Casio AP-S450BK - noir

The Casio Celviano AP-S450BK is a compact, freestanding digital piano designed for pianists looking for an instrument for regular practice and advanced study at home. Its black wood-grain finish and depth of just 29.9 cm make it easy to fit into any home. It stands out for its hybrid wood/resin keyboard, its continuous-detection sustain pedal, and its Instant RePlayer feature, which lets you replay the last few minutes of your performance without having to start a recording.

Key Features

• 88-key CELVIANO Edition Smart Hybrid Hammer Action keyboard, featuring hammer action and a hybrid wood/resin construction for the white keys.
• Multi-Dimensional Morphing AiR engine with 26 sounds, resonance simulations, and a maximum polyphony of 256 notes.
• Built-in three-pedal action, including a continuous-detection sustain pedal for precise control over note sustain.
• Instant RePlayer automatically records up to 270 seconds of performance, accompanied by a Visual Information Bar that displays, among other things, the intensity of the keystrokes and the depression of the sustain pedal.
• Four-speaker stereo audio system with 20 W + 20 W amplification and two headphone jacks.
• Cabinet depth of 29.9 cm, Bluetooth Audio and MIDI via the included WU-BT10 adapter, and CASIO MUSIC SPACE compatibility.

Hybrid Touch and Action

The Smart Hybrid Hammer Action CELVIANO Edition keyboard combines hammer action, counterweights, and digital touch control. The white keys are made of a combination of spruce wood and resin. This construction is paired with a mechanical and sonic response designed to facilitate articulation, repetitions, and variations in intensity.

Touch sensitivity offers five adjustment levels, as well as an off position. It allows you to tailor the sound response to your playing style without altering the keyboard’s mechanical resistance. The 88-key Digital Scaling technology also adjusts the sound behavior across all notes.

Tones and Resonances

The Multi-Dimensional Morphing AiR engine modulates the timbre based on playing intensity. Its acoustic simulations specifically account for string resonance, sustain pedal resonance, hammer response, and the sound behavior as the keys are released. The mechanical noises associated with the keyboard and pedals also contribute to the tonal variations.

The AP-S450BK offers 26 sounds, including grand pianos, with a maximum polyphony of 256 notes. This capacity allows for the simultaneous playback of multiple voices, particularly when playing chords with the sustain pedal or layering two sounds. For example, Layer mode allows you to combine piano and strings, while Split mode assigns a bass sound to the left half of the keyboard.

Three pedals and resonance control

The built-in pedalboard includes the forte, soft, and sostenuto pedals. The forte pedal features continuous position detection, allowing you to gradually vary the sustain of notes depending on how far it is depressed. This capability goes beyond a simple on/off control and enables more nuanced work on transitions and harmonic changes.

The soft pedal modifies the tonal response, while the sostenuto pedal sustains the notes selected at the moment it is activated. These controls allow you to practice various pedaling techniques directly on the instrument.

Visual Information Bar and Instant RePlayer

The Visual Information Bar is a light bar built into the piano’s front panel. Depending on the selected mode, it reacts to the intensity of the keystroke, the metronome’s tempo, or how deeply the sustain pedal is pressed. It thus provides a visual cue to monitor the consistency of your playing or to work on your pedal control.

The Instant RePlayer feature automatically saves up to 270 seconds of your performance without requiring you to start a recording in advance. You can revisit a passage, listen to an improvised idea, or check a technical challenge immediately after playing. This history is temporary and is erased when the piano is turned off. To permanently save a performance, you must use the dedicated recording functions.

Amplification and Headphone Playback

The AP-S450BK features a four-speaker stereo audio system, comprising two 12-cm speakers and two 3.5-cm speakers, powered by a 20 W + 20 W amplifier. This configuration allows sound to be played directly from the unit without adding external speakers.

The Volume Sync EQ function adjusts the sound balance when you play at low volumes. Two headphone jacks let you practice or listen with a partner without using the speakers. Headphone mode adjusts the sound output for headphone listening, which is convenient for evening rehearsals or in shared spaces.

Learning and Recording

The Casio AP-S450BK includes 60 practice songs with the option to mute the right-hand and left-hand parts separately. This allows you to practice one hand while the piano plays the other. Four-hand mode divides the keyboard into two zones with comparable ranges to facilitate practice with a teacher. The metronome rounds out these tools for working on rhythmic precision.

The two-track MIDI recorder saves your performance data so you can listen back to a recording or practice separate parts. The audio recorder, meanwhile, lets you save audio files to a compatible USB flash drive, with a maximum capacity of 99 tracks of approximately 25 minutes each. You can also add up to 10 user tracks to the library.

Bluetooth and Apps

The included WU-BT10 adapter adds Bluetooth Audio and Bluetooth MIDI Low Energy. Bluetooth Audio lets you stream music from a smartphone or tablet to the piano’s speakers—for example, to play along with an accompaniment. It does not allow you to transmit the piano’s sound directly to Bluetooth headphones.

Bluetooth MIDI is used to exchange musical data with compatible devices. The CASIO MUSIC SPACE app, in particular, allows you to access the piano’s settings via a graphical interface on a smartphone or tablet. The USB Type-A and Type-B ports also allow you to connect a USB flash drive or a computer for compatible functions.

Setup and Compact Design

Measuring 139.3 cm wide, 29.9 cm deep, and 86.6 cm tall without the music stand, the Celviano AP-S450BK takes up less depth than a traditional upright piano. Weighing 37.6 kg and featuring a sliding keyboard cover, it is designed to remain set up in a living room or dedicated workspace.

The piano includes a built-in three-pedal action. Casio also includes the music stand, AC adapter, and WU-BT10 Bluetooth adapter. A suitable bench must be purchased separately if not included in the retailer’s offer.