Casio Privia PX-S3000 Review

The PX-S3000 has to be one of the most surprising keyboard pianos ever, and that shows how far Casio’s Privia range has come. Not in a million years would I expect such a realistic piano experience from a keyboard as slim and light as the PX-S3000. It sounds awesome, it’s incredibly portable, and it looks amazing.

If there is any negative, it’s that it’s getting close to the $1000 mark, and at that price, you might find a better sound. What you won’t find is a better combination of sound, style, and portability; you can see why in our PX-S3000 review.

Casio PX-S3000 in use

The PX-S3000 is one of the most portable keyboard pianos ever, so it’s versatile in how and where it can be used.

At home – 8/10

The Casio PX-S3000 covers all of the bases in things you’d want from a home keyboard piano. If you’re going to leave it on display, that’s great; it has a polished top panel that makes it one of the best-looking keyboards available.

It’s also the slimmest keyboard piano ever, so it’s not going to be too intrusive or look out of place. Likewise, if you want to put it away after use or move it around, it’s super slim and lightweight.

If you want a serious piano experience but don’t have space for a piano, the PX-S3000 will blow you away.

On stage – 9/10

To start, let’s just echo what we said above. The Casio PX-S3000 is the slimmest keyboard piano ever, it’s super light, and it feels like a real piano.

Quite often for a performer, the nightmare of carrying a heavy stage piano around is the worst thing. The PX-S3000 eliminates that problem without losing the realistic touch. It has smart scaled hammer-action keys with a simulated ebony/ivory feel.

Sometimes when you choose a lighter keyboard for performing, you lose a lot of sound options. The PX-S3000 comes with 700 voices and 200 rhythms; you could gig every night for a year and still not use them all.

We need to point out that having 700 voices, pianos, organs, synths, and so on doesn’t mean we think it’s as good as a high-end stage piano or synth on stage. But, it’s about context; at under $900, it’s a bargain for any performer.

It comes with built-in speakers (8 W), too, so you can play small venues without external amplification.

Portability – 10/10

There aren’t many reviews that leave you wanting to give top marks, but the only way you will top this keyboard piano is if you go for something with less than 88 keys.

When you see the PX-S3000, it’s hard to believe it has such high-quality weighted keys until you play it. That’s because its design is so slim and streamlined that it weighs under 25 lbs; it’s astonishing how portable Casio has managed to make this keyboard. It can also be battery powered.

For beginners – 8/10

The top panel of the PX-S3000 isn’t overly busy; it has a power button, control dial, some voice/function buttons, and an LCD screen. Navigating through the massive amount of voices using the screen and dial is pretty straightforward. So, it’s certainly easy enough for a beginner to use.

The portability helps because, as you might know, it doesn’t always sound great when you are a newbie. You have the option to play anywhere or put headphones on to spare your family listening to chopsticks again.

Function wise, it has duet mode, which splits the keyboard equally for student/teacher lessons. It also works well with Casio’s Chordana Play app, and that’s a massive bonus for beginners. The app has a range of learning techniques as well as a grading system that helps you understand how you are progressing.

One last thing to mention for beginners is Bluetooth connectivity. Bluetooth will appeal to all levels, of course, but in particular, it’s excellent for beginners to stream songs they would like to play along.

Intermediate to advanced players – 8/10

The only reason that the PX-S3000 might not suit you is if you are at a level where you are paying thousands of dollars for your instruments. At that level, it might be easier to find reasons not to buy the PX-S3000. But, without comparing it to much more expensive pianos, there is nothing about the sound or feel that isn’t good enough for a professional.

As we stated earlier, it’s getting close to the $1000 mark, and maybe you could find another piano sound that you prefer. That doesn’t mean the grand piano tones from the PX-S3000 are weak, far from it. The feel and weight of the simulated ebony/ivory keys is a big plus for more advanced players, too.

We talked about the vast number of onboard sounds that make it more versatile on the stage. That’s another thing that will benefit advanced players most as they are the ones most likely to be often performing.

Sound quality – 8/10

Casio’s proprietary AiR Sound Source powers the PX-S3000, and it’s the best Privia sound engine to date. We keep mentioning the price and the possibility of finding a better piano tone, but that’s just because the more you spend, the more options you have.

Let’s forget the options for now and focus only on the AiR Sound Source, and in particular, its grand pianos. The flagship grand piano tone is absolutely beautiful. It’s dynamic, expressive, rich, and has enough brightness in the mid to high range when you need it.

The thing that really tips it over the edge is the realism from the simulated mechanical noise. When you play a real acoustic piano, you hear the hammers; you hear the strings vibrate, you hear dampers lifting and pedal noise. Many keyboard pianos simulate that noise, but they don’t all do it well, and it becomes more of a nuisance than a pleasure. The PX-S3000 does it just right.

There are far too many sounds onboard to cover them all, but what we can say is the quality is high across the board. Many of the sounds are great for songwriting, including acoustic instruments, percussion instruments, or full drum kits. Pair that up with the built-in 3-track recorder, and you can start making demo tracks. If the built-in audio recorder isn’t enough, the PX-S3000 works perfectly with any DAW via USB.

How it feels – 9/10

There isn’t much that we can say to convince you of how good the PX-3000 feels; you need to play it. We aren’t saying it’s better than a Korg Grandstage 88 or a high-end Clavinova, but it will compete with almost anything. The fact that we can say that about a keyboard so slim and light is ridiculous but true. Scaled hammer-action keys with a simulated ebony/ivory feel, and under 25 lbs, that’s it.

Build quality and looks – 9/10

Initially, hearing that the PX-3000 is the slimmest keyboard piano ever gives some cause for concern. The expectation is that Casio would have sacrificed style for substance. However, it’s not the case at all, and I’d have no hesitation in taking the PX-S3000 on the road. Nothing about it feels flimsy or second-rate.

Now that we can say it’s robust enough for life on the road let’s get to the looks. Simply put, it’s a visually stunning keyboard piano. From the streamlined design to the polished black top panel, it looks elegant and expensive.

Casio PX-S3000 vs. the competition

As we keep reminding you, the more money you spend, the more options, and you should always check out our other reviews. 

Casio PX-S3000 vs. Yamaha P-125

The P-125 is a cheaper alternative that comes in at around $649. Yamaha’s P-125 has graded hammer-action keys (192-note max polyphony) and a fairly slim, minimalist design. Usually, it would beat similar keyboards in that department, but the PX-S3000 is slimmer, looks better, and feels just as good (if not better).

The PX-S3000 has hundreds more voices and rhythms, so if you want that versatility, it’s not even a close contest. What the Yamaha P-125 has in its favor is the Pure CF piano engine. It recreates Yamaha’s stunning 9ft CFIIIS concert grand with incredible detail. If your main focus is the piano sound and weighted keys, the P-125 could save you some money.

Casio PX-S3000 vs. Roland FP-30

We are taking a look at another cheaper option now, the Roland FP-30, at $699.

The Roland FP-30 is bulkier than the PX-S3000, although it has a similar polished finish that makes it very attractive. It’s also very minimal, so both instruments are easy to use for players of all levels.

It’s when you get to the onboard sounds again; the gap starts to show. The FP-30 has 35 sounds, the PX-S3000 has 700, so there is no comparison in quantity. Quality might be another story because the FP-30 features Roland’s celebrated SuperNATURAL Piano Engine. The FP-30 also features Roland’s PHA-4 progressive hammer-action keybed. All other features are quite similar between the two; both have USB and Bluetooth connectivity, both have Duet Mode, etc.

If it’s versatility and style, the PX-S3000 wins easily. If it’s pure on piano experience, you have to try both; it’s a close call.

Casio PX-S3000 vs. Casio PX-S1000

The comparison between these two is the easiest of the lot.

The Casio PX-S1000 is a downgraded version of the PX-3000, where you can potentially save some money. It comes in at around $649, and it does just about everything that its big brother does, to a lesser extent. The PX-S3000 has 700 voices; the PX-S1000 only has pianos and 17 other voices. Both have the same 192-note max polyphony and the same realistic piano feel.

Most features remain the same, too, like Duet Mode, USB, and Bluetooth. Some features are shared, but at a different level, like the built-in audio recorder. The PX-S3000 has a 3-track recorder, where the PX-S1000 only has a 2-track recorder. Ultimately, all that matters here is if you need just the main voices or you need 700 voices. If it’s just about the piano experience, buy the cheaper PX-S1000.

Casio PX-S3000 vs. Casio PX-870

The PX-870 is a different kind of option; it’s a stationary digital piano. But, if you are considering the PX-S3000 for home use, then it’s worth having a look at the PX-870, too.

Despite the PX-870 being in a digital piano cabinet form, both instruments share some important features. Each of them has Casio’s fantastic scaled hammer-action keys with a realistic ebony and ivory touch. The PX-870 has much greater polyphony at 256-notes max. It also has a more powerful 40W speaker system that projects sound much better.

The PX-870 has USB connectivity but no Bluetooth like the PX-S3000. It has a built-in 2-track recorder, while the PX-S3000 has a 3-track recorder. So, some things are fairly similar, but it’s a different story when we get to the number of voices. The 700 voices found in the PX-S3000 is far beyond the 19 you get from the PX-870.

The bottom line is, at home, the PX-870 is better for a little more money. If you need to be mobile, it’s the PX-S3000 all day.