Yamaha P-225 Portable Digital Piano

What makes the Yamaha P-225 great:

The Yamaha P-225 is viewed by many as a strong “sweet-spot” digital piano. Here are what make it great — its strengths — along with some of the compromises, so you can see if it’s a good fit for you.

Realistic weighted action with a compact design

• • The P-225 uses Yamaha’s Graded Hammer Compact (GHC) That gives you full 88-keys, fully weighted, with a feel close to acoustic piano action, yet the mechanism is more compact so the overall unit is slimmer and smaller.
  • So you get a balance: good key feel, but less bulk and weight than some more traditional full-size digital pianos

High quality sound + expressive modelling

• • It features Yamaha’s CFX concert grand piano sample, which is among their flagship grand piano tones
  • It also includes Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM Lite), which helps simulate the complex resonance of real piano strings (how they react when multiple notes are played, sustain pedal usage, how tonal character changes depending on dynamics) — making the sound richer and more expressive.

Good polyphony & versatile voices

• • Maximum polyphony is 192 notes, which is more than enough for most performance / practice / layering contexts. This helps avoid note drop-outs especially with sustain or layered voices.
  • It has 24 preset voices, plus modes such as Dual (layer), Split, Duo etc., so you can combine or split sounds, try different tones (electric-piano, organ, strings etc.).

Speaker / sound projection design

• • The speaker setup includes front-facing speakers angled / designed so that sound behaves more like from a grand piano — reflections, projection, etc. This helps especially when the instrument is placed near a wall.
  • Other sound features like Sound Boost are included to give more punch when needed (for example, in a louder environment or ensemble) without too much external gear.

Modern usability & connectivity

• • Bluetooth® Audio is supported — you can stream audio from phone/tablet to play along with music, backing tracks etc.
  • USB-to-Host (MIDI / Audio) is included, which is useful for recording, using software, etc.
  • Control via Yamaha’s Smart Pianist app makes adjusting settings, navigating voices etc. easier from a mobile device.

Size, weight, and portability

• • It weighs around 5 kg, which is quite manageable for an 88-key weighted piano.
  • Its dimensions are slimmer/shallower than some older models: ~1326 × 129 × 272 mm.
  • Because of that, it fits more easily in smaller rooms, is easier to transport (less bulky), and is more flexible in where you can put it in your home or studio.

Value-for-money

• • Considering the blend of weighted action, high-quality piano sounds, good polyphony, modern features (Bluetooth, app support), and portability, many people feel the P-225 offers a lot of capability without entering “pro stage piano” price territory.
  • North of this you’re into the YDP / Arius range and this can be found by clicking here

Some trade-offs / what to watch out for

To balance things out, here are what it isn’t ideal for, or features that could be better:

• The built-in speakers, though well designed, are still modest in terms of power. If you need to fill large rooms, or compete with loud instruments in a band, you’ll likely want external amplification.

• The compact keyboard (GHC) is excellent for its class, but purists or advanced classical pianists might prefer heavier or more premium hammer action (some higher end models have more elaborate action mechanisms).

• Some users find that under heavy playing, the keys “bottom out” more noticeably — meaning the feel at the low end of the key press may feel a bit more abrupt compared to higher-end pianos with more “give” or dampening. (This is a common trade-off in more compact actions.)

• While Bluetooth Audio is useful, latency / sound fidelity might be less ideal when streaming / playing along, depending on your use / setup.

• Many “extras” (like 3-pedal units, stand, protective case) are optional and cost extra; the base unit is good, but adding accessories adds to both cost and what you carry.

Key Specifications:

Width: 1326mm
Height: 129mm
Depth: 272mm
Weight: 11.5kg

Compare the specs of the P Series Range by clicking here