best digital pianos

[megadude]

Thinking about buying a digital piano so I can keep my fingers in shape. Playing a synth doesn't quite cut it for me. But there are a lot of options, and am hoping for some advice.

What I care most is it having a realistic and nice piano sound and realistic touch and pedals. I don't care about the other sounds that come with it; I've never heard a digital piano's violin that sounded more than ok at best, and I have software synths and samplers for that sort of thing anyways. Similarly, I don't need it to have the ability to record either audio or midi information, although it would be nice to have the ability to send and receive midi information, so that if I play something into my computer's DAW, if I, e.g., screw up a note, I can correct it on the sequencer but then have the computer re-trigger everything else for audio recording.

And I can't spend a fortune unfortunately.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[timobrien]

If you're picky about sound and touch, dont go around asking on boards; take the time and effort to go audition some keyboards yourself.

Only YOU can tell if they meet your standards and what works for us is probably completely different than what you'll accept.

(I tell people the same thing about other physical instruments - horns and guitars, etc. For example, when I went to buy a pro-level tenor sax I had to drive 1500miles to audition some because there are no decent horn shops in my area. When I bought a keyboard, I went around to the shops in my area to try them out.)

[robogone]

Best thing to do is head to your local music store. Even if you don't buy from there you can maybe get an idea then buy elsewhere.

[mike@manike]

I'd take the sound out of the equation and just find a keyboard you like the touch on.

Then get yourself a piano sample package or something like truepiano's.

[viberunner]

Sound can be important, it's nice to have nice sounds direct from the hardware, you might not always want a PC on.

You could do worse than check out the Yamaha P95. Affordable, portable, weighted keys, great sound. I use the baby-brother, the NP30, and I love it to bits.

[K-Bee]

What's your budget?
If you have the money, I'd recommend a Kurzweil PC3x as it fulfill all your needs plus has sounds to die for, including some of the best pianos on offer
A Nord Stage does the trick as well but that's even more expensive I'm afraid

[megadude]

My budget is whatever my wife will let me get away with, hah hah.

In practical terms, under 2000$. I was thinking about getting this one: Kawai CE200. I played a couple of Kawais in the closest mall I could get to (I am in a very geographically isolated area) and really liked the sound of them. But I haven't been able to play this model in person yet, and don't know if I'll be able to without driving 4 hours.

Has anyone played a Kawai CE200 and have thoughts on it? Also, ever ordered from Kraft music store before? THey have a special on it, but I'm not familiar with the company.


Thanks for the advice and help everyone!

What's your budget?
If you have the money, I'd recommend a Kurzweil PC3x as it fulfill all your needs plus has sounds to die for, including some of the best pianos on offer
A Nord Stage does the trick as well but that's even more expensive I'm afraid

[robogone]

Kawai maybe, but I wouldn't use a Casio for firewood. They suck balls big time.

[MeldaProduction]

My friend has some piano from Nord and it has absolutely awesome electric pianos and the acoustic isn't bad either. Also my father has some futuristic looking Akai I think and it's great too.

[Shy]

Yamaha CP300 is a keyboard with a really great, authentic feel (simply amazing, I have to say, compared to any other MIDI keyboard I've ever used) and great piano sounds. Highly recommended. Also, I never thought I'd say this, but its internal speakers are ridiculously good.

[TiUser]

I'd take the sound out of the equation and just find a keyboard you like the touch on.

Then get yourself a piano sample package or something like truepiano's.

Especially with upright and grand piano sounds you have to check out the combination keys + sound to get the best impression how things work together.

You also forget that your suggestion needs a pc, audio interface, speakers,... and is also more cumbersome to set up and use than a digital piano where everything is in one.

Ok, it's an option, technically, but do you think the OP had that in mind?

[CindyBraver]

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I think Yamaha DGX650B Digital Piano it is one of the best digital piano on the market . You can easily connect your music device to this piano with the use of the auxiliary input port and the sound will come out of the digital piano’s speakers. This is great for when you want to play along to a pre-recorded track at the same volume as the piano.
You can enjoy the unrivalled performance as this digital piano offers 128-note polyphony. This offers enough power for the sound not to cut out, even when you are playing with two hands and laying multiple voices over one another.
An acoustic piano would give a heavier touch for the lower notes and for the higher notes, you’ll need a lighter touch. This digital piano is very similar to an acoustic in that respect as it is the same case for the Yamaha DGX650B Digital Piano (http://www.digitalpianolab.com/).