Yamaha Digital Piano PSR E353 Review Complete. Good Choice?

Today we bring you a very requested review. The Yamaha PSR E353 is the most searched electronic keyboard on the Internet under 200 €. So here we go with it:

​Note: There is a version of the Yamaha PSR E353, which is already out of print. It also improves the polyphony from 32 to 48 notes for the same price. You can see our review of the Yamaha PSR E363.

It is a keyboard for beginners and musicians who want a cheap keyboard to compose and develop harmonic lines. A great keyboard to accompany in the home studio.

If you want to study piano at the conservatory level it is not the right keyboard. For although it has a touch-sensitive keyboard it does not have a Hammer Action system as such. So its general purpose is not to mimic the keyboard of an acoustic piano.

The Yamaha PSR E353 has 573 types of instruments that are good to have fun, but in the end for our compositions and live performances, we will only use a few because many of them are kind of a toy. But it’s piano and organ sound is acceptable to us. Even though his polyphonic memory is only 32 notes.

It is necessary to consider that its price is very reduced and for what it is worth it gives many benefits.

Keyboard Sensitivity

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The Yamaha PSR E353 has a 61-key keypad. More than enough to practice and compose. You can use it to practice the piano as long as it’s a secondary instrument. So it is impossible to develop the study that requires for example the conservatory in a keyboard of this range.

It has velocity sensitivity, so you can regulate the force with the sound of the note based on how strong you press the key. It is a detail that is appreciated because it does not allow us to give expressiveness to what we touch. Please note that this is not a GHS system with 4 levels of pulsation. But still, having a basic sensitivity in your range is a gift.

The keyboard has duet mode to divide the keyboard into two pianos so that two people can play at the same time. It is mainly useful for teaching but only for one-handed exercises. To play complete pieces you can be a little tight while sharing the piano in duo and playing it with two hands.

Connectivity to computer and pedal

This is the strength of the keyboard. Many keyboards in its range do not have a MIDI interface, which limits them a lot and turns them into toy instruments. For a keyboard to be a little serious it needs a MIDI connector (it is called USB to Host).

Thanks to the MIDI connection of the Yamaha PSR E353 we can play and generate a score at the same time that we play with programs like Sibelius. Not only that, but with any recording or production program such as Ableton, Garage Band, or Cubase, we can record MIDI tracks that can then be exported to score.

How you see the MIDI connection is very important. In addition, it admits pedal although it does not have it included. The sustain pedal is vital for playing the piano because it allows the sound of the note to be maintained over time even if the note key is released. Another wonderful connection which is included, despite how cheap it is and is not common.

The connectivity and the pedal are what really make it possible to consider an option to keep in mind if you have a budget lower than 180 €.

Portability and power

Here is a good feature. It only weighs 4  Kg. which makes that many people who have a superior keyboard buy this model to take it to rehearsal places or even live. Thanks to the fact that it has an acceptable piano sound along with other sounds that are not toy sounds. A lot of people take it everywhere just because it weighs so little.

The loudspeakers are not very strong, they are 2 speakers of 2,5 W. To rehearse in a house with friends in acoustics can be worth it. But to play in open spaces you will need a small amplifier.

This is a brawler keypad which runs on 6 AA batteries and comes with main power suppliers included.

Interesting extras

The keyboard itself has the ability to record what you are playing and then replay it live. In fact, you can record up to two tracks.

It has an input for headphones (not included) to be able to study in silence and also a metronome. It has an integrated learning mode, but the truth is that then these methods are not used much because they are a bit orthopedic.

If you want to learn piano in a self-taught way there are more serious and cheaper options than a private teacher like the interactive app Flowkey.

Advantages

It has the basics to be what can option would be and not being considered a “toy”, as it is keyboard sensitive, has acceptable piano sound and MIDI, and sustain pedal possibility. In fact, the weight of 4 Kg. makes it super portable.

Disadvantages

Like all these keyboards, has a lot of toy-like extras that only serve for that; playing (as what we do with a toy). Of all its sounds you will only use a few and its synthesizer option is quite basic.

Here is a video for you to see what the most popular 61-key electronic keyboard sounds like:

If you like Yamaha in general do not hesitate to buy it, because it brings the subscription to Flowkey, but you should have a look at our review on the Casio CTK 3200 in which you will see that for the same price the CASIO CTK 3200 wins, especially because it has a polyphonic memory of 48 voices against 32 of the Yamaha. And this is important for sound quality. Although many people prefer the Yamaha sound for the nuances of its timbre against Casio.

We hope you liked this analysis and that you have been able to decide. If you see that this keyboard is a bit limited and you prefer something more close to a piano with an acceptable Hammer Action, we advise you to take a look at our review of the Yamaha P-45.

Where to buy Yamaha PSR 353?

I keep on the date the links to the new Yamaha PSR E363. The best place to buy in America and Asia is Amazon. In Europe the best option is to have a look at Amazon. Here the direct links to this digital piano:

yamaha-363-pack-review

For a similar price you have the following pianos and keyboards:

 

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Jaime Echagüe

Hi! I'm Jaime Echagüe, a musician and an authentic fan of musical instruments. With this blog I want to give general information about musical instruments in an easy, direct and honest way. I hope you enjoy my website and that you find it very useful.

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