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I have been checking out Yamaha and Casio weighted action digital pianos for a couple of weeks, and reading posts on this forum. Then I read about the Korg SP 250 which really seems to fit my requirements. Problem is, it's not in stock at my local Guitar Center and Sam Ash stores so I haven't been able to try one. Judging by some YouTube videos (especially from Musik Schmidt, Germany) the sound is great. I'm all set to order on-line, but figured I'd first ask for comments from anyone who has one or has played this model?

I had the same problem, no way to try one. But if you look on Korg's web site you can see which other Korg keyboards use the same key action as the SP250 (I think Korg calls it "RH3"??) and as I remember Guitar center does have a Korg with RH3 action on display. So you can at least try the keys.

I even contacted Korg USA and asked it there was a sp250 I coud see, they basically said "no". None of the stores, even Korg dealers want to cary it. I don't know why.

The Sam Ash associate said that they had it last year, but sold out before the holidays. I asked if they would be getting more and she said she didn't think so. She thought Korg might be planning a replacement. I'm not sure if that was just a line, though .........

Everything in the sp 250 is good but...the piano sound. In my very personal opinion, it has the worst and less realistic piano sound of all dps in its price range. I would suggest to consider the new Korg SP 170 which is a big improvement and it costs less.

Thanks - I researched the SP170, but it doesn't have line outputs, which I need for occasional stage work. Same with the Casio PX-170. There seem to be a limited number of DPs with both onboard speakers and line outs. The Casio PX-330 does, but I was just not happy with the sound.

Yamaha P155, KAWAI ES6, and Roland FP7 all feature built-in speakers and dedicated line-outs, although it has to be said that these instruments are competing for a different sector of the market than the cheaper SP170, PX-130, etc.

Cheers,
James
x

Korg SP250 began sales at 2006-2007, then now Korg replace it by SP170, that more cheaper, but less functionality.
(In Moscow there are many shops with Sp250, but price about 1200$, in Europe - about 600$.)
Piano in Sp250 very good, I don't consider it artifical and have fun and joy when play piano tembers SP250 and Ivory+Italy Grand both (I don't try Sp170, but in youtube it piano more clicked than SP250 - I don't like it).
But more interest instrument is Yamaha P140 (now P155), and instruments as say KAWAI James

Thanks all, for your comments. I followed ChrisA's advice from another thread and downloaded the User's Manual. I guess the SP250 has been around for 4 or 5 years so it seems likely that Korg may well be planning a newer version. However, it does seem to have everything I want, although I noticed that many newer keyboards have USB connectivity, which the SP250 does not. I would want to connect this to my computer for sequencing, but I aleady have a Roland USB-Midi interface which I believe would work.

KAWAI James - thanks for your input. I already saw the video demo of the ES6, which blew me away. If money was no object, it would be hands down my first choice. However, at double the price of the SP250, it's just not in the budget.

35gfoxm, I owned the SP-250 for about eighteen months. I bought it unseen as I couldn't find one to try. When I first played it, I was not very impressed, but it grew on me - a lot.

The action was excellent - not the fastest for single note repetition, but capable of allowing for very expressive playing, and with a very good "feel". The speakers were among the best I've heard from a slab piano, loud enough for stage monitoring and with a good response across the range. The main piano sound was good - not quite up there with the RD700GX or top end Yamahas, but not too far behind; there was a little flatness of timbre in the mid-range, but acceptable nonetheless. Dynamic range was fair, but not exceptional.

EPs were a mixed bag. The main "Rhodes" was a little too "dyno" for me, but it had a nice bark to it in the low end. Velocity switching was very evident in the EPs, like so many of the less expensive DPs. The "Wurlitzer" was lame, IMO. Strings were excellent and rock/jazz organs were poor.

Despite the plastic casing, the SP-250 felt robust. It was quite heavy, but still giggable. The supplied stand was a pain to set up and so I used an alternative for stage work. There was only a single pedal socket, if that matters to you.

The quality of sound processing was much better than the equivalent Casio at the time (PX-320); it amplified beautifully. All in all I would say that it represented good value for money. The current competition is really the Casio PX-330. The Korg has better speakers for sure, but the Casio is much lighter. However, you'd need to listen carefully to whatever mp3s you can find (if you can't play them for real) to evaluate which one you prefer. IMO, the Casio has a more sophisticated grand piano implementation with its four layer "linear morphing", but still lacks a little in the quality of processing.

Thanks, voxpops, that was very helpful. Now I can't help wondering - why did you have it only 18 months, and what did you replace it with?

Hi!

I don't have it and I even never tried it, but I've watched some YouTube videos about this piano.

I think the piano sound is soft and good, especially when you're playing at home. Last Christmas, I got a chance to play the Yamaha Clavinova (I don't know whether it's the CVP or the CLP) at my cousin's house for 3 days. The piano sound is soft. I really got the feel. Compared to the SP250, the piano sound is almost the same (IMO).

I suggest you should try the SP250 by yourself. Don't forget to use headphones when you're trying it.

Dony

I bought the Korg to use as a piano for my band's "acoustic" set. It fulfilled that function quite well, but I hankered after better Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds. When a GEM Prp800 came along for $500, I couldn't resist, and so the Korg had to go. Although the GEM's EPs are more organic (physically modeled rather than sampled), and the grand pianos are good, too, I miss the RH3 action and the better pre-amp, amp and speakers in the Korg.

Well, thanks to you all for your input. The slightly negative comments have only been been about issues of personal taste in the sounds, and the positive comments have re-inforced what I had already heard and read. So, I called to order one. The salesman knew of no plans to replace it (I didn't want to find that I missed a new model by only a couple of months, as happened to me when the iPhone 3Gs came out!)

I'll report back on this thread after it arrives and I've had chance to try it out.

Good luck! I hope you enjoy the Korg. I'll be interested to hear what you think when you've given it a test-drive.

Good luck and little advices-
1.see sp250 in white colors,I think it more pleasant then in black colors.
2.don't forget about top cover for avoid dirty

I've had my LP350 (the SP-250's "big brother") for 4 months now, and absolutely love it! Good sound, especially through a good pair of headphones. The touch is fantastic and very expressive.

Later,

K

Well, as promised I'm reporting back, now that my SP-250 has arrived. I'm delighted!!! The action is exactly what I want, the piano sounds are excellent, even through the onboard speakers (and yes, it amplifies well too.) All the other voices are acceptable, some are better than others, and I'm very pleased that I got this piano. Can't figure out why they're not marketing it more aggressively. With the Yamaha range, you either pay quite a bit more for equivalent features, or at the same price point loose out with fewer bells and whistles. To me, the Casio at a similar price just doesn't sound as good. I highly recommend the Korg SP-250.

kstrong could I beg you for a DPBSD MP3 of the main piano on your LP350?

And 35gfoxm I would hugely appreciate the same from your SP-250!

I'd run the reviews by you before posting them on the DPBSD thread.

.