I'm considering buying the YDP-131 but I'm also looking at the CLP-220 since those are the only pianos to fit my budget. However judging by videos I am not impressed by the sound of both pianos. I've been to a music store but they didn't have them in stock, so I was unable to hear them live.

ydp-131
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hjy0nWrlF3s

clp-220
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KvuDM1pjqA0

Am I being deceived by the low-quality sound of the videos or do they really sound like that? Which one is the best choice?

I wouldn't depend on the poor quality recording - you don't know what the compression/mike have done to the original sound.

Find some demo samples online if you can. Somebody posted a link a while ago to the website listing all sorts of different pianos, maybe they'll post it again in this tread - I couldn't find it.

I have found a website where I could hear the YDP-131 and it doesn't sound terrific imo.

http://www.yamahapersonalpianos.co.uk/

The P-70 on the other hand sounds great and it's even cheaper! Is this a good piano?

Starting our search with Yamaha, we were quite unimpressed with P-70 and YDP-213. Slightly better were P-140 and YDP323.
I feel also CLP-230 with its GH3 is quite a leap over 220.
If the budget is strict, you may want to consider can you leave with just a keyboard vs. a piano-looking piece?
Most of the keyboards support 2 or 3 pedals, so it is just a question of appearance and convenience.
If keyboards are a possibility, I would suggest looking at Roland FP-4 and FP-7.
Alternatively, Roland HP-201 (~$1600US) is the most capable budget solution cabinet piano I would think. (To us it felt like wow compared to YDP323)

I have several adequately performed pieces in the member recordings, all made on a ydp-131.

Do those keyboards have weighted keys and is the sound equal to a digital? I might consider it then. It would be a great alternative since I can just place it on my desk (otherwise I'd have to move all the furniture in my room to get some space).

It's a shame that there are no pedals, but is that really a necessity? I have no idea.

Budget-wise, I'd like to remain below $/€1000. Right now I'm considering:

Digital piano's:
YDP-131
CLP-220

Keyboards:
P-70
DGX620

The P-140 is a bit too expensive for me. I think it would be best to learn to play first and then upgrade to a better piano.

@Fraggle: where can I find those recordings? I'm kinda new to this site.

Another solution which you may want to consider (it's the path I took), is buy the piano with the touch that suits you, paying no attention to the sound and then purchase software piano like Synthogy's Ivory, or Native Instruments Akoustik. You'll find software piano sound superior to DPs in most cases (you can find demos on their respective websites). The main downside is that you need to have a pretty good PC to get great results.

The problem is that I don't have PC in my room, so I'll have to do with the piano's sound.

Anyway, DGX620: recommended? I consider this one the most right now.

i remember YDP131 has GHS action, as on P70 or DGX620, while CLP220 has GH. but they're pretty much the same beside that. polyphony-wise, P70/DGX620 is 32 while the other 2 are 64. so, unless you're tight on budget, i wouldn't go for anything less than 64.

i would go for CLP230, because its action GH3 is much better one over GH (and GH better than GHS).

but it's all up to how much you can stretch...

What's the problem if I only have 32 polyphony? I can't really afford the CLP230...

The Korg SP-300 has 60 polyphony and it's only €130 more expensive. Is this a good keyboard?

Here is a link to `The Entertainer` on my ydp-131. The action is quite light but compares reasonably to a real piano.

http://www.mediafire.com/?7tzyy1d11qm

Stabby, I own a YDP-131 and after only nine months I have decided to upgrade to the Roland FP-7. The sound of the Yamaha is pretty poor and having speakers under the cabinet, face down, doesn't help. Sounds great with headphones on but terrible without. However, I have just listened to the fantastic mp3 of The Entertainer and cannot believe it is the same piano!!

Thanks, then I guess I won't get a YDP-131 after all.

I would like to get the DGX-620 instead, but what's so bad about 32 polyphony?

another alternative is P140, which has 64 polyphony and GH action, and therefore should be better functionally than YDP131 or P70 or DGX620. because it's a stage piano, it would cost less than CLP220, but you have to buy pedal (FC3) seperatedly.

Stabby, don't let me put you off! The YDP-131 is so limiting. There are few sounds, poor acoustics, I have had to have two broken keys replaced and thats after buying it new at Christmas past.

Signa, like I said the P140 is too expensive. Where I live, the CLP220 costs less.

And Gilbert, your first sentence doesn't make much sense with everything else you say.

Polyphony is how many notes can sound simultaneously. 32 may seem like a lot, but if you add another layer (for example strings), and then hold your sustain pedal, you'll start running low. In any case - 32 is the minimum, and fine in most situations.

I'm not much interested in playing other instruments than the piano. But if I just play without any extra layers, will I not be limited in any way?

A question only you can answer. Are you sure you won't need to hit more than 32 notes in the time it takes for the first note to expire? I'd say chances are pretty good you won't, like I said - I personally wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure it really is 32. Casio for example states 32, but then you find out that it's effective 16, because each note is reproduced in stereo.

If it is a good deal on CLP-220, I would definitely prefer it to DGX620 because of polyphony, more piano-like appearance and the fact that piano playing would be most important for you.

It is true that the speakers in the ydp-131 are utterly worthless. I use a separate amp and speakers when I play without headphones.

These are the prices where I live (Belgium):

DGX-620: €799
YDP-131: €936
CLP-220: €1190 (which is the absolute limit)
P140: €1335

Now the question is: are there any cheaper keyboards with GHS that provide the same piano sound with less features? I won't be doing more with it than I would with a real accoustic piano except headphone play (so recording, sequencing, multiple instruments etc. are all pretty much useless).

The cheapest weighted action keyboard out there is Casio Privia PX110 - it's US $380 on amazon.com now, but I'm sure it's going to be more in Europe.

€580 is the cheapest I could find, which is over $750...

Is GH that much better than GHS? I might still consider the CLP220 then.

Wow, quite different from North America.
I never heard about P-140 for more than $1300US
(I believe one can get it much cheaper in US)
By contrast, CLP-220 price makes more sense.

Here, the advantage of buying just a keyboard is that you can have it shipped for a reasonable price from all over Europe and DEFINITELY find quite decent deal.

So my last suggestion would be to test extensively
DGX-620, CLP-220, see also if you can get your hands on FP-4 (It can be had ideally for under $1100 US) and compare the touch, feel, appearance and sound.
It must feel right for you

I just got the price of the Roland FP-4: €913 including shipping, which I think is pretty cheap. Is it better than the Yamaha's?

I like the new Roland keyboard action in FP-4.
The sound is nice as well.
So I would say better than Yamaha in your list,
but you have to try yourself, go to the store play your favorite tunes.
See also if FP-7 may fit into your price range (it is roughly ~$300-350US more expensive than FP-4).
FP-7 was some revelation to us, but I really like FP-4 as well. I can understand some people would prefer its keyboard action to FP-7.

None of the local music stores have the FP-4 in stock which is a shame. And I'm just a beginner so there's nothing I can play. I have played the piano for 2 years but that's a long time ago, too long to stil be able to play.

Is it even wise to spend so much on a keyboard as a beginner?

If you're 100% certain you're going to stick with it and really learn how to play. Some people like to buy really crappy keyboards to learn on and move up to better ones as their abilities improve but if you know you're going to keep with it and get better, you'd probably save a lot more money and just get a really good keyboard to begin with. This isn't fact or proven in any way (that I know of) but I'd think you'd improve faster if it was on a good keyboard that most accurately simulated the touch and sound of a real piano. Again, that's just what I think would happen.