By this point in time, odds are you’ve heard about Casio’s huge expansion of their beloved Privia PX series with the new PX-S5000, PX-S6000 and PX-S7000. These three new models get Casio products in parts of the market they haven’t occupied lately, or even in the case of the S6000 and S7000.
In this article and companion video, we’ll be taking a long look at the new Casio PX-S7000, which not only offers a great tone engine and action but also happens to ship with one of the nicest wooden stands we’ve seen, while also being available in the optional Harmonious Mustard finish – easily one of the most striking finish options we’ve seen on a digital piano.
The PX-S7000 is offered at a price point that implies it will be pitted directly against the Roland FP-90X, as well as the Kawai ES-920 and Yamaha P-515. Needless to say, the PX-S7000 has some very stiff competition and will really need to deliver on the hype if it’s going to be a successful product for Casio. Let’s get started.
Casio PX-S7000 Background
Our expectations for this instrument were very high when we first heard about it, and those expectations were largely formed by the price point, which comes in at $3,300 CAD and $2,500 USD. This price point makes the PX-S5000 the most expensive portable Privia digital piano Casio has ever brought to market and sends a very clear warning shot across the bow to Roland’s FP-90X.
Our overall impressions are that although the approach to the user interface, stand and finish (in the case of the Harmonious Mustard option) are quite different than anything else out there, musically, the PX-S7000 is going to provide consumers with a true 4th option in a category dominated by the FP-90X, Yamaha P-515 and Kawai ES-920.
With that important bit of context out of the way, let’s explore everything related to sound.
Digital Piano Sound
Multi-Dimensional Morphing AiR Sound Source
The first important thing to know is that while the PX-S7000 is using Casio’s Multi-Dimensional Morphing AiR sound engine, this version of the engine draws on many of the same samples and much of the same technology that is loaded into the GP-310 and GP-510 hybrid pianos from Casio.
Anyone familiar with those instruments will know that they’re outfitted with killer samples of Hamburg Steinway, New York Steinway, and a C. Bechstein D282 concert grand pianos, referred to by Casio as the Hamburg Grand, New York Grand and Berlin Grand respectively.
These legendary grand pianos have been meticulously captured via multi-channel sampling, and the result is some of the best samples available in a digital piano.
Acoustic Simulator
Even though all three of these core grand piano sounds are great out of the box, the Acoustic Simulator feature allows you to edit a large number of sound-related parameters to further refine the samples to your liking.
You’re given control of things like string resonance, damper resonance, open string resonance, aliquot resonance, damper noise and more. Once you’ve found combinations you like, you can then save these as presets for quick call-up later.
Reverbs & Other Effects
The Acoustic Simulator dovetails with a number of Reverb Hall Simulators and DSP effects for non-acoustic piano tones like synthesizers for another layer of control.
There’s also a cool surround effect as well.
Polyphony
The S7000 is equipped with 256-note polyphony across all tones on the instrument, meaning it’s doubtful that you’ll find yourself in a situation where you run out of polyphony.
Other Sounds
There are 400 sounds in total here, and with very consistent quality across the board, this means you’ve got a very large stable of useable sounds at your disposal.
There are a ton of great and classic electric piano tones, organs, strings, synths and just about everything else you can think of.
Navigating the large collection of sounds is actually very straightforward too.
4-Speaker Spatial Sound System
The new Casio PX-S7000 is equipped with a 4-speaker system, and it’s unique in that all 4 speakers are equal range, 8-watt speakers. Typically with digital pianos when you see a 4 speaker system it will consist of two mains and two tweeters, so it’s interesting that Casio went with a different approach here.
The two outward-facing speakers have been equipped with side-enhancing diffusers which work to produce a wider tone better for filling a room. They’ve also added a Piano Position feature which automatically EQ’s the sound depending on what type of surface you happen to be playing your S7000 on.
While these speakers can’t come close to matching the sheer power of the FP-90X’s 60 watts of power since we’re working with 32 watts here, the quality of the speaker design is very high, and the power output is in line with what the P-515 and ES-920 have to offer as well.
Casio also needed to keep the speaker size within reason since the PX-S7000 is extremely portable when not affixed to the stand and even gives you the option of running it on battery power.
Digital Piano Action
Smart Hybrid Hammer Action Keyboard
We should mention right away that we’ve done a pretty extensive comparison between this new action and the Smart Scaled action found in the PX-S1100 and S3100 in some other videos and articles, so definitely check those reviews out if you’d like to learn more about that comparison.
That said, like the Smart Scaled action, these new Smart Hybrid Hammer Action keys also use a shorter pivot length to accommodate the slim cabinet we’ve got here.
That being said, it’s a much quieter action due to improved key cushioning, and the weighting is also more consistent between the white and black keys.
Wood Side Panels
Another upgrade featured in this action is the presence of wood siding. Wood also helps quiet down the key, makes the weighting feel more like a real acoustic piano, and will also help with long-term durability.
Roland has taken this same approach with their much beloved PHA-50 action.
So, there are some differences. Not to mention that it’s a completely new surface.
The key tops on the white and the black keys feel a lot more realistic and a lot closer to an acoustic and less exaggerated than what you find on the 1100 and 3100. So, it’s at a premium price point for this category of instrument. It feels like a premium key top, which is really nice.
Now, there are two features that are typically discussed on actions that Casio doesn’t mention, escapement and whether it’s a double or a triple sensor.
It definitely does not have any escapement. You can feel that. And it doesn’t mention whether it has a triple sensor.
Since Casio in the past has mentioned when there is a triple sensor included, my guess is that they probably have not, and this may still be a double sensor.
Given the short pivot length on the key, perhaps the thought was that a triple sensor wasn’t that meaningful because you’re unlikely to get this instrument being used in studio settings to input really accurate MIDI information into piano tracking or things like that. And they’re probably right.
So, inconclusive whether it’s a double or triple, but the absence of the fact that they’ve said it probably means that we are looking at a double sensor. But my overall impressions of the action are positive.
Whereas on the 1100, it always felt like you were sort of having to just defend the fact that it was passable, that it was okay, it wasn’t gonna hold anybody back. I actually like playing this action. It isn’t just okay, it feels really good.
This is an action that I would gig on for two, or three hours and be really quite happy with.
In fact, I have every intention in the world within the next couple of weeks to actually take this guy out and see how it feels and stands up over the course of a pretty rigorous two or three-hour gig.
Features/Connectivity
LCD User Interface
The new menu system and the accompanying user interface on the PX-S7000 is generally speaking a super intuitive system to use. The function button gets you into the menu and it’s well-marked and easy to get around.
You can also assign various things to the function buttons and save them as registrations, such as microphone effects, for quick recall.
The S7000 also has some nice real-time controls with a pitch bend wheel and modulation control.
Connectivity
The PX-S7000 checks the main boxes in terms of its onboard connectivity. The ever-important 1/4” L/MONO, R discreet line outputs are present so no need to fiddle with adapters when you need more juice, and quite notable, also present is a mic in with a mic volume knob.
There’s also USB Type A and B, an extra pedal input for an expression pedal in addition to the included 3-pedal unit, and dual headphone outputs.
The PX-S7000 is also enabled with Bluetooth Audio and Bluetooth Wireless MIDI – simply plug in the complimentary WU-BT10 adaptor to activate the Bluetooth functionality.
The new Casio Music Space App for iOS and Android is very much worth checking as it happens to be one of the best remote control apps available, allowing you to easily control features like the metronome, audio recording and more from your Smart Device.
Wooden Stand
As we mentioned earlier, the PX-S7000 with a super aesthetically striking wooden stand. Not only is it striking, but it also happens to be the most rugged and solidly built stand to go along with a portable digital piano that we’ve ever seen.
It’s an absolute tank that doesn’t budge even when you’re really digging in with your playing, and would probably cost around $500 on its own if it wasn’t included with the PX-S7000 for free. The piano can screw into the stand, or simply slot in place if you want to quickly be able to grab it and go.
Finish Options
The PX-S7000 comes standard in a Black or White finish, and as we mentioned above, it’s also available in a stunning Harmonious Mustard yellow finish that has to be one of the most unique-looking digital piano finishes we have seen.
Closing Thoughts
Thanks for joining us for our first look at the Casio PX-S7000. When you take in everything it has to offer, for its three great grand piano samples, innovative speaker system, solid action, unique but easy-to-use user interface and excellent stand, we think the S7000 is poised to win over some hearts.
If you’re looking for a high-end, portable all-in-one digital piano and assumed you only had three legitimate options, not so fast; the PX-S7000 makes it four.
