Yamaha PSR-E273 Review

We rated the Yamaha PSR-E275 an 8/10. This is a solid piano for serious beginners. However, we had to knock off a few points because there are a handful of things we wish this PSR came with- Namely, a USB to MIDI port, and the power adapter. The sound bank has over 300 sounds, which is quite impressive given the under-$150 price tag. While there aren’t enough features to satisfy an intermediate student, we think that Yamaha PSR-E273 is a great entry-level instrument.

Overview

Yamaha PSR-E273 is a good beginner keyboard, particularly for children. This is a fairly average keyboard in the Yamaha range of beginner keyboards, but with a couple of drawbacks which we’ll get to. There are quite a lot of buttons to get your head around. Functions are selected by pressing the appropriate button and then using the + and – keys to get to the desired sound or tempo. If you want to get from voice one to voice 297, you have to hold the + key down until it scrolls through all the voices to get to the one you want. However, it does scroll very quickly. 

Note that this keyboard doesn’t normally come with a power adaptor. Check with the supplier you buy from so you know if you need to purchase one separately. If you rely on using 6 X AA batteries you’ll find they run out very quickly and this will interrupt practice and continuity of progress. 

Another thing to be aware of with this keyboard is that there is no USB to connect to your computer. This is quite unusual as most keyboards have this capability. It is possible to connect your phone or tablet and play music from your device through the keyboard speakers, but there are better speakers available for this.  

Keyboard 

The feel of the keys is somewhat plastic and organ-like, as you would expect for this price range. Children would probably like the feel of these keys as they are light and easy to press. On a keyboard of this level it’s not possible to play with expression, however this isn’t usually a problem for beginners. The fact that there are 61 keys rather than a full piano keyboard of 88 keys shouldn’t be a problem for any beginner, but keep in mind that as progress is made, the day will come when an upgrade is needed. 

Sound 

Yamaha’s piano sound on beginner keyboards is really quite good and certainly superior to the sounds of Alesis, for example. The Portable Grand Piano is the default sound and is quite a convincing piano sound even though it’s electronic and not sampled as high-end digital pianos are. The speakers have a small output which, again, would be absolutely fine for a child if the keyboard was set up in their bedroom it wouldn’t disturb the rest of the household.   

There is a headphone socket giving you the option to play through headphones instead of the speakers. 

There are 400 other sounds on this keyboard of various types. It’s likely that the beginner will keep going to the same dozen or so sounds in reality as we all tend to have our favorites. There are quite a lot of sound effects on this keyboard too, which are fun and link to a quiz. More about this below. 

Features 

Lesson Mode Yamaha Education Suite – Y.E.S. 

• Step 1: Listen and Learn – involves listening to the song a few times attentively so you memorize the flow of the melody.
• Step 2: Follow the notes on the display and play along in time. If you play a wrong note, the keyboard will still sound the correct note.  
• Step 3: Play along with the music on the display. This time, if you play a wrong note, the keyboard will pause until you play the correct note.  

After you complete steps 2 and 3 you can get feedback from the keyboard as to how well you did. You can be evaluated as “Excellent”, Very Good, Good or OK. 

Recording Mode 

The record function is really easy to start, stop and play back although with a maximum of 300 notes, it’s not going to allow a great deal of creativity. Also, because you can only record one track, you’re not going to be able to build a multi-track song. However, the main purpose of this record function is that a beginner would be able to record themselves practicing and listen back to hear how to improve. 

Quiz mode

By selecting Quiz mode, the keyboard plays a sound effect at random and you have to remember which key makes that sound. There is a time limit which ticks down with the metronome. The time limit can be shortened for a faster quiz. This would be good for really young children as an aural memory game. 

Smart Chord Mode 

Yamaha PSR-E273 has a couple of different ways you can play chords. “Fingered” means you play the chords yourself (three or four note chords). However, if you don’t yet know your chords you can use “Single Finger” chords. This means that when you play a note, the keyboard will generate the chord from that note. For instance, if you play a C, you’ll get a C major chord. If you play a C and another note, you’ll get a C minor chord. You can also create a 7th chord and a minor 7th chord using the simple instructions in the owners manual.  

Chord Dictionary

In addition, there is a chord dictionary that you can bring up on the screen. This will enable you to learn all the chords and play them yourself.  

Duo Mode (split keyboard)

The keyboard can be split into two keyboards with the same exact pitch. This can be useful for a teacher and student to play the same thing at once, or for duetting.  

Layered sounds 

This keyboard come with pre-programmed layered sounds. Higher-end keyboards will allow you to select your own sounds to layer, but this keyboard doesn’t give you an option. However, the layered sounds you can access are the most popular, such as piano and strings.  

Portable Grand Piano

The Portable Grand Piano button gives you instant access to the main piano sound. Let’s say you have been playing around with different sounds and you’re on sound 304, instead of holding the “-” button to scroll down to the first sound you can just tap the Grand Piano button and instantly be back on piano. 

Metronome 

There is a built-in metronome which is great for practicing. You can also use it with the Record function so you can be sure to keep good time. 

Specifications

• 61 note keyboard 
• 32 Polyphony 
• 2.5 X 2.5W speakers 
• 112 internal songs 
• Effects – Yamaha PSR-E273 comes with 9 reverbs and 5 chorus effects. Once you’ve chosen your voice or instrument you can change the sound by using different reverb and chorus effects to make it a bigger sound or a different sound. This adds a layer of creativity to the keyboard. 
• Music Stand – The Yamaha PSR-E273 comes with a music stand in the box which snaps easily onto the keyboard. Many portable keyboards come with a music stand that is like a wire frame which doesn’t give a music book much support resulting in the music often falling to the floor. However, with the PSR-E273 you get a much more solid music stand designed to hold a book of music – or printed music sheets – much more securely, allowing you to get on with learning or playing without worrying about the music falling off the stand. 

Who Is It Suitable For?

Beginner 

This is a reasonable keyboard for a beginner, but particularly for children. An adult beginner might find this keyboard feels a little bit delicate under their hands and might need a more sophisticated sound. However, the built-in lessons, the fun sound-effect quiz and the huge selection of voices would provide a great deal of fun for children. If a child starts to learn on this keyboard, keep in mind that they will need an upgrade within a year or so. 

Experienced and serious pianists 

Even early-intermediate pianists would find this keyboard insufficient both in feel and sound. The lack of 88 keys, touch sensitivity and weighted keys would make it a very short-lived option for a student who was beginning to progress. The Grand Piano sound might be acceptable for early intermediate for a short time. 

Pros and Cons

Pros 

• Well made keyboard
• Good piano sound
• Onboard lessons 

Cons 

• Non-weighted keys. 
• Cannot connect to computer.
• No numeric buttons so selecting voices far apart takes time. 
• Doesn’t always come with power adaptor.

Quick View 

Conclusion

Yamaha keyboards have a great reputation and the Yamaha PSR-E273 doesn’t disappoint from a quality point of view considering the price point. This is definitely an entry-level keyboard aimed more for children than adults and a good keyboard if you just want to see how your child gets on. I would buy this rather than an equivalent Alesis in the same price point because the piano sound is easier on the ear. 

Keep in mind that the better the keyboard, the more your child is likely to play and the more they play, the better they’ll get which will make them want to play more. If your budget can stretch, consider going up a step or two – the Yamaha P45, for instance. Starting off with 88 keys gives a beginner the benefit of seeing the whole scope of a piano and getting to the know the geography and sound of the whole instrument rather than just a portion of it.  

Having said that, if there are budget constraints or you don’t want to commit too much just yet, Yamaha PSR-E273 is a pretty good choice for a starter keyboard. 

8Expert Score

We rated the Yamaha PSR-E275 an 8/10. This is a solid piano for serious beginners. However, we had to knock off a few points because there are a handful of things we wish this PSR came with- Namely, a USB to MIDI port, and the power adapter. The sound bank has over 300 sounds, which is quite impressive given the under-$150 price tag. While there aren’t enough features to satisfy an intermediate student, we think the PSR-E273 is a great entry-level instrument.

PROS

• Well made keyboard
• Good piano sound
• Onboard lessons

CONS

• Non-weighted keys.
• Cannot connect to computer.
• No numeric buttons so selecting voices far apart takes time.
• Doesn’t always come with power adaptor.