Yamaha CVP 805 Review

We rated the Yamaha CVP 805 a 9.5/10 because of its interactive nature, big-sounding grand piano samples, large number of voices, and crowd-pleasing touch. While it isn’t an economical home piano (and we wish it had wooden black keys), it is a versatile instrument that will serve a wide range of players well. If you are interested in having a home piano that excels at music production, the CVP 805 is certainly worth looking into!

Yamaha CVP 805 Overview

The release of the Yamaha CVP 805 was first announced in 2019 and became widely available that next October. This new “800” CVP line released the following three models: The CVP-809, the CVP 809-GP, and the CVP 805. According to Europe.Yamaha.com these models “took technical and musical heights”. While the model we are reviewing today is the least expensive of the three, it still offers many of the same updates, as well as two of the same rich grand piano samples. 

A Note on the CVP line: CVP is short for “Clavinova Versatile Piano”. CVPs are Yamaha’s top hybrid digital piano line- in short, it doesn’t get any better than this! The CVP-909 is this line’s flagship model, but this instrument (the 809) is right behind it in both price and quality.

The CVP 805 was designed with composers in mind. With over 1300 tones and SFX at your fingertips, the opportunities for sound combination are nearly fathomless. This instrument also has excellent onboard production value. Other notable selling points in this model include its spruce cone speakers and clear color display. That all being said, let’s delve into the features to get to know this home digital piano a bit better. 

Features

Genos Sound Engine

The Genos sound engine is exactly what it sounds like (hah, get it sounds?!): it comes from the previous Yamaha Genos. The Genos is an workstation/arranger keyboard known for its stellar tones. The CVP 805 has 1315 of these regular voices. The Genos sound engine plays a large role in this instrument, as it is part of what makes the piano so ideal for composers and creatives.

Styles

This piano also takes its styles section from the Genos workstation. However, the Yamaha CVP 805 also has an enhanced session mode as well as a piano room, which makes the experience that much more compelling. In total, there are 525 styles on the instrument. 

2 Grand Pianos 

As I mentioned earlier, the CVP 800 has 2 grand piano samples in each of its models: the Yamaha CFX, and the Imperial Bosendorfer. Both instruments are accurately recreated with the makers state-of-the-art sampling technology. It’s also worth noting that the CFX and Bosendorfer have significantly different timbres, so it is like getting 2 instruments (or 1500 sounds/instruments, rather!) for the price of one. 

GrandTouch Keyboard

Speaking of ‘grands’ this keyboard is nuanced and realistic. Yamaha’s GrandTouch keyboard has textured ebony and ivory tops. It also has escapement, a feature originally created in acoustic grand pianos which was designed to help the hammer leave the string more quickly (so that the vibration of the string remains undisturbed). In the context of digital instruments, escapement is a recreation of this feeling/mechanism. 

I also wanted to add a note about this action’s linear-graded hammers. Linear-graded hammers mean that every single key on the instrument is weighted differently. According to this page by the maker, “88-key Linear Graded Hammers faithfully duplicates this graded touch with differing weights and key return on each one of its keys. It allows players to gain an appreciation of a more authentic touch”.

Guide Lights and More 

This instrument is excellent for those who enjoy visuals while playing since it has guide lights that you can follow along to during songs. The technology will even wait for you if you find a wrong note. Plus, the instrument has convenient HDMI and USB connections that allow you to display lyrics externally. 

16-Track Sequencer

The instrument’s internal 16-track sequencer allows musicians to record and layer onboard.

Built-In Songs with Playback

The CVP 805 has a whopping 303 lesson songs, as well as 50 classics and 50 pop tunes. 

Get a Big, Bold Performance

Ever played piano and sang and wished your sound was more full? Then the CVP 805 might be the instrument for you. Yamaha’s VH2 (Vocal Harmony 2) chip has built-in backup singers that can make your performance more lively.

But there are more ways to get a big sound than just that. There’s also You Are the Artist–a feature that is a collaboration between Hal Leonard and the maker. It allows you to play along to popular songs using the XG tones. In this feature, you can change the tempo, mute certain instrument tracks, and so on. (Reference: https://hub.yamaha.com/pianos/p-digital/you-are-the-artist/ )

Other Notable Features

• Super articulation voices
• Chord looper
• Yamaha’s Virtual Resonance Modeling
• Performance Assist Technology

One feature in Yamaha digitals that I have been enjoying a lot recently is the articulation voices. Super articulation voices are tones that have a set of extra sounds/effects that make them feel more realistic. These voices are only available on certain voices, but allow you to add in that “extra something”. According to this page, “Super Articulation Lite is a feature that emulates how particular instruments play, such as guitar harmonics and scratching noises”. While some musicians think that this Yamaha feature is a bit boring compared to that from other makers, I enjoy it because is very much plug-and-play. 

Another enjoyable feature I found in the Yamaha CVP 805 was the chord looper. This loop tool allows musicians to record their loops, and have the Style engine play them back to you. It’s as if the piano has a looper pedal built into it– If you are interested in pedals and looping, this model can save you a fair bit of cash!

Other, more basic features, like Yamaha’s VRM, help the sounds become more alive and expressive. On a completely different note, the maker’s P.A.T (performance assist technology) lets beginners play a rhythm without worrying about the notes- And the smart technology will take care of the rest! This instrument also has all the basics that you might expect from a digital piano, including split mode, layer mode, transpose, and more. 

Specifications

• Weight:  176 pounds
• Dimensions:
• Height: 34.1 inches
• Width: 55.8 inches
• Depth: 23.8 inches
• Total Effects: 266

Who is it Suitable for?

The CVP 805 is best suited for those looking for a home piano with a wide variety of voices. Composers and singer-songwriters will love the versatility of the instrument, but younger students will also enjoy the hearty touch and realistic sounds. Overall, the piano is likely a bit too complex for children. In our opinion, the CVP 805 can easily serve junior high students to music pros. (As long as there is a bit of guidance for little ones) this model also makes for a great family piano. 

The CVP In Action

To get a better feel for the instrument, check out this demo posted by Guitar Center.

Customer Reviews

There aren’t very many customer reviews out there for this model, but from what I could see, the instrument is very well received. For example, one customer from Sweetwater stated that their piano had “spectacular voices and styles” and that they “couldn’t be happier”. Another buyer who reviewed the instrument on Google said that the instrument had “something for everyone”. I wasn’t able to source any bad or even semi-critical reviews for the CVP-805. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• It has stunning sound technology and samples that are found in higher-level CVPS
• There are well over 1000 (good) voices
• The connectivity is good- There is USB to USB-to-host connection available
• The guide lights and clear color screen make it visually engaging
• The vocal harmony effects and styles make the instrument interactive- It is quite fun to play
• The weight and texture of the keys are of a high quality
• Additionally, the linear-graded hammers make every key feel slightly different
• It is Bluetooth-compatible
• The instrument’s headphone technology makes playing plugged in just as good as playing out loud
• The instrument comes with a 5-year warranty
• The 2-way speakers are clear and add depth to the already-rich tones

Cons

• No ⅛ inch headphone input
• The LCD display is 2 inches smaller than that of the flagship model (The CVP-809)
• The instrument has a lot of buttons for young learners
• Not as much repertoire/sheet music onboard compared to other makers like Kawai
• No wooden black keys (only wooden white keys)

Two very small cons I came across are the lack of ⅛ inch (earbud) inputs as well as the slightly smaller LCD display. However, neither of which made the piano any less enjoyable to play. Another con here is that the instrument is quite complex, and doesn’t have as many learning tools as other Yamaha models. As far as I could tell, the instrument isn’t as chock-full of lessons and finger exercises as some of Kawai models. For intermediates and up this isn’t a deal breaker, but for those who are looking for a home piano that has more educational features, you might want to research different models by this maker. 

Comparable Models

• Yamaha CVP-809

• Yamaha CVP-809GP 
• For a comparable step-down model: the Yamaha Genos 76-key Arranger 
• For a grand piano hybrid from a different maker (to get you started): try the GP-510

The most comparable models by the same maker are the flagship of the line, as well as the grand piano version. With the CVP-809s, you get the bigger 9-inch display, as well as over 100 more voices and styles separately. 

If you are looking to kick things up a notch in the realism department, the Yamaha CVP 809GP is a luscious digital grand piano – but it comes at a high price…$17,000-19,000. Some of the included features are: 

On the other hand, the Yamaha Genos is a smaller, more economical arranger keyboard with the same sound engine. It costs a fraction of the price at $5,000-$6,000. However, this is a different style of digital- People who are looking for a home digital may not be interested in this smaller arranger. 

Lastly, I’d like to recommend a model from another maker.  Here at BestPianoKeyboads, we understand that not everyone can get something in this upper-tier CVP line. For a more economical grand piano hybrid, try something along the lines of this Casio Celviano GP-510. 

Quick View 

CVP 805: Conclusion

Thanks so much for reading until the end! In conclusion, the Yamaha Clavinova CVP 805 is a high-quality home digital with many of Yamaha’s well-loved features inside. It combines the best of music production tools, sampling technology, and authentic touch all into one instrument. While no digital grand is perfect, the CVP line certainly comes close to it.

Music quote of the week: 

“I took a few piano lessons as a kid, but it didn’t last; I just learned piano from doing it over and over on my own, because I didn’t have many friends, and there was always a keyboard in the house.” -Mitski 

9.5Expert Score

We rated the Yamaha CVP 805 a 9.5/10 because of its interactive nature, big-sounding grand piano samples, large number of voices, and crowd-pleasing touch. While it isn’t an economical home piano (and we wish it had wooden black keys), it is a versatile instrument that will serve a wide range of players well. If you are interested in having a home piano that excels at music production, the CVP 805 is certainly worth looking into!

PROS

• It has stunning sound technology and samples that are found in higher-level CVPS
• There are well over 1000 (good) voices
• The connectivity is good- There is USB to USB-to-host connection available
• The guide lights and clear color screen make it visually engaging
• The vocal harmony effects and styles make the instrument interactive- It is quite fun to play
• The weight and texture of the keys are of a high quality
• Additionally, the linear-graded hammers make every key feel slightly different
• It is Bluetooth-compatible
• The instrument's headphone technology makes playing plugged in just as good as playing out loud
• The instrument comes with a 5-year warranty
• The 2-way speakers are clear and add depth to the already-rich tones

CONS

• No ⅛ inch headphone input
• The LCD display is 2 inches smaller than that of the flagship model (The CVP-809)
• The instrument has a lot of buttons for young learners
• Not as much repertoire/sheet music onboard compared to other makers like Kawai
• No wooden black keys (only wooden white keys)