Yamaha CP300 Vs. Yamaha CP33

The CP300 and the CP33 are Yamaha's latest entries of their CP series, a line-up of 88-key electric stage pianos that was started in 1976. Designed to combine the sound of a grand piano with the portability of a digital musical keyboard, these two instruments were clearly made to serve a common purpose, even if they differ from each other in certain aspects.

Size and Weight

Both the CP300 and the CP33 are portable digital pianos, small enough to carry around for live performances. However, the CP300 weighs twice as much as the CP33, and slightly surpasses it in length, width and height.

Voices and Polyphony

The CP33 has 28 voices or instrument sounds that are transmitted as MIDI, the data standard for electronic musical instruments. The CP300 has almost twice the voices (50) with an additional 480 voices that use XG, which is Yamaha's extension of the General MIDI standard. Thus in the CP300, instead of staying with General MIDI's 128 program slots where instrument sounds are stored, the XG system expands it to over 600. The CP300 also has 12 drum kits, a feature that the CP33 lacks.

The electric pianos also differ in polyphony, which is the ability to play a certain number of notes simultaneously in a General MIDI-compatible instrument. The CP300 can play a maximum of 128 notes in comparison to the CP33's 64.

Sound Quality and Effects

Both the CP300 and the CP33 have the Graded Hammer Effect -- a feature that is designed to emulate the sound of an actual acoustic piano -- with the ability to add a sustain pedal for vibration. They also have a range of effects for the sounds, such as Reverb, Echo and Chorus; and two modulation wheels to raise or lower note pitch.

Jacks and Recording

Both electric pianos have headphone, audio and sustain pedal jacks, USB and MIDI ports, and spots to plug in power adapters. However, the CP300 comes equipped with a built-in 16-track for recording and a two-speaker stereo system to play the recordings.

Price

With all these factors considered, it is understandable why one digital piano is almost twice as expensive as the other. Currently, the CP300's price range is in the $2,000 range while the CP33 lists above $1,000.

References

• Yamaha CP300 (Yamaha USA web site)
• Yamaha CP33 (Yamaha USA web site)

Resources

• Yamaha's XG format
• MIDI Manufacturers Association