Casio AP-470 | REVIEW | Digital Piano | 4-speaker Stereo Sound
The Casio AP-470 for 2021 is the only digital piano under $1500 that has real grand piano sound going through a 4-speaker 40 watt internal sound system housed in a full furniture cabinet with front support legs along with full length brass pedals and USB audio recording. This model is now considered the "biggest bang for the buck" in its price range.
🎹 UPDATED REVIEW - Jan 1, 2021 | Casio AP-470 Celviano Digital Piano | LOWER PRICE HERE | The Casio AP-470 at $1499 price is a very popular model under $1500 and is offered in matte black, matte walnut brown, matte and white. This model is internet priced at $1499 and has an upgraded stereo piano sound chip, key action, pedaling, and speaker system along with adding some new, impressive interactive features such as a proprietary controller app called "Chordana." This new app allows you to control the piano features and functions from your tablet color touch screen which the previous models could not do. Sometimes upgrades are not very noticeable in new models and sometimes they are. In this case the upgrades make the piano playing experience a lot more enjoyable than ever before and that's what really counts. After personally playing this new model many times, here are some of the main reasons (below) why the new AP-470 digital home piano is, in my opinion, one of the best digital pianos under $1500 that you can buy if you are looking for a very satisfying piano playing experience from beginner level all the way up to more advanced playing along with having a beautifully designed furniture style cabinet. (click on pics for larger views)
The piano key actions in Casio digital pianos are very consistent in being able to replicate a nicely balanced and piano weighted key movement with very good response under the fingers. I have always liked the way the keys move in terms of weight and speed and I know that many people at all skill levels agree with me. There are 3 key sensors under each key which allow for better key repetition recognition than some other digital pianos along with a more natural graded weight as opposed to brands that have keys that are either too light or much too firm. One of the new improvements on the AP-470 is the new proprietary synthetic ebony

The Casio AP-470 has a new piano sound chip which is improved over the previous model in a number of ways. They added a new custom made New York Steinway concert grand piano sound sample which is quite unique to find in a digital piano and definitely different than the more traditional Casio acoustic grand sample they have been using in their digital pianos. Not only is the





When it comes to extra features, the AP-470 has no shortage of other things it can do. It has a key transpose function, touch response control for hard, normal, of soft, octave shift for instrument sounds, brilliance control to apply brighter or mellower tone to the piano sounds, a digital metronome with tempo & time signature control, layer & splitting any two sounds, chorus effect to add to electric piano sounds to give them more body and presence, relative volume control between layers or splits, and a duet mode allowing for two people (parent-student, teacher-student, siblings, etc) to play the same song with the same notes simultaneously by electronically splitting the 88 notes into two separate 44-note keyboards independent of each other, the Casio AP470 offers some cool features but these features are also typically found in other brands and models of name brand digital pianos in this price range.
The unique proprietary features offered on this model include having a "Concert Play" music library incorporating 10 fully orchestrated popular classical songs in audio wav files built into the piano for play-along where the songs can be controlled for speed to slow it down without affecting the pitch of the song, part mute, separate volume control to balance the song playback with the live play volume of the piano, and 3-step learning in a way that makes even a pure beginner sound great. I have personally used this concert-play system and Casio did a great job of offering beautifully orchestrated music in a play-along learning format that you just do not get on other digital pianos, especially in this price range. Another exclusive feature is the Hall Simulator which allows the piano to resonate just like it would be heard in specific buildings or structures like a large Dutch Church, A old French Cathedral, or Concert Hall. These special "hall" effects give the piano sound a rich tonal quality to them like you would hear if a grand piano was playing in those actual buildings...big, reverberation, resonating tone that make the piano sounds on the AP470 bigger than they really are. Sometimes these type of effects really add "presence" to the piano sound and other times they are not necessary depending on the type of music you are playing. But either way, this feature can be useful and enjoyable to have.
The AP-470 also has two digital recorders; one being a 2-track MIDI recorder allowing for independent recording of left and right hand for practicing songs and then playing them back one hand at a time. This is a very useful technique for properly learning a piece of music and being able to actually listen back to your left and right hand part separately and see how it sounded and then also play both parts back simultaneously to hear how both parts sound together as they should be. This is a great feature and I use this type of recording method when teaching students how to recognize their mistakes while they were playing the lesson song. The 2nd recording feature is a 1-track audio wav file recording which allows you to record the song in one "take" or track with that song being recorded in CD quality as a audio wav file. Once this recording is done and you like it then you can save it on a USB flash drive that you can plug into the piano. You could then take that audio file and play it through your computer to hear how you sounded "live" or even make an audio MP3 file from it to play on your personal iPhone or iPad mobile or tablet device. You can also save a library of audio wav file songs that you recorded on the piano to a USB flash drive so that you can create a library of recorded songs for playback at a later date. This is also true of the 2-track MIDI recordings which can also be saved on the USB flash drive.
For 2021 Casio has done something quite special for their new digital pianos and designed their first "controller" app for digital tablet (iPad, etc) called Chordana Play so that you can control the functions and features of the AP-470 through a USB connection from an intuitive user interface on your iPad color touch screen instead of needing to always rely on less intuitive controls on the piano itself. For many years Casio and other digital piano companies have stuffed all kinds of sounds and features into their digital pianos which required a lot of buttons, sliders and other hardware on the piano to operate correctly. However, because of consumer demand, digital piano companies wanted to reduce the


I have tried the Chordana Play app out in person on the AP-470 and in my opinion Casio has really done a spectacular job designing this new multi-use controller app for tablet because not only does it offer very nicely laid out and engaging controls for the functions on the piano, but it also offers additional interactive technology including Music Score PDF files displaying music on an iPad for the internal song library in the piano. It also has a Piano Roll feature with follow-along songs for learning and music fun. For the AP470 you can select all the instrument sounds with the Chordana Play app, control the volumes of different set-ups, use

With regard to the internal speaker system and internal sound projection, the AP-470 really shines in this area based on my personal experience with it. First of all, it has stereo amplification of 40 watts going into 4 speakers which offers a good amount of power and the 4 speakers is more than most digital pianos in this price range which offer only 2 internal speakers . Beyond that, the AP-470 offers a unique piano sound projection system by designing this piano with a top lid that can be propped up and kept open to more easily project the sound towards the player rather than have the sound contained and boxed into the piano where the speakers are only underneath the piano pointing down which is the case on all the other popular digital pianos under $1500 out there. With this speaker projection "open lid" feature, the piano sound has more presence coming out more clearly towards the player to enhance the listening experience. This kind of thing works well and puts the Casio AP-470 above just about any other digital piano brand and model under $2000 as far as the internal speaker system goes. Casio also has a special new feature called "headphone mode" which allows for a headphone listening experience than other digital pianos do.
As far as digital and audio connectivity is concerned, the AP-470 has two 1/4" stereo headphone jacks on the left side front of the piano for playing in privacy with up to two people using headphones simultaneously. Also, one of those stereo headphone jacks can also be used to connect the piano to an external sound system if you are playing in a big venue, church, school, etc. When normally connecting any device through a headphone jack, the internal speakers are cutoff and muted. However, with the new AP-470 there is a mode that can be set to turn the internal speakers back on so that the player can monitor their playing through the

The cabinet design, structure, and appearance of this new AP-470 piano definitely has the most "furniture" looking appearance of any digital piano under $1500 that I know of given that it has an attractive, sturdy cabinet offered in 3 distinct matte color finishes with front support legs for extra cabinet stability and a more formal look to it. Along with the lid that raises up, the AP-470 has a full size music support rack, a built-in metal sliding key cover, and a high quality height adjustable matching padded bench (no one else in this price range offers a height adjustable padded bench which is an upgraded item), the AP-470 is a "total package" with functions and features that the vast majority of piano shoppers seem to be looking for in the lower price range under $1500. Beyond the appearance and style of the cabinet, the Casio company offers the longest US factory warranty in the digital piano industry for new digital pianos under $1500 with a full 5 year parts & labor warranty for manufacturer defects along with in-home service. Although other digital piano companies have some good warranties, the maximum labor warranty in most other brands is 3 years whereas Casio offers 5 years which says to me that Casio must be confident that their pianos will last awhile and they are willing to stand behind their products.
To sum it all up, given what the new Casio Celviano AP-470 is all about and what it offers, I definitely recommend this model to any family who is wanting a piano with a big, full realistic acoustic piano sound going through a fairly powerful internal speaker system housed in an attractive, durable cabinet with functions and features that puts it in a class by itself for digital pianos under $1500. I also want to point out that this is the first time in the Celviano AP400 series that Casio has offered an attractive matte white cabinet finish. I have seen the white color in person and it really looks good. There is really only one thing I wish the AP-470 had and that is Bluetooth audio and Bluetooth MIDI for wireless connectivity with external devices. However, the MIDI portion can be taken care of by connecting a USB cable from the piano to the device so that is not a big issue. Nevertheless, I do like the idea of being able to remotely and wirelessly control music that can be played through the piano speaker system from a tablet such as an iPad and play iTunes or other audio music through the piano and not needing to connect by audio cable. As Bluetooth technology in digital pianos becomes more common then these limitations won't exist anymore. But for now in this AP-470, what do you get in terms of the piano playing experience housed in a very attractive cabinet is definitely worth the price of admission. For its relatively low cost, the AP-470 is clearly a winner:).
If you want more info on new digital pianos and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.
Thank you for the review. How does the sound compare to the ap270 and the px870 in your experience? Both in terms of the piano sound realism and the listening experience?
ReplyDeleteThe AP470 internal sound system along with the new piano samples in it is significantly upgraded over any of the other Casio pianos below this new AP470 model.
ReplyDeleteHi Tim
ReplyDeleteHow does this compare to the AP650?
Interested in functionality, sound quality and App compatibility?
Thanks David
Hi Tim. Many thanks for the review. We are looking to get a piano for our daughter who has just started piano lessons. We are looking at the Casio AP470 and the Kawai KDP110. Which one is better? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThey are both impressive digital pianos for the money, but even though the Casio AP470 is more money than the Kawai, it would be worth the extra expense if you have the budget for it. The AP470 is much easier to use, has a proprietary iOS app for iPad, etc to more intuitively use the piano, has a sound projection system with the top lid able to open up to let out the sound, has 4 speakers instead of 2 in the Kawai, has a richer piano tone because of its sampling process, has the ability to record 2-track piano practice for listening back to the student's left & right hand parts separately, has audio wav file recording for true recorded song files all of which can be saved on a USB flash drive, has height adjustable bench, 5 year complete warranty instead of 3 years on Kawai, Casio piano is available in 3 different cabinet finishes rather than just one on the Kawai. The Casio cabinet is sturdier with front support legs on it. Just depends on your budget. In either case I can help you save money beyond the internet discount prices so please contact me by email and I can explain more to you and answer more of your piano questions.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tim. Your reply is much appreciated. We've done more research and have now shortlisted two digital pianos now - the Korg G1 Air (after reading your review of course) and the Kawai CN27.
DeleteWe've tested the CN27 and liked the key action and sound. We're waiting for an opportunity to test the Korg G1 air. We're in the North of UK and it's hard to find a store near us to test it!!!
Have you tested the CN27? Which one would you recommend?
Hello! I'm currently deciding between Casio AP 470 and Korg C1 Air. Which one has better sound (both in headphones and through speakers)?
ReplyDeleteHello Tim,
ReplyDeleteCould you please help to identify the main differences between the AP 470 and PX 870? I'm trying to justify the extra $600 in spend and if it is worth it. My son is 7 and has been learning on a keyboard for the past 2 years, and I'm looking to upgrade as his skills are getting more advanced. Thank you for your assistance.
Abbas.
Hello, greetings from Peru
ReplyDeleteBetween your review of PX-870 and AP-470, i don't understand the difference between the models, could you please help me, i saw the Casio info and they look very simmilar
https://www.casio-intl.com/latin/es/emi/products/px870/
https://www.casio-intl.com/latin/es/emi/products/ap470/
Hello Tim, thank you for all you do, I used your advice to buy a Casio in the $500 range in Canada when I was a poor student a few years ago. Now that I'm a poor worker in Europe I've moved up to the $1500 range and I'm about to go for this one. Do you think it's a good choice for someone that has been playing the family $5000 Kawai for 10 years but now needs the closest thing to a piano for a small appartment? I'd also like to improve my jazz by playing on top of youtube backing tracks, is this type of connectivity possible? Thanks again for your work!
ReplyDeleteI recently purchased an AP470 through Tim and am doing the happy dance as to how I sound in the fancy steakhouse called “Prime” in St. Thomas, VI. I’ve had wrist issues and was hoping my 4 nights/wk performances wouldn’t be too taxing. I absolutely love the action and after my first 2 weeks, there is no pain. I want people so refer to this spot as having a piano, not a keyboard. This also has been accomplished. The quality of sound is so much better than I expected. I use it’s own speakers and line out into 4 house speakers and the quality has remained true throughout the restaurant I am so glad I met Tim online to help me make the decision on buying this piano.
ReplyDeleteHello Tim. I have recently purchased an AP470. I just want to know how do you know than the main Grand piano sound is a New York Steinway. I just couldn't find that datum in the supplied docs or the Casio homepage. Thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteAlthough Casio cannot publish this info, they had previously confirmed that statement to me...that the piano sample is from a NY Steinway.
ReplyDeleteHello Tim, how would you compare this piano, Casio AP470, with the Roland DP603. The Roland is more expensive, but after reading your review I believe that both can be compared. Your opinion on both these models will be highly appreciated, because I am about to buy either one of them soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you and if you can send your opinion to alex@riveros.ca it will be even more appreciated.
Regards,
Alex
Hi, Tim: I have the AP-470 piano and really appreciate the Chordana software. Can the USB output from the piano be converted to a Bluetooth signal by any commercial adaptor? I'd like to eliminate the bother of the USB cable connection to my tablet if possible. Thanks!
ReplyDelete