In duo mode, the pedal functionality changes as well, with the soft and damper pedals applying sustain to one side each, and the sostenuto pedal applying sustain to both sides simultaneously. The installation process is well-explained and well-illustrated in the user manual, and all the parts are provided and marked.

Much like the YDP-144, the YDP-164 is a good digital piano, diminished slightly by its less-than-stellar controls.Why bring that up right now? Well, the key word here is control, and the YDP-144 isn’t really the best in this department. Yamaha keyboards and digital pianos have always sampled the mellow tones of the classic Mark I, rather than the more distinct bite of the Mark II. It even comes with a sliver of chorus, adding to the character.

With the Yamaha YDP-144 and this useful feature, the Stereophonic Optimizer, this weakness seems to be a matter of the past. This technology enables you to play the piano with headphones on, and have a similar sound experience as you would when not using headphones. To be clearer, the sound you hear doesn’t seem to be in your ear, but rather coming from the piano, a surround sound, if you will. The experience is supposed to be as authentic and immersive as possible. The Yamaha YDP-144, on the other hand is designed for home use. Compared to the previous model, the design hasn’t changed much overall. It has built in stereo speakers and a full 88-key keyboard. It’s just what you need for home, or anyway use in a fixed location. The dimensions are certainly not recommending it for transportation (it is a cabinet style digital piano), and its weight neither. It ways 83 pounds, which makes it pretty uncomfortable to move move around. Taking all these assessments into consideration, I recommend you g for the Yamaha YDP-144, unless portability is a deciding factor for you. For example, when you depress the sustain pedal, the earliest played notes continue to sound while you’re adding new ones and the piano needs more memory to keep all the notes sounding.

The main feature you should be looking at when purchasing a digital piano is the keyboard. The Yamaha YDP-144 is priced between the usual entry- and intermediate-level prices. All in all, the sounds are admirable, with Yamaha’s excellent sampling tech and sound engine combining to make a great experience. Technically, the body of the YDP-164 is made from particleboard, but the finish and density make it feel solid. Do you know if both YDP-143 and YDP-144 support the Smart Pianist App? I have only seen info online for YDP-144, but I’m getting the YDP-143 and want to know if it will be supported as well?