Digital pianos, first popularized in the 1980s, attempt to replicate the sound and feel of an acoustic piano. While great strides have been made towards that end, they still haven't reached that lofty goal, and depending upon who you ask, never will. Yet, for many, the quality digital piano is a great alternative to the old, out of tune, used piano that many first-time buyers gravitate towards.
At M. Steinert & Sons, we have closely followed the digital piano market since the first ones were available. While we carry Roland digital pianos and have always been satisfied with their high quality, we acknowledge that some other top brands have quality models, as well.
Four of the most recommended digital brand pianos include:
All four are known for their quality of sound (usually sampled from their acoustic counterpart), and their realistic action, which makes it feel as close to an acoustic as possible. By the end of this article, you'll understand better the top four digital piano brands and what we believe is the top digital piano.
Above: Roland's HP 702 digital piano.
Digital pianos do not duplicate the authentic feel and sound of a traditional piano–they can only simulate it, so the goal is to find one that mimics an acoustic as closely as possible.
Yamaha digital pianos are often known by their Clavinova brand name and use samples (recordings) from other Yamaha pianos as the basis for their sound. They have a wide range of quality and feature levels - and are grouped, priced, and marketed differently through a wide variety of e-commerce and retail channels.
Model numbers can change quite frequently - and it’s often a challenge to know which models are currently in the line-up. In general, the higher the number within a given series (ie P125 vs P45), means a higher price point and feature set within the series.
On the right: Yamaha's Arius YDP-184 digital piano. YDP models have the look of a home-style piano and use different actions.
While not as well-known as Yamaha, Kawai digital pianos offer a variety of different quality/function options. They have 7 different piano action designs that appear across their many different models.
Like most, the higher the number within a series means higher feature/price, but some year-to-year changes will blur this
generality in Kawai’s line. Kawai digital pianos feature the sampled sound of Kawai acoustic pianos. Kawai instruments are generally sold through piano stores and major music retailers.
On the right: Kawai CN25 Digital Piano.
Casio, long known for their inexpensive portable keyboards, has been making digital pianos under the Celviano trade name since the 90s. They have recently gained broader distribution in the US and have sought to move upmarket from their low-end beginnings. Their newer trade name, Privia is sold in many mass merchant stores.
On the right: Casio Privia PX 770 digital piano. Keyboard has simulated ebony and ivory-textured keys provide the weighted feel required for proper piano expression and performance.
At Steinert, we’ve chosen to exclusively partner with Roland digital pianos. Roland has served the professional music community for almost 50 years - and while not as widely distributed or well known as Yamaha - Roland has earned its reputation for physical and musical quality as well as excellent durability.
Their focus on physical modeling sound technology has resulted in major advances used in various ways across their digital piano line and distinguishes Roland digital pianos from other digital pianos in the market. Since Roland doesn’t make acoustic pianos, they are free to select from any piano source they choose--and Steinway-based and inspired sounds are present in every Roland digital piano.
On the right: Roland HP-704 digital piano. SuperNatural Piano Modeling sound. The Roland HP line is where quality, touch, tone, and cabinetry combine to make a great home piano experience.
Today’s digital pianos have come a long way as compared to past generations of electric and digital pianos. This goes for each of the brands we’ve reviewed. The engineers at Yamaha, Kawai, Casio, and Roland are to be commended for their efforts towards making affordable instruments that have improved touch and tone.
Having said that, Roland has gone in a different direction than the other leading digital brands. Patrick Elisha, former piano consultant for M. Steinert & Sons, notes that Roland does not seek to be a hybrid of acoustic and digital solutions.
“Rather, Roland seeks to be a maintenance-free, all-encompassing digital piano solution that does not rely on acoustic components to function,” says Patrick. “This, coupled with their mastery of acoustic engineering and piano modeling technology, creates an instrument that is reliably accurate, in both touch and tone, and caters to many playing styles.”
As a result, while the competition is comprised of some solid alternative brands, Roland offers more to the buyer who wants a reliable touch and tone, based on the engineering Roland has invested in modeling technology. For the piano student who wants to play a wide variety of musical genres, Roland offers a digital piano that is just as playable for jazz and contemporary pieces as classical.
For these reasons, a good argument can be made that Roland is the best of these top-of-the-line digital pianos.
Should you decide to buy a Roland digital piano from M. Steinert & Sons, you will have the potential to take advantage of the M. Steinert & Sons Lifetime Steinway Trade-Up policy, which gives you 100% of what you paid for your Roland towards a new Steinway & Sons piano, excluding taxes and delivery, towards another M. Steinert piano that has a higher cost.
This enables many buyers to see first if their interest in playing the piano sticks. If it does, many then purchase their ultimate piano.
As with shopping for an acoustic piano, the discerning digital piano customer will take in a good sampling of makes and models. At M. Steinert & Sons, we encourage people to compare different digital models, including our Roland series, before making a purchase. After all, a digital piano is a significant purchase, one you want to be satisfied with going forward.
We would welcome the opportunity to introduce you to our current Roland digital piano models at our showroom location in Newton. Please feel free to set up an appointment with one of our experienced piano consultants to listen to your piano needs and to show you some models to play.
While visiting our showrooms, take a look at our acoustic offerings, too, to compare with our digital offerings.
To learn more about the difference between digital and acoustic pianos, read this article:
Digital vs. acoustic pianos: Which is the best for me?
