Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Used LX15e or new LX17

I just last night fell up this 'pianoworld' site. Most all of these threads on the Roland HP, LX, CA and CLP/CVP series have been enlightening and I'm still not done exploring. I generally research any major purchase 'til I'm exhausted. I've gone over, time and again, the specs and video demos of the HP and LX series and a bit less of the Casio and Yamaha and have visited several music stores to play them. I am a Roland FP3 owner of the last 14 yrs. and I guess a bit partial to Roland. In the beginning, the first week 14 yrs. back, I had a Yamaha and return it because of length of decay issues in the upper register. The Roland I took instead was far better.
Anyway, please bear with me here. I have laid out a deposit on a 6 mo. used LX15e at a dealership and yet I'm second guessing my decision, before the sale is final. The LX15e seems an exc. deal at $3150. The HP605 would be $3100 and the LX17 would be $5000 (and I'm still trying to work that down). All my figures comparable to the British pound are either BP x 1.3 or dollars x .77. So Kushy paid what would have been $2,670 in the US, seemingly a pretty good deal, but I have to account for that I'm getting the long type storage bench and headphones. I still think Kushy did a better deal.
But here's the bottom line for me... and all these differences I'm about to mention are fogging my final decision but I am leaning toward the LX17. The LX15e is not, as I understand, modeling but rather the standard sampling and yet it does have a resonating power to open strings or undampered strings whereas the LX17 is purely and only modeling. Sound wise, they seem much the same but the LX15e is only 128 polyphony, and most samplings of the day have gone to 256, and the LX17 modeled sound engine is unlimited. Even though I'm not given much to glissandos, nor do I play like Franz Liszt or Vladimir Horowitz, I do recognize that the 128 polyphony is an old standard.
More importantly, the LX17 has 8 speakers with 2 at almost 10" and the 15e only 6 with the largest at just over 6". The LX17 has 2 speaker boxes with 2/10" in one and 2 of the mid-range speakers in the other. This makes for a much fuller sound in the LX17. I think there was one speaker box in the 15e.
Quickly moving on, I hope, the LX17 are mainly the PHA50 keyboard, Bluetooth, and upgraded bench (adjustable hgt.), expanded MIDI capability, expanded dubbing and layering in recordings, optional page turner on sostenuto pedal, some 70,000 free music compositions (functional with page turner)... and probably quite a few more mentionable bells and whistles.
Mainly, for me, is the speaker system, the PHA50 newly developed key action... and, and, and. I think I've gone on quite long enough here. Anybody ready for a scone?
So if anyone, who has had the patience to read all of this, has any input on helping me make this decision I would greatly appreciate it. I'm 62, have been playing since I was 5 yrs. old, have had many acoustic pianos over my lifetime (and have played many finer ones I could never afford), but, this will likely be the last piano I buy... unless, of course, I make the wrong decision. God help me, the salesman and all you readers that that does not happen.
Lastly, I just want to say, I think Roland cheaped out on both the LX15e and the LX17 with the combination keyboard cover/music stand. Who wants to remove their music every time they want to close the keyboard cover... and they cleverly try to push it off as an intended upgrade that in fact you can layout a full music score. The HP's and the LX7 are definitely one up on that foolish design.

Regarding your point / question on LX15 versus HP605, have you considered this as choosing between what for now seems to be a final version of Roland's established mostly-sampled DP technology and a first version of Roland's fully sampled DP technology....... and sound wise, thus far, your ears indicate the two seem much the same?

Also note that the sound/power output on the newer HP & LX modeled models is significantly lower than the LX & HP sampled models ..... just saying, by comparison, the newer fully modeled tech projects sound with a lot less Watts. This may have some bearing on the different speaker arrangements you described Example: LX15e - 160 Watts (60x2 + 20x2) versus LX17 - 74 Watts (25x2 + 6x2 + 6x2) , HP605 - 74 Watts ( 30x2 + 7x2)

Don't worry too much about the output wattage.

The LX-17's speaker system benefits from extremely efficient drivers. Making the difference in tone and volume from it's predecessor, negligible.

The LX-17 speaker is lauded by those who have tried it and own it. Wattage doesn't tell the whole story.

Jay

Having a HP605, I'd say the speaker watage is quite ample. If you play the demos or even bluetooth music, or reverse computer DAW into the piano; there's more then enough speaker watage, and of course playing it directly.

No contest for me: tested both, the LX-17 is hairs standing out on your neck good, the LX-15e isn't.
Alternatively, if you don't like the price of the LX-17: pick up an FP-90 plus a nice pair of monitors for a $1000. The action will be equivalent, the sound should be awesome at a fraction of the price.

a) How important is $2000 to you?

b) Doug M's suggestion of an FP-90 and a pair of speakers is intriguing. You can get really good speakers for $1000 per pair. No worries about "Is there enough power?", with that option.

I admit to bias, in favor of "modular" systems (as you can see by my signature).

That (lauding) was what I was doing but maybe I overdid understating this.

When HP508 first came on my radar in Fall 2014, it was at the tail end of the process of purchasing ES7. At that time it was regulalrly selling for over $5000, well beyond my range, but I continued to think about it over the months. Last October when I wanted to get a second DP, I talked to that man in AZ who shall not be named and found out #1, the new HP & LXs recently announced and #2, HP508, instantly became obsolete and could be gotten new for under $3000, so I pounced. At the tail end of that process I looked over the specs of LX7, noticed the sound & speakers watt rating, asked the nameless one about this. He said he had tried both the LX7 & 17 and they sounded, volume wise, on par with a grand; impressive.

So now I have the next out-of-my-range model in the hopper to think about over the months.

The sound of LX-17 is very good. No problems with the output, it is loud enough for a 50 square meters living room.
You can also feel the modeling engine affecting the sound with every key.
Haven't heard the LX-7, but I'm comparing daily the LX-17 with Yamaha Clavinova 525 (sampled).
No contest here.

LX-7 wasn't very impressive unfortunately. Tested it in Bristol against a V-piano hooked up to monitors and against an LX-15e. Obviously the V-piano was best. Rather have the LX-15e than an LX-7 probably. It's the amp/speaker system in the LX-7: not nearly as good as the LX-17.

Simply and quickly put. Would you buy a, said to be 6 mos. used, used LX15e for $3,150 or would you go the $5000 for a new LX17.

No.
$1000 maybe.