With a powerful sound system and a beautifully crafted keyboard, the Yamaha CLP-775 brings the exquisite grand piano sounds of the 700 series to life. But the CLP-675’s successor has so much more to offer than just the outstanding sound you create with these three exquisite features.
Compared to the predecessor, nothing has changed in terms of appearance and dimension. The CLP-775 has an elegant, rather timeless look, characterized by slightly curved front legs, a sliding key cover, and a top-mounted music stand. It weighs 71 kilograms and is slightly taller and deeper than the more affordable CLP-745. The 775 is available in six finishes, including a premium high-gloss black finish at an additional cost.
You use touch sensors instead of keys to control the panel on the left of the CLP-775. The fact that it is barely visible when turned off makes it even more visually sophisticated. On the right though, you still find the power and volume control buttons. Moreover, Yamaha equipped the piano with the “GP Response” damper pedal. This pedal responds with increasingly more resistance, a realistic representation of grand-piano-style pedaling. Two connection panels beneath the keyboard offer a USB-to-host and a USB-to-device terminal, an aux-in jack, two headphone jacks, stereo outputs, as well as a MIDI trio.
Learn more: Yamaha CLP-700 Series Overview
The 38 sounds of the CLP-775 are the same as those of its less expensive siblings, the CLP-745 and CLP-735, with a polyphony of 256 voices. The main sounds remain those of Yamaha’s CFX grand piano and the Bösendorfer Imperial. This second generation of sounds uses completely new multisamples and refined piano modeling. Both grand pianos, now including the Bösendorfer, are available as binaural versions for a three-dimensional listening experience over headphones.
The basic characteristics of the grand piano sounds have not changed compared to the previous model. However, immediately noticeable is the enhanced sound response to even subtle changes in the playing behavior. The dynamic range of the two top grand pianos is simply amazing.
Two outstanding sounds that seem to be able to do almost anything and therefore challenge you to play in a particularly expressive way. The CFX delivers a more radiant piano sound, while the dynamic potential of the Bösendorfer shifts more toward pianissimo.
The improved Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) and the new Grand Expression Modeling simulate string, damper, and cabinet resonances. This allows for precise sound changes, which reflect every nuance of the pianist’s play.
Yamaha’s top-of-the-line GrandTouch keyboard naturally plays a large part in the expressive possibilities of the CLP-775. Its keys are the same length as those on Yamaha’s S3X grand piano and create a stable leverage, regardless of where you strike the key. They are weighted linearly, i.e. key by key. In addition, the white keys have wooden elements, and there is a let-off mechanism as well as matte key tops. All in all, the CLP-775 expresses noticeably more details than the more affordable models.
The sound system, which has been redesigned since the previous model, is also a “powerhouse” in the truest sense of the word. A three-way system of 16, 8, and 5 cm speaker pairs is what remains from the predecessor. However, Yamaha has increased the power of the separate amplifier units from 2 x 35, 50, and 20 watts each to 2 x 42, 50, and 50 watts each. This system produces a rich, voluminous, and spacious grand piano sound. Despite the powerful bass output, the sound remains brilliant and clear, even in fortissimo. And yet the piano also invites you to experiment with a softer touch.
Like its predecessor, the CLP-775 features the Yamaha SU7 upright piano sound, as well as a variety of other rock, pop, and jazz piano sounds.
The CLP-700 series in particular features two new sounds based on historic fortepianos from the 18th and 19th centuries: the “Mozart Piano” and the “Chopin Piano”. Clavinova players basically enter a new world here when playing classical piano pieces.
The other sounds are known from the predecessor: Fender Rodes, Wurlitzer and DX7-E pianos, electric and church organs, natural strings and a few other pad sounds, harpsichord, vibraphone, nylon and steel guitars, and four basses in consistently good to excellent quality. You can layer or split two of the sounds, or do both with three sounds at once.
A master reverb and chorus effect, plus two additional modulation effects such as delays, rotary, phaser, and distortion enhance sounds such as the electric pianos and electric organs. A 3-band EQ with user memory is also on board.
The CLP-775 offers 353 piano pieces and etudes, which you can play separately with your right and left hands if desired. It also has a duo mode for four-handed playing. The 16-track MIDI recorder is not GM2 compatible because the sample ROM does not provide enough voices, but it is still nice to have. You can also record audio songs in WAV format and save them to a USB stick.
The app further lets you play audio songs from the iPad/iPhone through the built-in sound system. You can either use the aux input or Bluetooth to do so. The 700 models feature an improved version of the 20 rhythm presets known from the CLP series: the drums are joined by an automatic bass accompaniment that follows the harmonies you play.
With a more precise and balanced keyboard and a much more powerful playback system, the top-of-the-line CLP-775 clearly stands out from the mid-range CLP-745. However, this comes at a price: there is a difference of around $1,000 between the two models.
Since both models share the same sound and features, the CLP-745 offers better value. On the other hand, if you have a budget of around $4,500, the slightly larger and heavier CLP-775 is of course the higher-quality piano. Its hardware is clearly better suited for expressive grand piano sounds. The midrange model falls short in comparison.
The Yamaha CLP-775 is even more powerful than its predecessor, as Yamaha has further improved the high-performance playback system. The high-resolution and incredibly dynamic CFX and Bösendorfer grand piano sounds are outstanding, while the GrandTouch keyboard will satisfy even the most demanding pianists. The additional tried and tested sounds and features of the Clavinova CLP-700 series are also available. An elegant, high-quality digital upright piano with a high price tag.
Release date: October 2020
Keyboard: 88 key, Grand Touch, let-off mechanism, ebony and ivory key tops, hybrid wooden-key keyboard (white only)
Polyphony: 256 voices
Sound generation: Sampling
Piano app: Smart Pianist (free of charge, iOS/Android)
Manufacturer: Yamaha
Henrik Bruns
The high-resolution and incredibly dynamic CFX and Bösendorfer grand piano sounds are outstanding, while the Grand Touch keyboard will satisfy even the most demanding pianists.
Stylish design, smart operation, plenty of great piano sounds, and many features: The new Casio Privia PX-S7000, PX-S6000 & PX-S5000.
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