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Matthew Schenker says:

Fun Keyboard for Players and Learners! I recently received this keyboard for my almost-nine-year-old daughter, as an upgrade from an older and smaller keyboard. She’s used it for a couple of weeks — long enough for me to share some impressions! (At a later date, I will report back with more details, after my daughter has used the keyboard more extensively.)Unpacking and AssemblyThe keyboard comes shipped in a box about 5 feet long by 2 feet wide. Although big, it’s fairly light. Each component is in its own box (inside the big box), so in the end you have several boxes of various sizes. All the parts are easy to identity and lay out for assembly. There is not that much hardware: a few thumb screws, and two regular screws. Several of the main parts of the stand and the seat are pre-assembled.It took me 7 minutes to get everything out of the boxes. Hardly using the instructions, I assembled the stand, attached the keyboard to the stand, and assembled the seat, in just under 10 minutes. In total, opening the big box, completing all the assembly, and cleaning up, was just under 20 minutes.Build QualityThe body of the keyboard itself is made well. It is all plastic, perhaps a bit lightweight near the speakers. The keys are good size (close to full piano keys), and they have a nice, natural spring. The control buttons are all made well enough that I think they will hold up to extensive use.The seat is made very nicely, and the cushion is actually quite comfortable, especially for a smaller person. The legs of the seat are pretty substantial metal, held together with sturdy screws. I am impressed at the quality of the seat.The stand also is very sturdy, held together with a few thumb screws. It’s light enough to move it easily, and leaves plenty of room for your legs. It supports the keyboard well.Overall, the quality of all the parts and components is good. The light plastic of the speakers does not seem to be a problem.Sound QualityI was pleasantly surprised that the sound quality of the speakers is quite good! It has nice volume, perhaps even too much at times! The sound is not as robust with the lower notes, but it has really good clarity with the notes.For the accompaniment (microphone, details below) the sound quality is also pretty good. Again, a little brighter with the higher notes, but nice clarity during singing. There is a separate volume control for the accompaniment, which is a good idea!Ease of UseThe keyboard employs an intuitive system to control 255 available rhythms and timbres. A simple 3-digit numeric entry, and the press of a “Start/Stop” button begins the chosen rhythm or timbre. The keyboard itself lists the first 100 rhythms and timbres (and their 3-digit numbers). All 255 timbres and rhythms are listed in the manual.In addition to rhythms and timbres, the keyboard can play 24 demo songs. These songs are also part of the learning aspects (described below).Adjusting the volume, and all other sound settings, is very straightforward. My daughter got the hang of it by the end of her first hour or so using the keyboard.Microphone and HeadphonesThe keyboard comes with a microphone and a set of headphones. The microphone is kind of lightweight, but it works well enough. When the microphone is plugged into the keyboard the accompaniment comes through nicely along with the keyboard. The headphones are better quality. Actually, the headphones are pretty good! They are well padded and comfortable, and sound nice. The headphones are great when my daughter wants to experiment (and other members of the family don’t necessarily want to be part of that experiment).The only minus about the microphone and headphones is that they plug into the rear of the keyboard, and the jacks are not clearly labelled. But my daughter quickly memorized which jack is for what.Learning AspectsThe learning mode of the keyboard is quite nice, and it works!An LCD display shows an image of the keyboard. During the playing of a demo song, the LCD keys light up to show which key to press for the note. My daughter was able to play along with several demo songs, following the lighted instructions. The tempo setting allows the song playing to slow down enough for anyone to be able to follow. As the player gets better, he/she can increase the tempo.Missing Power AdapterThis keyboard does not come with a power adapter. This is the main reason I gave it 4 stars. Luckily, I had a 9-volt adapter from my previous keyboard that I was able to use. But for those who do not have an extra adapter, it could be a disappointment (and possibly a bit of a hassle) buying an adapter before the keyboard can be used.Bottom LineI believe this keyboard is a good value for the price. It’s made pretty well, comes with a sturdy…