Yamaha PSR-EW300 Review : The legendary YPG 235 was the perfect instrument for anyone looking for a piano with 76 keys and portability at the same time look.
But, this is a review of Yamaha PSR-EW300 which is the musical evolution of the YPG 235.
Yamaha EW300 comes under the 76 Keys Portable Keyboard bracket.
As of 2020 The PSR (and similar Yamaha) series consists of 13 keyboards and all of it have tons of voices and functionalities along with Yamaha Education Suite and Affordable price tag being the main highlight of the series.
Some of the famous portable keyboards in the series are :
- EW410
- E463
- EW300
- E360
- E363
- E273 (New)
- E263
- EZ 220
- YPT 255
- F-51
- PSS-A50 (New)
- PSS-F30 (New)
- Remie PSS-E30 (New)
The PSR-EW300 is a smart choice for the budding pianists as it includes a complete range of features you would normally only find on a much higher priced instruments.
The 76 notes touch sensitive keyboard allows you to perform with greater expression, and gives flexibility to play wide and complex musical passages.
The PSR- EW300 also has a variety of sounds which include instrumental voices that go up to 574 voices in total.
The best part is PSR EW300 price is quite affordable. Overall I can say it is a cheap and best keyboard from Yamaha.
From my personal experience I can say that Playing this piano is very expressive and feels quite good though irrespective of the price tag. I am sure you will also feel the same.
Features Of Yamaha PSR EW300 (USP)
Keys - Touch Responsive
Yamaha PSR-EW300 has a touch-responsive keyboard with increased 48- note polyphony which is helpful for performing complex passages.
The touch sensitive keys is one of the most needed feature for any beginner to get a slight feel of acoustic pianos.
The function of touch responsive keys are like If you play the keys heavily you’ll get a louder sounds and when you play the keys lightly, you’ll get quieter sounds.
Touch Sensitive Keys makes your performances more musically expressive and vibrant.
Connectivity Options and MIDI
The PSR-EW300 also features a USB TO HOST terminal and MIDI connectivity.
Where as the AUX In allows you to connect your music player and play along with your favorite songs.
You can also use the melody suppressor to virtually remove vocals from track which is quite cool.
You can digitally record your performances to your computer or iOS device. You can also play back the recordings and the sound will be reproduced by the instrument’s speakers.
In fact, during special occasions you can use this connection to playback music from your device’s library. Basically, now you have a glorious boom box.
Duo Mode Feature On Yamaha EW300
Duo mode allows you to divide the keyboard into two halves so that two people can easily play on the same instrument.
It comes beneficial to newbies as well cause students can learn by watching and copying their teachers hands.
Voices and Sounds of Yamaha PSR EW 300
Yamaha PSR EW-300 offers a massive choice of 574 different instrument voices includes some sweet voices which reproduced the characteristics of each instrument in more detail.
And 165 backing accompaniment styles featuring musical genres from all over the world.
And navigating through these voices are also simple.
To access them, you just need to simply press the voice button and from the voice list select your voice by typing in the corresponding number.
The sound is also clear and loud. Its enough for a small room but you need to amplify them in larger venues.
Digital Effects
The Yamaha PSR EW300 has 12 new types of reverb effects.
The effects add different ambiance to the sound as if you are playing in a large hall or on stage.
You can adjust the sound using these digital effects and can make the sound more glorious and impressive.
There is also chorus and other effects with a master EQ to adjust your overalls sound.
What I really like particularly in the keyboard is arpeggiator feature. The arpeggiator feature instantly creates complex note sequences for a professional sound, it's quite cool.
Learning Mode
My another favorite feature is Touch Tutor Lesson mode.
This lesson mode tracks the velocity or the strength of the keys that are played in order to teach you dynamics.
In other terms you can also say that it helps in teaching expressive play.
Whereas, The Yamaha education suite makes it easy to learn the built-in songs.
While the keys to success feature provides short and easy step-by-step lessons and these small efforts result in playing entire songs.
While other substantial lesson functions steadily support the learner such as the touch tutor function as explained above.
A song book is available for download not only the scores of the onboard songs but it also includes tips for the lessons with many images and details.
Recording Option
EW 300 has two track inbuilt recorder which captures your song and melody ideas as well as complete performance.
With these many options and complex settings its quite hard to remember and shuffle between them while performing live. In this scenario Registration Memory comes to your rescue.
With registration memory you can store your favorite settings for instant recall when you need them in hurry.
App Connectivity
For iOS devices there are free apps available in the app store including cloud audio recorder for digital recording.
My music recorder which is MIDI audio and video recorder for tracking and sharing your learning progress
And sound controller app allowing you to manipulate PSR EW 300 sound in real time.
PSR EW 300 Vs WK-245 Vs PSR e363 Vs YPG 535 Vs PSR 410
| PSR EW 300 | Casio WK 245 | PSR E363 | Yamaha YPG 535 | PSR EW 410 | |
| Number of Keys | 76 | 76 | 61 | 88 | 76 |
| Type of Keys | Touch response | Full-sized keys, Touch sensitive | Touch response | ||
| Other Controllers | Pitchbend | ||||
| Polyphony | 48 Notes | 48 Notes | 48 Notes | 32 Notes | 48 Notes |
| Presets | 574 voices, 165 accompaniment styles, 150 arpeggio types | 600 | 574 voices (197 sounds, 18 drum/sfx, 339 XGlite voices), 154 preset songs | 500 | 237 Panel Voices, 24 Drum/SFX kits, 40 Arpeggio, 35 grooves, 457 XGlite voices |
| Number of Effects | 2 | 39 | 59 | ||
| Effects Types | Reverb, Chorus, EQ, Harmony | Reverb, Chorus, Virtual Hall | Reverb, Chorus, EQ, Harmony | Reverb, Chorus, Harmony | DSP, Reverb, Chorus, Master EQ, Harmony |
| Memory | 1.73 MB | ||||
| Storage | USB flash drive | ||||
| Formats | WAV, SMF | ||||
| Sequencer | 6-track | 6-track | |||
| Audio Recording | 5 songs, 2-track (original file format) | 2-track song recorder | WAV (44.1kHz, 16 bit, stereo) | ||
| Audio Playback | WAV (44.1kHz, 16 bit, stereo) | ||||
| Audio Inputs | 1 x 1/8" (aux in) | 1 x 1/8" (Audio), 1 x 1/4" (Mic/Sampling) | 1 x 1/8" (aux in) | 1 x 1/8" (aux) | |
| Audio Outputs | 1 x 1/4" TRS (headphones/output) | 1 x 1/4" (Headphones) | 1 x 1/4" (Headphones) | 1 x TRS (Headphones) | 2 x 1/4" (R, L/L+R) |
| USB | 1 x Type B | 1 x Type B | 1 x Type B | 1 x Type A, 1 x Type B | 1 x Type A, 1 x Type B |
| MIDI I/O | via USB | USB | via USB | USB | |
| Headphones | 1 x 1/4" | ||||
| Pedal Inputs | 1 x 1/4" (sustain) | 1 x Sustain | 1 x 1/4" (sustain) | 1 | 1 x 1/4" (sustain) |
| Features | Dual mode, Split mode | ||||
| Built-in Speakers | 2 x 4.7", 2 x 2.5W per side | Yes | 2 x 4.7" (2.5W per side) | Yes | 2 x 4.7", 12W per side |
| Power Supply | 12V DC power supply (not included) / 6 x AA batteries | 12V DC power supply (optional) / 6 x AA batteries | AC Adapter Included | 16V DC power supply (included) / 6 x D batteries | |
| Height | 4.62" | 4.0625" | 1.62" | 30.5" (With Stand) | 5.43" |
| Width | 45.37" | 45.75" | 37.18" | 52.75" | 46.42" |
| Depth | 14.5" | 13.75" | 14.5" | 16.63" | 16.26" |
| Weight | 13 lbs. 11 oz. | 15.2 lbs. | 10 lbs. 2 oz. | 37.5 lbs. | 18.52 lbs. |
Yamaha PSR EW300 Alternate
The Best Alternative Of Yamaha PSR EW 300 is The ONE Smart Piano Keyboard. The Price is almost same so don't forget to check it.
My Experience With Yamaha PSR EW300
What can be improved is the overall size, don't get me wrong here. The keyboard is extremely lightweight (13 Lb) but I think the size can be reduced a bit.
One more improvement can be done is the auto install of the drivers. No body likes to download and install drivers separately. But it is not a big issue at all. (Note: The drivers get installed automatically on all of the pianos. thanks Yamaha for noticing this)
The combination of high quality voices, accompaniment styles and USB TO HOST and MIDI makes the PSR-EW300 a great songwriting tool.
It can also be powered by batteries too. The sound of the inbuilt speaker is simply awesome.
I think the evolution from the YPG235 to the PSR-EW300 is not just changing the name or the color but actually new and enhanced features have been added.
The piano is ideal for intermediate and beginners who are looking for an amazing price/value keyboard with high quality sound.
As I said earlier the price is very affordable and overall a good keyboard to kick start learning in the right direction.
With 89% positive reviews over Amazon from 500+ ratings its hard to deny the amount of love PSR EW 300 is getting from its user base.
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That's all from Our End.
Hope this review of Yamaha PSR EW 300 Helped You In Making an Informational Decision.
Till Then,
Keep playing and Spread Love.
What is the exact price of PSR EW300 ? Does it have weighted keys ? And how is the overall sound of the keyboard ?
PSR EW300 costs around $245+. No the keys are not weighted if Ila you are looking for weighted keys keyboard I suggest you go through this post. The quality of the sound is quite good but is not too loud even in the highest volume. It is really a wonderful keyboard for the beginner but you will surely need amplifier when playing in big venues.
Do it support MIDI transfer from Computer –> Keyboard and vice versa ?
PSR EW-300 comes with USB port at the back for connectivity but it totally depends upon the software running on the computer to handle these kinds of conversion. At least this Yamaha keyboard does not do so. You can check more about app supports here
How is the grand piano sound of the keyboard? Do I need an amplifier for halls.
Hello Ralph, The sound quality of EW 300 is quite good. Here is a grand piano sound sample, check it out. And the sound loudness is sufficient for small halls or get together or birthday parties but for more bigger venues you need an amplifier for sure.
How does the Yamaha PSR EW 300 compare to the Casio WK-245? I’m interested in both these models and am wondering which one has better sound/ features etc. I will use the keyboard only for home use.
Hey James, EW 300 would be much better in every aspect. Casio WK-245 is a bit outdated, does not have velocity responsive keys, Does not support audio recording, Does not have TRS output option, Lacks Dual and Split mode, And cannot be operated via batteries. So Ew-300 is a clear winner here. All the best in your musical journey ????
Read your review and it helped me to decide to buy this today and hope to get many hours of play on it. I read other reviews, but yours was understood by a person who has always wanted to learn to play but knows nothing about what to look for to buy one. Thanks for keeping it real. Was always envious of friends who took piano lessons when I was young, so my hopes are the simplest of songs will bring me happiness. I will be a beginner and attempt to learn through what is available on line. Price is $190 on line through Sam’s (Item # 980122876 Model # PSREW300MS). Not in stock and will be shipped for free with a Plus membership. Stay healthy and safe.
Thanks a lot, Diane for your kind words. Feel free to contact us whenever required.
Are the keys full length piano keys?
Hey Nancy, The Keys of EW300 are not full-sized piano keys. Are you looking for some specific feature?
For a beginner, would you recommend a new EW300 or a slightly used YPG-235. We are looking at both options for my 19 yr old daughter
Hey Ron, EW 300 is much better in every aspect, EW 300 has extra 80+ voices, 48 polyphony, 5 more style, Duo Mode, Aux-In and Melody Suppressor with better connectivity option.
Hi there, can you tell me why when I play on Grand Piano with my EW 300 it sounds so strident?
Also, do you know if Yamaha will update the problems the YPG 235 has so it can be put it back on the market?
Thank you for your help.
Can you confirm your grand piano sound is like this or not hear this music ??
BTW, what issue are you referring on YPG 235 ? And I am sure there’s wont be any future update on YPG 235 as the model is replaced with EW 300.