Choosing between digital pianos in the same price range is a hard nut to crack. This happens due to the almost similar features they have to offer.
In addition to this, beginners mostly don’t understand which feature they should go for.
So, a common question people ask is, William Allegro 2 vs Yamaha P45, what are key differences?
William Allegro 2 has a better design, built-in recorder, MODFX feature, and is cheaper than Yamaha P45. On the contrary, Yamaha P45 has graded hammer action weighted keys, 4 touch sensitivities, and 4 reverb effects.
These were just an overview of the key differences between these 2 digital pianos. We’ll go into an in-depth comparison of them in our article.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s get right into the details!
William Allegro 2 vs Yamaha P45- Quick Difference
First, let’s have a look at the quick difference between these two digital pianos-
| Features | William Allegro 2 | Yamaha P45 |
| Sound Quality | Moderate | Good |
| Keyboard Type | Digital | Digital |
| Need of separate loudspeaker | No | No |
| Affordability | More affordable | Less affordable |
| Key action | Average | Good |
| Sound engine | 2 discrete piano sounds. | 2 discrete piano sounds |
| Beginner Friendly | More | Less |
| USB/MIDI Port | Yes | Yes |
| Keys | 88 hammer-action weighted keys but not graded | 88 key hammer-action weighted keys with Yamaha GHS (Graded Hammer Standard) |
| Weight | 29.8 lbs | 25 lbs |
| Voices | 10 | 10 |
| Built-in speakers | 2 | 2 |
| Built-in Recorder | Yes | No |
| Connectivity with PC/Mac | Yes | Yes |
| Battery-powered | Yes | Yes |
| Loudness of notes | Poor | Good |
| MOD/FX control | Present | Absent |
| Headphone connectivity | Yes | Yes |
| Sustain Pedal | 1 sustain pedal available to buy additionally | 1 sustain pedal comes in the box |
| Metronome Feature | Present | Present |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Do have a look at this comparison table for head-to-head battles between these two!
William Allegro 2 vs Yamaha P45: Head-to-Head
Now that we’ve seen the quick differences, it’s time to finally go into the details. Let’s have a look at the detailed comparison of different features between William Allegro 2 and Yamaha P45-
Design
William Allegro 2 has surpassed its predecessors in terms of look and design. Its new look is both attractive and professional. Plus, it’s added with a matte black finish! Allegro 2 has made its way out of the unergonomic title given to its predecessors.
Speaking of its design details, it has a front panel that compromises the main components. They are the volume knob, 6 buttons to control the 10 sound types, metronome, transpose, LCD display, Octave/function options, transpose, and the record mode options.
On the contrary, Yamaha P45 comes in a rather bland look than the William Allegro 2. It can be found in 2 classic colors, black and white. It also has a matte finish to it like Allegro 2.
It has basically 3 buttons on the front panel. They are the Power button, Volume button, and the Grand piano function button. Its body is made up of plastic.
So as you can see, the Williams Allegro has a more versatile and robust look than Yamaha P45.
And the design also allows both the pianos to keep their lid closed or open.
Many of you keep the design as the top priority while choosing. There’s a lack of color availability in pianos that many want. Another scenario is when people are more into simpler looks.
So here’s our recommendation for digital pianos with designs you might like-
| Image | Title | Price |
|---|---|---|
  | Alesis Recital – 88 Key Digital Piano Keyboard | Check Price |
  | Roland GO:KEYS 61-key Keyboard | Check Price |
  | Korg 88-Key Lighter-Touch Digital Piano | Check Price |
Usability
Usability is quite an important factor that impacts the buying behavior of many.
So let’s get straight to the point. Yamaha P45 is much more complicated to use in terms of switching modes and stuff like that. For instance, you have to hold the grand piano button and the E3 key to start Metronome in Yamaha P45.
But, you can just do it through the Metronome button present in William Allegro 2.
There are buttons assigned for each of the tasks you need to perform on William Allegro 2. For instance, there are record, play, voice settings, transpose, octave, function, reset, split, reverb, and other buttons assigned for settings like these.
But as we’ve mentioned before, in P45 you need to press a unique key added with the grand piano key for each setting. You need to find it in the manual.
So if you are a person who needs a button for everything, William Allegro 2 is the way to go! But if you want a compact and basic-looking piano with limited buttons, you can go with Yamaha P45.
Sound Quality
Speaking of the sound quality, both of these pianos offer a basic sound quality which is okayish looking at their price range.
However, users are mostly seen to complain about the Yamaha P45’s sound quality. It’s just the fact that the speakers produce basic sounds. So, if you are looking to play regularly on a big platform you might be unsatisfied.
But what’s good here is that the stereo sound of P45 is recorded from an acoustic Yamaha piano played in a full concert. Plus, it uses the AWM advanced tone generation. It’s a sound generation system developed by Yamaha. It mimics the tones of a real acoustic instrument and offers tone shaping via modulation, filters, etc.
And unlike a real acoustic piano, the sound quality of these digital pianos don’t depend on open or closed piano lids.
William Allegro 2, on the other hand, lacks premium sound quality. But keep in mind that the price is very low. Plus, users seem to be satisfied with the sound produced from the 2 front-firing speakers looking at its price point.
So, in the case of sound quality and tone generation, Yamaha p45 is the winner. It has a much more realistic sound to it compared to Williams Allegro 2. Also, you can always use external DACs to improve your sound quality. The concern here will be whether DACs are beneficiary or not.
But here’s the thing. If you are already investing in your music career, why not invest for the long term? If you could spend a couple of hundred dollars more, you can get an even better tone and sound. These tones would be even more like real acoustic pianos.
Here’s our recommendation for such pianos-
| Image | Title | Price |
|---|---|---|
  | The ONE Smart Piano | Check Price |
  | Casio PX-770 BK Privia Digital Home Piano | Check Price |
  | Casio Privia PX-S3000 Digital Piano | Check Price |
Keys
Talking about keys, both of these digital pianos have a full set of 88 hammer-action weighted keys. This means that you’ll get to play all 7 octaves of notes by them.
Weighted keys give you the feeling of playing an acoustic piano. But the weighted keys of William Allegro 2 have some limitations which Yamaha P45 doesn’t. For instance, the keys don’t feel that much hammer weighted in William Allegro 2 like those in Yamaha p45.
So in terms of the quality of hammer-weighted keys, P45 is the winner. Many users on twitter are raving about the Yamaha p45 piano.
Plus, William Allegro 2 has weighted keys surely, but they are not graded. This means that all keys feel the same here.
But in the case of P45, they have Yamaha’s GHS (graded hammer system) included. So the keys are weighted plus graded. So when you move from bass to treble notes, the weight of the key changes.
So it gives you more of an acoustic feel while playing Yamaha P45 than the William Allegro 2!
Effects
The effects present in the William Allegro 2 are reverb, chorus, and modulation effects. In addition, there is a MODFX feature that allows the rotary speaker effect and vibrato effect in a digital piano
In the case of Yamaha p45, there’re also reverb and chorus effects like Allegro 2. But the modulation effect is absent here.
However, there are 4 types of reverb effects in p45 which are Room, Hall 1, Hall 2, and Stage. These reverb effects are in order towards a high acoustics feeling.
Now, there are 10 piano sounds present in both William Allegro 2 and Yamaha P45. In the William Allegro 2. They are grand piano, organs, strings, electric piano, basses, and synthesizers.
And in Yamaha P45, these sounds are grand piano, electric piano, pipe organs, harpsichords, string section, and a vibraphone patch. Plus, you can add any of the 4 reverb effects on either of these sounds.
Thus, you get more of a variation in the reverb effects in Yamaha P45 than the William Allegro 2. On the contrary, you get almost similar effects and sounds on a much cheaper William Allegro 2.
So we won’t put any verdict on this one. This one depends on the player what he/she prefers.
Computer Connectivity
Both William Allegro 2 and Yamaha P45 are compatible to be connected with your PC/Laptop.
This has been possible on both of these pianos due to the presence of a USB port on them. You can simply connect them through a USB cable.
By connecting with a PC/laptop, you can use different sorts of software in them. These softwares will let you play alongside certain songs and you can also learn how to play from them on a beginner’s level.
Speakers
Talking about the speakers, both of the pianos have 2 front-firing speakers.
In the William Allegro 2, these speakers produce bright and warm tones. They seem satisfying in a small room. In the case of Yamaha P45, there are two 6w amp speakers. They also produce almost similar tones.
However, if you are planning to play alongside other instruments in front of a crowd, you need to connect these pianos with external speakers/amps. You can choose from different external speakers in this case.
And as for such amps, here’s our recommendation for Yamaha P45-
Roland Cube is a small amplifier. You can easily connect it with Yamaha P45. However, for higher-capacity amps, you need an injection box. The injection box will give it more power and louder sounds in the amp.
Built-in Features
The built-in features present in both William Allegro 2 and Yamaha P45 differ from each other.
There are certain features that are common in both. The common built-in features are speakers, USB/MIDI ports, metronome, and headphone jacks.
But in William Allegro 2, there is an additional built-in recorder which is absent in Yamaha P45. And recording is an essential part for any musician!
There’s also a MODFX feature in the Wiilam Allegro 2 which we can’t see in Yamaha p45. So, you can add the modulation effect on each voice in William Allegro 2.
However, there’s a sustain pedal included in the box of Yamaha P45. But for William Allegro 2, you need to buy the sustain pedal additionally. Here are our top recommendations for sustain pedals:
- The Soraco Sustain Pedal works amazing for what it’s worth.
- For a higher quality sustain pedal you can look into M-Audio SP 2.
So in the case of built-in features, William Allegro 2 is the winner.
Pros and Cons
Now let’s see the pros and cons of both of these pianos at a glance-
Pros of William Allegro 2
- Sleek Design
- Super Cheap
- Acoustic-like piano feeling in case of tones
- Easier to use/beginner-friendly
- Has a built-in recorder
- Offers MODFX feature which lets you add modulation effect on voices
These features along with its super cheap price make it an attractive deal.
Cons of William Allegro 2
- Keys are not graded
- The quality of keys is compromised. Feels less from weighted hammer action keys.
- Basic sound quality
The downside of William Allegro is basically the cheap feeling you get from its keys.
Pros of Yamaha P45
- The reverb effect is versatile. It has 4 reverb effects which can be added to the 10 piano sounds
- Yamaha’s GHS system is introduced. This means the keys are graded. So different keys feel different.
- Sustain pedal comes with the box
- Compact and portable
The main attraction of Yamaha P45 is the graded keys which give the players more of an acoustic vibe.
Cons of Yamaha P45
- Basic design on the front panel
- No built-in recorder
- Can seem a bit complicated to align certain modes
- Basic sound quality
You should definitely keep these cons in mind while choosing given the higher price of Yamaha P45.
What Do We Think?
If we have to choose a winner based on features to offer, it’s the Yamaha P45.
This is because of the better sound quality, build quality of keys, 4 touch sensitivities, 4 reverb effects, and the graded keys. Plus, you get a sustain pedal in the box unlike William Allegro 2.
But do keep in mind that these extra features will cost you an extra $200.
On the contrary, William Allegro 2 offers a sleek design, is easier to use, has a built-in recorder, and MODFX feature compared to Yamaha P45. Plus, it’s $200 cheaper.
So, the Yamaha P45 is a much better option than Williams Allegro 2. It’s sound system is much more realistic with the AWM tone generation. And the keys are graded which is a huge deal for a lot of pianists.
But since you’re interested in knowing about Williams Allegro 2, you are most probably on a budget. You can check out Alesis Recital Pro. It offers a much better choice than the Williams. It has a 128 note polyphony whereas Williams Allegro 2 offers a 64 note polyphony.
So if you want a bang for the buck, William Allegro 2 is the way to go. But if the additional effects and features in Yamaha P45 are useful to you, go with Yamaha P45.
However, if you are looking for more features than p45 with a slight increase in budget, you can go with the Yamaha P125. It offers better sound quality than the P45 with a slightly higher budget. The better things that P125 offers are-
- P 125 comes with CF sampling tone generation. It’s much more realistic sounding than the P45
- It has 192 Polyphony notes whereas the P45 has 64 Polyphony notes
- It has 4 more speakers than the P45 with better wattage. So the sound quality is much better.
- It has a built-in recorder which is absent in the P45
So, if you want a long-term investment in a digital piano, p125 is a much better option than P45. It offers better sound quality, louder speakers, and a higher polyphony.
FAQs
Now we’ll be discussing some of the commonly asked questions-
Does the Williams Allegro 2 have weighted keys?
Yes. William Allegro 2 has weighted keys. There are 88 hammer-action-weighted keys present that use little hammers instead of springs. This is a major upgrade from its predecessors.
Is Williams Allegro a good brand?
Yes. Williams Allegro provides good sound quality in digital pianos. The brand is well-known for delivering decent products at a cheap price. It’s constantly fixing issues faced in previous products in the newer ones.
Does Yamaha P45 have touch sensitivity?
Yes. Yamaha p45 has 4 touch sensitivities. It adds an additional value to the player’s comfort. These 4 touch sensitivities are Hard, Medium, Soft, and fixed.
Conclusion
This was all from us regarding William Allegro 2 vs Yamaha P45. We hope this article will be helpful in making a decision between these 2 digital pianos.
We tried explaining all the terms as simply as we could. If you still have any further queries, do let us know in the comment section.
Thank you for staying with us till the end!
