Casio Privia PX-S3100 Digital Piano

Product Overview

Casio’s compact PX-S line hit the North American 1,149.99market in 2019, just several months before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived worldwide. Universal shutdowns and lockdowns followed, and as such, the demand for pianos and other goods that would keep people busy at home absolutely exploded.

Over here at Merriam Pianos, we were just one of many piano retailers across North America that simply could not keep any 88-key digital pianos in stock, and the PX-S3000 was no exception to this. Lightweight, slim and able to run on battery power yet packed with features, 700 sounds and solid hammer action, the PX-S3000 delivered an overall experience that would have been unthinkable for the price point only a few short years prior.

Despite resting on their laurels and milking the success of the PX-S for a few more years, Casio got right back on the horse with the new PX-S1100 and PX-S3100 improving on a set of instruments that already sat somewhere near the top of their respective categories.

The Casio PX-S3100 brings back all of the great aspects of the 3000 that made it so successful, while materially improving on the piano sound via an innovative speaker system redesign that more clearly defines the treble register while adding depth to the bass tone.

They’re also now including a complimentary WU-BT10 Bluetooth adapter that expands the Bluetooth functionality to include MIDI in addition to Audio.

If you’re already eyeing the PX-S1100, make sure you do some investigation on the PX-S3100 as well. The extra tones, controls, and auto-accompaniment features make the PX-S3100 a true gig-worthy instrument for only a slightly steeper investment.

Piano Action

The Smart Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard is present here once again and was actually first introduced with the PX-S1000 and PX-S3000. This key action was well received upon its release, and is known for being pretty down the middle in terms of weighting – not too light and not too heavy.

To accommodate the super slim case, Casio trimmed down the size of this action and went from a triple sensor on the previous version of this action to a dual sensor here. However, any potential downgrade in sensitivity with the dual sensor has been mitigated by the inclusion of Casio’s new Smart Technology, making this an action capable of dynamic nuance.

The keytops are textured which provides a good amount of glide for your fingers and also happens to absorb moisture during longer playing sessions or during outdoor gigging in humid environments.

Overall, this is mechanically solid action, and there has been a very low incidence of action-related warranty claims during the first few years that this action has been on the market.

Piano Sound Engine

Casio’s Multi-Dimensional AiR Sound Source is the sound engine we’re working with here. On paper Casio appears to have brought back the same engine that was used in the PX-S3000, however, some of the marketing literature, as well as our own perceptions, seem to indicate that the sound engine has undergone an improvement.

The polyphony is the same at 192 notes, as is the total tone preset count at 700. Aside from the core Grand Piano tones, everything else sounds like it was ported right over from the PX-S3000 including the electric pianos, organs, synths, guitars, and various other musical instrument sounds.

The core grand piano sound however definitely sounds improved, and not just because of the speaker redesign either – it sounds like they’ve either added more sample layers to the tone or actually included a whole new sample altogether.

The amplifier power is the same at 16 watts, but there is definitely more clarity and depth to the sound than what the PX-S3000 was capable of.

‘Sound Mode’ has been brought back, and this offers the user a selection of editable reverb and chorus effects, along with a surround sound-like effect. The four Hall Simulator settings are present again, as are an array of DSP algorithms.

Connectivity

The PX-S3000 was solid in terms of input and output jacks, and the PX-S3100 is no different, making it a viable alternative to a legit stage piano.

To start, there are two headphone jacks, USB ports (type A and B) discreet 1/4” line outputs for when you need more power, a stereo mini jack line in, as well as inputs for a damper pedal, 3-pedal unit and an expression pedal.

There’s of course also an input for a traditional cabled power supply adaptor, as well as a slot for AA batteries if you’d like to power the S3100 cordlessly.

Courtesy of the complimentary Bluetooth adapter that also plugs into the S3100, you’ve also got Bluetooth Audio and MIDI here as well for connecting to iOS and Android devices. The S3000 oddly didn’t have Wireless MIDI, so we’re happy to see it’s been added here. The Chordana Play app is definitely one of the best remote control apps available so we would definitely recommend checking it out.

Notable Features

There are of course a number of highlights we could feature here, but we’ll focus on what really separates the PX-S3100 from its predecessor the PX-S3000, which is, of course, the new speaker design.

Despite no reported upgrade to the rated power output, this new speaker design is producing tangibly superior sound. The fact that Casio has pulled this off while keeping the weight down to just a hair over 25 lbs is a huge W.

Improved AiR Sound Generator

• 700 Built-in Sounds
• 192-note maximum polyphony
• Modern Touch Controls
• Dual assignable knobs
• Redesigned dual speaker system with 16-watt amplifier
• Smart Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard
• Duet ModePitch Bend WheelLCD DisplayAudio Recording & Playback200 Drum Rhythms & Other Arranger Features
• Bluetooth Audio & Bluetooth MIDI
• Compatibility with the free Chordana Play for Piano app for iOS/Android
• Weighs just over 25 lbs
• Two headphone jacks
• Dual ¼” audio outputs (R/L Mono)
• Metronome
• MIDI recorder
• Music rest
• Includes simple sustain pedal
• Optional SP-34 3-pedal unit add-on accessory
  

  Conclusion

  Is the Casio PX-S3100 as groundbreaking as the PX-S3000 was? No, but it doesn’t have to be. Casio broke a lot of new ground with their first-generation PX-S series pianos when they hit the market in 2019. The PX-S3100 is simply the next logical step forward, and for anyone shopping for an affordable and absolutely loaded 88-key digital piano that can handle itself both at home and on the stage, the PX-S3100 is a very compelling option.