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Yamaha recently launched their latest version of the brilliant CVP range of Clavinova digital pianos: The Yamaha CVP-900 series.
For owners of earlier versions of the Yamaha CVP such as CVP-409, CVP-509, CVP-609, and CVP-709, the benefits of upgrading are substantial as I explain in the video below.
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Watch Chris explain the benefits of upgrading to a Yamaha CVP-909 from earlier models, such as CVP-409/509/609/709.
However, if you’re an owner of the Yamaha CVP-809 – which is the immediate predecessor of the new CVP-909 – you may be wondering whether it’s worth upgrading to the newer version.
That’s what I’m going to try to help with in this article.
I have delved deep into the specifications of both the CVP-809 and CVP-909 to make a thorough comparison, but, more importantly, I have actually sat down and played both models, side-by-side, at length here in our showroom.
After doing this, I have concluded that the Yamaha CVP-909 does offer very significant improvements in comparison to the CVP-809.
The upgrades from the Yamaha CVP-809 are not the multitude of updated voices & styles that we’ve seen in previous iterations, but they’re significant improvements, and – this shouldn’t be understated – they represent the culmination of decades of research & development by those brilliant, white-coated boffins at Yamaha.
Here’s what I discovered and why I came to this conclusion.
The core experience that a Yamaha CVP is designed to offer its owner is a true-to-life replication of playing a world-class concert grand piano.
The Yamaha CVP-909 goes significantly further than the CVP-809 to achieve this goal beginning with brand-new, sumptuously crisp and rich, samples of the Yamaha CFX and Bosendorfer Imperial grand pianos.
But, there’s way more than that on offer…
For the first time on a CVP model, the CVP-909 features Yamaha’s impressive Grand Expression Modeling technology.
Let me give you my personal insight into the importance of this inclusion as I sat and played the CVP-909 recently.
As Clavinova players the world over will know, when you first power up your piano, the default voice offered to you is the beautiful Yamaha CFX concert grand.
As a veteran of these types of pianos, I’ve grown well-used to the Yamaha CFX’s character, but, within the first 10 seconds of playing the Yamaha CVP-909, something surprised me about how it sounds.
There was something new in the way it felt to play. A delicateness in the touch of the keys and the sonic response it creates. It felt pleasingly ‘organic’ to play, and, as a consequence, perhaps the most important result was that the way it invited me to play had changed.
The piano roused something within me in a way I’ve only known traditional, acoustic pianos to do, and it’s seriously impressive!
You will feel a ‘life-like’ replication of keystrokes and hammer motion through your hands, the ‘swell’ of sound when controlling the dampers, and a true resonance of the strings inside the cabinet as you play.
This ‘organic’ nature to the piano is an invitation to explore your musical sensitivity, something that has been lacking somewhat in digital pianos past, and it further bridges the gap between the experience of playing traditional, acoustic pianos and playing their digital counterparts.
These developments are very welcome if you’re (like me) someone for whom the piano is an important instrument of emotional expression.
The delicate interfacing between your fingertips on the keytops and your feet on the pedals is something that is fundamental to expressing yourself on a concert grand piano.
On CVP-909, as well as the improvements I’ve described above, you’ll also detect something new through your feet on the pedals.
The new GrandTouch™️ pedals, which are beautifully contoured in the style of a CFX concert grand piano, have a more realistic weight and allow far more accurate control of the subtle arts of pedalling when playing advanced pieces.
Nothing beats the intimacy of playing a Yamaha Clavinova through a good pair of headphones, and I’m pleased to say that the headphone-specific Binaural Sampling technology is now present on the beautiful Bosendorfer Imperial grand (it was only on the CFX grand on CVP-809).
The front panel and facia on CVP-909 have been upgraded from CVP-809.
The facia borrows from Yamaha’s Pro Audio & Hifi department a gorgeous brushed metal finish which adds a welcome premium look.
And, the LED lights have been tweaked to a fresher-looking blue & white colour to allow better visibility and less glare in low-light locations like British mid-winter sitting rooms!
Hopefully, I’ve explained clearly to you the breadth and depth of upgrades that you can expect to benefit from when you change from a CVP-809 to a CVP-909.
Changing to a Yamaha CVP-909 will mean that you own the most advanced and capable Clavinova model ever produced.
To properly weigh up your decision, however, you’ll need to know how much you’d actually pay to upgrade, don’t you?
That’s where we at ePianos can help!
If you’d like to know how much it would cost to upgrade from your Yamaha CVP-809 to a brand-new CVP-909, simply enter your details in the form below and we’ll be in touch with a quotation.
Alternatively, call us on 01295 266788 or email sales@epianos.co.uk.
We’ll be delighted to help you upgrade.
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These items are sold on behalf of Yamaha, and are sent to us on a per-order basis, typically within 5-7 working days, unless an ETA is otherwise stated.
We'll contact you the moment your purchase arrives with us to organise delivery, based on your selected option.
Example products: Yamaha DGX670, Yamaha P-525, Yamaha YDP-S55, Yamaha Clavinova.
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Comments:
I have the 809. From what I’ve read I’m not seeing enough significant improvements to justify the 909. The church has the 909. I did notice the lights changed. My 809 is in a small room and the 909 is in an open church so with the volume turned up high it sounds different to me which is understandable. I have arranged some songs with the rhythms but my teacher that arranged hundreds of songs for me has passed away. I didn’t notice any difference with the touch of the Keyes and I believe the screens are the same distance size. When will Yamaha be coming out with their next model? What do you suppose trade in on the 809 would be?
That’s a very fair point. The CVP-909 is certainly an improvement on the CVP-809, with refinements to the piano sound, expression, pedals, lighting and overall playing experience. For some players, those are exactly the sort of improvements they’re hoping for from their next upgrade.
However, if you’re looking for a really dramatic change, the CVP-909 may not feel like a huge leap from your CVP-809, as the two instruments do share quite a lot of similarities in terms of concept, layout and day-to-day use.
It might be worth thinking about what you’d ideally like your next instrument to give you that your CVP-809 doesn’t currently offer. For example, are you looking for more arranger features, rhythms, registrations and song-building tools, or are you hoping for an even more realistic and straightforward piano-playing experience?
We haven’t heard anything official from Yamaha regarding a future CVP model at this stage, but we’d be very happy to help you think through the best next step based on what you’d like to get from your playing.
If you’d like us to take a look at a possible part exchange on your CVP-809, you can send the details through here: https://www.epianos.co.uk/part-exchange/
You can also keep up with our latest videos and articles here: https://www.epianos.co.uk/newsroom/