Yamaha has introduced three new models in its line of Arius digital pianos. The YDP-144, YDP-164 and YDP-S54—like their predecessors—are aimed at improving music students who need something more advanced to practice and hone their piano skills, but for whom an acoustic piano is impractical or out of budget.
Last year’s Arius YDP-184 and YDP-S34 still sit in the available range, with the new trio of models available to cater to more budgets.
The newest Arius line feature meticulously-crafted stereo multi-samples of the Yamaha CFX. They all feature variants of Yamaha’s Graded Hammer Standard key action, with the YDP-144 having GHS, and the YDP-164 and YDP-S34 being upgraded to GHS3, which adds textured, synthetic ebony/ivory key surfaces to increase playing grip and wick away moisture.
The YDP-S54 has a slimline design, so is ideal for smaller spaces such as apartments and classrooms.
All models feature 192 notes of polyphony, a high quality internal speaker system, damper and string resonance modelling. They’ll be available from March 2019.
Here’s a run down of the main specifications of each instrument, for comparison. The RRP for each Arius model is at the bottom of the table.
| YDP-164 | YDP-S54 | YDP-144 | ||
| Size/Weight | ||||
| Dimensions | Width | 1,357 mm [53-7/16″] | 1,353 mm [53-1/4″] | 1,357 mm [53-7/16″] |
| Height | 849 mm [33-27/64″] | 792 mm [31-3/16″] (Key cover open 976mm[38-27/64″]) | 815 mm [32-1/16″] | |
| Depth | 422 mm [16-5/8″] | 309 mm [12-11/64″](Key cover open 317 mm [12-15/32″]) *With anti-fall brackets attached: 404 mm [15-57/64″] | 422 mm [16-5/8″] | |
| Weight | Weight | 42.0 kg (92 lbs., 10 oz) | 40.0 kg (88 lbs., 3 oz.) | 38.0 kg (83 lbs., 12 oz) |
| Control Interface | ||||
| Keyboard | Number of Keys | 88 | ||
| Type | GH3 keyboard with synthetic ebony and ivory keytops | GHS keyboard with matte black key tops | ||
| Touch Sensitivity | – | – | – | |
| Touch Response | Hard/Medium/Soft/Fixed | |||
| Pedal | Number of Pedals | 3 | ||
| Half Pedal | Yes | |||
| Functions | Damper/Sostenuto/Soft | |||
| Display | Type | – | – | – |
| Size | – | – | – | |
| Language | – | – | – | |
| Panel | Language | English | ||
| Cabinet | ||||
| Key Cover | Key Cover Style | Sliding | Folding | Sliding |
| Music Rest | Yes | |||
| Voices | ||||
| Tone Generation | Piano Sound | Yamaha CFX | ||
| Key-off Samples | – | – | – | |
| Smooth Release | – | – | – | |
| Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) | – | – | – | |
| String Resonance | – | – | – | |
| Damper Resonance | Yes | |||
| Polyphony | Number of Polyphony (Max.) | 192 | ||
| Preset | Number of Voices | 10 | ||
| Compatibility | – | – | – | |
| Effects | ||||
| Types | Reverb | 4 types | ||
| Chorus | – | – | – | |
| Brilliance | – | – | – | |
| Master Effect | – | – | – | |
| Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC) | Yes | |||
| Stereophonic Optimizer | Yes | |||
| Damper Resonance | Yes | |||
| Functions | Dual/Layers | – | – | – |
| Split | – | – | – | |
| Duo | – | – | – | |
| Songs | ||||
| Preset | Number of Preset Songs | 10 Voice Demo Songs, 50 Classics | ||
| Recording | Number of Songs | 1 | ||
| Number of Tracks | 2 | |||
| Data Capacity | 100 KB/Song (Approx. 11,000 notes) | |||
| Compatible Data Format | Playback | Standard MIDI File (SMF) Format 0 & 1 | ||
| Recording | Standard MIDI File (SMF) Format 0 | |||
| Functions | ||||
| Piano Room | – | – | – | |
| Overall Controls | Metronome | – | – | – |
| Tempo Range | – | – | – | |
| Transpose | – | – | – | |
| Tuning | – | – | – | |
| Scale Type | – | – | – | |
| Other Control | – | – | – | |
| Rhythm | – | – | – | |
| Miscellaneous | Dual/Layers | Yes | ||
| Duo | Yes | |||
| Metronome | Yes | |||
| Tempo Range | 5 – 280 | |||
| Transpose | -6 – 0 – +6 | |||
| Tuning | 414.8 – 440.0 – 466.8 Hz | |||
| Storage and Connectivity | ||||
| Storage | Internal Memory | Total maximum size approx. 900 KB (User song : One song approx. 100 KB Loading song data from a computer : Up to 10 songs) | ||
| External Drives | – | – | – | |
| Connectivity | Headphones | Standard stereo phone jack x 2 | ||
| MIDI | – | – | – | |
| AUX IN | – | – | – | |
| AUX OUT | – | – | – | |
| USB TO DEVICE | – | – | – | |
| USB TO HOST | Yes | |||
| Amplifiers and Speakers | ||||
| Amplifiers | 20W x 2 | 8W x 2 | ||
| Speakers | 12cm x 2 | |||
| Acoustic Optimizer | – | – | – | |
| Power Supply | ||||
| Power Consumption | 13W (When using PA-300C AC adaptor) | 9W (When using PA-150 AC adaptor) | ||
| Auto Power Off | Yes | |||
| Power Supply | Adaptors | – | – | – |
| PA-300C or an equivalent recommended by Yamaha | PA-150 or an equivalent recommended by Yamaha | |||
| Accessories | ||||
| Included Accessories | Bench | Yes (Optional depending on locale) | – | Yes (Optional depending on locale) |
| Song Book | 50 Classical Music Masterpieces (Music Book) | |||
| Others | Owner's Manual, Quick Operation Guide | |||
| RRP | $1,999 | $2,199 | $1,499 | |
