A lot of times, when we are wanting to buy a digital piano, the biggest hurdle is in trying to determine what kind of piano they need. It is human nature to keep wanting more from everything. That is probably why there is a huge variety of products in every field that keeps competing for providing more and more features to its customers, but Yamaha DGX- 66O is the answer.
Today we’re reviewing a Yamaha DGX- 660 which is an advanced and premium model of Yamaha. The Yamaha DGX-660 is a great example of delighting a customer with much more than they thought they needed. An upgrade to the Yamaha DGX-650, this model aims to be a flagship of Yamaha’s “Portable Grand” line.
This carefully designed piece becomes more of a hybrid model, giving its users the best of both worlds – the feel of a grand piano and the flexibility of an arranger keyboard. Yamaha DGX- 660 is a very multiskilled keyboard and suits everyone- from a beginner to an experienced player
There are so many options to explore and enjoy that surely even those already having their digital piano would give upgrading a serious thought.
Yamaha DGX- 66O Builth and design
As the popular saying goes, “The first impression is the last impression”. This digital piano impresses with its first look, without even getting into the specifics of using it. The keyboard with an impressive LCD screen, a host of controls, and perched atop a stylish stand make for a grand picture by itself. The synthetic wooden grain on the stand gives it the feel of an authentic wooden stand on a grand piano.
Although the DGX-660 is a part of the Portable Grand line, we wouldn’t call it very easily carried. The keyboard is pretty big and heavy compared to other models in the line and digital pianos from the P-series. Weighing close to 46lbs (20.8 kg) without the stand and nearly 61.7lbs (28 kgs) with it, it is not very convenient to move around. However, the latter doesn’t come anywhere close to the DGX-660 in terms of sounds, features, and connectivity options.
The Yamaha DGX-660 is in keeping with its features. Without the stand, the digital piano comes to 55 X 17.5 X 5.7 inch without the stand and 55 X 17.5 X 29.9 inch with the stand, which is pretty standard for 88-key keyboards.
The DGX-660 has a contemporary-looking design with nice wooden elements (side panels, stand). The keyboard comes in two standard colors – black and white. The white keys have a glossy finish, while the black ones are matte, which will prevent fingers from slipping when they become moist.
The Yamaha DGX-660 also comes with a matching stand. It’s well-built and sturdy enough to hold this rather large keyboard.
Yamaha DGX- 66O keys
The keys are what make up the keyboard – the sound, the feel, and the ease of use are what make a user make up their mind about buying or not buying a particular keyboard. Yamaha hence in this model they have gone full out with what they could provide with their keys.
The DGX-660 features a touch-responsive keyboard with 88 fully weighted keys.
The Yamaha DGX- 660 has an action called the Graded Hammer Standard (GHS), and it’s the same keyboard action that will be found in the Yamaha P-45 and P-125 digital pianos. GHS refers to the fact that the keys in the lower range have a higher weight that gradually goes on decreasing as it moves towards the higher range. This makes the keys in the higher range much lighter, quite similar to an acoustic piano. This will help you develop a good technique needed for performing on an acoustic piano.
The keyboard of this premium model has volume sensitivity, meaning the force and speed with which you play the keys has an impact on the volume of the keys. There are 4 settings to achieve this- Soft, Medium, Hard and Fixed. Let us take a look at each of these settings.
The keys of the DGX-660 are made of plastic, which is true for all the keyboards in this price range.
The white keys have a glossy finish, while the black ones are matte, which will prevent fingers from slipping when they become moist.
Yamaha DGX- 66O Sound quality
For a digital piano that promises its users the best of both worlds – that of an acoustic piano as well as an arranger keyboard, the Yamaha DGX-660 has a lot to live up to regarding the varieties of sounds, sound quality, and mixing options that it offers. At the heart of the DGX-660 is Yamaha’s proprietary Pure CF sound engine. It’s the same sound source as used in the Yamaha P-125, the P-255, and some Arius (YDP) models.
For an enthusiast, the sheer variation in the sounds it offers is astonishing – 554 different voices:
- Ten piano sounds
- 12 electric piano sounds
- 14 guitar sounds
- Nine bass guitar sounds
- 14 organ sounds
- Five accordion sounds
- 16 string sounds
- Nine trumpet sounds
- 14 saxophone sounds
- Other sounds including flute, synths, drum kits etc.
The DGX-660 has an impressive library of sound effects that you can use to make them sound more interesting and unique. The Yamaha DGX-660 is equipped with a Pitch Bend wheel, which allows reproducing some interesting effects (e.g. guitar vibrato, choking) by bending notes up and down while playing the keyboard.
Master equalizer (EQ) will allow you to tailor the sound to your taste. There are 5 Master EQ types you can choose from: normal (default setting), piano, soft, bright, powerful.
Speakers
he Yamaha DGX-660 comes with four different built-in speakers – two 12cm and two 5cm ones with 6W amplifiers. These together provide a well- balanced experience for the listeners. The speakers are open-faced, so the sound is directed toward your face. The quality of the sound is further improved by the Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC) function, which intelligently adjusts bass and treble frequencies to make the sound clearer and more balanced at low volume levels.
Yamaha DGX- 66O Feathures
Not only does the DGX-660 have all the essential qualities to provide a realistic piano experience but it’s a digital piano with a variety of features that would usually be seen on an arranger keyboard.
When dealing with music and sound, there is no doubt about the major role acoustics play in the outcome. The model comes with an innovative new feature titled the Piano Room, which adjusts the settings to apply the optimum piano settings with the correct acoustics. In this default, the setting pianist may choose from another four different types of piano settings. Also, there are a few settings that can be adjusted in the Piano Room mode itself to experiment with your music.
Yamaha DGX- 660 has a metronome, which is always incredibly helpful for a pianist. Using the metronome, pianists can adjust time signatures and tempo, which will help learn better how to play a piece accurately and in a rhythm.
The DGX-660 offers split and layering features for playing two instrument sounds simultaneous. The Split Mode divides the keyboard into two sections, to which is possible to assign a different instrument sound.
For beginner pianists, Yamaha DGX-660 can take advantage of the onboard lesson feature called Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.). The Y.E.S. allows users to use MIDI songs (100 internal songs or downloaded from the Internet) for a left-hand, right-hand, or both-hand lesson.
Like a true partner of a professional musician, the Yamaha DGX-660 allows a user to record as well. The playback previously created music in two formats: midi (SMF) and audio (WAV). The data can also be transferred to a laptop or desktop to practice and improvise.
Connectivity options
The Yamaha DGX-660 has extensive connectivity options, which is quite rare for many digital pianos. All ports and jacks are located on the rear panel of the keyboard, except for the USB to Device terminal, which is on the front.
Downsides of the Yamaha DGX- 660
Although the DGX-660 is a part of the Portable Grand line, we wouldn’t call it very easily carried. The keyboard is pretty big and heavy compared to other models in the line and digital pianos from the P-series. Weighing close to 46lbs (20.8 kg) without the stand and nearly 61.7lbs (28 kgs) with it, it is not very convenient to move around.
The DGX-660 comes with a basic Yamaha footswitch. is made of plastic and it is box-shaped. The problem with the footswitch is that it doesn’t look or feel like a professional acoustic piano pedal. The included pedal would be okay for most beginners but more experienced pianists would probably want a more realistic pedal.
What do people say about Yamaha DGX- 66O?
Image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtgRriPZUOA
Image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xHNEYs4NSM
Image: https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-DGX-660-88-Note-Digital-Piano/product-reviews/B01CFOAIJG
Image: https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-DGX-660-88-Note-Digital-Piano/product-reviews/B01CFOAIJG
Verdict
“The first impression is the last impression”. Yamaha DGX- 660 is a very multiskilled keyboard and suits everyone- from a beginner to an experienced player.
The keyboard with an impressive LCD screen, a host of controls, and perched atop a stylish stand make for a grand picture by itself. Not only does the DGX-660 have all the essential qualities to provide a realistic piano experience but it’s a digital piano with a variety of features. It would usually be seen on an arranger keyboard. For example Piano room, Split mode, Yamaha education suite, etc. Yamaha DGX- 660 promises sound quality that is used the best of both worlds – an acoustic piano as well as an arranger keyboard piano world. Digital piano also has great recording capabilities.
Although the DGX-660 is a part of the Portable Grand line, we wouldn’t call it very easily carried. The keyboard is pretty big and heavy compared to other models in the line and digital pianos from the P-series.
If you like this article and found the provided information useful, you might want to check out our other reviews at AalbergAudio.com