One Family's Blog: Best Values in Digital Pianos (Portable)

11/4/09

Best Values in Digital Pianos (Portable) - A Comparative Review

The baseline for piano comparison is on these fundamental criteria:

Have 88-keys,
At-least “Graded Hammer Standard” Key Action Technology, and
At-least 32-note polyphony.

These criteria would ensure the piano be suitable for a beginner. In general, the odds of outgrowing the piano diminishes as you opt for more features, but then costs also rise proportionally. For a beginner, it is a tough call as there is always a risk– a large percentage of beginner piano learners (especially kids) drop out within the first few years.

Below are the different portable digital piano models from the manufacturers (Yamaha models are not in this spreadsheet - please refer to our Yamaha specific comparative review for Yamaha models):

Brand and Model	Features	List Price	Best Price	Comments
Casio Privia PX-110	All Features of Casio PX-320 with the following exceptions: polyphony-32, 11 tones, 20 rhythms. Triple Element ZPI stereo sampled sound source.	$599.99	$420	Good value at just over $400 including shipping but lacks features. Also closeout deals on this may be on offer as the PX-130 is a newer version.
Casio Privia PX-120	All Features of Casio PX-320 with the following exceptions: polyphony-128, 11 tones, 20 rhythms.	$599.99	$445
Casio Privia PX-130	Please see detailed spreadsheet below.	$599.99	$423.67	Excellent value.
Casio Privia PX-320	Features of Casio Privia PX-130 with the following exceptions: AIF Sound Source, Tones - 202, Digital Effects - Brilliance, Acoustic Resonance, Metronome Temp Range - 20 to 255, Duet, Auto Accompaniment, More Built-in and User Songs, Registration, 2-track 5-song recorder, MIDI - 16-channel multi timber receive, SD Card	$799.99	$699	Portable stage and studio digital piano.
Casio Privia PX-330	Features of Casio Privia PX-320 with following exceptions: Grand Piano (Integrated four level stereo sampling)Sound Source.	$899.99	$699	Excellent starter stage piano.
Casio Privia PX-3	Features of Casio Privia PX-330 with following exceptions: Full Dot LCD with backlight, 4-band equalizer, 23lb - needs external speakers & amp, MIDI GM Level 1, Line In/Out - 2 each, USB, Ivory Touch, 3-sensitivity levels.	$1099.99	$799	Excellent portable stage piano - new model.
Casio CDP-100	All Features of Casio PX-110 with the following exceptions: 5-tones, no metronome, 5 built-in tunes, no accompaniments, no music library and song memory. Headphones – 1, No LCD	$499.99	$399.99	Older model - Casio Privia series are a better value unless you can get a close-out deal.
Roland FP-4	Please see detailed spreadsheet below.	$1499	$1349	Excellent full-featured portable piano.
Roland FP-7	All Features of Roland FP-4 PLUS touch sensitivity – 100 levels, 339 tones, Registration 28x25 internal, 28x99 USB, 10 demo songs, Graphics LCD 128x64 dot, 13W+13W speakers, External Memory Connector	$1799	$1599
Roland RD-300GX	Features of Roland FP-7 with the following exceptions: Stage Piano – no speakers, Wave Memory – 128MB, Tones –110, General MIDI 2 – 256, Rhythm Sets – 5, General MIDI 2 Rhythm Sets – 9, Setups – 32, Effects – 78 types, 6 reverbs, 2-band digital equalizer, Standard MIDI File: format-0/1, Audio File: WAV, AIFF (44.1 kHz, 16-bit linear), MP3, 200 patterns, 16 character LCD, 1MB memory, Controllers: Zone Level slider x 3 (Assignable), Equalizer knobs, Pitch Bend/Modulation lever, Assignable Switches (S1, S2), Connectors: Output Jacks (L/MONO, R): 1/4 inch phone type, DAMPER Pedal, Control Pedal, MIDI (IN, OUT), USB (MIDI, Memory), Headphones Jack: Stereo 1/4 inch phone type, DC IN Jack.	$1699	$1299
Roland RD-700GX	All features of RD-300GX PLUS More Tones, Setups – 100, more effects, 4-band digital equalizer, Arpeggiator: 150 styles, 200 patterns, 128 x 64 dots graphic LCD, Controllers: Zone Level slider x 4 (Assignable), Equalizer knobs, Reverb knob, Chorus knob, Multi-Effects Control knob x 2 (Assignable), Pitch Bend/Modulation lever, Assignable Switches (S1, S2), Connectors: Output Jacks (L/MONO, R): 1/4 inch phone type, Output Jacks (L, R): XLR type, DAMPER Pedal, FC1 Pedal, FC2 Pedal, MIDI (IN, OUT1, OUT2, THRU/OUT3), USB (MIDI, Memory), Headphones Jack: Stereo 1/4 inch phone type, AC Inlet, 4MB memory, SRX expansion board: 2 slots	$2799	$2499
Kawai EP3 Stage Piano	Features of Kawai ES6 with the following exceptions: Harmonic Imaging Sound Technology, polyphony-96, 21 total sounds, recorder: 2-track, 3-song, 15000 notes,	NA	$1099
Kawai ES6	Please see detailed spreadsheet below.	$1999	$1550
Kawai MP5 professional stage piano	Features of Kawai EP3: Warranty – 3 year parts, 1 year labor, no speakers, polyphony – 192, 256 voices, setups, Reverb-7, Effects-22, Display - 2 x 16 characters LCD, Controls: Pitch Bend wheel, Modulation wheel, Master Volume, Zone Volume (x4), Zone Edit selection (x4), Zone On/Off (x4), Real Time Edit control (x4), Control Mode switch (x4), SW On/Off, EFX On/Off, Reverb On/Off, Menu Up, Menu Down, Value Up, Value Down, Sound Mode, Setup Mode (System Mode), Sound/Setup select (8x8x4), Store, Transpose, Metronome,
Kawai Professional Stage Piano MP8II	Features of Kawai MP5 with the following exceptions: Keyboard Action – AWA Pro II, Connections - XLR Out (L, R) with Ground Lift Switch, Lot more Internal External and System Parameters.	NA	$1895
Korg SP-250	Please see detailed spreadsheet below.	$1199	$699

Casio Priva PX-100, PX-200, PX-300, PX-310, PX-400, PX-500, and PX-575 are older models. The CDP-200 and PX-410 are announced but not yet widely available.
Roland RD-300SX and RD-700SX are older models.
Kawai portable digital piano models ES-1, ES-3, ES-5, and ESX are older models. Kawai professional stage piano models EP-2, MP9000, MP95000, MP4, MP8, and K1 are older models.
Korg SP-200, SP-300, SP-500 etc. are older models.

For a best value comparison, we chose one model from each manufacturer based on feature & price. Below is our comparison spreadsheet:

	Yamaha P85	Casio Privia PX-130	Roland FP-4	Kawai ES6	Korg SP-250
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Warranty	3-years	1-year.	1-year parts. 90 days labor.	3-years	1-year.
List Price	$799	$599.99	$1499.99	$1999	$1199
Best Price***	$489	$423.76	$1349	$1549	$699
Key Action Technology	Graded Hammer Standard (GHS)	Scaled Hammer Action	PHA II (Progrssive Hammer Action II) keyboard	Advanced Hammer Action IV-F with Acoustic Reaction.	Real Weighted Hammer Action
Voice Architecture Technology	Stereo Sampling	Grand Piano (Four Dynamic Stereo Sample Integration)	Multi-sampled piano sound engine (all keys).	Harmonic Imaging™, 88-key piano sampling	Stereo Sampling System
Polyphony	64	128	128	192	60
Recording	Single Track Recording.	Two Track Recording.	3 tracks, 99 songs max, 30,000 notes with built-in flash memory storage.	2 tracks, 4 songs, 60000 notes.	None.
USB Audio Recorder	None	Yes	Yes	Yes (to host)	None
Computer Connectivity	MIDI-IN/OUT	Headphones - 2, MIDI IN/OUT, Line In/Out, USB.	Headphones - 2, MIDI IN/OUT, Line In/Out, USB.	MIDI (IN/OUT), LINE IN (Stereo) LINE OUT (L, R), Headphones x 2.	Head Phones –2, Stereo Outputs, MIDI In/Out
Song Storage	50 preset songs.	60 Preset Songs	65 preset songs.	None.	30 demo songs only.
Performance Assistant	None	None	None	None	None
Keys	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard
MIDI Compatibility	GM/XG	USB MIDI (USB to Host)	GM2 system / GS / XG lite compatible	GM/XG	16-channel multi-timbre General MIDI
Display Type	None	None	7-segment 3-characters LED	None	None
Music Finder	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Voices	10, Demo songs.	16 tones, reverb 4 types, chorus 4 types.	80 types, 2 variations, 8 Demo Songs.	32 Total Sounds – Piano (8), Electric Piano (4), Organ (4), Harpsi/Mallets (4), Strings/Choir (8), Bass (4).	30 sounds.
Tuning	NA	A4 440.0 Hz +/-99 cents (variable)	NA	Yes	Yes
Transpose	NA	+/-1 octave (–12 to 0 to 12)	NA	Yes	Yes
Metronome	No	Yes - 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 beats.	NA	Yes	Yes
Speakers	6W+6W	8W+8W	7W+7W	13W+13W	11W+11W
Miscellaneous			333 tones + 9 drum sets, Registration: 24 x 25 sets.	Accompaniments: Rhythm Section: 100 styles (x 2 variations), Preset Chord Progressions, One Finger Ad-Lib™
Accessories	FC5 Foot Pedal – Included, Keyboard Stand, Bench. Two standard headphone jacks.	Bench, Stand, Pedal, and SP3 score book. Two standard headphone jacks.	Pedal: DP-8 (available Half- damper). KSC-44 Stand.	Music Rack, AC Adaptor, F-10H Damper Pedal – all included.	Stand and Pedal – Included.
Weight	28 lbs 11 oz (13 kg)	24.7 lbs (11.2 kg)	33 lbs (15.3 kg)	45.5 lbs (21.5 kg)	41.89 lbs (19 kg)

*AIF - Precision, large-volume sampling of waveform data combines with the latest in waveform processing technology to produce natural, amazingly realistic grand piano and other acoustic musical instrument sounds.

Our recommendation for the best values in Portable Digital Pianos follow: