I am about to buy a Roland HP 203 (at € 1779) but last monday the dealer told me that Roland reduced the price of the HP 204 to € 1990 (from € 2299).

Is there anyone who actually owns a Roland HP 204 and can tell me more about it? I'm very interested in you experience with the instrument.

Also I would like to know if the speaker system and bigger cabinet in comparison to the HP 203 really makes big diffrence (worth the extra money)?

I have had my 204 for almost a year now and am delighted with it. I too started by looking at the 203 and spent quite a lot of time (courtesy of a very helpful dealer) trying it in the shop. I also spent a lot of time on the 204 which was sitting right next to it. Although the 203 is an excellent instrument for the money, in my opinion the 204 is well worth the extra, and yes, the cabinet and speakers do make a world of difference.
Don't hesitate, at that price you are going to get an excellent piano.

Thank you very much David for sharing your experience. I am actually a beginner and already decided to buy the HP 203 but now I'm having doubts again. Should I now go for the 204?

I'll probably play more with headphones than via the speakers because I live in an apartment. And when I'll play through the speakers it wil not be at top volume so that's why I'm hesitating now.

What I will do is listen to both of them carefully again at the dealer.

I too live in an apartment and with that in mind took headphones with me when I went to try the pianos and I have to say the difference between the two was not that great. Take the phones out, however and it becomes an entirely different matter, the 204 definately scores. Given the relatively small price differential, my opinion is that you are getting much more for the extra money. I would also add that during the buying process, and subsequently, I have nothing but the highest praise for Roland's customer service staff here in the UK. They really make you feel like an important customer, rare in this day and age.
By the way, without phones you will not need the highest volume unless you plan in filling a concert hall!!
Good luck with the purchase, whatever you go for.

PS - A point I should have made is that I have been playing the piano since the age of 8 (more years ago than I want to admit), so have no shortage of experience of acoustic instruments. This was a strong factor in my choice of a)Roland and b) the 204.
Hope this all helps
Regards
David

Thanks David, your comments will surely help me. What I also did is I took my (to be) teacher (who has little experience with dp's) with me to the dealer to ask her opinion on the Roland HP-203 and Yamaha CLP-340. She liked both the action and sound of the HP-203 over the Yamaha. I should have asked her to also play the HP-204 :.
But I do realise that in the end it's me who will be playing the instrument so I have to like it (not somebody else)......

Take it from me, if your teacher was happy with the 203 then she will certainly have no issues with the 204.
It's good to find someone else who is not happy with the Yamaha sound, I myself have never liked it, especially in their acoustic pianos which, in my opinion, are far, far too bright and "in your face". Whilst not doubting their build quality, I feel they have a lot to learn about tonal subtlety.