of this piano. So often on entry level keyboards the keys are too light, too plastic feeling and frankly, not much like those on an acoustic piano. The P85 is different, this is a serious piece of kit (the P stands for professional) with the Yamaha GHS fully weighted, touch sensitive keyboard. Yamaha are noted for the high quality of their weighted keyboards and this makes it so similar to a `real' piano in feel and performance that playing other pianos (such as a teachers) becomes so much easier. It even has the very slight difference in weight so that the lower the note, the heavier the feel.

Good as the keyboard is, Yamaha haven't scrimped on the sounds either, the piano sound is really very good indeed through the built in speakers. It has another 9 voices including grand pianos, electric pianos, organs, harpsichords, vibraphones, strings and also a reverb effect. In addition it has a built in sequencer so that you can record your session and play it back. The two headphone sockets are useful for either headphones or an output to an external amplifier (or both).

If I had one criticism of the P85, it would be that the metronome is very fiddly to use. Essentially you adjust the rate by pressing combinations of keys on the keyboard and there's no display to let you know what it's actually set to. I never use the metronome and so this was not part of my decision making, but trust me, it's not at all easy to use.

I wouldn't let the one minor criticism hold you back, this is really a great piano and represents easily the best value for money. Purchased with the optional stand and three pedal unit it really is the complete package.

As always with choosing a piano I recommend that you find one in store and try it first. I spent many hours trying different pianos but the P85 really stood out as a piece of quality equipment at a great price. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced pianist, this piano will not disappoint.

Beautiful
This is a great digital piano in this price range. I think Yamaha really are the best quality for this sort of thing. I tested a similarly priced Casio which had many more features but didn't sound quite as good as the P85/P85S. The keys have a great feel to them, especially for me as this was my first upgrade to a piano after having played on a 10+ year old Yamaha keyboard for a few years. Some sort of display would have helped but this isn't a major problem. The red felt behind the keys is a nice touch. Oh and another major plus, it's tremendously portable - good if you're a stage pianist, or, like me, flit between university and holiday addresses. One wonders how such a heavyweight sounding product can be so light!
So if you're looking for a portable digital piano in the £400 price range, go for this one!