Rating: 
The Casio Privia PX-850 Piano is the new flagship product in the Privia series. It provides you with top class piano sounds, and the feel of real piano from hammer response to damper resonance and lid simulation.
Pros
Easy to Use, Responsive Action, Realistic sound
Cons
Pedals are smaller compared to standard piano pedals, No built-in lessons
Best Place to Buy
On Amazon, Casio Privia PX-850 for $1000-$1200
Review | Ratings | Video Review | Specs
Review
With the Privia PX-850 digital piano, Casio has attempted to give the user a more realistic sound and feel of an acoustic grand, by providing hammer response to keys to damper resonance and even lid simulation.
It’s easy to assemble (you may require another person’s help though) and has excellent sound quality, looks & features.
Who Is It For?
Perfect for home, church or the studio, the combination of a new keyboard action and a powerful new sound engine makes it a force to reckon with.
Now you can get a much better control over the nuances and the expressions, while playing the piano.
Lowest Prices on Privia PX850 here…
Those who have played a lot on proper pianos will find the pedals on the Casio PX850 to be smaller in size, compared to the size of standard piano pedals. That can be a bit inconvenient and will need time getting adjusted to. Is that a reason to complain? Remember, this one is priced around 1000 dollars.
Competition Check
There was a time when the name “Casio” used to be associated with toy pianos, but no longer. In fact, one of the other option that you could consider is the Casio AP420 or maybe the more expensive Casio AP620. These Celviano series are designed like classic pianos, have better cabinet designs & color, and also come with built-in music lessons.
The PX-850 however is more of a performance piano (alternative for acoustic piano) and doesn’t have built-in lessons. However, you can always connect it to a computer to work with music educational software, or connect it to iPad and use apps such as Home Concert Xtreme for lessons.
Another option to consider is the Yamaha YDP series. It’s more of a personal preference, however within the same price point, you can expect a few extras from Casio. For example, if the YDP gives you 128 note polyphony, you can expect 256 from Casio.
You can go in for the more expensive Yamaha YDP-181 ($1699) but it has been around for some time and could be due for an upgrade. The new Casio PX-850, at this price point, however looks far more tempting (about 500 bucks cheaper).
If you want a much better product, then should probably look at the Yamaha Clavinova, but then they are quite expensive.
Same goes for the pianos in the Roland HP500 series and the Kawai CN series, which are better products, but priced well over $2000.
In case, you’re looking for something slightly cheaper, the Casio PX350 is a good option to consider.
Piano Lid simulation
If you’re an experienced pianist, you’re going to like this feature. You can get a much fuller and clearer piano sound by opening the lid (by lifting it).
The sound becomes better as it travels upward and outward, which is not the case when the lid is closed.
Duet Mode
In this mode, the keyboard can be split into two equal ranges, which means the student and teacher can play the same song on the keyboard simultaneously.
A good feature to have for music lessons, in case you are a music teacher, or you have a piano teacher coming over to your place to impart lessons.
2-track recorder & USB connection
It’s not just a performance piano, the PX850 also has functions for more creative possibilities.
You can use the 2-track recorder to record your practice sessions and play them back to hear how you’ve played
You can also use it to capture music ideas, whenever you’re in the frame of mind to compose
You can even use it as a controller keyboard and work with various music software applications
The USB connection even allows you to move songs to and from the computer into Privia PX850’s flash ROM, to save the songs that you’ve created
You can even use the PX-850 as a controller for your iPad music apps via Apple’s Camera
Warranty
All Casio products have a standard 1 year warranty, but their pianos have an additional 2-year warranty which you need to activate through their web site,
once you buy the Casio piano. So overall, the total warranty is 3 years on parts and labor, which is not at all bad.
Specs
Here are the key features of the Casio PX-850:
Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II with Simulated Ebony and Ivory Keys for real piano like feel
AiR (Acoustic & intelligent Resonator) sound engine that delivers realistic piano tone
Lid simulator simulates the acoustic effects of opening and closing the lid
Damper resonance adds expressive realism to your playing
256-Note polyphony, 18 Built-in tones, 60 Music Library songs and 10 user-loaded songs
New 4 Layer Stereo Grand Piano Samples
Stereo Digital Audio Recording to USB storage
2-Track recorder and metronome for further aid during practice
Onboard effects (4 reverb, 4 chorus, brilliance, DSP) for enhanced sounds
Duet mode for group practice or lessons
Dual 20-Watt speaker system
3 Built-in pedals: damper, soft, sostenuto
USB flash drive port, Line Out jacks
2 Headphone jacks for quiet playing
USB MIDI
Video Review
Overall Ratings
The The PX-850 is a great alternative to an acoustic piano, and comes with a powerful on-board speaker system, and a cabinet that opens providing a rich concert sound. Now you can easily fill the room with big piano sound.
Overall:
Buying Options
1. $1000-$1200 on Amazon
2. Casio PX-850 on zZounds
Accessories That You May Need
This piano doesn’t come with a bench, the On Stage Flip Top Keyboard Bench is a suitable option, comes with storage space as well.
User Comments…
Casio PX-850 vs Yamaha YDP-162
by: Jane
After some extensive research on which digital piano to buy, we shortlisted the Casio PX-850 and the Yamaha YDP-161. Now, many folks out there felt that Yamaha digital pianos have a closer piano feel & sound, perhaps because Yamaha also makes real pianos. However, the reviews on PX-850 have been very high regarding its sound and feel (e.g it has 256 polyphony vs Yamaha’s 128). To settle that debate, I took my son to a local piano store to try out the Yamaha, as well as the PX-830 (they didn’t have PX-850); he preferred the Casio and I agree.
Excellent Electric Piano
by: Jeff
The piano is great – both the sound and the feel of the keys. Its easy to assemble, plays beautifully and is loaded with features! It accurately replicates the half-damped sound when you half depress the sustain pedal, as on a real piano.
Casio definitely deserves a pat on the back for this px-850 privia model, as they seem to have given attention to the minutest of details. Someday I want the Steinway in my living room (waiting to hit the lottery jackpot), until then, I’m fine with this Privia.
Amazing value
by: Brian
The sound is fantastic, and difficult to believe that its from Casio. The keys have an awesome feel & texture to it, the simulated hammer action is top notch.
I’ve spent a lot of time with synths so i’m aware of the major brands who make good digital equipment. So when I decided to learn to play a real piano, I was a bit concerned about owning a Casio, but after checking out its features and sound, I went for it and am glad it did that. In fact, I think it sounds & feels better than my teacher’s upright piano.
Depending on your preference, you can even change the hammer sound, string resonance, and lid position, which I think is a great feature. And its priced just around thousand bucks.
Awesome piano
by: Piano Man
Are you’re wondering that its a Casio and how can the sound be awesome? There’s no doubt that the sound is awesome when you compare it with the other products in that price range. It does sound a bit electronic though, but only when you hear it through a good quality pair of headphones, but otherwise, its difficult to make out.
Some players also wish that the volume knob and the buttons for switching instrument tones were located somewhat above, and not just above the keys. Because some of them tend to touch them while playing. But then, they are not very close to the keys, and you have to be really sloppy to touch it. With some time, you’ll become aware of it & get adjusted to it.
Republished by Blog Post Promoter