If you’re really serious about music, you may want to consider investing in the best digital piano. In fact, even people who are still starting out can benefit greatly from this musical instrument. A digital piano is basically an electric version of the traditional piano that we’re all familiar with. It’s an electronic musical instrument that’s primarily designed as an alternative to the acoustic piano.
When looking for a digital piano to buy, you will most likely encounter several options in the market. It has become one of the most sought-after musical instruments lately, which is why more and more companies are making their own versions of it.
That’s why we came up with this guide to help you choose the right digital piano for your needs. Aside from sharing some tips, we’ve also rounded up a list of the best digital pianos on the market and included a short review of each.
What is Digital Piano?
A digital piano is a type of electronic musical instrument that works in the same way as the acoustic piano – the way it plays and the sound it produces. This instrument was specifically designed for those who need a portable and compact piano that they could easily carry from one place to another.
In addition, the digital piano is cheaper compared to the acoustic version and is much easier to use. Thus, it’s suitable for beginners who are still trying to learn how to play the instrument. The different types of digital pianos out there come with varying features that can help enhance user experience.
Things to Look for When Shopping for the Best Digital Piano
When looking for digital pianos, there are certain factors that you need to take into consideration to ensure that you’re buying the best one. If you need help, then check out our tips below.
Number of Keys
A typical piano comes with a total of 88 keys. In order to play a wide range of music including the most complex ones, you should choose a digital piano that comes with all 88 keys.
However, the more portable models come with less than 88 keys. The best digital piano of today comes with weighted keys that are very much similar to an acoustic piano.
However, it should be noted that not all weighted keys are the same. If you want something that can give you an authentic piano experience, opt for a keyboard that has graded hammer action. For this model, lower keys are usually heavier to play compared to higher keys, which is exactly what a real piano is.
Sound Features
Most of the digital pianos of today come with excellent sampling technology. Some models come with sampling similar to those vintage style grand pianos. However, it’s important to remember that there are several other things to think about in terms of sound features.
Polyphony refers to the number of notes that a piano is capable of simultaneously producing. Digital pianos that are equipped with higher polyphony are more capable of playing complex pieces. Those that have the best sound quality are able to reproduce the sounds of other pianos resulting in a more authentic experience.
Another important factor to take into consideration when it comes to sound features is voicing. Some models come with only a few voicings and are often limited in keyboard sounds. However, the more advanced models come with a wide variety of voicings for you to play with.
Speakers and Amplifiers
Most of the modern-designed digital pianos come with built-in amplifiers and speakers. These are necessary if you want to play music at home and you want to produce sounds without the need to attach them to any external amplifiers or speakers.
If you take a closer look at the different applications for electric keyboards or digital pianos, you’ll know that the amplifiers and speakers are not enough to support live performances.
Skills
For beginners who are still trying to learn how to play this musical instrument, there’s really no need to spend thousands of dollars for a professional model of a digital piano. It is a good idea to start with the starter keyboards that have a decent variety of features and are capable of helping you improve your skills.
Portability
Some digital piano models have console-style design and come with a base that’s intended to be set up in a permanent place. But if you prefer something portable, look for pianos that are lightweight and easy to carry from one place to another without compromising on the features that come with the console versions.
Price
The cost of digital pianos varies a lot, starting from a few hundred dollars up to a thousand dollars and more. Entry-level digital pianos are the cheapest while you should be prepared to spend more on professional models that come with top-notch features.
Digital Piano vs. Acoustic Piano
When deciding on the type of piano to buy, there are certain things you need to think about. First of all, think about how much you can afford to pay for this instrument.
Acoustic pianos are usually more expensive so be prepared to spend more if you go for this version. If you’re on a budget and you’re still in the process of learning how to play the piano, the electric version might be suitable for you.
But just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality. Look for affordable models with decent features that are made of premium quality. The best ones are those that come with weighted keys similar to the traditional piano keys.
Digital Piano vs. Electronic Keyboard
When it comes to deciding between a digital piano and an electronic keyboard, consider the way you plan on using the instrument. The digital piano is a better option when it comes to replicating the sound of the real piano. Therefore, it’s a great choice if you want to play the music that you would normally be playing on the acoustic piano.
On the other hand, electronic keyboards don’t produce sounds similar to the acoustic piano and they only have less than 88 keys, which is less than the real piano.
However, the best models usually have a better variety of effects and sounds, giving you plenty of options to play with. It’s also capable of doing things that a digital piano can’t do.
Top Brands of Digital Pianos
To ensure that you’re buying the best digital pianos, you should focus your search on brands that have built a reputation for providing the best quality musical instruments in the market.
Here are some of them:
Kawai
Kawai is a Japan-based company famous for their acoustic pianos. They have been in the business for about a century now, which is proof of their credibility. In fact, they have been recognized for years due to their excellence in producing top-notch musical instruments.
Music enthusiasts love Kawai keyboards because of the authentic feel that they give to the users and the excellent quality of sound that they produce. Furthermore, Kawai pianos have excellent craftsmanship and attractive designs.
Yamaha
Yamaha is perhaps the most popular brand of pianos and other musical instruments. They are known for their wide options of digital pianos, from beginner keyboards to professional models and grand pianos. The digital pianos of Yamaha are lauded for their versatility, excellent craftsmanship, versatility, and great sound quality.
Casio
The digital pianos from Casio offer the best value for your money. This is the brand that we would recommend for those who are in need of the best budget digital piano. But despite the cheap price, Casio pianos have quality weighted keys and produce excellent sound quality.
They are loaded with features that you can only find in expensive brands of pianos. For customers who need a digital piano with good value, the Casio brand is a great choice.
Korg
Korg has been in the industry of musical instruments since 1963. The company is dedicated to producing the best digital instruments including digital pianos. Thus, they have designed and created the most advanced digital pianos on the market.
The company is also known for its excellent range of synthesizers and electronic keyboards. If you’re looking for a decent quality digital piano to help you in your studio, the Korg keyboards are definitely worth checking out.
Roland
Roland has been designing a wide variety of musical instruments for several years although they are more famous for their electric pianos. The company is credited with making technologically advanced musical instruments.
In fact, their stage pianos are a favorite among musicians around the world. Aside from stage pianos, they also sell digital upright pianos and grand pianos. The digital pianos of Roland produce a similar sound like that of an acoustic piano and come with the most advanced features.
Top 10 Best Digital Pianos
Now that you know more about digital pianos, it’s time to do your search. To save you time, we came up with a list of the best digital pianos that are really worth your time and money.
Casio is one of the most popular brands of digital pianos and the Privia PX-160BK Digital Piano is one of their best products. It’s specially designed to provide the most realistic sound possible. Casio optimized both the performance and overall dynamics when designing this device.
This product is truly the best digital piano for beginners although experienced musicians will also love this musical instrument for its features. Featuring a Tri-Sensor Hammer Action Keys, this digital piano comes with full 88 keys, which is what you would expect from a good model of a digital piano.
The keys are weighted just like a real piano, which helps you to easily master your skills in playing the musical instrument. As a full-sized type of piano, you’ll be able to fully enjoy the benefits that come with a built-in Duet Mode.
In this mode, the piano can be divided into two sections, which is beneficial for a student taking a piano lesson with a teacher. Indeed, the Casio PX-160BK has all the basic features that one would need in order to brush up his or her skills in playing the piano. But the best thing about it is that this model doesn’t come with an expensive price tag!
Pros:
A full-sized 88-key piano
Built-in recording and playback
Easy to learn
Equipped with AiR technology
Integrated Duet Mode
Affordable price
Cons:
Some keys tend to get defective easily
2 – Yamaha YDP144R Arius Series Digital Console Piano
Yamaha often tops the list when it comes to the best brand of musical instruments. If you’re a big fan of Yamaha products, you might want to take a look at this Yamaha YDP144R Arius Series Digital Console Piano.
For those who are familiar with the previous model, the YDP-143, you’ll notice that there are not a lot of changes with this new model. All the great features from the previous model have been kept.
As expected from any digital piano, the Yamaha YDP144R is equipped with the 88-key full-size keyboard and comes with built-in stereo speakers as well. This is a great choice for those who are taking up home-based piano lessons.
As with the other Yamaha products, this digital piano will not disappoint when it comes to quality. This is a well-built musical instrument that has a fairly slim design and can easily fit into small spaces. You can opt for the modern white, classic black, or beautiful rosewood design.
Overall, we believe that YDP144R is the best digital piano for advanced pianists. It has an excellent build quality, top-notch features, and stylish design, and everything that an advanced pianist would want.
Pros:
An 88-key weighted digital piano
Available in three different colors
Comes with a stand
Half-damper pedal control
The Smart Pianist app gives you full control of the instrument
When it comes to the best digital piano for beginners, the LAGRIMA LG-802 88-Key Beginner Digital Piano is one of those products that we would recommend. It’s the leader in the industry of digital pianos, and it’s clear that a great amount of research has been put into producing this musical instrument.
This feature-packed device is perfect for beginners and those who want to enhance their skills in playing the piano. First of all, this device features full 88-keys, consisting of fully progressive and hammer-weighted keys. This means that the keys at the lower end of the instrument are heavier than those in the higher end.
Such setup perfectly recreates the traditional piano, which is why you can enjoy an authentic experience when using this musical instrument. You’ll find all the essential features that you would expect from a digital piano in this instrument. It can play multiple modes, from soft to sostenuto and it has a sheet music holder.
In order to help you get creative with playing a song, this instrument also includes 80 demo songs that are integrated into the piano as well as more than 800 unique tones and 600 rhythms. Regardless of the genre or style that you want to master, this digital piano can help you turn your goals into reality.
Pros:
Can be connected to any device
Equipped with 88 progressively weighted keys
It comes with more than 1,400 tones and rhythms
Playing back sounds and recording requires only a single push of a button
Although the RockJam 61-key Electronic Keyboard is more suitable for those who are still starting to learn piano, it’s also an effective choice for those who want to brush-up their skills. It comes with features that will help you to easily master your skill on stage.
Furthermore, this instrument offers enough effects that you can use to record your own songs. Whether you’re a soloist or part of a band, you can greatly benefit from this digital piano. At first look, you will be forgiven for thinking that this piano is a toy that kids can play with.
But this instrument can be relied on, whether you are a beginner or professional in the field of music. The RockJam 561 is a quality piano with plenty of instrument voices, allowing you to play a number of awesome sounds and experience the feeling of using backing instruments on the songs you play.
Coming with an affordable price tag, this is the best digital piano under 500. It may be affordable, but it’s packed with features that all kinds of piano users can benefit from. While it may not have full keys, you can still use this piano to learn and hone your skills.
Pros:
Built-in speakers
Comes with stand and seat
Features a wide range of sounds
Includes high-quality headphones
Cons:
Doesn’t have a USB connection
5 – Yamaha P125 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano
If you’re a big fan of Yamaha, a piano that might interest you is the Yamaha P125 88-Key Weighted Digital Piano. You will love this digital piano for many reasons. In fact, it’s one of the latest products that Yamaha released in 2018 and comes with quite a few upgrades.
This instrument uses similar Graded Hammer Key as that of the P-45. The P-125 is an excellent keyboard for entry-level users. It features plastic keys that have a beautiful matte finish. Although the keys are somewhat dull and not as expressive, it’s still a great choice for beginners.
Unlike its predecessor, this model comes with a more cutting-edge sound engine known as the Pure CF. It performs extremely well in replicating the sound of the CFIIIS 9, one of Yamaha’s most sought-after pianos. It produces very natural and detailed sound and features the bright tonal features of Yamaha products.
Indeed, this is one of Yamaha’s best entry-level digital pianos so far. It comes with two pieces of 7-W amplifiers as well as four speakers. This piano also comes with two 4-cm tweeters that help generate natural and clearer frequency notes.
This instrument allows you to record up to two tracks of songs, which is an excellent upgrade from the previous P-45. However, compared to other brands of digital pianos that come at the same price range, its recording capacity is still not enough.
Pros:
Available in two different style options
Comes with 88 full-sized piano-style keys
Split Mode allows you to play different voices in each hand
Cons:
Keys have the tendency to get stuck
6 – Yamaha YDP184R Arius Series Console Digital Piano
Another excellent choice of a digital piano from Yamaha is the Yamaha YDP-184. This model is inspired by the concert grand piano of Yamaha called the CFX 9. This digital piano looks very stylish and it’s what we would recommend for those who are looking for the most ultimate piano experience.
To fully enhance the experience, users can easily adjust the piano’s parameters such as the damper resonance and string through the VRM or Virtual Resonance Modeling. This replicates in excellent detail the way the string vibration reflects the soundboard, which makes the other strings vibrate.
The great thing about this digital piano from Yamaha is its weighted keys’ expressiveness. Featuring action keys that are graded hammer, the keys work best when progressing from low to high end.
All in all, the piano has 24 voices including 256-note polyphony and electric pianos. It has MIDI record function allowing you to record the music you are playing. Furthermore, the USB connectivity of this digital piano allows you to easily connect it to other devices.
Indeed, this is the best digital piano that will allow you to enjoy an authentic piano experience. Even if you are using it with headphones, the piano’s stereophonic optimizer is capable of recreating the authentic experience that one can enjoy from a traditional acoustic piano.
The sound of this piano is distributed in such a way that you will think that it came from an instrument body, which enhances the authentic experience. You can integrate several interactive features in this instrument through the Smart Pianist app of Yamaha.
Pros:
Beautiful console
CFX sound engine is stunning
Graded hammer action keys
It offers an authentic piano experience
It can be integrated with the Smart Pianist app
Korg is another brand of digital musical instruments that we would strongly recommend. One of their most popular products is the Korg 88-Key Digital Pianos. This is one of Korg’s most amazing electronic keyboards to date.
While the only thing that differentiates this model from the nomenclature is a tiny S, do not get deceived by that. This model features a substantial amount of improvements, although it’s clear that there are some areas that would require further improvement. As for this new model, Korg has decided to keep the same design.
Therefore, this instrument still looks as stylish and smooth compared to its predecessor, the SP170. In addition, this new model comes wooden legs as well as a music rest. There are also optional accessories that you can purchase separately, which is also the case with the previous model.
Coming at a relatively affordable price, this is worth checking out if you’re on the hunt for the best digital piano under 1000. But there’s one thing to note about this new digital piano from Korg.
It’s only available in black finishes and ivory white shades, which may not appeal to some users. The company has discontinued the red color for this new model, which is a shame.
Pros:
Features excellent touch
Portable, compact and lightweight
Produces high-quality sounds
Quite affordable
The Alesis Recital Pro Digital Piano is perfect for those who are still starting with their piano lessons. This entry-level musical instrument is easy to use and helps you to easily get started with your piano lessons.
For beginners, the Lesson Mode comes in handy. In this mode, the keys are divided into 2 zones having the same voice and pitch. This allows the user to sit beside an expert or a teacher and play the piano together which minimizes the need to take turns.
If you rely on online lessons, simply use the MIDI output. This will let you connect this instrument to your PC or MAC and you can just refer to the screen and follow along as you play. The MIDI connectivity is also very useful when you need to sync this device with an audio workstation so you can easily record tracks on your computer.
This digital piano has 5 different playing modes – bass, synth, organ, electric piano, and acoustic piano. You can customize the sound by combining the two modes to achieve layered effects. The built-in 20W speakers can help you amplify the piano’s sound.
Pros:
Comes with 12 expertly crafted voices
Features a universal responsive feel
Includes a 3-month premium subscription from Skoove
Donner is one of the best brands of digital pianos out there and the Donner DDP-100 88 key digital piano is the best digital piano to recommend for professionals who need a high-quality musical instrument.
With this digital piano, you’ll be able to produce your own music. It replicates the feel and performance of the traditional piano, which helps to further enhance your interest in the instrument. This device lets you train well and improve your performance on stage.
The Donner DDP-100 uses AWM sampling, which impressively replicates the sound of a grand piano. Whether you’re performing on stage or training in your studio, you’ll surely enjoy playing your favorite music in this digital piano. Furthermore, it comes with amplifiers and headphones that enhance user experience.
AWM sampling is capable of producing richer, broader, and deeper sounds. Plus, its ability to replicate the sound of a grand piano allows you to effectively train and enhance your ability to identify sounds and hone your intonation and musical sense.
Pros:
Comes with a built-in amplifier
Input and play MP3
Replicates the traditional piano’s finger strength
Supports external sound
The Roland’s PHA-4 Standard Keyboard is another digital piano that stands out in the market in terms of features and performance. It has full-sized 88 keys that are designed to provide the user with an authentic experience, similar to what the acoustic piano can provide. This can be made possible by its weighted keyboard.
The keys of this digital piano are made from excellent quality materials capable of absorbing moisture while offering an authentic feel of real ivory keys, similar to a traditional acoustic piano.
And if you’ve tried using the FP-30 model of Roland, then you’ll be able to recognize the feeling. Similar to the FP-30, this model uses the dynamic SuperNATURAL of Roland’s sound engine. It comes with built-in speakers offering full-room sound.
Such technology is made to imitate the realistic and expressive sounds of digital pianos. It emits authentic sounds and tones so you will feel like you’re playing an acoustic piano.
Pros:
Features Bluetooth technology
Comes with 88 full-sizes keys
Excellent sound
Solid key action
Of all the digital pianos on this list, it is the Casio Privia PX-160BK 88-Key Full-Size Digital Piano that really caught our attention. This instrument is an Amazon bestseller with 156 reviews, 90% of which are five-star ratings.
It comes with excellent features, such as the full-size 88-key piano, built-in playback and recording, AiR technology, integrated duet mode, and more. Given these features, there’s no doubt that this product is the best digital piano to invest in.
What do you get from three nerds (Joe, Ray, and Paul) that decide to create a functioning tech gadget review site? The first is data-driven arguments lasting way into the night. You can read more…
What do you get from three nerds (Joe, Ray, and Paul) that decide to create a functioning tech gadget review site? The first is data-driven arguments lasting way into the night. You can read more...
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