Product Overview

For years, the mainstay of Casio’s contribution to the digital piano market has been models in the entry-level and intermediate range. These instruments, particularly the Privia and Celviano models, have consistently embodied exceptional value, with the Celviano AP-470 exemplifying an upper tier, an intermediate competitor to Yamaha, Roland, and Kawai.

As far as home digital pianos go, the Casio AP-470 provides pretty much everything you’ll need, but for a lower price than some of its competitors, such as the Yamaha Clavinova series digital pianos. Casio’s proprietary Multi-Dimensional Morphing AiR Sound Source (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator) offers up an authentic grand piano sound, and 22 total onboard sounds, including various acoustic grands, vintage electric pianos synths, and harpsichord.

Add in a powerful 40-watt speaker system, Casio’s Tri-sensor Scaled Hammer Action II keyboard action, and perhaps the most realistic-looking cabinet in this class, and you’ve got a reliable instrument that looks great too.

Action

The satisfyingly weighted Tri-Sensor 88-note scaled hammer action keyboard II, holds up well when put up against the most recent Roland or Kawai offerings. Although a slightly “mechanical” feel probably won’t send many people looking for another option, in general, the action performs well from the top to the bottom of the keyboard.

The synthetic ebony and ivory keys provide a singularly playable keyboard, with unique touch response. The slightly bulkier than normal dynamic resistance gives the action a sense of heaviness, but the static resistance (the effort it takes to start the key moving) is comparable with that of an acoustic piano.

Piano Sound

Casio uses their proprietary AiR (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator) tone generator in the AP470, which is essentially a 4-velocity layer sample-based engine, with added synthesis of variables such as damper resonance and hammer response with 2 new grand piano tones, including a New York piano tone not found in the Privia models.

The AP470 features 256 notes of polyphony, which is more than sufficient for complex performances, and the sound it delivers is quite convincing, especially given the extra speaker power at 40 watts compared to lower Celviano and Privia models. There’s also a headphone mode that optimizes the piano’s stereo image for private.

There are 22 total instrument tones built-in, including organ, pad sounds, electric pianos, harpsichord, and more. The AP470 also features duet mode, which gives you the option to split the keyboard so that a student and teacher can use the piano simultaneously.

Connectivity

The AP-470 can be connected by class-compliant USB to any PC, Mac, iOS, or Android device. Casio has also developed their free Chordana Play for Piano app, available for iOS and Android devices, which allows you to control the functions of your piano remotely. This app will also display PDF scores. A potential drawback is the missing Bluetooth functionality, which is generally featured in other instruments at this price point. If you’re going to be connecting frequently to a tablet or smartphone, keep in mind you cannot connect wirelessly.

Notable Features

This may not be a big deal to some, but the fact that the lid opens up to reveal the speakers is going to be super cool to some, as it makes the instrument similar to an acoustic piano in this sense.Casio’s Concert Play is a fun addition to the AP470, providing you with an orchestral accompaniment, along with the choice to have only one hand or the other if desired.

• AiR Sound Source tone engine
• 22 onboard sounds
• 256 note polyphony
• 40 watts of speaker power
• Acoustic Simulator Parameters: Hammer Response, Damper Resonance, Damper Noise, String Resonance, Lid Simulator, and Key Off Simulator
• 88 note Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard II
• Layer, split, duet mode, transpose, octave shift
• Digital Effects: Hall Simulator / Reverb – 4 (Reverb), Chorus – 4, Brilliance, DSP – (Preset for some tones)
• On-board Audio Recording: 2 track MIDI recorder
• Lesson feature using 60 Music Library songs plus 10 user songs
• Built-in soft, sostenuto, and damper pedals
• Single plate keyboard cover
• Metronome
• AC adaptor and music stand included

Conclusions

Looking for a great value in the $2,000 CAD digital piano market? There’s no doubt that the AP470 provides a good option.

Casio AP470 Owner’s Manual

• [English] AP-470 Owner’s Manual

Casio AP470 Related Resources

• Casio AP-470 Digital Piano Review & Demo – Celviano Series, AiR Sound Source, Concert Play