There are plenty of good keyboards in the sub-700$ price range that, if chosen correctly, can meet the needs of intermediate piano players, and provide enough room to grow.
In the past few years, several major manufacturers (Yamaha, Casio, Roland) introduced updated versions of their mid-range digital pianos with 88 fully weighted keys.
The bad news is that as the market grows and becomes more saturated, it becomes more difficult to decide what instrument is right for YOU.
All those fancy marketing terms that manufacturers use when promoting their instruments make things even more confusing.
On top of that, the term “intermediate keyboard” can mean different things to different manufacturers.
Some brands equip their instruments with one of those cheap plasticity keybeds and proudly call it “a digital piano suited for beginners and advanced piano players alike” NONSENSE!
In this article, we are going to get to the bottom of it and find out what are the best digital pianos with fully weighted keys that are suited for intermediate players as well as progressing beginners.
How Did We Choose?
When making this list, we were using the following criteria:
- 1) Relatively portable, gig-friendly, no integrated stand
- 1) 88 fully weighted keys (hammer action)
- 2) Realistic multi-sampled piano sound (at least 3 different piano tones)
- 3) A wide range of dynamics: ability to play very soft (pianissimo) up to very loud (fortissimo)
- 4) Polyphony: at least 128 notes
- 6) Built-in MIDI recorder
- 7) USB MIDI or Bluetooth MIDI connectivity (or both).
- 8) Standard functions like metronome, transpose, layer mode, etc.
- 9) Price < $700
- 10) Only well-established reputable manufacturers (Kawai, Yamaha, Casio, Roland, etc.)
Note that even though most of these keyboards are relatively compact and gig-friendly, there are also perfectly suitable for home use. Most of them can be easily mounted on a table or a desk.
Moreover, there are home bundles available on Amazon that include a matching furniture-style stand and a 3-pedal board designed specifically for each particular model.
Best Digital Pianos With Fully Weighted Keys (sub-$700 range)
- Model
- KeysModern acoustic pianos have 88 keys. Most digital pianos and keyboards have 88, 76, 73, or 61 keys.
In reality, 73 keys are enough to play most modern pieces. Some advanced pieces require a full set of 88 keys. - Fully-Weighted KeysThere are 3 most common types of key actions:
1) Non-weighted - most organs, synths and entry-level keyboards are not weighted.
2) Semi-weighted - often used portable keyboards and workstations. Spring-loaded mechanism adds more resistance to the keys compared to the non-weighted action.
3) Fully weighted (hammer action) is designed to replicate the action of a real piano. It uses small hammers (rather than springs) attached to each key to recreate the mechanical movements and resistance similar to the acoustic piano action. - Simulated Ivory/EbonySome digital pianos come with a simulated Ivory (white keys) and Ebony (black keys) key surfaces, which gives them a nice textured feel, helps absorb excessive moisture and prevents your fingers from slipping off the keys.
- Touch SensitivityThe volume produced by the instrument changes depending on how hard or soft you play the keys.
Touch Response, Velocity Sensitivity, Touch Sensitivity are the same thing .
Many digital pianos allow you to adjust touch sensitivity (make the keyboard more or less sensitive to the force of your keystrokes) to better suit your playing style. - Tone Generator
- PolyphonyThe number of notes a piano can play at once.
The more polyphony the better, especially when layering several sounds or using backing tracks, etc. When you reach the polyphony cap, the piano starts to drop the earliest played notes to free up memory for the new ones, which affects the sound and its fullness.
It’s desirable to have at least 64 notes of polyphony. - Built-in Tones
- Modes1) Split - divides the keyboard into two parts, allowing you to play a different instrument sound in each of them.
2) Dual (a.k.a. Layer Mode) - allows you to layer two different sounds so that they sound simultaneously whenever you press a key.
3) Duo (a.k.a. Duet Play, Partner Mode, Twin Piano) - divides the keyboard into two halves with identical pitch ranges (two middle Cs) allowing two people to play the same notes at the same time. - Lesson FunctionThe ability to use built-in/user songs for practice by turning off the left- or right-hand part of a song and practicing it along with the playback of the other part.
- MIDI RecorderAllows you to record and playback your own performances.
A multi-track recorder (2 and more tracks) allows you to record several musical parts on separate tracks and play them back as a single song. - Audio RecorderAllows you to record the audio output of the instrument and save it to a flash drive usually in WAV format (Linear PCM, 16bit, 44.1 kHz, Stereo).
You can then share your recording on social media, upload it to SoundCloud, burn to CD, etc. - Transpose,Tuning1) Transpose function allows you to shift the overall pitch of the keyboard in semitone steps.
2) Tuning function (aka Fine Tuning, Master Tuning) allows you to shift the pitch from the standard A440 tuning in 0.1Hz or 0.2Hz steps. - Preset TemperamentsAbility to change the standard “Equal Temperament” tuning to other tuning systems (used in the 16th to 19th centuries), which are better suited for playing certain styles of music (Indian, Arabian, classical, etc.).
- Piano ElementsSimulated (often using physical modeling algorithms) characteristics of the piano sound, which are usually quite sublte but important if you want to get the fullest and the most realistic piano sound.
- MetronomeA useful tool for practice that will help develop your rhythmic and timekeeping skills by providing a steady beat to play along with.
Some pianos allow you change the conventional click sound of the metronome to various drum rhythms. - USB Type BThis port enables you to connect the keyboard to a computer/smart device and use it as a MIDI controller with VST plugins and music apps like GarageBand, Flowkey, Synthesia, FL Studio, etc.
- Line Out JacksDedicated 1/4" line out jacks (R, L/Mono) allow you to connect the keyboard to an external amplifier, PA system, mixer and other audio equipment.
If you're planning on performing on stage or working in a studio, it's preferable to have these ports, even though a headphone out jack can also be used in most situations. - Bluetooth ConnectivityAllows you to connect your piano to a smart device wirelessly and exchange MIDI data with various music apps (e.g. GarageBand, Flowkey, Simply Piano, etc.). This can be used as an alternative to a USB type B port. Note that some pianos can only transfer Audio data via Bluetooth, others can only transfer MIDI.
Some pianos support both MIDI and Audio data via Bluetooth. - Speakers
- Weight
- Roland FP-30X
- 88
- PHA-4 Standard with Escapement and Ivory Feel
- (Ivory only)
- 5 types, Off
- SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine
- 256 notes
- 56 (10 pianos)
- Dual, Split, Duo
- 1-track, 1 song
- via Piano Designer app
- Damper/String/Key Off Resonance, Lid Simulation (adjustable)
- (MIDI + Audio)
- 11W + 11W
- 32.6 lbs (14.8 kg)
- Casio PX-S1100
- 88
- Smart Scaled Hammer Action
- 5 types, Off
- Multi-dimensional Morphing AiR (2022)
- 192 notes
- 18 (5 pianos)
- Dual, Split (Bass only), Duo
- 60 songs (+ 10 user songs)
- 2-track, 1 song
- 17 types
- Damper/String/Key Off Resonance, Hammer Response, Damper Noise, Key On/Off Action Noise (adjustable)
- (MIDI + Audio)
- 8W + 8W
- 24.7 lbs (11.2 kg)
- Yamaha P-125
- 88
- Graded Hammer Standard (GHS)
- 3 types, Off
- Pure CF Sound Engine
- 192 notes
- 24 (4 pianos)
- Dual, Split, Duo
- 50 songs
- 2-track, 1 song
- (USB Audio Interface)
- Damper/String/Key Off Resonance
- (+20 rhythms)
- 7W + 7W
- 26 lbs (11.8 kg)
- Kawai ES110
- 88
- Responsive Hammer Compact (RHC)
- 3 types, Off
- Harmonic Imaging™ (HI)
- 192 notes
- 19 (8 pianos)
- Dual, Split
- 3 song books (106 songs)
- 1-track, 3 songs
- 7 types
- Damper Resonance, Fall-back/Damper Noise, Voicing (adjustable)
- (+100 rhythms)
- Midi In/Out
- (MIDI)
- 8W + 8W
- 26.5 lbs (12 kg)
1) Roland FP-30X – Arguably the best key action, impressive dynamic range
At the beginning of 2021, Roland came out with some exciting news. The new update for their hugely popular FP line of portable digital pianos was on the way. And man was everyone excited!
The new models now have an ‘X‘ added to their name showing off their updated nature.
One of the most anticipated models was (no surprise!) the new FP-30X, which replaced the legendary FP-30 that so many people came to love.
Before the introduction of the FP-10, the FP-30 (FP-30X) was the least expensive model in Roland’s FP series and their most affordable digital piano in general.
The old FP-30 model still hasn’t lost its appeal in 2021, but of course, we want the ‘newest‘ and the ‘latest‘ (and I don’t blame you), so today we’ll be focusing on the new Roland FP-30X – the FP-30 on steroids!
For a fairly affordable price, you get a fairly realistic fully-weighted key action and Roland’s famous SuperNATURAL sound engine, which together provide an enjoyable playing experience.
The FP-30X comes with the well-received PHA-4 Standard keyboard with escapement and ivory feel.
The keys on the PHA-4 Standard offer a good amount of weight when you play them and are a little on the heavier side compared to the competition.
Due to the use of individually weighted hammers, the keyboard reproduces the mechanical movements of the piano action quite accurately.
Overall, this is one of the best key actions you can currently get in a digital piano under $1500.
When it comes to sound, the FP-30X is nothing to scoff at either.
At the heart of the instrument is Roland’s sophisticated SuperNATURAL tone generator, which combines grand piano samples with physical modeling algorithms to produce a natural, detailed piano sound with long beautiful decays and resonances.
Take a listen!
Thanks to the powerful 2 x 11W speaker system and multi-layered piano samples the FP-30X can boast a very good dynamic range from the soft pianissimo to the thunderous fortissimo.
Out of all digital pianos on this list, the FP-30X offers the most built-in tones (56) and has the most powerful speakers.
While there are a number of useful features available on the FP-30X, including a MIDI recorder, a metronome with preset rhythms, a layer mode, you can further expand the capabilities of the instrument thanks to its great connectivity.
The Roland FP-30X and the Kawai ES110 are the only pianos in this price range that have Bluetooth MIDI connectivity. This means you can wirelessly connect them to your computer or smart device to exchange MIDI data with apps like GarageBand, FlowKey, Playground Sessions, etc.
On top of that, the FP-30X supports Bluetooth Audio, which is something that the FP-30 lacked.
If the FP-30X’s user interface seems too clunky (which it’s kind of is), you can use Roland’s own Piano Every Day app designed specifically for Roland digital pianos.
The app allows you to navigate all the sounds, settings, and functions of the FP-30X using an intuitive graphical interface, which makes navigation a breeze.
The FP-30X is equipped with two USB ports, type B (for exchanging MIDI) and type A (for connecting a flash drive)
The most prominent upgrade though is the addition of dedicated line outputs, which means you can now easily connect the FP-30X to external speakers and amplifiers without relying on the headphone jack.
Unfortunately, the FP-30X doesn’t have a Lesson function, which means you won’t be able to practice the right- and left-hand parts of the built-in/external songs separately.
The good news is that third-party apps will easily solve that problem, allowing you to use and practice hundreds of songs (each hand part independently).
- Excellent keyboard with Ivory feel keys and Escapement
- Rich natural piano sound with simulated key-off and string resonance
- Wide selection of built-in tones (56)
- Powerful speaker system
- Great connectivity (Bluetooth MIDI & Audio)
- Slightly heavier than its competitors
- Limited layering and recording capabilities
- No rhythms (without the app)
2) Casio PX-S1100 – The slimmest digital piano packed with innovations
Casio shaken up the market quite a bit when they first introduced their PX-S series in the beginning of 2019. You wouldn’t find more unique and innovative keyboards than the new Casio PX-S1100, and its bigger brother, the PX-S3100.
The good news is that despite the expensive looks and a few of advanced features, the price point remains very attractive, so kudos to Casio for that.
Let’s take a closer look at what makes this keyboard so special.
First of all, its design! While this might be not the most important aspect of a digital piano, you can’t help but notice how different the PX-S1100 looks from everything else on the market.
Black glossy finish (rather than matte), touch-based illuminated controls and minimalist design make the PX-S1100 really stand out.
As of the time of writing, the PX-S1100 is also the slimmest digital piano in the world. It’s 43% smaller than the PX-160 model, and is incredibly compact and portable.
Nevertheless, Casio managed to fit some good quality speakers into its body as well as a fully weighted keyboard action.
Speaking of action, the newly designed Smart Scaled Hammer Action has also decreased in size compared to the previous Privia keyboards, which negatively affected the key pivot length (shorter than Roland’s and Kawai’s, comparable to Yamaha GHS’s action).
This means it’s more difficult to play towards the back of the keys. At the same time, the new key action brings a number of important upgrades.
It has become much quieter, less bouncy, and has individually scaled keys that are covered with textured material that simulates ivory and ebony coating found in some older acoustic pianos.
The sound section of the PX-S1100 was redone from scratch.
The piano samples are taken from a 9-foot concert grand and further enhanced by resonance modeling algorithms taken from Casio’s premium Celviano Hybrid series, which gives the sounds that liveliness and sparkle that some digital musical instruments miss.
The focus of the PX-S1100 is on piano, so don’t expect too many bells and whistles from this keyboard.
There are 18 built-in tones including some nice electric pianos, organs, and strings. You also get 60 preset songs that you can each learn and practice (each hand independently).
Here’s a nice demo of the PX-S1100’s sound library:
The PX-S1100 is the only keyboard on this list that can run on battery power, which makes it extremely versatile and mobile. You can take it out to the park or a backyard, turn it on and play without worrying about extension cords and wall sockets.
Another unique feature of the PX-S1100 is an Audio in port, which allows you to stream your favorite songs and backing tracks from your phone or tablet to the keyboard’s internal speakers.
Alternatively, you can use Bluetooth Audio (and MIDI), which this keyboard also supports (via the included WU-BT10 Bluetooth adapter).
Also, thanks to the variety of connectivity options, the PX-S1100 would make a great gigging keyboard.
If you’re looking for something more advanced, check out the PX-S1100’s older brother, the PX-S3100.
They share the same key action and piano sound, but the PX-S3100 offers much more tones (18 vs 700) and features including an audio recorder, built-in accompaniment styles, arpeggiator, pitch bend wheel, assignable knobs, editable DSP effects, and more.
- Unique, futuristic design
- Very compact and relatively lightweight
- Can run on 6 AA batteries
- Natural nuanced piano sound with several adjustable parameters
- 192-note polyphony
- Bluetooth (Audio & MIDI)
- Relatively short pivot length
- Glossy finish is a fingerprint magnet
- Touch-based controls aren’t tactile
3) Yamaha P-125 – Solid intermediate piano with a big fan base
The P-125 is the new mid-range model in Yamaha’s Portable (P) series.
Just like its very successful predecessor (P-115), this keyboard is going to be one of the most popular intermediate fully weighted keyboards on the market considering all the new features and improvements it brings over the previous release.
Yamaha has keyboards in pretty much every price range and product category there is, so it would be a shame not to include one of their most prominent portable digital pianos on this list.
Let’s start with the keyboard itself.
The P-125 features the tried and true Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keyboard action, which Yamaha have been using for years in their entry-level and mid-range digital pianos.
It’s Yamaha’s most basic fully weighted action, which can also be found in the P-45 (next model down). But it’s still a decent action for a keyboard designed with portability in mind.
The GHS utilizes 2-sensor detection system and has smooth plastic keys (no simulated ivory); the black keys have a matte finish which gives them a nice non-slippery feel.
The sound is the area where the P-125 shines the most, in my opinion, and there are three components responsible for that:
The P-125 has a standard set of features, nothing groundbreaking here. Everything from a metronome and transpose function to Split/Dual/Duo modes and a MIDI recorder is available on this piano.
It’s worth mentioning that unlike its main competitors that have a 1-track MIDI recorder, the P-125 allows you to record 2 tracks for each song, which means you can record each part (either hand part or musical instrument part) to a separate track, and play both tracks together as a single song.
Unfortunately, the P-125 doesn’t offer many options for sound customization. It doesn’t offer any temperament options (except for the default Equal), and it doesn’t allow you to adjust the elements of piano sound like damper noise, resonance, etc.
An interesting thing that the P-125 has is the USB Audio Interface function, which quite rare overall and is not found on any other instruments in this price range.
This function allows to use the USB port to not only transfer MIDI data but also audio, which makes it possible to record the sound of the P-125 directly into your DAW without the need of any external audio interfaces and unnecessary digital > analog > digital conversions as a result.
If you’d like to have more tone options, more learning and arranger features and extra connectivity options, you might want to consider the Yamaha DGX-660, which is identical to the P-125 as far as piano-playing is concerned (they share the same key action/sound engine), but gives you more freedom in how you learn, play, and perform music.
- Relatively compact, lightweight
- Beautifully sampled Yamaha CFIIIS grand piano sound
- 192-note polyphony
- Excellent speaker system
- 2-track MIDI recorder
- 20 built-in Accompaniment Rhythms
- Dedicated Line Out jacks
- USB Audio Interface function
- Not very impressive key action
- No Bluetooth
- Very limited sound customization options
4) Kawai ES110 – Natural uncolored piano sound, built-in lesson books
The Kawai ES110 is the most affordable digital piano in the company’s arsenal, but without a doubt, it’s one of the most realistic digital pianos in its class.
Kawai instruments have always been known for their realistic keyboards and authentic piano sounds.
The ES110 is no exception. This model features the Responsive Hammer Compact action with 88 full-size keys with a matte finish for a better grip.
Even though the keyboard uses 2-sensor technology and doesn’t have simulated ivory/ebony keytops, it feels very responsive and nice to the touch.
By no means this keyboard is stiff or hard to play, in fact, it’s quite the opposite.
The keyboard on the ES-110 is very quick (quite bouncy as well) and has a medium-light weight, which makes it more versatile, especially for those how like to play some organ or synth sounds.
Beginners who haven’t yet developed proper finger strength would also appreciate this action, as it’s not as fatiguing to play compared as some of the heavier key actions out there.
Sound is another area where the ES110 excels at.
The ES-110 uses Harmonic Imaging™ (HI) sound processor, which delivers a very natural, uncolored piano sound sampled from the Kawai 9-foot EX Concert Grand Piano.
There are 8 different piano tones recorded using different methods and equipment in order to recreate various nuances and characters of sound (studio, mellow, modern, etc.).
Moreover, the ES110 allows you to adjust various piano sound characteristics such as damper resonance, fall-back noise, damper noise, temperament, etc.
The P-125 and the ES110 are the only pianos in this price range that have 192-note polyphony.
Apart from the realistic playing experience the ES110 offers some nice “bells and whistles”.
The piano comes with 3 built-in music books (Alfred’s Lesson Book Level 1A/1B, Burgmüller 25) with over 100 built-in songs and exercises for beginners, which you can practice separately for right and left hand.
Apart from the standard metronome, you get 100 drum patterns to play along with, which makes it much more enjoyable to practice your timing compared to the basic metronome clicking sound.
Surprisingly the ES110 doesn’t have any USB ports, instead, it uses traditional MIDI In/Out ports (pro users will definitely appreciate these), which are much harder to find on a consumer-grade keyboard these days.
While for basic needs I certainty prefer using a USB type B port to connect to a computer, the ES110 offers an even easier solution.
The piano has Bluetooth MIDI connectivity, which means you can connect to any smart device that supports Bluetooth and exchange MIDI data wirelessly without using any cables.
So for example, you can connect the ES110 to the iPad and create music with GarageBand or learn new songs with FlowKey, etc.
Another advantage of the ES110 is that unlike the other keyboards on the list, it comes with a high-quality piano-style sustain pedal with half-pedal support rather than a flimsy plastic footswitch.
- Very responsive and easy-to-play RHC action
- A wide selection of quality piano tones
- Good sound tweaking capabilities
- 192-note polyphony
- 100 preset drum rhythms
- 3 built-in lesson books
- Proper MIDI ports
- Bluetooth MIDI connectivity
- Dedicated Line Out jacks
- No USB to Host port
- No multi-track MIDI recorder
- The action is a bit too bouncy
Didn’t expect this, did you? Yes, Korg instruments are often overlooked when it comes to their entry-level and mid-range offerings, and that’s a shame because they have been consistently releasing some great affordable digital pianos over the last couple of years, and the D1 is one of them.
The reason why this keyboard wasn’t included on the main list is because technically it’s not a digital piano. What is it then? you may ask. Well, this is what we’d call a stage piano.
Depending on how you plan to use the instrument, this can be a deal-breaker or just a minor inconvenience. Personally, I always prefer to use a high-quality pair of headphones over onboard speakers, especially when playing lower-end instruments that don’t have sophisticated multi-speaker setups. So if the absence of speakers doesn’t bother you, the Korg D1 should definitely be on your list.
The highlight of this instrument is Korg’s Japanese-made RH3 key action, which Korg usually puts only on their premium workstation and higher-end digital pianos. The key action might seem basic on the surface (no ivory simulation, 2 sensors rather than 3, etc.), but don’t get discouraged yet, this is one of the best feeling key actions you’ll find in this price range.
I also like the weight of the keys. They are somewhere between ‘too light’ and ‘too heavy’, which makes RH3 more versatile and suitable for playing different styles of music.
The 30 built-in sounds don’t disappoint either. There are two variations of grand piano tones (sampled from two different grand pianos) as well as some nice electric piano sounds, organs, strings, and other instruments.
The piano sounds include damper resonance and key off simulation, which adds a nice touch of realism to the sound.
Being a stage piano, the D1 is designed to be very compact and portable. With that said, it’s not the most lightweight portable instrument you’ll find out there…quite the opposite, in fact. It’s heavier than all the other keyboards featured on this list.
Even though the D1 doesn’t have any built-in speakers (which should in theory reduce some weight) the more advanced key action with longer key sticks means that you can only reduce the weight so much.
In terms of connectivity, the D1 covers all the basics, except instead of the usual USB port, you get 5-pin I MIDIn/Out connectors. This means that if you have any legacy gear (synths, sound modules, etc.) that you want to connect to the D1, you can do that using these ports.
Overall, the Korg D1 is one of the most (if not the most) affordable stage pianos out there, so it doesn’t really have a lot of competitors at the moment. In the meantime, despite the relatively low price tag, the D1 manages to tick all the right boxes, so if you’re looking for a simple yet capable stage piano or MIDI controller, the D1 is definitely worth considering!
Why Are Fully Weighted Keys So Important?
What’s the big deal about fully-weighted keys (aka hammer action)?
The answer is simple. This is the only type of action that tries to recreate the feel of a real acoustic piano.
If you’re serious about learning the piano, or you play a lot of piano repertoire, fully-weighted keyboards are the only thing you should look for, provided of course that realistic playing experience is important to you.
Kawai’s premium Grand Feel Compact key action
Even if you’ve never played an acoustic piano before, you’ll be able to tell the difference between a weighted and unweighted keyboard right away. Yes, the difference is that big.
There are $500 instruments that have weighted keys and then there are $5,000 instruments that also have weighted keys. As you can guess, the difference between those key actions is very significant, starting from the design of the action mechanism, length of the keys (the part behind the fallboard) and ending with the material of the keyboard.
Less experienced players may not notice it, but if you’ve ever sat at a good grand or even upright piano, you’ll notice how closer to that feel high-end digital pianos get.
Korg’s plastic RH3 key action
Of course, not everyone is willing to invest $5000 in something that’s just a hobby, especially considering that you can buy a good upright for about the same price.
But even if it’s a relatively affordable digital piano (such as the ones we covered in this article), it’s still important to have a fully-weighted key action.
Not only this will allow you to develop the necessary finger strength and proper technique, but it will also make playing piano pieces that much easier and more enjoyable with more precise dynamic control and greater expression.
This, in turn, will make it easier to transition to an actual acoustic piano further down the line if you decide to do so.
Choosing an Intermediate Digital Piano – Buying Guide
There you have, folks! Note that this list is based on what we believe are the best intermediate digital pianos with fully weighted keys you can currently get.
In case you haven’t found the instrument that suits your needs in this article, I’d like to provide some extra information that will hopefully help you find the right instrument.
Here are some of the main terms and aspects of the digital piano world that you’ll inevitably run into when doing your research.
Modern acoustic pianos have 88 keys. Most keyboards and digital pianos have 88, 76, 73 or 61 keys.
73 keys are enough to play most (99%) modern pieces. Some advanced (classical) pieces require a full set of 88 keys.
There are 3 most common types of actions:
1) Non-weighted – most organs, synths and entry-level keyboards are not weighted.
2) Semi-weighted – common action for budget portable keyboards (usually cost <300$). Spring-loaded mechanism adds more resistance to the keys compared to the non-weighted action.
3) Fully weighted (hammer action) is designed to replicate the action of a real piano. It uses small hammers (rather than springs) attached to each key to recreate the mechanical movements found inside a real piano.
If your main goal is to play piano that you’ll definitely want a keyboard with hammer action keys.
It’s the key action that feels close to the real piano keys and will help you build proper finger strength and technique, making it much easier to transition to an acoustic in the future (if you decide to).
Touch sensitivity (a.k.a velocity sensitivity or touch response) is a very important feature of any keyboard or digital piano, which ensures that the volume produced by the instrument will change depending on how hard or soft you play the keys.
It’s not a big deal nowadays as almost any $150+ keyboard have touch-sensitive keys regardless of its action type.
Much more important is whether the keyboard is weighted or not. Keyboards with fully weighted action often have adjustable touch-sensitivity so you can adjust it to your playing style.
Polyphony is the number of notes a digital piano can produce at the same time.
These days, most digital pianos are equipped with 64, 128, 192 or 256-note polyphony.
You may wonder how it is possible to have 32, 64, or even 128 notes playing at the same time, if there are only 88 keys and we never play them all together.
First of all, many of today’s digital pianos use stereo samples, which sometimes require two notes for each key played.
Furthermore, using the sustain pedal, sound effects (Reverb, Chorus), dual-mode (layering), and even the metronome ticking sound takes up additional notes of polyphony.
For example, when you depress the sustain pedal, the earliest played notes continue to sound while you’re adding new ones and the piano needs more memory to keep all the notes sounding.
Another example of polyphony consumption is when you’re playing along with a song playback (can also be your own recorded performance) or auto-accompaniment.
In this case, the piano will need polyphony not only for the notes you’re playing but also for the backing track.
You’ll rarely need all 192 or 256 voices of polyphony at once, but there are cases when you can reach 64 or even 128 note limits, especially if you like to layer several sounds and create multi-track recordings.
For an intermediate player it’s desirable to have 128 notes of polyphony or more.
Along with the standard “Single” keyboard mode, digital pianos often offer additional modes that allow you to use two instrument sounds at the same time or playing four hands.
Here are the most popular modes that digital pianos have:
1) Split Mode – divides the keyboard into two parts, allowing you to play a different instrument sound in each of them. For example, you can play guitar with your left hand and piano with your right hand at the same time.
2) Dual Mode (Layering) – allows you to layer two different sounds so that they sound simultaneously whenever you press a key. For example, you can layer strings with the piano sound or combine whatever sounds you like to get some new interesting combinations.
3) Duo Mode (a.k.a. Duet Play, Partner Mode, Twin Piano) – divides the keyboard into two halves with identical pitch ranges (two middle Cs) allowing two people to play the same notes at the same time.
Duet Play is particularly useful when you use it with your teacher or tutor who will play you some tunes on one side of the keyboard, and you’ll be able to follow along on the other side, playing the exact same notes at the same time.
Some digital pianos allows you to turn off the left- or right-hand part (track) of a song (preset or downloaded from the Internet) and practice it, playing along to the playback of the other part.
Pianos that have this function usually have a multi-track MIDI recorder.
A MIDI recorder allows you to record and play back your own performances without using any additional equipment.
Multi-track recording (2 and more tracks) allows you to record several musical parts onto separate tracks and play them back as a single song. You can also experiment with your recording by turning off some of the recorded tracks.
For example, you can record the right-hand part of the song on track 1, and the left-hand part on track two (while listening to the playback of the first track).
You can also create complex, multi-instrument recordings by recording several instrument parts onto separate tracks and playing them back together afterwards.
MIDI-recording is not the recording of the actual sound of the instrument. Here, we’re recording the MIDI data (a sequence of notes, their length, velocity and other parameters).
A built-in audio recorder will allow you to record the actual sound of the instrument (native samples) and save it to a flash drive usually in WAV format (Linear PCM, 16bit, 44.1 kHz, Stereo).
You can then share your recording on social media, upload it to SoundCloud, burn to CD, etc.
Audio recordings are more universal than MIDI ones because they provide you with a CD-quality audio file playable on most modern devices, and don’t require any additional software, and sample libraries (VSTs) to render a MIDI recording to audio.
Accompaniment function will enrich your performance, providing full backing accompaniment (rhythm, bass, harmony) that will follow your playing and make you sound like full band.
The accompaniment changes depending to what notes you play with you left hand (chords or even single notes if you don’t know full cords).
In other words, you manage your “band” with your left hand (by specifying chords) and play the main melody with your right hand.
Some instruments offer several accompaniment modes, and allow you specify chords using the full range of the keyboard.
1) Transpose function allows you to shift the overall pitch of the keyboard in semitone steps. The function is particularly useful when want to play a song in a different key but don’t want to change your fingering and learn it in a new key.
So, for example, if you know how to play a song in F major, you can transpose the pitch and play it in C major without actually learning it in the new key.
You can also transpose a song written in a difficult key (e.g., many black keys) into a different key with easier chords, but still hear it as if you were playing in the original key.
2) Tuning function allows you to shift the pitch from the standard A440 tuning in 0.1Hz or 0.2Hz steps.
You can use this function to match the piano’s pitch finely to that of another instrument or music (old piano, recording).
This port is also known as USB to Device port or USB drive port. The port can be used for connecting a flash drive to the piano to exchange files quickly and easily.
For example, you can load MIDI songs into the piano’s internal memory for playback or rehearsal (if the piano offers this option).
Alternatively, you can play back WAV and MIDI files (depends on the piano model) directly from the flash drive without loading them into the piano’s internal memory.
And finally, you can save your own performances recorded with the instrument to the flash drive as well as load them back onto the instrument when needed.
This port is often referred to as USB to Host terminal or USB to Computer port. This port is used to connect your digital piano to a computer or a smart device (using a special adapter) to exchange songs/files, and MIDI data.
This port will allow you to use the piano as a MIDI controller to control various music apps such as GarageBand, FlowKey, Playground Sessions, etc.
There are actually tons of other apps that can expand the functionality of your digital piano in terms of learning, composing, recording, editing music.
Some brands offer their own free apps designed for certain piano models. Such apps usually enable you to control all the settings and functions of the instrument using an intuitive graphical interface.
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If after reading this review you still have doubts about what instrument to choose, take a look at our Digital Piano Buying Guide and other popular articles listed below:
Best Digital Pianos for Beginners (Under $500)
Best Digital Pianos Under $1000 for Home Use
Best Home Digital Pianos Under $1500 (In-depth Comparison)
The Ultimate Guide to Buying a Digital Piano
This is a great post. Thank you so much for Sharing.
Excellent comparo. Thanks!
Glad you found this helpful, Jake 🙂
Hi, very nice review. Thank you ! How about the Korg D1 ? I am looking for the best action in this price range, since i have my own external speakers and headphones (no speakers on the D1). I ordered a D1 yesterday. Did i make the right choice ? Or would an ES110 still have a more realistic action ? Thanks in advance 🙂
There’s no right or wrong choice here, Vincent. From, what you’ve provided, the D1 is definitely a good choice. The RH3 is very nice and reliable action as well. In my opinion, it’s not inferior to the ES110’s action by any means, but again it’s mostly a matter of personal preference.
Thanks Lucas, i received and tested my new Korg D1 and the action is really good. However i am a bit concerned about the sustain. It’s very very weak, despite using different pedals (the little original one and a DS-1H). Is it normal ?
great post you are the best, really helped me a lot
Great to hear that!
Lucas, I hope you can make a in-depth review of Casio PX-S1000 soon. How does it compare to Roland FP-10? Thanks.
Hi Jay-R, I’m going to review both of these keyboards in the nearest future.
I recently upgraded from a P120 with ten years of great service to the P125 and I loved them both. Especially the rhythm feature. The portability and sound works for smaller venues like Assisted Living homes. I just bring my Yamaha PA system for weddings and such.
Glad to hear you’re enjoying your new Yamaha P-125, John!
Hi Lucas,
First i like to command you on this amazing blog. To say that you’re knowledge is impeccable is an understatement.
My question is:
I keep hearing about this new scaled hammer action technology on the new Privia PXS-1000 and how good it is. How to you say it fairs against the PHA-50 action on the FP-90 if i’m strictly going to play piano vsts. I know the PHA-50 is considered the best but i’m not so sure about spending a hefty $1900 for a digital piano that i won’t use neither its internal sounds or speakers. That’s where the new PXS-1000 makes such an interesting choice since it’s not that expensive. But the question begs: Am i going to be “missing out” much on the action if i bought it instead of the FP-90 ???
Thanks!
Hey John, whether you’re going to be “missing out much” depends on your experience most of all. But, it’s not entirely correct to compare these two actions, since the PHA-50 is Roland’s top-of-the-range key action, while Casio’s keyboard is geared more toward beginners and intermediate players. The PHA-50 has a much better key pivot length and feels more natural compared to the Casio action.
Since you’re going to use a VST for sound generation, I’d recommend taking a look at the Roland FP-30, which has arguably the best key action in its price category.
Hi Lucas
I’ve checked you out the last few days, and you’ve been a great help to me!
I’m looking for a digital piano, that can do a bit of the studio fun :^)
I’m a bit turned off by the few sounds offered on these mid-price digital pianos… Can you in any of these DP’s add more sounds using software, USB’s or anything?
Thanks! ^_^
Hi Arvid, you can definitely expand your sound library by using VST instruments. Many of them will provide higher quality sounds than even some very expensive high-end digital pianos. However, the good ones are pretty expensive, plus don’t forget that those sounds will be generated on your computer (based on the notes you play on your keyboard), so in order to hear them through your keyboard’s onboard speakers you’ll need to route the signal back to your instrument (provided it has an Audio In port).
Some digital pianos (in the price range, only Yamaha’s newer keyboards and the new Kord B2) support audio signal via USB, so you can use the same USB connection for triggering sounds in your VST (using MIDI messages) and output the audio signal from your computer back to the keyboard at the same time. Or you can just connect and use headphones to the computer where your VST is running, which is a much better option qualitywise.
Hi, have you ever found the casio pxs1000 keys to make some bounce noises, not every key but some do?
Hi Michael,
Any key on any digital (acoustic) piano will make some kind of a ‘bounce noise’. The only difference is in the character and loudness of that noise. Generally, the new Casio key action (used in the PX-S1000 and PX-S3000) is pretty quiet and comparable to its competitors.
Hi, Lucas, thank you for the thoughtful and in-depth article, it is much appreciated. I have been spending a lot of time looking for pianos online and it has proven a difficult task. I’m looking for pianos under $1,000 that have 88 keys, and that are fully weighted/have hammer action.
I was wondering if these pianos are suitable for an intermediate pianist who needs a keyboard to practice. Also, are there any other keyboards under $1,000 that have much more than 30 or so tones? (like harsichord, organ, guitar, etc.) Finally, I was wondering in regards to the sound quality difference between the roland fp30 and the yamaha p125. I have heard that the yamaha has a setting where, when you use headphones, it sounds like you’re playing a grand piano in a concert hall. Is that true, and if so, does the roland fp30 have settings like that as well? Thank you so much for the help.
Hi Jack,
Yes, these would be good choices for practice. There are several digital pianos in this price range that have a wider selection of tones. Some of them are Casio PX-S3000, Yamaha DGX-660, Casio CGP-700.
As for the sound quality through headphones, the P-125 does have a feature called Stereophonic Optimizer but don’t get it confused with binaural samples available on the higher-end P-515 and CLP models.
I wouldn’t say the Stereophonic Optimizer makes a huge difference to the sound quality. In my opinion, these fancy marketing terms are often overhyped and not as exciting as they are advertised.
With that said, the P-125 sounds good via headphones with or without Stereophonic Optimizer, so no worries there. The FP-30 doesn’t have that feature (or at least it’s not mentioned explicitly) but the sound through headphones is great, so again not an issue for me.
Hi thanks for the post. I have learned (acoustic) piano when I was young and want to pick it back up now. I was an intermediate player (played some not so difficult classical piece). Right now, I mainly want to play for fun and probably don’t need fancy features do you think sub 500 piano would be sufficient? The post is mainly for $700. If sub 500 is enough what would you recommend?
Well, some keyboards in the sub-$700 and sub-$500 share the same key actions, so the feel is often the same. What’s usually different is the quality of samples (how detailed/complex they are), speaker wattage, as well as extra features (recording, connectivity, etc.).
If you’re okay with several omissions here and there and don’t really need any extras, then sure feel free to check out the options in the sub-$500 range. We have a full article dedicated to that.
Hello Lucas,
First of all thanks for your amazing blog, it’s by far the most complete and accurate guide for any person who really needs detailed information before buying a digital piano.
I am thinking about getting one this intermediate portable pianos you reviewed but I am on the fence between the Roland FP-30 and the Casio PX-S1000.
I was leaning towards the Roland because of the Bluetooth MIDI connection, however I am concerned about latency as I was planning to use use it with VST with Garageband or something similar.
Can it really be used to connect and use VST over bluetooth? I am just asking because if I will have to end up connecting it through USB cable to avoid latency, I might as well get the Casio which supports bluetooth audio so I can use bluetooth headphones and connect it to the computer through cable.
Something else I am concerned about is how loud the key’s action is when using headphones. I think you mentioned that Roland is very quiet and also read that Casio is reportedly louder than others. Is this true? is there a big difference?
Many thanks in advance,
Hi Carlos,
Yeah, latency can definitely be an issue when using Bluetooth MIDI with VSTs. Note that Casio’s Bluetooth audio is designed for audio streaming from external devices (smartphones, audio players) and will not work with Bluetooth headphones. Also, when using Bluetooth headphones, you’ll still have to deal with some latency.
Regarding the key action, Roland’s PHA-4 Standard is relatively quiet but I wouldn’t call it silent by any means. It still produces a considerable amount of noise that might annoy someone who is in the same room (when you practice via headphones).
The new Casio key actions used in the PX-S and CDP-S are an improvement over the older models when it comes to action noise, so it shouldn’t be a problem. The noise is about the same or lower compared to other similar key actions in this price range.
Hi, my daughter is studying classical piano, I need to buy a piano to practice at home, I can’t decide if the Roland FP-30 or Kawai ES110 will be better to improve her practices.
So long story short, I need a digital piano that I can use both headphones with and plug in or connect to an iPad to do my music lessons. I typically can only play at night when my kids are asleep so I’m wondering if there is a keyboard that can fit these needs. So to the outside world it’s quiet, but on my headphones I can hear my app and the piano itself. Is this possible?
Hi Mario,
That depends on the app. With some apps/courses, you won’t even need to listen to them. But those that do produce some sound (playback, video tutorials, etc.), you’ll have to choose whether you connect your headphones to your iPad or keyboard. Some apps can produce the notes you’re playing internally based on the MIDI data it receives, but that won’t be the native sound of your keyboard but rather a relatively low-quality piano sound.
Another option is to use two sets of headphones at the same time. For example, you can connect smaller earbuds (that could be one earbud only) to your iPad, and then on top of them, you wear bigger on-ear headphones connected to your keyboard.
Hello,
I’ve thought I’d put my 2 cents in, as I have been wondering about the same thing, I have found a youtube vide that seems to have a solution for that. Hope it helps.
https://youtu.be/m0kBbEwvwqc
Best,
Carlos
A compact audio mixer could definitely work. Thanks for sharing this tip, I’m sure many will find this useful.
Hiya,
I’m looking to upgrade from a Yamaha P-85 to something with a more realistic, responsive key-bed for high-speed, responsive classical performance. The P-85 lacks responsiveness up the keys and I’m wanting something that can resolve fast trills and embellishments played anywhere on the key. For the last few days I’ve been basically reading everything you’ve written on all the contenders! So here I’m wondering why you haven’t considered the Korg D1 in this short-list?
Is there much difference between an FP-30 and D1? Retail is currently closed so I can’t try anything out myself. both are about £500 so it’s really a choice of which plays best.
Hey David,
Both as solid options for sure. The key action on the D1 is a bit lighter than that on the FP-30 (more versatile for that reason), but overall they are arguably the most realistic keys you can get below $1200.
The reason why the D1 is not on the list is mostly because technically it’s a stage piano (no speakers), and all the other instruments on the list have onboard speakers and are not necessarily geared towards live performers. But, if missing speakers is not a problem, then the D1 is a great instrument to consider for sure (especially considering the price).
Thank you very very much Lucas! Your reviews are the best! I was lost in the digital piano alternatives. Thanks to you, I got a Roland FP-30 and it couldn’t be better. I also read your review about the different methods to learn to play and I’m already on my way! The best of luck to you, always.
Awesome, Edgar! Have fun with your FP-30 🙂
Hi Lucas，
Thank you very much for your sharing, learned a lot from your brilliant comments. It’s hard to find any useful information on Chinese Website, making it hard to choose a suitable digital piano. So I wonder would you mind if I translate your essays and put it on our online Q&A forum called ‘Zhihu’, to help more people make the right choice?
Looking forward to your reply.
Shippo, sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Thanks for your kind words. It’s interesting I already had a similar inquiry from a different person via email. He asked the exact same thing.
I don’t have a problem with that if you credit the source. I hope your community will benefit from your efforts 🙂
I’m huge fan of the organ and looking for an option that not only had great tough response but also a diverse sound catalog. What do you recommend?
Hi Jaden,
Well, in this price range, there is hardly a keyboard with a ‘diverse sound catalog’ as far as organs go. The instruments on the list come with 3-4 organ tones and don’t offer a lot of customizability. Touch-wise, the Yamaha P-125, Kawai ES110, and Casio PX-S1000 would probably better options for organ playing as the keyboard on the FP-30 might be a bit too heavy for that. With that said, if your budget is not very limited, I’d check out Casio’s PX-S3000 model, which comes with a much wider variety of organ sounds (32).
Hello, I have looked at both your reviews for under $500 and under $700 digital pianos. Thanks as these are of great help in making a choice!
I am looking for realistic playability as we have an upright acoustic and the new digital piano would be for taking along or having a second practicing option (2 pianists in 1 apartment ). At first it seemed clear to opt for either the FP10 or FP30 from Roland. However I am seeing many reviews discussing a “clicking” issue with the keys after a few weeks of use, e.g. https://youtu.be/knMuwLK8krU
Do you have any long term information on how noisy keys develop from mode to model? Because of this, I am wondering if we wouldn’t be better off with either the yamaha p45 or p125, or the casion sx1000…
Hi Stephane,
I’ve received quite a few comments about ‘key action noises’ that people are discussing online (not only about Roland keyboards), and I stand by my opinion. All keyboards produce some amount of noise as long as there are mechanical movements involved, there’s just no way around it. Some keyboards tend to be noisier than others and some people are more sensitive to these noises than others.
Personally, I rarely use onboard speakers and practice in headphones 99% of the time, so all I hear is the sound of my piano and nothing else (this probably makes me a bit biased in that regard). So, all I care about in a key action is realism. With that said, I do understand that some people who like to practice with onboard speakers (especially at lower volumes) might find ‘key action noises’ quite irritating, especially if you start focusing on them rather than on your playing.
The fact that key actions tend to become ‘noisier’ with time makes evaluating this aspect even more difficult. I could say that “if you want a noise-free action go for the Yamaha or Casio” but it’s not that simple, ’cause you can type in literally any model in YouTube search, and you’ll find videos demonstrating all kinds of key noises and people looking for “noiseless alternatives” in the comments.
I guess what I’m saying is that there’s no simple answer to that as there will always be some compromises especially when you’re buying a budget-friendly instrument.
Hi Lucas, I’d appreciate your point of view, as I’m considering getting a digital piano to start learning on as a beginner) and I’ve singled out Roland FP30 and Casio PX-S1000 as the most appealing choices within my budget.
The action seem like the main strength of the Roland, but I’m not sure at all about the downward-facing speakers.. I have quite little room in my apartment and would probably like to play the piano on some kind of a desk. Would any reasonable sound come out of it, if the speakers were placed against the desk?
The dimensions and overall compactness of the Casio really appeal to me, storing it at home would be easier and playing it on a desk seems less awkward that the Roland. I understand, that it’s overall a good piano for the price too. However, I’m not sure how much the infamous shorter pivot length compromise is an issue (e.g. fatigue from playing, technique etc.)
What do you think I should place more weight at? (I guess I might be overthinking this, as they are apparently both good, especially to begin with.)
Hey Roman! Those are some good points that you mentioned. The downward-facing speakers of the FP-10 definitely make it less ideal for use on flat surfaces such as your desk, but if you gonna be using headphones, that’s not an issue. Another thing that comes to mind with the FP-10 is that it’s pretty tall, so when placed on a desk (if it doesn’t have adjustable height), it may just be too high to reach when sitting on a regular chair/stool. So, design-wise, the PX-S1000 definitely feels like a better option to be used on top of a desk.
If you’re a beginner, chances are you’re not gonna notice the shorter pivot point of the PX-S1000. It may become an issue when you start playing more into the keys, but that also depends on the anatomy of your hands and your playing technique.