Yamaha Arius YDP-144 Digital Piano reviewMost of my reviews are aimed at the digital piano market priced below £400. That’s because this is where most people spend their money, and with so much quality out there for just a few hundred pound it’s not hard to see why. But with the Yamaha Arius YDP-144 you are not breaking the bank and at the same time buying a piano for the home which would last for years. The more you spend, the better quality of sound you get – as well as the overall feel and style.The YDP-144 is a premium digital piano for the home that offers both the looks and the sound at a good price. There is no frills when it comes to this – just a digital piano for the beginner and serious player. Let’s get started with the review.SoundWhen it comes to the sound, you would expect this to hit the mark – and it does. I had high expectations because of the £600-£700 price tag, and although this is still a drop in the ocean when it comes to the price of a piano, I expected Yamaha to deliver. It’s a joy to play and it makes me want to buy one right now!The sound is both rich and bright, and offers a selection of deep bassy tones along with delicate bright high notes. It’s sampled from a CFX grand piano, so you can imagine how awesome it is. Although you could never match the real sound of the grand, it does a great job of getting very close. The sound hits you straight in the face, but not in an aggressive way. It packs a punch when you want it too but is also easy to play softly.Listen to this fantastic demo so you can understand how great it sounds:Touch and feelNow that we now it sounds great, it’s time to test out how it feels to play. This is just as important for me, and as a casual classical player and a professional blues pianist, I love testing out the different styles to see which ones hold up the best. My first instinct on a piano like this is to hit big chords and go for a bold start. It didn’t disappoint and the keys felt very responsive underneath my aggressive fingers.I like how Yamaha always keep consistent with their keyboards, and the feel suits my fingers. I like to have to give them that little bit of extra push and feel them bite back after. A beginner may struggle at first with the weight of the keys, but this is exactly how it should be as it will help to develop stronger and faster fingers right from the start.The graded hammer standard action is also a nice touch, which basically means the keys are heavier at the bottom and gradually get lighter at the top. An advanced player would always want this feature, and even a beginner would again benefit over time and get used to how a real piano should feel to the touch. These nice little features make this a premium instrument and one which you could keep forever without having to consider an upgrade.FeaturesWe’ve already mentioned the GHS keyboard which is a nice and necessary feature, but you also get three pedals, headphone connectivity, a hard sliding cover for the keys, and recording functionality. The YDP-144 can also connect to the Yamaha smart pianist app through your mobile or tablet. This will allow you to layer instruments, activate the metronome, and choose the type of piano you want – Concert grand or mellow and much more.Although the die hard pianists out there will mainly be interested in testing out the new CFX concert grand piano sound, there are also a few other instruments of choice. The YDP-144 also has strings, organs, and electric pianos. This makes YDP-144 very versatile, especially when using the layer function and combining piano with strings or piano with vibraphone – my personal favourites.Recording features are also great to have, so you can listen back to your own playing for fun or for serious practice. Or you can even record accompaniment for your own right hand bluesy licks!