Yamaha PSR-EW425 Review

We rated the Yamaha PSR-EW425 a 10/10. We also rated this instrument’s slighter smaller and more economical sibling, the E-474 a full 10. While this is pretty unusual for us to rate an instrument perfectly, we were blown away by Yamaha’s PSR releases from earlier this year. The EW425 makes a perfect piano for beginning recording artists and intermediate gigging musicians. While no instrument is entirely without fault, we believe that this arranger keyboard is one of the best on the market when it comes to portability, features, and price combined.

Overview

The Yamaha PSR-EW425 is a portable arranger keyboard that was just released in March of this year, alongside the smaller and lighter PSR-E473.  In this Yamaha PSR-EW425 review, we will be doing a deep dive into this instrument’s specs and features, such as quick sampling, inputs and connectivity, voices, and more. 

According to Sweetwater.com, this model was ‘designed for expressive performance’. The EW425 is an arranger keyboard with organ-style keys and over 800 voices. Some of its key features include a large amount of connectivity, looping and sampling, expansion memory, and easy-to-use auto accompaniment. 

Features

Organ Style, Velocity Sensitive Keys

Organ style keys are unweighted and have a differently shaped edge when compared to normal piano keys. So, Organ style keys, also known as synth keys, are all unweighted. In short, this makes this instrument unideal for intermediate (and up) classical musicians. That being said, this instrument does have several different settings on the velocity-sensitive keys. The instrument can be adjusted to soft, medium, hard, or fixed touch. 

A Plethora of Inputs and Outputs

One of the many reasons why I think this keyboard lends so well to music production is its inputs and outputs.

There is one headphone jack and one (quarter inch) mic input.  Musicians can record onboard, but you can also export directly using a USB/MIDI cable.  This instrument has left and right audio (quarter inch) outputs that are separate from the headphone jack input. If you are feeling more old-school, you can also record by plugging in a USB flash drive. 

Momentary Motion Effect(s) 

The momentary motion effect is a button that gives you access to 30 creative effects like intros, risers/ crescendos, and echoey electronic fx. A wild and groovy low-frequency oscillator can be triggered with just the touch of this button. This experimental section of the on-board controls is easy to use, even for music newbies. 

The 30 effects featured on both this instrument and the E473 can be seen in the following video by Gearfacts.

Style Expansion Memory 

You can expand the onboard bank to better suit your needs as a musician with the style expansion memory feature. This allows you to change the styles inside the bank to the genres and grooves you will use most. 

Brand New Tone Generator

This new tone generator creates crystal-clear voices. Some of the sounds included in the 820-sound pack are:

• Drum kits
• Woodwinds
• Pianos
• Organs
• Guitars
• Orchestral strings 

Quick Sampling 

Quick sampling lets you create a short sample or loop to work with. It can be just under 10 seconds long. 

Octave Shift and Transposition Tool 

The octave shift button and transposition tools are quite handy when you need to move something up or down or change the key. This can help keyboardists in a pinch if they learn songs in a key that doesn’t quite fit the vocalists’ needs, and they don’t have time to rehearse on their own or transpose. 

Mega Boost 

Mega boost is a button that automatically adds 6 decibels of volume to the instrument. While features like this are common when it comes to guitar amps, we don’t see it that often in pianos. This feature is extremely helpful for those gigging in loud settings, and who don’t want to lug around a lot of PA heads and other heavy equipment. 

Other Features include:

• Registration memory
• 35 grooves
• 30 presets, multi-genre auto accompaniment
• 1-finger chord function
• A metronome with 11-280 BPM
• Optional battery power
• Downloadable music book 

Specifications

• Dimensions:
• Height: 5.37 inches
• Width: 47.25 inches
• Depth: 15.87 inches
• Weight: 18.31 pounds
• Type of Keys: Organ-style
• Controllers: Pitch bend (wheel), Momentary Motion Effect (button)
• Rhythms: 290 
• Memory: 1.72 MB, USB flash
• Sequencer with 10 songs, 6-tracks, and 19k notes max
• Recording: WAV, 80 minutes, stereo
• Inputs: ¼ inch mic input, ⅛ aux in, ¼ headphone, ¼ inch sustain input
• USB types: One Type A, one type B
• Outputs: ¼ inch (Two)
• Compatible with formats: WAV, SMF
• Effects: 71 (Reverb, Chorus, DSP, EQ) 

Who Is The EW425 Suitable For?

The EW425 is best suited for beginning keyboardists, beginning to intermediate producers, and gigging musicians. Like the PSRE-473, it also suits professional gigging musicians well, especially as a backup instrument. We wouldn’t recommend it for serious classical players though, because the polyphony is too limited, the keys aren’t weighted, and the keybed isn’t full-sized. 

Yamaha PSR-EW425 In Action 

Check out this all-playing, no-talking video from Kraft music to get a better feel for the EW425 in action.

I’m not usually one for flute samples (I am a pro classical flutist) however, the jazz flute sound that the performer starts out with in this demo video is stunning. It’s vibrant, with a surprisingly convincing vibrato. And can we talk about the jazzy backing tracks? Anyone would have a blast jamming a lot to these. 

Guitar and organ sounds are another area that we can look at that speaks to the quality of the instrument. To be frank, guitar, flute, and organ sounds are rarely totally convincing, especially on economical portable keyboards. While I can tell that these are electronic instruments, they are all very good electronic instruments, and I’d be satisfied if I heard these voices on a keyboard at a live gig. Now, I know not everyone is going to be as picky as me. In short, this soundbank is impressive. The EW425 is a total steal, just for the new engine alone. 

Customer Review

Unfortunately, this exact model doesn’t have an Amazon listing. There is one review from Sweetwater, which gave the instrument 5/5 stars. That customer especially liked the clarity of the voices and the powerful internal speakers. They compared it to the PSR-SX 900, stating that, while the EW425 is much more economical, it is more similar to the high-end SX model than anything else. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• This is an extremely economical instrument that you can do music production on 
• It sounds great, and there are more instruments than you’ll ever need on it
• The auto accompaniment is full, and will help beginning players learn to improv while keeping it interesting
• The on-board controls are intuitive and gives you a multitude of ways to get creative
• It has a mega boost, so you can jam out without needing a large PA head
• The quick sampling and EDM tools are super fun 
• It has multiple ways to record on, and even has a mic input
• It is light and easy to travel with 
• It makes an excellent gift without breaking the bank
• It is one of the best new little keyboards on the market today

Cons

• There isn’t a way to use a condenser mic onboard with this instrument, it has to be ¼ compatible and not require phantom power
• The featured Rec ‘N’ Play app could be better
• The keyboard isn’t full sized
• There is no weight to the keys
• The string voices may sound a tad unconvincing or electronic to music pros

Classical teachers probably won’t want to have this one in their music studio unless they have a lot of students who are also interested in learning about music production/songwriting/EDM and or pop music. It doesn’t pass the Rachmaninovv test. But that’s not a requirement for me to be able to give it a 10/10! 

The Rec N Play app that this instrument is designed to work with doesn’t run very smoothly. That being said, that is a reflection on the app creators, and not the instrument itself. While this PSR isn’t without a handful of cons, I am still overwhelmingly, impressed. 

Comparable Instruments 

If you take a peek at this Sweetwater page, down at the bottom, you’ll find a helpful comparison chart between other Yamaha models next to the EW425.

Comparable instruments from within the Yamaha brand: 

• Yamaha PSRE-273 
• Yamaha PSRE-373 
• Yamaha PSREW-410
• Yamaha PSRE-473 
• Yamaha PSRI500 
• Yamaha PSR-SX900 

The PSRE-273 and 373 are older PSR models with a music lower cost. If you are looking for a solid piano but don’t want to spend as much, consider these. Honestly, the EW425 is a much bigger step up from these two in my opinion, but to each his own. 

The PSREW-410 is a discontinued member of the PSR family that you may be able to find used for a good price. Some similarities are that it also has quick sampling, a 76-note keyboard, USB compatibility, and live control knobs. 

Of the instruments on this list, the PSRE-473 is the most compatible. So, what is the difference between the PSRE-473 and the PSR-EW425 anyways? The main difference is the number of keys. The EW425 has many of the same features as the 473, except with a longer keybed (76 keys instead of 61). This extra octave makes it more suitable for intermediates than its smaller sibling. 

Another instrument that may be a good fit for you if you are in the process of studying Indian Classical music in a serious way is the PSRI500. It has many similar features, like a clear sound bank and auto-accompaniment, but focuses on learning features such as Ragas (scales) and more. 

Lastly, I thought I’d add in the PSR-SX900 because of the raving Sweetwater review I read. One customer said that the most comparable instrument they could find to the EW425 was the very pricey SX900. It is the current flagship for the PSR-SX series, 

Other pianos you may want to check out are some models from Korg, or one of these Rolands: 

• Roland BK 300 
• Roland E-X50

Quick View 

Yamaha PSR-EW425: Conclusion

In conclusion, the Yamaha PSR-EW425 is a stunning new keyboard with plenty of features and gizmos. Hence, I would highly recommend this new release to a wide variety of players. 

“ Endeavour to play easy pieces well and with elegance; that is better than to play difficult pieces badly. “ -Robert Schumann 

References 

Specs from: Sweetwater.com, and the manufacturer’s website

Cover photo from.

All playing, no talking video from: Kraft Music

Momentary motion button example video from Gearfacts

10Expert Score

We rated the Yamaha PSR-EW425 a 10/10. We also rated this instrument’s slighter smaller and more economical sibling, the E-474 a full 10. While this is pretty unusual for us to rate an instrument perfectly, we were blown away by Yamaha’s PSR releases from earlier this year. The EW425 makes a perfect piano for beginning recording artists and intermediate gigging musicians. While no instrument is entirely without fault, we believe that this arranger keyboard is one of the best on the market when it comes to portability, features, and price combined.

PROS

• This is an extremely economical instrument that you can do music production on
• It sounds great, and there are more instruments than you’ll ever need on it
• The auto accompaniment is full, and will help beginning players learn to improv while keeping it interesting
• The on-board controls are intuitive and gives you a multitude of ways to get creative
• It has a mega boost, so you can jam out without needing a large PA head
• The quick sampling and EDM tools are super fun
• It has multiple ways to record on, and even has a mic input
• It is light and easy to travel with
• It makes an excellent gift without breaking the bank
• It is one of the best new little keyboards on the market today

CONS

• There isn’t a way to use a condenser mic onboard with this instrument, it has to be ¼ compatible and not require phantom power
• The featured Rec ‘N’ Play app could be better
• The keyboard isn’t full sized
• There is no weight to the keys
• The string voices may sound a tad unconvincing or electronic to music pros