Casio PX-S3100 Review

We rated the Casio PX-S3100 an 8.5 out of 10. It’s rated a bit higher than the PX-S1100, because of its many sounds and effects. We did take off 1.5 points, however, because the key action on the Casio Privias is a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing, and (like the S1100) it lacks an LCD screen. 

What we really loved about this model is its included accessories, as well as its assignable knobs, arpeggiator, and over one-hundred DSP, presets. In short, this is a well-rounded instrument with many great applications.

Casio PX-S3100 Overview

The Casio Privia PX S3100 is a portable digital piano that was first released in 2021. It was designed to replace the ultra-popular Casio Privia PX3000 (which has been since discontinued). The Privia line boasts of having the slimmest digital pianos on the market today.

The PX-S3100 is an under-$1,000, mid-range piano with over 700 sounds, 200 rhythms, an arpeggiator, good connectivity, and much more. 

According to Amazon.com, here is an overview of the instrument: 

“A Palette of Musical Colors to Explore- Create a space where you can play the music you love. 

The Privia PX-S3100 is a slim, high-performance piano perfectly suited to your favorite space for making music. Featuring superior design, sound, and ease of use, the Privia PX-S3100 offers a wide range of performance features, a wealth of versatile tones, and advanced functionality, such as rhythm and auto-accompaniment. 

A Slim, Distinctive Design Perfect for Any Space

The slim size and simple, minimalist design have been crafted to match a range of room sizes and interiors.The world’s slimmest digital piano for any space; a key feature of the Privia PX-S3100 is its slim body. It is the world’s slimmest 88-key digital piano with hammer action. With a depth of just 232 mm, it fits in your living room, bedroom or elsewhere for a living space filled with music.

Sophisticated, Minimalist Design

The minimalist design and flat, mirror-like top panel with touch controls offer a sophisticated look. The striking gold logo on the surface of the body adds an extra touch of elegance—an Instrument that Enriches the Soul – The Next Step in Sound and Grand Piano Playability. 

The Privia faithfully delivers the sound and playability of a grand piano. Experience the expressive touch, from the low notes all the way through to the high, and lose yourself in your playing”. 

Sounds like a fun and innovative digital keyboard, right?! But let’s see if it lives up to the hype by getting into the features. 

Features

700-Tone Soundbank 

The Casio PX-3100 is equipped with a high-quality sound engine, known as the AiR sound engine. AiR produces piano sounds that are rich, dynamic, and have realistic sounds. It has the same German Concert Piano tone, and many other piano tones as its sibling, the S1100. The German Concert Piano tone is a selling point for many. The soundbank also includes guitars, organs, synths, electric pianos, pads, and orchestral instruments.

This overview video by the manufacturer offers a sneak peek of the lush piano tones the model has to offer.

The Slimmest Pianos to Date

Casio boasts having the slimmest digital pianos on the market, and the PX-S3100 is no different. The instrument measures  41 x 19.5 x 7.5 inches, making it easier than ever to squeeze a piano into your living room, no matter how small it is. 

Acoustic Simulator

An acoustic simulator is a feature that’s designed to replicate both the sound and feel of an acoustic piano. It does this by using digital technology to recreate the mosaic of details that make an acoustic piano sound like an acoustic piano. Some of these facets include resonance and overtones from the instrument, which are created by the vibrations of the strings, and the shape and size of the soundboard. 

Acoustic simulators include features like string resonance, damper resonance, and key-off simulation. The PX-S3100 has improved damper and string resonance, which gives the instrument that little something that you can’t quite put your finger on…Or can you?!  

String resonance replicates the sound of the other strings vibrating inside the piano when a particular string is played. While damper resonance is a replication of the sound of the dampers lifting off the strings when a key is pressed. 

3-Track MIDI Recorder

The internal 3-track MIDI allows you to jot down your musical ideas and play them back. You can also connect the PX-S3100 to a computer to record inside a digital audio workstation. 

Textured Keys

The PX-S3100 has synthetic ebony and ivory keys to make the touch as equally realistic as the sound samples. 

6 Chord Input Modes

The PX-S3100 has a versatile auto-accompaniment mode that allows you to customize the chords that the smart system propagates. After you tap automatic accompaniment, you can choose from the following input modes on the device: 

• Casio Chord
• Fingered1
• Fingered 2
• Fingered on Bass
• Fingered Assist
• Full Range Chord

Many auto accompaniments are a little dull-feeling to me, but the 6 options on the S3100 allow for some interesting chord progs to go along with your melodies. 

5 Touch Sensitivity Levels

The PX-S3100 has 5 different touch sensitivity options, which means that the keys will respond to the force of your touch. This allows you to play with expression and dynamics, and choose a setting that best fits you as a player

Arpeggiators

The PX-S3100 has 100 arpeggiators for the budding producer to explore. Another really neat aspect of the arpeggiator is that it also comes with an auto-harmonizer. You can see this in action in the S3000 here.

Other Features:

• 17 different temperament options
• Octave Shift
• Dual Mode

Specifications

• Weight: 25.1 pounds 
• Dimensions (LxWxH): 41 x 19.5 x 7.5 inches
• Effects: 
• Reverbs: 8
• Chorus: 12
• Hall: 4
• Surround: 12
• DSP presets: Over 100
• MIDI Recorder: 3 tracks

Who is it Suitable for?

We would consider the PX-S3100 to be a mid-range piano, so it best suits intermediate players. I think that this model will suit budding composers electronic artists and arrangers especially well since the instrument has so many sounds and the flexibility to change said sounds.  

The PX-S3100 In Action

Igloomusic’s video on the tone titled Mellow Piano shows just how wide of a range of sound this piano has- The presets are impressive. This version of “Just the Two of Us” is so satisfying, partially because of the lo-fi feeling tone this musician is showcasing (and of course, because of sheer talent!) 

This Casio-created sound demo features what you can do with the app Chordana, along with a blend of different instruments.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• The slimline design makes it easy to fit into small spaces, and to move
• It has tons more sounds that other models that are just a bit lower in price
• It’s very economical, at under $1,000
• There is a 3-track onboard recorder
• The 8-watt stereo speakers offer enough power for livingroom playing, as well as small gigs on the town 
• The instrument has gotten a makeover/ new framework since the S3000
• The features in the acoustic simulator go a long way in making the S3100 more realistic 
• The DSP is very editable, so you can make the sound of the instrument your own
• It has 2 assignable knobs 
• It is compatible with the Casio Music Space app
• There are 100 different arpeggiators to play with
• It has upgraded Bluetooth connectivity

Cons

While this piano has several useful features and benefits, there are also some significant drawbacks that you should take into account before purchasing this model. Here are a few that I thought were most notable: 

• It does not have a touchscreen 

• The battery life has a max of just two hours 
• Pro players may want more polyphony than 192 notes 
• There are no other color options 
• There are no buttons
• The newer PX-S5000 has upgraded tones/ sounds that this model does not have

The fact that there are no buttons is a con in some musicians’ eyes and a pro in others. But the lack of a touchscreen is certainly a con to most, as having a touchscreen makes it far easier to navigate the instrument. The fact that it only comes in black wasn’t a dealbreaker for me personally, but what I do wish is that the battery life lasted longer, like some of its competitors (6 hours would be ideal for gigging, to me).

Buyers Reviews

The Casio PX-S3100 has been rated 5/5 stars on Amazon.com, but only had one rating. It was also rated 5/5 on Sweetwater.com. One music teacher had stated “For the price, this is amazing!” and really appreciated the front-facing speakers and double headphone jacks. Other buyers said the keyboard was an improvement from the last model, and that it’s convenient because it is light and compact. 

I was only able to find one semi-critical (4-star) review, which stated that the built-in FX could stand to be better. 

Comparable Instruments 

• Casio PX-S3000
• Casio Celvianos / The AP-270
• PX-S5000
• PX-S1100

The PX-S3100 was designed to replace the PX-S3000. The PX-S3000 was an extremely well-received instrument that was first released in 2019 and was replaced by the S3100 model in 2021. You may be able to find a 3000 model for sale used on either Amazon.com or Sweetwater.com for less than the price of a new PX-3100. 

The PX-S3000 and S3100 both have 700 sounds and 200 built-in rhythms. That being said, the sound of the speakers differs significantly, because the internal parts have been overhauled between the two models. 

Upgrade: Casio Celvianos 

The new Casio PX models share quite a few things in common with the Casio Celviano line. If you are looking for a hybrid piano with similar features, the Celviano line just might be it. Celvianos are considered to be pro-grade instruments. If you already have a mid-range instrument and have a budget of around $1,200 or so in mind, the Celviano AP-270BK is a great choice. 

Another instrument that is at a higher level than the S3100 is the newest PX-5000, which has much crisper and more authentic tones. 

Last week, I reviewed the PX-1100. Though the S1100 has fewer features and a lower price, there is quite a bit of common ground between these two models. For example, they have the same 8-watt dual speaker system, and many of the piano tones can be found in the AiR sound engine on both instruments. 

Other instruments that are somewhat comparable in price and features include: 

• Roland FP-30
• Kawai ES-110

That being said, the Privia line is very unique, so it’s difficult to find other brands and lines that are comparable. 

PX-3100 Quick View 

Casio PX-S3100 Conclusion

We hope you’ve enjoyed this Casio PX S3100 review. In conclusion, the PX-S3100  is an excellent economical piano that suits the needs of many players. For just a bit more cash than the PX-1100 (which we previously reviewed here), you can get hundreds of more sounds, and other high-quality features. 

Between the high-quality sounds, variable touch sensitivity, sleek new design, and solid connectivity options, we believe that this piano is one that’s hard to go wrong with for the explorative intermediate player. 

Music quote of the week: 

All musicians practice ear training constantly, whether or not they are cognizant of it. If, when listening to a piece of music, a musician is envisioning how to play it or is trying to play along, that musician is using his or her ‘ear’ – the understanding and recognition of musical elements – for guidance.

-Steve Vai 

8.5Expert Score

We rated the Casio PX-S3100 an 8.5 out of 10. We rated the Casio Privia PX-S3100 a bit higher than the PX-S1100, because of its many sounds and effects. We did take off 1.5 points, however, because the key action on the Casio Privias is a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing, and (like the S1100) it lacks an LCD screen. What we really loved about this model is its included accessories, as well as its assignable knobs, arpeggiator, and over one-hundred DSP, presets. In short, this is a well-rounded instrument with many great applications.

PROS

• The slimline design makes it easy to fit into small spaces, and to move
• It has tons more sounds that other models that are just a bit lower in price
• It’s very economical, at under $1,000
• There is a 3-track onboard recorder
• The 8-watt stereo speakers offer enough power for livingroom playing, as well as small gigs on the town
• The instrument has gotten a makeover/ new framework since the S3000
• The features in the acoustic simulator go a long way in making the S3100 more realistic
• The DSP is very editable, so you can make the sound of the instrument your own
• It has 2 assignable knobs
• It is compatible with the Casio Music Space app
• There are 100 different arpeggiators to play with
• It has upgraded Bluetooth connectivity

CONS

• It does not have a touchscreen
• The battery life has a max of just two hours
• Pro players may want more polyphony than 192 notes
• There are no other color options
• There are no buttons
• The newer PX-S5000 has upgraded tones/ sounds that this model does not have