2 Casio Ctk 1500 Portable Keyboard

What will you find in this post?

Featuring a well-designed 61-key layout that is ideal for young musicians, the Casio CTK-1500 is the perfect keyboard for beginners to hone their skill and learn excellent techniques. Its easy-to-use controls and interface can help navigate through the various features with ease. Casio CT-X700 Portable Keyboard Bundle with Stand, Bench, Sustain Pedal, Power Adapter, Austin Bazaar Instructional DVD, and Polishing Cloth 4.7 out of 5 stars 184 $299.99 $ 299.

• 1 Casio Digital Piano CTK-240 Review Complete -- Is it a Great Choice?
  • 1.5 Where to buy Casio CTK 240

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Casio Computer Co., Ltd. is an electronics manufacturer founded in 1946 and based in Tokyo, Japan. Now let’s take a look at the Casio CTK -- 240, a beginner’s keyboard, and at a very affordable price €73/$70/£66, one of the lowest on the keyboard market (we could find it for about 80 Euro at the time of reviewing this article). It offers the following features:

• 49 keys without sensitivity or weighted keys.
• 12 notes of polyphony (Number of notes that can be played at the same time. This includes accompaniments that also consume notes. So if you play on top of an accompaniment, more notes will be accumulated).
• 100 sounds (Different sounds of piano and other instruments).
• 100 styles (accompaniment styles that adapt to the chords we are playing. For example they will put a bass and a drum kit that will adapt and synchronize with the notes we are playing on the keyboard).
• 50 pre-recorded internal songs.
• LCD display improves usability and makes it easier to operate.
• 2 not very powerful speakers of 1.6W.
• Works only with batteries. We will need to have a very good rechargeable battery and a battery charger suitable for these.
• A very light weight of 2.8kg.

It is offered as one of the cheapest keyboards from one of the most well known and respected manufacturers. It is a basic one, and it would only be recommended if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a first hand instrument and want to try it out.

Now that we have listed and described the features of this keyboard, there’s no better way to do so than to take a look at the following video where they tell us more about the Casio CTK-240 and you can hear how its different sounds sound.

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It has no sustain pedal possibility. This is a drawback, since this type of pedals are necessary so that the notes can continue to play after their key is pressed, and provide musical and sound continuity to our performances.

Now let’s compare the Casio CTK-240 with its more common alternatives. At the end of the post you will also find a section with the best purchase options for this keyboard. But you can go directly to that part of the post by pressing the next button.

Casio CTK-240 vs Startone MK-200

We will compare the Casio CTK- with a similarly priced model, the Startone MK-200. The price difference can be about 17 Euro but it is so small that it can change. The price you can find the Startone MK-200 starts at about €89/£79.

We are talking about keyboards similar in price, but very different in features. We will highlight the most important ones:

• The number of keys on the Startone MK-200 is greater: 61. They also have touch sensitivity, which allows the volume of the notes played on each key to be adjusted to the force of the touch. This feature is not found on the Casio keyboard.
• Greater repertoire of sounds and musical styles: 320 sounds and 110 styles offered by the Startono MK-200 compared to 100 sounds and 100 songs offered by the Casio CTK-240. This greater variety allows greater musical experimentation.
• The Casio offers fewer notes for polyphony: 12 notes compared to 32 notes for the Startone. This is important, as it greatly limits the number of notes that can be played on the keyboard at the same time.
• The Startone offers 100 demo or pre-recorded songs to accompany with your keyboard, while the Casio only offers half.
• The Startone offers dual mode that allows the keyboard to combine two sounds that sound at once to create a more complete one, for example piano with a string instrument sound. And split mode, which allows you to play two or more instrument sounds on one keyboard, but have different keys and keyboard sections to play. There are also no similar features on the Casio CTK-200.
• Keyboard division mode: Allows the keyboard to be divided into two equal keyboards with half of the keys, so that it can be played by two people at the same time, like a teacher and student.
• The Startone includes a metronome while the Casio does not. This is important, as it is a function that serves to control the musical rhythm of your performances, especially during learning.
• The Casio’s speakers are 1.6W, a low power that only allows the piano to be heard in a small room without much noise. The Startone has 3W speakers, a power that allows a much better hearing of the keyboard.
• The Casio CTK-240 is only battery operated, while the Startone MK-200 also offers a connector for electrical power. This means that the keyboard does not have to rely solely on batteries.
• The Startone is the only one of both keyboards that offers headphone output, which allows you to hear only yourself play, and a MIDI connection, which is used to connect to the computer and work with software for learning, composing and producing music, and/or to take out the scores of your songs.
• The weight of the Casio CTK-240 is the best feature (it weighs 2.3Kg) compared to the Startone MK-200n, which weighs 4.5kg. Still, the weight of the Startone is light enough for a keyboard of its characteristics.
• The Startone includes a sustain pedal input, but not the pedal.

With all these features, the Startone MK-200 is offered as a more powerful keyboard than the Casio CTK-240 and a very small price difference (less than €20).

The Casio CTK-240 can be offered as an entry-level keyboard for a person who wants to start playing a keyboard instrument, or wants to try out the experience, and not leave himself a large sum of money for it. However, if you want a keyboard with more advanced capabilities, such as a MIDI connection or a sustaining pedal, we recommend the Startone MK-200. For that 20 euros, the amount of features it comes with is very good.

It must be said that the Yamaha brand is more reliable than Startone in terms of reliability. And by that I mean that the components will last you a little longer. So if you find a price difference of more than 20 euros and you just want to experience the Yamaha can the best cheap option.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

There is no video of the Startone MK 200 but its sound engine is practically the same as the Startone MK 300 (that you will find in the next comparison) so we leave you with this video where you can listen to a very famous song with strings accompaniment:

If you want to know more about this model do not miss our review of the Startone MK-200.

Casio CTK-240 vs Startone MK-300

The differences that we can observe between the Casio CTK-240 and the Startone MK-300 are the same as the case of the Startone MK-200, but allowing better performance and quality and it’s around €115/£102. The Startone MK-300 is the superior model to the MK-200 and offers some additional features:

• Pitch Bend Wheel: Functionality that changes the sound wave of what you play and then returns to its original state.
• 10W speakers: Enough power to be accompanied by an instrument that requires little or no amplification, such as a guitar. But not others, like a drum set.
• Improved style and sound quality.

The price of the Startone MK-300 can be found from €115/£102 (price at review sheet of this article) and differs from the Casio CTK-240 by about €40. If your budget is not tight, we recommend that you opt for this model or the MK-200.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

And now a video of the Startone MK-300 to hear how it sounds

If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our Startone MK-300 review

Casio CTK-240 vs Casio CTK-1550 (formerly Casio CTK 1500)

In this comparison we will talk about two Casio model keyboards. The price of this keyboard is about €90 which means a difference of about €15 with the CTK-240 that is around €73/$70/£66. We are going to highlight the main differences of both keyboards:

• The CTK-1500 offers more keys, 61 compared to CTK-240 which has 49 keys. This is important, because the more keys, the more compositions we can play on one keyboard.
• The Casio CTK-1500 offers more polyphonic notes, 32 notes, compared to only 12 notes on the CTK-240.
• More sounds in the CTK-1500 (120 sounds versus 100 sounds in the CTK-240).
• Slightly more powerful speakers: 2W in the CTK-1550 and 1.6W in the CTK-240.
• Exclusive to the CTK-1500 is the transducer function, and the combined line and headphone output: this enables the CTK-1500 to be connected to a mixing console.
• Both are lightweight keyboards: 2.8 kg for the CTK-240 and 3.3 kg for the CTK-1550.
• Bad power options: The CTK-240 is only battery operated and the CTK-1550 does not have a power supply, which must be purchased separately.
• The CTK-1500 offers a powerful range of dance sounds.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

And now a video of the Casio CTK-1550 that has the same sounds:

If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our review of the Casio CTK-1500

The Casio CTK-1500 offers a wider range of styles and rhythms than the Casio CTK-240, especially dance rhythms. If you are looking for a keyboard with this feature, this may be a suitable model. If your budget is tight and you have enough of the basic features, the CTK-240 may be sufficient.

However, they are keyboards that lack keyboard sensitivity and MIDI connection. If you are looking for a keyboard that is more like playing a piano (like the keys have sensitivity) or you can connect it to the computer with MIDI and specialized software to learn to play the piano, compose and produce your music or get your song scores, we recommend that you consider one of the Startone keyboards, the MK-200 or MK-300, or the Yamaha PSR-E363 that we will discuss in the last comparison.

If you can put in a little more money. The Yamaha PSR E363 below is by far the most recommended:

Casio CTK-240 vs Yamaha PSR E363

2 Casio Ctk 1500 Portable Keyboard Backlight

In this comparison we will compare the Casio CTK-240 with a Yamaha keyboard, the PSR-E363, which can be found at a first hand price of about €198/$400 (PKS, Professional Kit Stand)/£180. The price difference is the most substantial among the pairs of keyboards we have analyzed, as it is over 100 Euro. Although the price difference is the highest so far, the Yamaha PSR-E363 is one of the most recommended (or lower-middle-market) keyboards sold for value. This Yamaha can be found many times for 150 euro , although now in Coronavirus time there are usually no offers and it is usually in the 160/ 180 euro range

While the Casio CTK-240 is a recommended instrument as a first keyboard for beginners and if you don’t want to spend a lot of money at first. The Yamaha PSR-E363 is offered as a great digital keyboard for learning for a couple of years and as an auxiliary keyboard that can accompany you for a long time.

We can highlight the following differences between the Yamaha PSR-E363 and the casio CTK-240

• The largest number of keys. The PSR-E363 has 61 keys, which means that more songs can be played than the CTK-240, which only has 49 keys. And the Yamaha PSR E363 has remarkable key sensitivity for its price.
• The Casio CTK-240 offers only 12 notes of polyphony, while the Yamaha PSR-E363 has 48 notes.
• The Yamaha PSR-E363 offers a wider repertoire of sounds, styles and songs. The Yamaha has 574 sounds, 165 styles and 154 demo or pre-recorded songs. While the Casio CTK-240 offers 100 songs, 100 styles and 50 demo or pre-recorded songs.
• Similar speaker power: The Casio CTK-240 has 1.6W speakers, while the Yamaha has 2.5W. In both cases, it’s just enough power for listening to your keyboard in a closed room.
• The Yamaha PSR-E363 can be connected to mains power and batteries. The Casio TK can only be operated with batteries.
• The Casio CTK-240 is a very portable keyboard weighing 2.8 kg and measuring 914 x 237 x 75 mm (W x D x H). The Yamaha is offered as heavier (4.6kg) and bulkier (dimensions 945 x 368 x 118mm). These physical differences are understandable, as the Yamaha is a keyboard with a larger number of keys and offers more features that translate into more electronics.

As exclusive to the Yamaha PSR-E363:

• Touch-sensitive keyboard as mentioned above. This is important for playing with nuances.
• It features Reverb and Chorus effects, a Master EQ equalization system, and the ability to perform arpeggios (musical phrases or sequences that can be played and played easily by pressing a key).
• It has an internal metronome and transposition (it allows you to move a whole sequence of notes to another pitch or frequency).
• Duo function: Allows the keyboard to become two different keyboards, so it can be played by two people at once, like a teacher and a student. A very useful function if you are a beginner or are just starting to play a keyboard. It is very similar to the keyboard partitioning feature of the Startone MK-200 and MK-300 keyboards.
• Sustain pedal input, we remember, this is important, as this pedal allows the notes we play to continue to sound for a while after they are played.
• It includes a music stand to support a tablet or your scores.
• Auxiliary mini-jack input to connect a microphone, an instrument or any electronic device to the keyboard so that it can play its audio through the keyboard as an accompaniment.
• USB MIDI: this connector will allow us to record in MIDI by connecting them from the keyboard to the computer. This way we can do such wonderful things as being able to record our songs on MIDI-compatible tracks or get our scores out with specialized software.
• Headset output. It allows you to listen to yourself while playing the keyboard, without disturbing anyone.

We are going to put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns so that it is easier to see the differences and you can see that the PSR E-363 is not really a typical keyboard as such but it has interesting options.

And now a video of the Yamaha PSR-E363

If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our review of the Yamaha PSR-E363

Casio Ctk 2000 Review

In conclusion, the Casio CTK-240 is offered as a very basic keyboard, which can be useful for those who want a keyboard for learning to play with minimal functions. It is advantageous in terms of its low price and its weight, which is very light.

On the other hand, it doesn’t have some features that are very useful in electronic keyboards that we can see in the Startone and Yamaha models: sustain pedal input, headset output, MIDI connection and including lectern.

2 Casio Ctk 1500 Portable Keyboard Mouse Combo

Where to buy Casio CTK 240

Amazon

• Free Shipping and possibility of shipping in one day with Amazon Premium.
• Full Guarantee but they are no experts in music equipment.
• Sometimes better price.
• He’s got worse stock than Thomann.

Casio Ctk 2550 Keyboard

Thomann

• Free Shipping.
• Full warranty. If you have any problems, they take care of everything.
• 100% reliable payment.
• Leader in trouble-free shipping.
• Usually Best price.
• Best Reputation: They are the leading online store in Europe and have the best catalogue and information.

Casio Ctk 2000 Manual

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