The catch
Yamaha P-225
AC power is required. To record over USB audio you need a compatible receiving device and software, since the recording goes to that device and not onto a flash drive in the piano.
Side by side
Yamaha P-225 vs Casio PX-S3100 for recording, space and practice: Casio’s recording drive displaces Bluetooth, while Yamaha records through USB
Quick verdict
If you want to record the piano sound straight into a computer over USB, pick the Yamaha P-225. The Casio PX-S3100 is for a built-in backing band, battery-powered practice or WAV recording to a flash drive without a computer. Note that on the Casio, the flash drive occupies the port the Bluetooth adapter uses. Before you pay for the larger sound library, decide which recording setup you will really use.
Before you buy
Why, and what it costs you
Playing along and recording can end up competing for the same socket
Picture a child playing along with a song from a phone while you record the practice session to a flash drive. The PX-S3100 can handle either task, but the WU-BT10 Bluetooth adapter that comes with it sits in the same USB-A port the drive needs. For this pairing, connect the phone to the piano’s wired Audio In using a suitable audio cable or adapter. If you would rather record into a computer anyway, the P-225’s USB audio route spares you from buying an external interface just to capture its piano sound. Which piano is easier to live with depends on where the recording ends up.
Where this comes from
On the PX-S3100, the WU-BT10 and flash media both go in the USB-A port, and a separate stereo Audio In is provided. The P-225 is specified with a USB audio interface. Compatibility of phone adapters and recording software still needs checking. Nothing here claims the phone track ends up in the recorded file.
The catch
Casio PX-S3100
The USB-A port serves both Bluetooth and flash-drive recording. Connecting to a computer over USB-MIDI doesn’t send the piano’s internal sound as USB audio.
Yamaha P-225
- Why pick it
- You record into a computer and want the piano’s own sound to travel over USB, with no separate audio interface.
- Your main job is piano practice, and 24 voices plus 20 rhythms cover what you need.
- The catch
- AC power is required. To record over USB audio you need a compatible receiving device and software, since the recording goes to that device and not onto a flash drive in the piano.
Casio PX-S3100
- Why pick it
- You want WAV recordings with no computer involved, and you can unplug the Bluetooth adapter while the flash drive is in use.
- You use accompaniment styles, or you need AA battery power once practice moves away from an outlet.
- The catch
- The USB-A port serves both Bluetooth and flash-drive recording. Connecting to a computer over USB-MIDI doesn’t send the piano’s internal sound as USB audio.
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What this page compares
Deciding between the P-225 and PX-S3100 for a shared room and recording? Compare live USB audio, Bluetooth versus flash recording, battery power and how much space you need to play.
Each packs 88 weighted keys, speakers and two headphone sockets into a portable home piano, and each suits a home learner who also wants to record. What separates them is where the recording takes place.
Which one fits
Pick the situations that sound like you
Capture the piano’s own sound live on a computer over USB
USB on the P-225 carries audio. Casio’s USB connection to a computer is MIDI, so capturing sound takes a different route.
- Yamaha P-225
- Better fit
- Casio PX-S3100
- Caution
Record a WAV file with no computer involved
The PX-S3100 records onto a flash drive, but its Bluetooth adapter has to come out of that port first.
- Yamaha P-225
- Caution
- Casio PX-S3100
- Better fit
Practice somewhere with no handy outlet
Casio runs on six AA batteries, yet before they go in it weighs about the same as Yamaha.
- Yamaha P-225
- Caution
- Casio PX-S3100
- Better fit
Two people practicing side by side on headphones
Each has a split teaching mode and two headphone connections. Yamaha uses 1/4-inch plugs, Casio uses 3.5 mm plugs.
- Yamaha P-225
- Good
- Casio PX-S3100
- Good
In practice
Differences you will notice
Playing along and recording can end up competing for the same socket
Picture a child playing along with a song from a phone while you record the practice session to a flash drive. The PX-S3100 can handle either task, but the WU-BT10 Bluetooth adapter that comes with it sits in the same USB-A port the drive needs. For this pairing, connect the phone to the piano’s wired Audio In using a suitable audio cable or adapter. If you would rather record into a computer anyway, the P-225’s USB audio route spares you from buying an external interface just to capture its piano sound. Which piano is easier to live with depends on where the recording ends up.
How we worked this out
On the PX-S3100, the WU-BT10 and flash media both go in the USB-A port, and a separate stereo Audio In is provided. The P-225 is specified with a USB audio interface. Compatibility of phone adapters and recording software still needs checking. Nothing here claims the phone track ends up in the recorded file.
A recording you send to someone is not the same as notes you edit
Sending a performance to family without launching recording software is where Casio’s flash-drive WAV recorder earns its place. Editing the notes is covered by MIDI recording, which both pianos have. Getting the piano’s own sound live into a computer project is the job of Yamaha’s direct USB-audio route, and the PX-S3100’s USB-MIDI connection can’t stand in for that sound capture. With the Casio, either budget for an audio interface on its line outputs, or record a WAV to a drive and move the file over later. The workflows are different even though both products mention USB and recording.
How we worked this out
The P-225’s USB audio is a separate thing from its internal MIDI recorder. For the PX-S3100, the documented features are WAV recording to a flash drive and MIDI exchange through its computer USB connection. A MIDI instrument plug-in produces sound of its own, which is not a capture of the Casio sound engine.
Getting the piano out of the way mostly comes down to power
In a shared room, the piano sometimes has to make way when someone needs the desk or a quiet spot to work. Bare, the two instruments weigh 11.5 and 11.4 kg, so the Casio isn’t much easier to carry. What lets practice move somewhere without an outlet is its battery option. Its body is also 40 mm shallower, which helps with storage, but Yamaha’s depth goes from 272 to 362 mm once the music rest is up. Measure the setup in playing position as well as folded away. The roughly two-hour battery figure for the Casio comes from continuous demo playback and is not a promised session length.
How we worked this out
The depth gap is 272 minus 232 = 40 mm, about 1.6 inches. The weight gap is 11.5 minus 11.4 = 0.1 kg, before Casio’s batteries. A music-rest depth is published for Yamaha, but no matching ready-to-play depth for Casio is assumed. Casio’s runtime figure is tied to a stated test condition.
Option A
Yamaha, P-225
P-225
You record into a computer and want the piano’s own sound to travel over USB, with no separate audio interface.
- Best for
- You record into a computer and want the piano’s own sound to travel over USB, with no separate audio interface.
Facts we checked
- Record the piano into a computer: Stereo USB audio, 44.1 kHz at 24 bit
- Record without a computer: Built-in two-track MIDI recorder
- Phone playback during flash recording: Built-in Bluetooth audio on the US model, no USB-drive recorder
- Space before accessories: 272 mm body depth, 362 mm with music rest
Option B
Casio, PX-S3100
PX-S3100
You want WAV recordings with no computer involved, and you can unplug the Bluetooth adapter while the flash drive is in use.
- Best for
- You want WAV recordings with no computer involved, and you can unplug the Bluetooth adapter while the flash drive is in use.
Facts we checked
- Record the piano into a computer: USB-MIDI, with analog line outputs for audio
- Record without a computer: Three-track MIDI recorder and WAV recording to USB flash drive
- Phone playback during flash recording: WU-BT10 adapter and flash drive use the same USB-A port
- Space before accessories: 232 mm body depth
Spec by spec
Where they really differ
| Spec | Yamaha P-225 | Casio PX-S3100 | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record the piano into a computer | Stereo USB audio, 44.1 kHz at 24 bit | USB-MIDI, with analog line outputs for audio | What MIDI records is notes and controls. If you want Casio’s own sound captured live on a computer, plan for an audio-input route. |
| Record without a computer | Built-in two-track MIDI recorder | Three-track MIDI recorder and WAV recording to USB flash drive | You get something different from a MIDI performance than from an audio file you can share. |
| Phone playback during flash recording | Built-in Bluetooth audio on the US model, no USB-drive recorder | WU-BT10 adapter and flash drive use the same USB-A port | If the recording drive is taking the USB-A port on the Casio, plan to play the phone through its wired Audio In. |
| Space before accessories | 272 mm body depth, 362 mm with music rest | 232 mm body depth | Bare, the Casio is 40 mm less deep. On each piano, check the music rest and cable clearance separately. |
| Moving practice around the home | 11.5 kg, AC power | 11.4 kg without batteries, AC or six AA batteries | There’s hardly any difference in what you carry. Where no outlet is available, battery operation sets them apart. |
| Learning beside someone | Duo and two headphone sockets | Duet and two headphone sockets | Side-by-side practice works on either one, and listening together doesn’t call for a bigger voice library. |
| Playing with accompaniment | 24 voices and 20 rhythms | 700 tones and 200 accompaniment rhythms | Casio hands a player more to build arrangements with, while Yamaha holds to a smaller sound selection. |
Trade-offs
What each pick costs you
With Yamaha P-225
- With 24 voices and 20 rhythms, it has less to choose from for onboard arranging than Casio’s tone and accompaniment library.
With Casio PX-S3100
- Running on batteries gives you more freedom, though the published figure of roughly two hours comes from continuous demo playback and is not a guaranteed session length.
Change of plan
When the answer changes
Your recording setup already includes a computer
Go with Yamaha P-225. With direct USB audio, that setup needs no separate interface for the piano’s audio.
What you want is a stand-alone audio file or practice without an outlet
Go with Casio PX-S3100. Flash recording and battery operation cover those jobs, as long as you remember the shared USB-A limit.
You want a keyboard that is dramatically lighter to carry
Neither model fits. Without accessories, each comes in around 11.5 kg. A slim shape doesn’t make that any lighter to lift.
Decision guide
Before you buy
Recording without extra equipment is the goal, yet you also want music from your phone as you play. The P-225 makes recording into a computer simpler. The PX-S3100 records with no computer, but its Bluetooth adapter and recording drive have to share one port.
What this page can’t tell you
- Key-action noise, playing comfort and sound quality have not been measured by us. Wearing headphones does not silence the physical key mechanism.
- Here, Bluetooth support means receiving audio from a phone. It does not cover sending piano sound to Bluetooth headphones.
By the numbers
What the data shows
What we found across the digital pianos we compare, plus the checked facts behind each finding.
Show the facts and the math
| Product | Needs it meets | Facts we checked | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yamaha P-225 |
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| Casio PX-S3100 |
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Ready to buy
See today’s price and what owners say
Open either model on Amazon for the current price, customer reviews and delivery options.
Yamaha P-225
You record into a computer and want the piano’s own sound to travel over USB, with no separate audio interface.
Your main job is piano practice, and 24 voices plus 20 rhythms cover what you need.
See price & reviews on AmazonCasio PX-S3100
You want WAV recordings with no computer involved, and you can unplug the Bluetooth adapter while the flash drive is in use.
You use accompaniment styles, or you need AA battery power once practice moves away from an outlet.
See price & reviews on AmazonEach link opens in a new tab.
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