We put this powerful piano on the test bench. It combines the latest sampling technologies with carefully crafted acoustic piano, electric piano and organ sounds. It is equipped with the new "Top Class 88 Hammer Action Keyboard" keys with a hybrid structure (wood and plastic). The Bluetooth contrasts with a sound palette that ranges from Chopin to overdriven electric Clavinets with piercing wah. One of those pro instruments that is hard to send back out of our lab when the tests are over. What if we kept it?
Who makes it?
Italy's Dexibell was founded with the aim of creating instruments capable of meeting the high expectations of demanding musicians. Its philosophy is steeped in innovation, tradition and passion, sweetened by the experience of renowned Italian engineers: a blend of craftsmanship that seeks to rescue the heart of the old world and integrate it into the technology of the future, the digital instrument.
In the VIVO pianos, this combination oozes the sounds of Chopin's notes, romantic-era grand pianos from 1850, electric pianos, classic organs and combo organs with really warm vintage tones.
Technology has evolved to the point where it is increasingly able to achieve truly incredible results. Dexibell's mission, according to its creators, is to keep innovating and to squeeze technology to the fullest.
Unboxing
The box is light considering its contents. Given its quality and dimensions, it is a "moderately" portable piano (weight 20 kg, width 1270 mm, depth 354 mm and height 130 mm). We opened the packaging with interest. It includes the manual, a damper pedal, a music stand, the power cable and the instrument itself: a magnificent digital stage piano/MIDI controller. A modern finish housing a precision keyboard with a professional playing feel and 7 variable touch sensitivity types to suit your needs.
We also find practical, clear, well-thought-out controls and displays (*high-contrast 128 x 64-dot Organic LED graphic LCD display). In addition, the S9 is equipped with motorized sliders for Organ/Mixer/MIDI ctrl/EQ and balanced XLR outputs, which we describe in more detail below.
It offers legendary high-quality acoustic and electric pianos, available across the entire DEXIBELL VIVO digital piano range, as well as several sounds from the COMBO J7 and CLASSICO L3 digital organs.
The engine and controls
DEXIBELL's exclusive technology, called "True 2 Life" or "T2L," used by the DEXIBELL VIVO digital pianos, is a technological revolution that provides unlimited polyphony. It offers 24-bit, 48kHz quality and more than 15 seconds of waveforms recorded in surround 3D. That is 5 times the industry standard and provides truly remarkable sound quality, definition and detail. It delivers an especially wide range between "fortissimo" and "pianissimo".
The VIVO S9 has a 1.5 GB wave memory bank with the ability to completely reconfigure the instrument using new sounds from the DEXIBELL library, but also standard "Sound Font" files, which are available online.
The aforementioned True 2 Life technology lets us access the sound engine and modify various parameters to our taste, shaping the nuances in a very interesting way. For example, we can increase the noise of the hammer on the string (we love this option), the damper sound, the resonance pedal, harmonic control, etc. From here we can also vary, if it suits us, the digital simulation of the listening position relative to the notes produced by the performance.
As for its controls, the motorized faders stand out, making quick on-the-fly shaping easy. What's more, they show us graphically "how the sound we are playing is shaped" as we change presets. They serve as a mixer for balancing volume levels, and as a MIDI controller for controlling the 4 parts into which we can split our 88-key keyboard. We will also use them on an epic drawbar organ.
* 9 motorized Draw-Faders for tonewheels / mixer / EQ / master keyboard controllers
Acoustic pianos
As for the sounds, I must emphasize their quality. They really are high quality and offer a range that covers almost any need we are likely to come across: from the Vivo Grand Piano, classic grand piano sounds and upright pianos to the Pop Grand Piano (edgier), which we can wrap in synthesizer string sounds via the expression pedal. Others have been added progressively (German Grand Piano and Japanese Grand Piano) and can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website as they come out.
Digital pianos
A good repertoire of electric pianos couldn't be missing. As you can imagine, they are focused on delivering high-quality sounds: classic, legendary. Among them we find Rhodes sounds that are in no way inferior to Nord, Yamaha or Roland, with chorus, reverb, etc., and crunchy clavinets with very piercing overdrive and wah-wah.
* 24 Reverb types, Rotary, Overdrive and Vibrato/Chorus effects for Organ + 8 independent DSP types x 17 (2 x Main, 2 x Coupled, 2 x Lower, 2 x Pedal) with "seamless changes" technology. 3-band digital Master Equalizer, etc.
A range of classics and vintage electric pianos whose sound has been crafted to professional standards.
Organs
More than 100 organ presets + 85 sounds + user sounds + downloads from the website. We explore the TW1, TW2, FARF, VX and PIPE flavors.
As I mentioned a little above, the motorized sliding faders serve to control the drawbar organ. When using the pedal, they slide and graphically show the result, without our even having to use our hands, so we can keep playing. Rotary speakers and a whole set of tools for working with this range of sounds with quality.
Conclusions
This is a definitive instrument, focused on the things that never really go out of style: sound quality, definition, detail and a great ability to precisely shape every detail of the performance.
We had already tested VIVO pianos, but this time it is a powerful solution for professional musicians looking for quality piano sounds combined with a powerful repertoire of good-quality organs.
It offers outstanding quality and holds its own against its competitors with flying colors. We are now in the top tier, between €3,000 and €4,000. The VIVO range does, however, offer more affordable alternatives (VIVO S1, S3, S7), but if you want to aim for the very top with a definitive, professional tool (piano + organ), be sure to include the S9 among the options to consider when buying what will be your new, inseparable companion.
Specifications
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