Best Digital Piano
In choosing the best digital Yamaha piano, we have examined some key factors that users should prioritize. Whether for personal or professional use, we have examined critical factors that stand out.
Number of polyphony notes
The number of distinct notes or tones the piano can produce at once is known as polyphony. The simplest model comes with a polyphony of 32 notes. To create complex sounds, go for a Yamaha grand piano of 64 notes. The best model comes with polyphony ranging from 200 notes and above.
Keyboard action and touch response
What differentiates piano from electric keyboards is the way the key feels. Due to the mechanical components of piano keys, it produces resistance. The mechanical components include the wooden hammer which hits the string of an acoustic piano. When it comes to the digital piano, the degree to which it sounds like an acoustic piano makes a big difference.
Digital piano with weighted and semi-weighted actions gives a response similar to a traditional piano. The hammer action further pronounces the response by adding real mechanical hammers. The keys are embedded with small hammers which give a gentle “thunk” when played. This sounds just like the keypad of an acoustic piano.
Fully weighted keybeds are the best. They also come with graduated weighing which makes the lower octave key heavier – giving the same effect as the heavier strings and hammers of an acoustic piano. This is called the “graded hammer action.”
The touch or velocity sensitivity is also important. This Yamaha digital piano review discovered that the best grand pianos will be able to sense a slight variation in velocities. This determines the volume and attack of the various notes. The low-cost digital piano comes with volume level switches which might not have good velocity sensitivity.
Quality of sound
The tone and quality of a grand digital piano are equally vital. It should be noted that the objective of a digital piano is to produce a sound that mimics an acoustic piano, or very close.
The sound quality is a factor of its component. In other words, the sound is a factor of the samples used in creating the sound. This also depends on the digital memory of the piano. The more the digital memory of your piano, the better the sound quality. With this in mind, be sure to pay attention to the digital memory size before selecting it.
If you are a beginner, your priority should not be a piano with high-end tones and sounds. This is because the good quality sound piano is higher in price.
Effects
With effects, you can get creative and add a pleasant modification to the selected tone. The performance Hall Effect, for instance, gives you a rich, authentic sound. Other popular effects are chorus, reverberation, echo, and sustain.
Memory
Digital piano comes with various memory sizes. This allows for recording and playback of tones and sound. Be sure to choose a digital piano with adequate memory space if you will be doing a lot of recording with it.
Kit
There are some essentials that come with a Yamaha digital piano. Basically, a Yamaha digital piano comes with a storage bench, dust cover, pedal, adaptor, and manual.
Size
The best digital pianos come in small and compact sizes. They are smaller than the traditional grand pianos. Be sure to consider a piano that is easy to move around and will not take up much space in your apartment.
Most digital pianos are made of hard and strong plastic. When compared to acoustic pianos that are made of wood and heavy metal, they are pretty light. This makes them portable as well.
Some of the best digital Yamaha pianos we reviewed like Yamaha PSR-EW310 and Yamaha YPT260 61-Key Portable Keyboard weighs less than 15 pounds.
Budget/Price
If you want to buy your digital piano, I guess you have a price range you are willing to consider. Your budget serves as a guide in selecting the best buy digital piano for the price. If you are a beginner, however, you are better off with less expensive grand pianos.
Digital piano comes in various sizes ranging from $200 to thousands of dollars. Be sure to do your research and select the digital piano that offers the best value for the money, based on your needs.
One of the best pianos under $200 that we reviewed is Yamaha YPT260 61-Key. The Yamaha PSR-EW310 is also one of the best pianos under $300. If you, however, need a digital piano on the high end, the Yamaha DGX650B Digital Piano is less than $900.
Number of instrument voices
Digital pianos are usually equipped with hundreds of sounds, notes, and voices from various instruments. This adds color and richness to your playing experience, allowing you to get creative as you explore how the various voices and sounds beautify your music.
For a beginner, the number of instrument voices and sounds might not be very relevant as your priority should be developing your skills. For the intermediate and experienced players, on the other hand, the variety of tones will come in handy.
Our best portable digital piano, Yamaha PSR-EW310 has a little less than 600 voices. Models like Yamaha P45B and Yamaha P71, on the other hand, come with 10 voices each.
Materials
The built materials are also one of the vital keys to consider when looking to buy a digital piano. We found out that cheap digital piano comes with plastic keys while expensive models are made with synthetic ivory built keys. This key type helps you have a good grip and gives a confirmed execution style which helps gives the feel of an acoustic piano.
In addition to the construction materials, touch sensitivity, as well as counterbalanced keys, are important, especially for beginners. With this key type, you get to play expressively and develop your finger techniques while helping you learn.
Sound Library
Many pianists upload their tunes to the internet for others to access for free. Many of the best Yamaha digital pianos come with connectivity options which gives you the option to use those tunes on your model. For instance, Yamaha P125 88-Key Weighted Digital Piano and others come with a USB port and iOS compatibility hence you can easily connect to your device and access the internet. In addition to that, there are built-in music libraries that are free on some pianos and paid in others.
