Nord User Forum

Trying to decide between the Piano 5 or the Grand.
The Piano 5 is newer but the Grand has that great piano keybed.
I haven't had the chance yet to play the Piano 5 in a store yet, only the Piano 4 and when I compare the actions between the Grand and the Piano 4, the Grand wins hands down.

Has the action in the Piano 5 been improved/altered vs the Piano 4 ? Is it still Fatar ?
On Nord's website, it states that the Grand was the first Nord to have a triple sensor keybed, and now the Piano 5 also has a triple sensor action (doesn't say it's a Kawai action, but I assume it isn't). The Piano 4 is double sensor, then, as far as I understand...
And lastly, a bit baffled that a keyboard in this price range does not have audio over USB.

Are you going to be playing at home, or gigging live? If gigging, then it's a Piano 5, otherwise the Grand -- especially if you care about the action to a great degree. Those who have tried both will say that the Grand action is in its own class -- but it comes in a bigger form factor meant for home/studio use. Not that the other ones are substandard to any degree, it's just that the Grand is more good.

Also, before @anotherscott comes by, don't forget the Piano 5 has dual engines, meaning you can get a wider range of piano and sample sounds than with the Grand. Not a big deal to most people.

As far as the audio over USB, yeah, that would be nice, but not a big deal to me.

The Piano 4 also has a triple sensor action. I think the difference is that the Grand "capture the movements of the hammers" as stated on the website. So I'm not sure if the action of the 5 is really an improvement, but at least that's what some say.

For me, the Grand's action was not superior to the 5's in every way, as I described in this thread:

nord-piano-grand-forum-f10/keybed-grand ... 21656.html

Jazzrock wrote:The Piano 4 also has a triple sensor action. I think the difference is that the Grand "capture the movements of the hammers" as stated on the website. So I'm not sure if the action of the 5 is really an improvement, but at least that's what some say.

For me, the Grand's action was not superior to the 5's in every way, as I described in this thread:

nord-piano-grand-forum-f10/keybed-grand ... 21656.html

I'm familiar with Kawai's RHIII action that's used in the Grand. For piano centric playing, it's really good, but it is noisy. I'm very fussy about key noise so I think the Grand may end up annoying the hell out of me, even though it's still on my radar at this moment. I have owned a Kawai MP11SE which uses a wooden action, Kawai's Grand Feel, and it's not only the best action in any stage piano, hands down, it's also perfect for playing at home because the mechanical noise is practically unnoticeable. Unfortunately, the MP11SE is very heavy and impossible to move by one person.
So I guess I'm looking for something as close to the MP11SE as possible, action wise, but which can be lifted and moved by one person.
The Yamaha CP88 comes to mind as well, also a rather quiet and very good wood/plastic hybrid action.
I've seen reviews of the Piano 4 and I have played it as well, and that action is on the noisy side as well (imho). One review of the Piano 5, however, leads me to believe that its action is everything but noisy. So, as I have not been able to find one to play in store yet, I thought I'd come here and try and find out if there were already people who own or have played the new Piano 5...

Hello,
after I owned a KAWAI MP11SE and a NORD STAGE 3 88, I got a Nord piano 5 two weeks ago.
I can say that the keybed on the Nord piano 5 is almost as quiet as on the Kawai mp 11 se, which I can't say for the keybed on the Nord Stage 3 which is not bad at all for an instrument like nord stage 3 ...,
but for more serious piano playing it is definitely too noisy and insufficient.
For someone who had a Kawai MP11SE I can say that the piano keybed on the Nord piano 5 is very close to Kawai in many characteristics so I can recommend Nord piano 5
(I haven't had a chance to play Nord piano 4:(( )

Nord Piano 4 and 5 have the same keybed, at least according to https://www.nordkeyboards.com/products/ ... ison-chart so unless they changed something else it should equally noisy/not.

I think in a recent post Mr. FZiegler wrote that he tried
Nord Piano 4 and Nord Piano 5
and then he mentioned the difference in the feeling of playing ...
so I think he is the right person to describe it.

I chimed in on jazzrock's thread. I just re-bought the CP88 because of the new os update which allows you to tweak the velocity response on the action, which is my main complaint on the CP88. I like the CFX sound as it is. While the update helps, I still don't feel a world of difference in the basic action.

Yamahas aside, even though I had pretty much written the Nord Grand off, I'm actually considering it again. Yes I'm nuts.

I don't layer stuff, just play Jazz and use the piano as is. I've owned two fatar Nords in the past -- NP88 and NP2- and while I can play them and do a pretty decent job of expressing myself, the Nord Grand would by far be my choice over the NP4 or 5.

Shortlist :
- Nord Piano 5
- Yamaha CP88
- Korg SV2 88
For some reason, I really really like Korg's RH3 action, not triple sensor but it still allows for very expressive playing (classical is no problem on that action).
The Grandstage came to mind as well, but that one's no longer available anywhere, not where I live, anyway.
Have considered the little brother to the MP11SE, the MP7SE, same action as the Nord Grand, but I still find the actions in the CP88 and SV2 to be superior. And Kawai's RHIII is the 'noisiest' of the three.
Roland's PHA50, then, another cracking action, but I'd have to go for the RD2000 or the FP90X. PHA4 is actually very good as well, so the RD88 could be an option, too. But I'm not too keen on Roland's modelling engine, the piano sounds aren't really to my liking...

I'll try and find a Piano 5 to try out, but if I don't like it, I'll have to toss a coin for either the CP88 or the SV2.

cphollis' questions aren't answered yet. I tested for stage use, and with that prospect, those instruments didn't seem noisy. I can't tell for home use - wasn't listening with those ears.

Personally, I think, I'd have some fun on stage with any of them (Grand, Piano 4 or 5). The keybeds of the Piano 4 and 5 seemed close to me, but not identical. I liked the 5 a little better, playing fluent and well defined (the 4 and the Grand do, too). But they all aren't 100% 'pianistic' - as the rest of those stage pianos.

As we still don't know what exactly you, GuiliClayder, are looking for, I can't give an advice. In any case, I'm quite sure you are better off if you don't tend to get something that meets all needs together. None of those instruments will.

BTW: "These price ranges" just reflect swedish build quality and salary level - and the technical approach seems millennium level to me (no BT, USB audio, smartphone remote control, piano online school, drum section/metronome, chord complementing etc. included). Which I'm just fine with. The NS3C I'm playing just fires my musical imagination (which doesn't tend toward opera or movie sound tracks). And I probably will continue to use my old Yamaha CP33 as a weighted action controller for some months. Won't talk about a Piano 5 before the Nord Library 4 is out.