Yamaha CLP745 | CLP Piano with Wooden Keys & Bluetooth

Yamaha CLP745 – read our review here

The Yamaha CLP745 introduces built-in Bluetooth connectivity, bi-amplified 2-way speakers and wooden keys to the Yamaha Clavinova CLP700 series, resulting in an enhanced playing experience.

Yamaha CLP745 Overview

The Yamaha CLP745 is the third model up in the Clavinova CLP700 series, and marks a turning point for the range. Featuring wooden (white) keys, native Bluetooth connectivity and a more extensive speaker array, the CLP-745 is a big step up from it’s lower-priced siblings.

Yamaha’s primary intent with the CLP700 range is to deliver the rich, nuanced experience of playing a real concert grand piano in a digital piano format. The CLP745 achieves this by implementing innovative, intuitive technology, combined Yamaha’s considerable experience as a manufacturer of acoustic pianos.

CLP745 | Key Action

The GrandTouch-S key action featured on the Yamaha CLP745 replicates the responsiveness of a full-length concert grand key mechanism. The CLP-745 also features wooden white keys, and in conjunction with synthetic ebony and ivory key tops, this results in a superior response for fast trills and gentle, expressive textures alike.

Technology

The Yamaha CLP745 features both Grand Expression Modelling and Virtual Resonance Modelling – both of which are designed to replicate, using advanced computer algorithms, the way sound and vibration affect the body of a concert grand piano, including sympathetic tones and other authentic phenomena.

The net result is that the CLP745 is capable of not only sounding the notes you play, but also responding to the way in which you play, delivering endless potential for experimentation.

Binaural sampling ensures that, when playing through headphones, the ‘correct’ side of the piano is perceived to be generating low and/or high notes, to preserve the authenticity of listening. the CLP-745 also has Stereophonic Optimiser technology, which is effectively a ‘cushion’ or barrier between the headphone earpiece and the instrument, mitigating listening fatigue and further creating a more naturalistic audial experience.

CLP745 | Sound

For speakers, the Yamaha CLP745 employs 2 x 16cm woofers, coupled with 2 x 8cm tweeters, powered by 2 x 50 watt amplifiers. This means that there is both a dedicated amplifier and speaker for both low/mid and high-frequency sound, resulting in a crisper, clearer, and more rich-sounding tone.

Amongst its nearly 40 expertly-sampled sounds, the CLP-745 features the Yamaha CFXIII and Bosendorfer Imperial 9′ concert grand piano, both at the very heart of its piano voicing. These two flagship models have been newly-sampled for even richer fidelity on the Yamaha CLP745, imbuing the instrument with around £300k worth of concert grand pianos sound, in these samples alone.

More Features & Smart Pianist

The CLP745 offers up to 16-track recording, for MIDI and Audio, and provides the option for exporting your recordings via USB.

You are able to layer sounds together using Dual, further extending your sonic palette, and even divide the piano ‘in half’ using Duo mode, to effectively crate two short-range pianos – ideal for shared practice or performance.

Connecting to Smart Pianist is simplified on the CLP745, owing to it’s built-in Bluetooth functionality. By using Yamaha’s free Smart Pianist app, available for iOS and Android, you can use your smart device to access and control the Yamaha CLP-745 and its features, as well as access additional content such as Chord Tracker, a feature that generates a chord score for songs in your iOS music library for you to play along with.