Today I’m able to report about the Casio LK300 with USB and TV connectivity. I didn’t perform the review, rather my brother did. So lets see what Ned had to say:
I have to say the Casio LK300 is bigger than I expected and definitely more solid and quality built than anyone would expect for the price (about $200). The LK300 keys provide just enough friction to make them feel almost real, but obviously not exactly like a real, piano hammer like feel.
Although I’m not a piano enthusiast, I did pick up the LK300 to learn. After all part of the enticing thing about the Casio is the ability to connect it to a TV and learn along with instructional lessons. During a lesson, the LK300 keys will light-up as the song is played giving you the exact location of which key to hit and when. It’s even got a nice feature to cover any delay you might have in stroking the key…a little late…that’s OK, the sound still matches the lesson song.
With the lessons, the software will provide feedback in the form of a scoring system whereby it calculates the number of keys accurately hit, timing of your finger play and overall score to make you feel accomplished.With the USB connectivity the Casio LK300 allows you to upload midi files found on the internet or lessons books you buy. This means you can practice and learn any level of song. You can also upload midi files via the on-board SD card slot. I haven’t tried using a USB stick to upload midi files, so I’ll give that a try and report back.
The sound quality is very good with the Casio LK300. I think if you compared the two, that being the Casio and the other a real piano, you’d be challenged to tell the difference, at least from a recording. Obviously you’ll notice a difference in real life play. BUT, as a $200 peace there is not one thing I could say about poor sound quality.
The Casio LK300 has a karaoke feature via the TV connection and unfortunately I wasn’t able to review that part of the product. Probably more because I couldn’t stand to hear myself attempt ANY type of song.
I hope this review helps. Ned.
Casio LK300 Features
Not to leave any stone unturned, here is the company line for what the Casio LK300 with USB and TV connection has to offer:
The LK300 TV has 61 full-size lighted keys, and it can be connected to a TV set with the supplied video cable. The valuations of the Advanced 3-step learning system appear directly on the screen. This feature lets you practice at your own pace while the keyboard grades your performances.
The song text of the sing-along function can be run in real time on the TV screen for your own karaoke party. With the karaoke feature, you can connect a microphone and sing along with the keyboard’s built-in tunes.
Other built-in tunes include 50 Song Bank tunes with Auto Accompaniment and 50 Piano Bank tunes that you can enjoy listening to, or play along with on the keyboard.
The LK-300TV also includes a USB interface, SD card slot, HL sound source, and general MIDI. The LK-300TV has 514 tones, 100 tunes and 120 rhythms.
