Where does one start?

[souldier]

Hello,

Very nice to have found a forum for pianos

I'm an amateur piano player - looking to find a digital piano to buy. I have never used a clavinova but i'm willing to give it a go mostly because of space issues -.

I have a budget up to 400pounds and I don't know much a about clavinovas.
I'm thinking of buying a new one, so i can give monthly payments and raise the price to 500. Otherwise, if you think that 400 could find me second hand clavinova that could suit me let me know.

I have a few questions...
Sound-wise : are CLP / CVP models more or less using the same sound samples? If yes, would i get the same sound quality (output) with fairly similar models?
therefore
What would be the main difference between clavinovas? the weighed keys? sound samples? extras?

I'm not really bothered with lots of voices and flashy stuff. I wouldn't mind having recording capability, but i guess that's something pretty basic...
The most important thing is that i don't want it to feel like a toy....

Sorry for being so basic in my query, but as i am easy to convince (!), i don't want to go into a shop and buy the first thing they sell me... Moreover, sorry if this question has been asked one thousand times
!!!


Any input would be appreciated.

[markymark]

CLP stands for Classical Piano range with CVP stands for Versatile Piano range.

Basically, the CLP has the basic features of an acoustic piano whereas the CVP has the same features but with accompaniments, rhythms, more voices, high MIDI capability. The CLP380 (which is the top of the range for the current CLP range) is the only digital piano so far to have 5-step Dynamic “Pure CF Sampling” which makes it the best sounding piano tone. The CVP range has 4-step Dynamic “Pure CF Sampling” for most of its models but not any with 5-step.

Downside is that the CVP tends to be much more expensive which is why most people opt for the CLP range as few people feel confident with using their digital with their computer, so I'm not discounting the CVP, save for the fact that it will be a more expensive model. The main difference between the models is that as you move up to the higher ranked models, you often come across a better keyboard action and better tonality, but you lso encounter a bigger bill at the sales counter too!

If you are looking to keep your budget down, then try and track down secondhand or ex-demo CLP220, 230 or 240 models. These are the former range which the CLP300 range has replaced. These are not toy-like at all, just not quite as sophisticated at their successors. Look out also for YDP140 - these tend to sit about 450GBP brand new however!

[markymark]

So souldier...

What did you finally decide on?