Casio Celviano AP-S200 Review: The Slim Console With Vanishing Controls

Who Should Buy It

Key Specifications

A Celviano Built Like a Privia

Casio's Celviano line is its home console range above the Privia PX-770 and PX-870. The AP-S200 is the slim entry to it, and under the cabinet it shares more with the PX-S1100 than with the PX-870: the same Smart Scaled Hammer Action and the same approach to a touch-sensitive panel whose controls light up when the piano is on and disappear when it is off. Around that, Casio built a 40 watt speaker system, a three-pedal base, a soft-close sliding key cover and a cabinet in black or white that is noticeably shallower than a traditional console.

The listing confirms the action, nineteen tones including a new concert grand sample, the 40 watt speakers, the included WU-BT10 Bluetooth adapter and the cover. It does not publish polyphony, so this review does not state a figure.

Action

Smart Scaled Hammer Action is graded, textured and quick, with a lighter overall touch than the Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II in the PX-770 and PX-870 and the Roland PHA-4 Standard in the RP107. It is a comfortable action for beginners and intermediate players and it suits fast playing, but it offers less resistance and less of the long-pivot feel that serious pianists want. In a console, where portability is not a reason to compromise, the lighter action is the AP-S200's main trade-off for its slim depth.

Sound and Speakers

The headline tone is a new concert grand sample that is richer and more detailed than the grand in the PX-S1100, with the AiR engine's string and damper resonance. Eighteen further tones cover a second piano, electric pianos, organs, strings, harpsichord and bass. Through the 40 watt speaker system the AP-S200 fills a living room comfortably, with a fuller low end than the Yamaha YDP-146 and a presentation closer to the PX-870's four-speaker array.

Polyphony is not published on the listing. Casio's recent pianos at this level have used 192 notes, but buyers who layer sounds with heavy pedaling should confirm the figure in Casio's documentation.

Panel, App and Connectivity

The illuminated touch controls are elegant when the piano is on and invisible when it is off, and they divide owners the same way the PX-S1100's do: some love the clean look, some miss physical buttons. The Casio Music Space app over Bluetooth MIDI removes most of the friction by putting tones, settings and lessons on a phone screen. The WU-BT10 adapter in the box also streams audio for play-along practice.

USB to Host carries MIDI to a computer. Two headphone jacks sit under the keyboard. There is no USB audio recording, which the PX-870 offers, and no dedicated line output.

Assembly and Placement

At about 75 pounds the AP-S200 is a two-person assembly of under an hour. The cabinet is shallow enough for a hallway or a bedroom wall, and the open-sided design looks lighter than a boxy console. No bench is included.

AP-S200 Against the Alternatives

Against the Casio PX-870, the AP-S200 has the slimmer, more modern cabinet, Bluetooth included and a newer grand sample; the PX-870 has the heavier Tri-Sensor action, documented 256-note polyphony, a lid simulator and USB audio recording at a lower price. Against the Yamaha YDP-146, the Casio has the stronger speakers and the sleeker design; the Yamaha has the CFX sample, Bluetooth built in without an adapter and a bench. Against the Roland RP107, the Roland's PHA-4 action and 256-note polyphony are the pianist's choice; the Casio sounds bigger in a room.

The AP-S200 is the console for a buyer who wants design and speakers first and a comfortable, light action second.

Long-Term Fit

Owners who chose the AP-S200 for the room tend to be happy for years; it is a piano that gets played because it is pleasant to look at and quick to open. Owners who progress to advanced repertoire sometimes wish for a heavier action, at which point the Casio AP-550 with its hybrid action, the Kawai CN201 or the Yamaha YDP-184 are the natural next steps.

Strengths and Limitations

Alternatives to Consider

Casio Privia PX-870

Home players who want a console that sounds full through its own speakers for well under four figures

Read the Casio Privia PX-870 review →

Yamaha Arius YDP-146

Families who want the CFX sound, Bluetooth and a bench in an affordable Arius console

Read the Yamaha Arius YDP-146 review →

Roland RP107

Students who want Roland's best entry action and Bluetooth in a three-pedal console

Read the Roland RP107 review →

Questions Buyers Ask