Our Casio LK 175 Review: 8 Compelling Reasons This Is The Beginner Keyboard For You in 2023

Last updated: Feb 27, 2023

The Casio LK 175 Review At A Glance#

Casio LK 175 VIEW AT AMAZON

Ease of Use

Very beginner friendly

Price

Affordable at less than $150

Rating

Highly recommended!

We like:

*The light up keys

*400 tones, 150 rhythms, 110 songs

*Step up lesson system

*USB MIDI and Aux input

*Auto power off

*Weighs only 11 pounds

We don't like:

*Non-weighted keys

Summary of our Casio LK 175 review: We really mean when we say this is a great keyboard for beginners. Its 61 lighted keys and the Step Up learning system by Casio works hand-in-hand to teach absolute starters how to play piano in the shortest possible time. This is a great buy for your money!

Quick Navigation The Casio LK 175 Review At A Glance A Short Introduction An Overview of Casio LK-175 Features Advantages of Casio LK-175 Disadvantage of Casio LK-175 A Few Casio LK-175 User Reviews Frequently Asked Questions Should you buy the Casio LK-175? Looking for the Casio LK 175 manual?

A Short Introduction#

If you have ever wanted to play a piano keyboard, but didn't know where to begin looking, then the Casio LK175 may be just the keyboard you are looking for.

This is a great beginner keyboard which has all the basic features a new keyboard student is looking for as well as a few bells and whistles usually found in more expensive models.

Here's a tip for beginners: If you do not wish to disturb other people, you can plug in a pair of headphones and practice your music in peace without being glared at (based on experience, this is all too common).

An Overview of Casio LK-175 Features#


Click here if you would like to read the complete Technical Specifications of the Casio LK-175

Keyboard 61 Piano style keys
Sound source AHL
Polyphony 48 Maximum
Key transpose -12 to +12 semitones
Tuning A4 = 415.5Hz to 465.9Hz (initial Default : 440.0Hz)
Tones 400
Sampling Function Maximum Sampling Time 2 sec. (Long Sampling Mode)1 (Long Sampling) or 5 (Short Sampling) tones /Data BackupBuilt-in Mic / MIC IN26 (1 Long Sampling, 5 Short Sampling, 10 Effects for Long Sampling and 10 Effects for Short Sampling)​
Digital Effects 10
Rhythms 150 (including 20 for piano play and 55 world rhythms)On / OffFingered 1​Fingered 2 (6th Off)​Fingered 3 (On Bass)Casio ChordFull Range Chord​Start / StopIntroNormal / Fill-inVariation/ Fill-in​Synchro / Ending0 to 127​
One Touch Preset 150
Song Bank 110 (including 20 Exercise Phrases)
Lesson Function Right Hand, Left Hand, Both HandsListen, Watch, Remember, Next, AutoScoring SystemVoice Fingering Guide​
Metronome Yes
Tempo 30 to 255BPM
Demo Song 90 songs loop play
Display 92mm x 40mm LCD
Terminals USB: Yes (To Host)MIC IN: Yes​Built-in Mic: Yes*Sustain Jack: Yes​Phones / Output: Yes​DC In: 9.5V​
Speakers 10cm x 2
Amplifiers 2W + 2W
Power Supply 9.5V DC (AD-E95100L) / 6 AA-size batteries
Auto Power Off Yes (Approx. 6 min. during battery operation or30 min during AC adaptor operation)​
Included Accessories *The built-in microphone automatically becomes disabled whenever an external microphone is connected to the MIC IN/SAMPLING jack.

S ource: Casio.com

Advantages of Casio LK-175#


Before we list down all the great features we love about the LK-175, here's a short video from Casio (featuring Ro Shon) highlighting its main features:

1) 61 Piano Style Lighted Keys

Seriously, who doesn't love lighted keys on a keyboard? I do! And I haven't been a kid in 20 years!

Lighted keys are very helpful when you are just starting out and beginning to learn how to play. Just select any song in the 110 built-in song bank, watch the keys light up based on the notes being played, take note of it/memorize, and play it yourself.

If the lights are moving too fast, you can just video the whole thing and just follow the patterns! Easy peasy!

2) LCD Display

This feature makes it very newbie-friendly because you can easily see and control all the changes you would like to make in the settings.

If you forget what tone or rhythm or song you have selected, simply check the LCD display.

No need to panic.

3) Step-Up Lesson System

This is truly one of the most useful features for beginners because you can easily learn to play any of the songs in the song bank. This keyboard piano has been programmed with beginners in mind and in a matter of minutes you can play a few notes of your favorite songs!

Here's a video showing you how this system works:

4) A truly portable piano keyboard

This portable piano keyboard only weighs a mere 11 lbs – not much when you consider just how much digital pianos weigh – and a young kid beginning to learn to play the piano would have no problems moving this piano from part of the house to another.

Think the location of the keyboard is affecting your piano learning skills? Then move it to your bedroom! (Try doing that to a piano!) And while you're at it, insert 6 AA batteries and go 'wireless'!

5) Sound EFX sampler with microphone

This feature is especially helpful when you are practicing by allowing you to record any sound and then integrating it into the rhythm!

6) AUX Input and USB Midi Port

This is a cool feature because you can connect your audio device using the AUX input and listen to your music on the keyboard's speakers. You can then play along to the music if you like.

The USB Midi Port allows you to connect the Casio LK175 to your computers and iOS devices and listen to your music on your device!

7) 400 Tones, 150 Rhythms and 110 Songs Programmed

Feel free to spice up your music by changing the tones or the rhythm anytime! Boredom can easily strike if you've been practicing on Flute voice for what seems like forever so change it to Violin or Trumpet or whatever you feel like!

8) Auto Power Off

We love that Casio has included this useful feature in the LK-175. No more worrying for you if you forget to turn off your keyboard during practice. Best of all, this features works not just when the keyboard is running on batteries but even while it's connected to the AC adaptor!

Disadvantage of Casio LK-175#


1) Non-weighted keys

This is obviously just the basic model for people just beginning to play keyboard piano and for most beginner purposes, this is not an issue. But if you are an intermediate player, then you might be annoyed by the unweighted keys.

A Few Casio LK-175 User Reviews#


We have summarized a few reviews from happy buyers of the Casio LK-175:

A father signed up his daughter for piano lessons and bought this full-sized keyboard as an upgrade from his daughter's old small-key child's keyboard. He has been impressed with his keyboard since the beginning - from the affordable price, to the plethora of features and options available on such a portable chassis. He didn't even know the keyboard allowed a sustain pedal to be connected until his daughter's piano teacher recommended they buy one; he was very happy to find out that an inexpensive pedal worked well with this keyboard. A first time keyboard owner admits she uses the LK-175 every day and is very happy with the output sounds. She found the manual to be not user friendly, however, she overcame this by buying keyboard stickers which helped her immensely. A woman said her husband and his family all love this keyboard because it's easy to learn and the lighting keys are perfect for guiding you how to play the built in songs. The onboard microphone also allows them to sing into the keyboard and then play it back. They can even transfer their recorded audio data to their computer using the USB port. The buttons on the keyboard, along with the screen, are simple and easy to understand, however, the screen would have been much better if it had a backlight. The keyboard itself is not heavy and easy to carry around and quite durable if you drop it on the floor. The keys can be cleaned quite easily as well. A young family has a lot of fun with this keyboard as they all pretend they can play well. They just select a song and then follow the light up keys to practice. The kids absolutely love the onboard songs - they don't just attempt to play the songs, they dance to it as well! A parent bought this keyboard for his young daughter who turned out to be too young to learn how to operate the keyboard herself. So he also had to study the keyboard and found himself having plenty of fun with the built-in songs. His young daughter has already started to practice some songs and is also loving the sampling tool which allows her to record her own voice and use it as a 'voice' for the keyboard! A buyer loves that he can connect the keyboard to his Windows computer in 2 ways. First, he can connect it by plugging the keyboard through the USB port (the keyboard automatically functions as a MIDI controller). Secondly, he can connect the keyboard via the headphone jack (for audio output) via a splitter cable. He said the keyboard offers a lot of advanced options while still being beginner-friendly. A woman bought the keyboard for her daughters to practice on. She just wanted something basic and it turned out this keyboard was pretty awesome. The kids learn new songs every day just with the light up keys. She said they are pretty much glued to the keyboard all the time now! Another mom who bought the keyboard for her son said he loved the sampling feature on the LK-175. He experiments and records all sorts of noises to use as the keyboard 'voice'. It's really funny to see his reaction when he hears his recordings played at different pitches! Finally, another buyer said that the light up keys are very useful if you are going to memorize the built-in songs, however, if you already know how to read sheet music then the lights have limited value and would be quite annoying for a more advanced or even an intermediate-level player. Overall, she gave the keyboard 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommends it for beginners.

Frequently Asked Questions#


  1. Can you attach a microphone to the keyboard?

Yes, you can attach a microphone. In addition, you can also attach headphones, your MP3 player, a sustain pedal and even your computer.

  1. Are the keys touch sensitive and weighted?

Yes and no. Yes, the keys are touch sensitive but not weighted.

  1. Can you turn off the lighting keys?

Yes, you can. The lights are red in color and fortunately there is an option for you to turn off the lighting keys if it annoys you.

  1. What are the power options?

An AC adaptor is supplied which you can plug into any electrical outlet, however, the keyboard will also run on 6 AA batteries.

  1. Do the built-in songs light up the keyboards?

Yes, it does which is why it's easy for a novice to learn how to play as you can easily follow the lights and press the keys currently lighted.a

Should you buy the Casio LK-175?#


Yes, we highly recommend the Casio LK175 as it provides great value for money and is a serious contender for being one of the best keyboards for beginners. At the current price, this model is a steal and if not abused, this keyboard will last you for years.

Thank you for reading our detailed Casio LK 175 review. To get this keyboard, simply click on the button below. We promise you will not regret your purchase!

Looking for the Casio LK 175 manual?#

Download it here.

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