Yamaha P-515 Review (2021)

The Yamaha P515 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano is a high-end 88-key weighted action digital piano with real wood keys and advanced technologies. It includes hundreds of digitized instruments with natural sound.

The P-515 is Yamaha’s flagship piano for their P-Series of digital grand pianos. It includes samples from luxury grand pianos and aims to offer a realistic feel and response. However, it comes with a premium price tag, making it a good idea to examine the features. Use the following Yamaha P515 review to find out if this is the right piano for you.

Features

The main feature of the Yamaha P-515 is the sampling. The piano sounds are created using samples of the Yamaha CFX concert grand piano and the Bosendorfer Imperial grand piano. Both pianos are regarded as among the world’s finest concert grand pianos.

The P-515 is a stand-alone digital keyboard. However, it is designed to match the Yamaha L515 furniture stand and the LP1 piano-style triple-pedal units.

Over 500 Digital Voices
While you can play the keyboard using the Yamaha CFX and Bosendorfer samples, the piano includes over 500 digital voices.
The “voices” are the digital instruments and sounds available on the keyboard. For example, you can play the piano with the sound of an acoustic guitar, harpsichord, or an electric piano.
Along with hundreds of voices, the piano includes 40 rhythm patterns. The rhythm patterns are drum and bass accompaniments that you can use to recreate the sound of playing with backing musicians. The 40 different patterns cover almost every type of music, from jazz to pop.
The P-515 also lets you play around with the sound in the “Piano Room.” The Piano Room function stores your settings and allows you to adjust a variety of parameters, such as damper resonance, string resonance, and touch response.

Large LCD Screen

The piano has a large LCD screen that displays the current settings and available functions. Despite the wide assortment of settings and options, the P-515 has a user-friendly menu system. You should have no problem navigating the screens and selecting the right sounds. The menu system includes a variety of settings and a master equalizer (EQ). You can tailor the sound to suit your preferences and save the settings.

 

Enhanced Virtual Resonance Modeling

Real concert grand pianos produce distinct reverb that is traditionally difficult to recreate with a digital instrument. Yamaha attempts to solve this problem with enhanced virtual resonance modeling (VRM). The VRM system analyses the state of the strings for each of the 88 keys to create a vivid, rich sound.

Optimized for Headphones

The Yamaha P-515 features two advanced technologies that help deliver more realistic sound when listening through headphones. The Binaural sampling technology creates three-dimensional sound while the Stereophonic Optimizer adjusts the distribution of sound. The two technologies work together to create the sensation that the sound is coming from the piano instead of the headphones.

Smart Pianist Mobile App

The P-515 is compatible with Yamaha’s Smart Pianist app for iOS devices. The mobile app allows you to select digital voices and change settings from your iPhone or iPad. However, the best feature of the app is the ability to analyze songs in your music library. The app can scan your favorite songs and display the chords for you to play along on the piano.

Yamaha P-515 Specs

The piano comes with a power adapter and the Yamaha FC4 foot pedal. Here is a closer look at the rest of the main Yamaha P515 specs:

• 88 keys
• Weighs 69 pounds
• Measures 52.6 x 14.8 x 5.7 inches
• Built-in 15W + 5W amplifiers and speaker system
• ¼-inch auxiliary line outputs
• ¼-inch auxiliary line input
• MIDI connectivity
• USB port

The build quality stands out compared to lower-priced digital pianos. The Yamaha P-515 is a solid digital instrument made with metal housing for increased durability. It feels sturdy, unlike the less expensive plastic pianos. However, it also weighs close to 70 pounds.

The 88 keys are made with real wood and feature synthetic ebony and ivory tops. The natural weighted keyboard action provides the same feel and response of a grand piano.

The P-515 is equipped with amplifiers and a two-way speaker system, allowing you to simply plug the piano into an electrical outlet and start playing. The 15W speakers and 5W woofer should easily fill a medium-sized room.

The piano also has multiple audio outputs for connecting the P-515 to a computer, external speakers, or headphones. It includes ¼-inch auxiliary outputs, allowing you to connect the piano to any standard amplifier or speaker system. It also has MIDI outputs and inputs and a USB port for connecting the piano to a computer or laptop.

With the ¼-inch auxiliary input, you can connect any sound source and play sound through the built-in speakers on the piano. For example, you can connect an MP3 player, CD player, or a smartphone to play audio.

What Do Customers Say About the Yamaha P-515?

The typical Yamaha P515 review is positive, with customers highlighting the natural sound of the digital instruments. Customers enjoyed testing the hundreds of voices built into the piano.

Customers also frequently mentioned the authentic feel of the keys. As the P-515 is made with real wood keys and synthetic ivory tops, it faithfully recreates the experience of playing on a concert grand piano.

Finding complaints about the P-515 is difficult, but some customers were disappointed that this piano came with the Yamaha FC4 foot pedal. When half-pedaling, the FC4 does not produce a noticeable effect, which advanced pianists may find a little irritating. However, upgrading to the FC3 or FC3A appears to solve the problem.

Conclusion

The Yamaha P-515 piano is the flagship piano of Yamaha’s P-Series. It includes state-of-the-art technologies to create exceptionally realistic sound. Thanks to the natural wood X (NWX) keyboard keys, you get the same weighted action found in real grand pianos.

The P-515 offers one of the most authentic playing experiences available on a digital piano. However, it is not the least expensive option. If the price fits your budget, the Yamaha P-515 is likely to meet or exceed your expectations.