Casio Privia PX160 Review

We rated the Casio Privia PX160 a 9.5/10. This instrument reaches a really wide range of players, and serves them well. The 88 fully-weighted keys will make intermediate to advanced pianists satisfied. The sounds are gorgeous, and it has a high polyphony. We took off half a point, because we wish there were more sounds in the soundbank. But overall, this piano is a steal.

Overview

Back in the 1980’s Casio was famous for its calculators and digital watches. Their first keyboards were like toys and not taken very seriously, even though their electronic sounds were very distinctive.  

Fast forward to the 2020’s and Casio has become a huge player in the digital piano world. In recent years they have caught up to the big players such as Yamaha and Roland and have been developing some very attention-worthy piano keyboards with some built into piano casings and actual piano hammers inside, even though there are no strings. 

The Casio Privia PX160 is a full size, 88-key piano with some excellent features that serious pianists might take notice of. Classical pianists tend to steer away from electronic or digital pianos, claiming that they don’t feel anything like an acoustic. While this has been a very valid point in the past, it’s quickly becoming an arguable point. 

The PX160 piano seems to be aimed at serious pianists due to the 88 weighted keys. The number of features on it are somewhat limited compared to a lot of other similar keyboards in this price-range with only 18 sounds and 128 polyphony (the maximum is 256 which is far more than most pianists need). However, serious piano players often aren’t interested in dozens of extra sounds, which is why so many high-end pianos don’t come with anything but a choice of beautiful piano sounds. The Casio Privia PX160 is in this category. 

This keyboard might lend itself to the job of a practice piano rather than a gigging or performance piano, especially as the casing is plastic and might damage easily if it travels a lot. This keyboard may be less robust than some keyboards for transporting to gigs or rehearsals.  It can be done with a really good case and taking care of it, but it might not withstand baggage handlers if you put it on a plane. 

Although it has all the basic requirements of higher-level pianos, there’s not much choice within those features. For instance, only 18 sounds, not much variation in reverb, only one song recording capability and perhaps most importantly for advanced players, only 128 polyphony. This means that if you were playing “Clair de Lune” by Debussy, which requires a lot of pedal, the notes may not sustain as long as you’d like. This would mean your performance might not sustain the legato as the piece requires.  

Features

The Casio Privia PX160 is a full size piano with 88 scaled hammer-action fully weighted keys and adjustable pressure setting. The scaled hammer-action means that, like on an acoustic grand piano, the higher notes are lighter and easier to press than the lower end of the piano. The design is sleek and stylish and the note tops have a textured feel to prevent slipping. The sound is created by Casio’s excellent  AiR sound which gives a realistic piano sound with good scope of dynamic range and natural-sounding reverb.  

Casio’s AiR (Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator sound source) is a sound chip which provides additional memory. This means that selected features can work better with improved sound quality as well as reaction to the player’s nuances when they play quieter or louder. At the same time, this improved memory allows the piano to store sampled piano sounds in much greater detail, resulting in a more organic and realistic sound across the entire keyboard. 

There are two speakers, 8 watts each, which is a big output. This is a considerable improvement from the previous models. The 8w x 8w speakers pack quite a punch as the speakers are open at the front but also vented at the back to allow increased efficiency at low frequencies. This means that when the Casio Privia PX-160 is situated against a wall, the sound bounces off the wall and back into the room, creating a more vibrant experience. 

There are sixteen sounds including 5 different pianos, various electric pianos, strings and harpsichord. It has “Split” capability so you can play bass with your left hand and piano with your right.   

Reverb and Chorus options change the sound of the piano according to your preference. Another setting, “Brilliance”, changes the character of the piano by brightness of sound so you can have a mellow piano or a bright, vibrant one. For instance, you might decide to play cool jazz with a mellow setting and classical with a brighter setting. 

There is a built-in metronome for practice or recording as well as a transposing feature. You can also layer two different sounds – blend piano with strings, for instance.  

The Tri-sensor Scaled Hammer Action II means the keys will give you the right amount of resistance for you, as you can customize this function. You could vary this for practicing scales or exercises, starting with a light touch and gradually setting the keyboard to have more resistance, giving your fingers more of a workout. . 

Specifications

88 fully weighted graded hammer action keyboard with textured tops for grip and comfort. Casio’s Tri-sensor provides three sensitivity levels. This means it responds to how hard or soft you press a key to deliver corresponding volume, just like on an acoustic piano. It has a very stylish design in a choice of black, white or gold.  

Casio’s AiR sound system provides a very true replication of a sampled grand piano. The 8W X 8W speakers deliver a great sound with forward facing speakers and vented back. It comes with two headphone sockets so two can listen or play at once. There are 60 built-in songs and 18 different instruments to choose from.  

There is a built-in metronome and you can record 1 song with 2 tracks. 128 note polyphony and weighs in at 24.5lbs.  

Accessories 

Stand 

The PX160 has an optional stand for purchase which, while very simplistic, gives the overall impression of an upright piano. In fact, this stand can be used with the PX150, PX160, PX350, PX360, and PX560. It comes flat packed and weighs about 33lbs. It’s built for any of these keyboards to sit safely at the correct height, like a piano would.  

Pedals 

At the bottom of the stand there is room for a pedal board which fits right across the piano. A three-pedal board is available separately. The right pedal is the Damper (or sustain) pedal; the middle one is the Sostenuto pedal (sustains the bottom notes but not the top) and the left pedal is the Una Corda which mutes the piano so it plays quietly. There is no practice pedal, but it’s not necessary as it’s possible to plug in headphones, or just turn the volume down. 

You can also get a free-standing damper pedal if you don’t want the stand or 3-pedal board. If you do this, it’s best to get a metal pedal shaped like a piano pedal rather than the square plastic type. The plastic ones tend to make a lot of noise and move about too much while you’re playing. If your metal pedal moves about when you play, tape it to the floor, or, if you have carpet, position some heavy books behind it to keep it in place. 

Who is it Suitable for?

Intermediate to advanced players 

The 88 fully weighted keyboard makes this a contender for higher intermediate to advanced players. However, it probably isn’t the best choice for a gigging keyboard player because the build isn’t quite as sturdy as some comparable keyboards. It also might not be a great choice for a creative composer who likes a large selection of sounds to play with. Add to that recording capability is limited to just one song, two tracks. If you want to get improvisations or compositions down on the fly, this would be really frustrating. 

Having said that, like most keyboards on the market, this keyboard can be used as a MIDI controller. If you have a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), by turning the Local Midi to OFF, you have a “dummy” keyboard that you assign to any instrument track of your choice within your DAW. Now you still have a very nice to play keyboard, but with a different sound. So a medium to high level player might find this ample for their needs when used in this way. 

For creatives, the 18 sounds on the PX160 – of which many are acoustic or electric pianos – make it less desirable than some pianos that come with anything up to 700 varied sounds. It’s likely serious pianists would be more drawn to this keyboard than composers. Intermediate players who want to experiment with sound but haven’t yet moved into the DAW market might find the limited choices of sounds a deal breaker. 

The Casio Privia PX160 could make a really good practice piano for a more advanced student who has an acoustic and wants a keyboard for practicing with headphones so they don’t disturb the people around them, or want to practice late at night. 

If you want to go a step up 

If you are looking in this price range for a good keyboard with more varied and upscaled features than the Privia PX160, consider the CDP-S350. This is the keyboard that essentially follows on from the Privia PX-160. It comes with the same 88 weighted hammer-action keyboard, so it feels close to an acoustic. Like the PX160 it also has the adjustable touch sensitivity, so you can customize your keyboard. It still has the outstanding 8W X 8W speaker system. But the number of sounds you can select from increases to 700 along with 200 preset rhythms. The two headphone jacks are ¼” as apposed to the mini jacks that the PX160 comes with. It will cost you a little more, but what you get for that extra is well worth it. 

Beginner to lower intermediate players

The Casio Privia PX160 would be good for a beginner or early intermediate who isn’t too interested in exploring different sounds and drum beats, however, it seems a bit of a missed opportunity!

If you want to go a step down 

A good alternative for a beginner or intermediate player who wants to be creative and have more variety of sound is the Yamaha PSR-E273.  This features over 400 sounds including orchestral and world instruments both acoustic and electric. Add to that 17 drum and special sound kits and you have the makings of a fun piano!  

The Yamaha PSR-E273 keyboard also has a “Quiz Mode” which tests the player on musical memory (repeating back a series of notes) and ear training with feedback on responses. It also comes with 112 songs onboard and comes with a free downloadable song book with all the sheet music. More educational than the Casio Privia PX160, a keyboard like this would surely be more inspiring for most beginners or early intermediates. As a bonus, this particular keyboard comes in under the price point of the PX160. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Full-size keyboard with fully weighted graded hammer action keys.  
• The Casio AiR sound is one of the best in the price range. 
• Big 8W X 8W output with improved speaker system 
• Lightweight and portable. 
• Good looking keyboard that comes in a choice of three colors – black, white and gold. 

Cons

• Limited amount of additional sounds.
• Limited variation in reverb.
• Recording capability is very limited.
• Unlikely to ignite a lot of creativity like some keyboards might.  
• Less robust than other high-level piano keyboards due to plastic casing. 

Quick View 

Conclusion

The Casio Privia PX160 is a lovely instrument and many piano players would be happy with it. The keyboard itself is high-end, being fully weighted with graded hammer action. The sound quality is also high-end for the price and this would make a very good practice piano.  

It’s a very good choice for beginners too, because they will start off immediately with the right number of keys and the right feel when they play. This is important. Many piano teachers will insist on students have weighted keys if they can’t have an acoustic. Beginners who get used to a keyboard with no weight, or semi-weighted will probably take some time to adjust to playing weighted keys or an acoustic. This is not to say they can’t, however. Many students have made the transition successfully. 

As long as you don’t need a keyboard to do a lot of recording or composing with different sounds, you can’t go too far wrong with this one. 

9.5Expert Score

We rated the Casio Privia a 9.5/10. This instrument reaches a really wide range of players, and serves them well. The 88 fully-weighted keys will make intermediate to advanced pianists satisfied. The sounds are gorgeous, and it has a high polyphony. We took off half a point, because we wish there were more sounds in the soundbank. But overall, this piano is a steal.

PROS

• Full-size keyboard with fully weighted graded hammer action keys.
• The Casio AiR sound is one of the best in the price range.
• Big 8W X 8W output with improved speaker system
• Lightweight and portable.
• Good looking keyboard that comes in a choice of three colors - black, white and gold.

CONS

• Limited amount of additional sounds.
• Limited variation in reverb.
• Recording capability is very limited.
• Unlikely to ignite a lot of creativity like some keyboards might.
• Less robust than other high-level piano keyboards due to plastic casing.