Casio CTK 2550 vs CTK 3500
Piano is fun to play and they sound beautiful but you don’t have to spend so much just to get an instrument to learn or play at home because Casio CTK 2550 Vs CTK 3500 are both ideal for the less serious players. These digital piano or keyboards are two great choices if you are not sure yet about the hobby or plan to give it to a younger player. Before deciding, see below to check which of them will be the best option.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
- What to Look at in a Beginner Piano
- What are Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500
- What Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 Look Like
- How are the Keys in Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500
- How are the Sound in Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500
- How are the Learning Function in Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500
- What else Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 can offer
- Casio CTK 2550 Vs CTK 3500
Shopping for a New Piano
There are so many musical instruments in the world and most of us have preference on which sounds the best. Among those vast amounts, piano is one of the major instruments playing a role in many people’s musical interests. Its simpler startup often makes this beautiful instrument preferred by students, especially younger players. Piano itself is not the most convenient equipment however, and can be very expensive as well. For new or beginner and casual players, we actually don’t have to go too far just to bring a good piano home.
- Digital Keyboards
When people are talking about choosing piano, there is a possibility that digital keyboards, digital piano, and acoustic piano are also being considered. Among these, digital keyboards are the most convenient for students including young players as it is the minimal option and the cheapest as well. Sound wise they are not very impressive and mostly synthesized or sampled while also often lacking of weighted and sensitive keys. However, we can play various sounds with them as they mostly have various instruments.
- Number of Keys
Regular acoustic piano usually has 88 keys and this is what a full-sized means, spanning at seven octaves and having three extra notes. If your child’s piano teacher requires a full-sized piano, it is best to buy them as the lesson will need this many keys. However, for smaller children, their hands are small and this many keys may be too inconvenient hence we have 76 and 61 keys in the collection. Depending on each player’s need and preference, the number of keys easily decides how complex a piece we can play on the instrument.
- Piano Action
This is about the mechanism used in the instrument to produce sound and for more serious players or adult and older students, it is very important. Pianos don’t have the same physical parts both digital and acoustic so the digital type has to use certain mechanisms to mimic the experience of a real instrument while still sending the right signal to trigger the correct sound. In higher models, they can go as far as replicating the moving parts.
| Casio CTK 2550 | Casio CTK 3500 | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 12.09 x 37.24 x 3.62 inches | 12.09 x 37.24 x 3.62 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 7.28 pounds | 7.5 pounds |
| Shop now at Amazon | Check price | Check price |
- Piano Features
The rest of their specifications are more of additional functions that you can rely on and it is highly dependent on your personal usage. For example digital keyboards and piano can have sustain pedal to affect the sound; some pack the pedal in the box but mostly sold separately. Another feature is like a digital connectivity to connect your instrument to other gears including a computer. For beginner models, some manufacturers invest in learning menus to help the users get used to the instrument or learn the basics.
About Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500
We recommend trying an affordable or cheap keyboard at first especially for children, if you are not sure yet whether the instrument will continue being used in the long term. There are many affordable models in the market from a wide variety or musical instrument manufacturers which in general are quite similar to each other. Personally we prefer reputable companies because they are often more reliable and have good product quality as well as widely available near where you live.
If you are here then it means this piano is meant for a beginner and while there is not much we can talk about those in entry-level, it doesn’t mean that we can’t optimize the budget and get the most from the unit. Talking about digital piano and keyboard, Casio is always one of the best brands to shop from and it is not without a reason. This company is producing lots of great digital pianos that match a huge range of users from learners to those professionals.
Their budget items are also amazing and for those who wished to get a good piano without spending so much, Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 are two ideal models to consider. Both of them are great for students or casual players who just want to have something to play at home but in comparison are more suitable for learners. As the name suggests they are close brothers and being in the same family does makes them almost identical to each other.
This is why many buyers are confused about which to choose, moreover, their price points are not very far apart from one another depending on the seller. Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 are, however, good pianos as they sound pleasant, well-made, and worth the attention of entry-level buyers. What you may not want to expect are amazing sound quality and experience similar to those of high-end models that can mimic how a real acoustic piano feels like.
Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 Design
These brothers are almost identical to each other and if it is not due to the grey color plate they used for the control panel of CTK 2550, these two will look like the same pianos. Thankfully we can tell them apart instantly as the CTK 3500 has this full-black finish both on the body and on the control panel section. Checking them out further, you will see a similar type of layout, featured with a small display at the middle.
These buttons and switches available are all good and they seem firmly attached to the unit while the press is soft. As for the form factor, Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 are the same measured at 37.2-inch wide, 12-inch deep, and 3.6-inch tall. They are all plastic and quite lightweight as well but the unit itself is robust and seems to last very long.
Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 Keys
Moving further, let’s check what these digital keyboards can offer and starting with their keys, as you can see both of them are 61-key type and instead of 7, they have a span of 5 octave. The plastic keys are very light and soft but can get slippery when your hand is sweating. What’s different here is that the CTK 3500 is coming with touch sensitivity or response in which the keys will produce louder sound when you press harder and quieter when pressing softly.
CTK 3500 has two settings available so you can decide the levels or deactivate the function. This is not the same with weighted action such as in Alesis Recital Pro Vs Roland FP10 because those in more expensive range are designed to mimic an experience when playing the real instrument as the keys will be featured with some type of weight to make it slightly heavier following the notes being played.
Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 Sound
Moving further, let’s see how Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 sound and in this part they sound the same. Casio didn’t mention what technology is used here but they are usually sampled and both also have the same 48 polyphony as well as 400 built-in sound. For the digital effect, you can have 10 reverbs, hall virtual, and dance music with 100 songs and 50 dance music. In the music bank itself you will find 60 songs available to play.
Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 Learning Feature
Since these are beginner keyboards, one thing we love from the piano is their inclusion of learning mode which is great to let those who learn by themselves start quickly and get used to the instrument in no time. With these models we can connect a smart device both iOS and Android like a tablet to use the free Chordana Play app and when plug in the unit, the keyboard display will show you how to play the chosen song.
Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 Features
The last part we want to mention is their additional features but since Casio CTK 2550 and CTK 3500 are both on the entry-level models, there are almost no built-in features that can add value besides the huge collection especially dance music. What CTK 3500 adds into its capabilities is that this model has MIDI connectivity hence it is more ideal for experienced users. In addition, you will find basic features like metronomes in both pianos.
Casio CTK 2550 vs CTK 3500
These two affordable pianos are great for the budget and they are more ideal for younger players based on what they decide to put in the instrument so if this is meant for a gift then we do think both are equally good. What makes CTK 3500 more expensive is mostly on the additional touch response feature which is absent from CTK 2550, upgrading its level into a more experienced or serious learners but, sound quality wise they are the same.
Conclusion
You can go with any of these pianos as there is no bad option but, if this is meant for children and younger players who are not sure yet whether they will stick to the instrument for long or not, the CTK 2550 is a very affordable option to go for.
