I just started looking at digital pianos for an adult beginner (<$1700) and am wondering what people's thoughts are on these different ones:

Roland HP101, Kawai CN3 and Yamaha CLP 230.

Is the CLP 230 the comparable one to this mode of Roland?

I've tried the Roland and Kawai and I feel I prefer the Roland. They are the same price too. I will be trying the Yamaha CLP 230 on the weekend although I don't know the price as yet.

Surfing around on the net today I came across the Yamaha YDP model line, specifically the YDP223. What's the difference between this and the CLP as the prices seem cheaper but the specs are similar.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

for Yamaha, major difference between CLP230 and YDP223 is the action: CLP230 with GH3 while YDP223 with GH. GH3 action is the newer generation of graded hammer action and more responsive. i think YDP223 would be little cheaper comparing with the price for CLP230.

I´ve tried the CLP230 and the HP 101. The sound on the HP101 is very rich and dynamic especially when using headphones, but for my liking much to mellow in the middle octaves. Tried it at home for a week and I was not happy, so I changed it for the CLP 230. The feeling and the sound of the HP101 was very different from the Yamaha Grand I play at our church. The CLP 230 is similar in feel and also similar in tone. Much brighter than the HP101.

Best regards,

/Richard

Thanks Richard and Signa.

I think the prices for the Yamaha's here are much more expensive than I'm seeing on the web. It's probably because there is only 1 shop here that sells the Clavs. Hopefully I'll find a good clav at a good price otherwise it'll have to be the roland.

I have played all of the above brands (however, the Kawai I tried was a higher model, the CA5). They're all very good, and an argument could be made for any one of them (I liked the Roland sound the best, but preferred the Yamaha's keyboard over the Roland's). The Kawai CA5 had an excellent keyboard, but I believe it not to be the same as the CN3 (the CA5 has real wooden keys). The Kawai was a good value and the piano sample was fantastic, but I really didn't like the speakers (they seemed too "small" sounding). If it weren't for the speakers sounding so "small", I probably would have given the nod in that direction.

As it turns out - after months of research on digitals and many trips to stores - I bought a Chineese import acoustic baby grand! Why you ask? Because I brought my wife with me on my last trip to the store so she could hear the difference between the Roland and Kawai - the salesman happened to be playing a 4' 8" brand new Hallet & Davis baby grand - there was no talking her into a digital after that. Granted, it's twice the price (at least), but the sound was beautiful in comparison to even the highest end digitals on the floor.

So my advice? Bring your wife into the research process early - it'll save you a lot of time! Good luck.

I was in a very similar shoes in that I was struggling between the Roland HP, Yamaha CLP, and Kawai CN and CA series.

I don't mind paying a bit more for a more "real" sound, so I tried the HP 103. CLP 240, CN3 and CA3 (the higher ones has way too many electronic features which I am not interested). Roland was the first one I tried weeks ago, almost forgot the sound. But the CLP 240 was great and it seems to have much more advanced technology than the Roland HP 103.

However, as soon as I played the acoustic (upgrade or grand), I noticed the significant sounding difference between any real and any digital pianos. I thought my requirement is simple--want a upright digital piano that look and sounds like the real one and with volume control and phone jack(s). While I can easily satisfy myself with the *look* of any upright digital piano, I am not quite satisfy with the *sound* of *any* of those brands/models I tried.
My budget is quite tight and living space is limited, so I don't think I can yet afford a real piano with annually tuning fees. I am a bit frustrated now. If you or anyone have any better advice, pls feel free to share...

Kiko,

Because showrooms are large, I felt compelled to turn the digitals I was trying up to their max, and then the speakers seemed to "bark" at me a little. At home, this is unlikely to be the case, as you won't be cranking the speakers so much(I am basing this on the fact that the acoustic we bought is MUCH louder at home than in the store).

I am convinced the digital will sound better at home than in the store. In fact, I played one Kawai in a practice room and the sound seemed to surround me, similar to an acoustic. I originally thought this was due to the fact this was a high-end piano - the next step up from the Kawai CA series - but I'm starting to think the better sound may have been largely due to the smaller environment.

I think that if I had come home with the CA5 or the HP-103 Yahaha 230 or 240, everyone would have been reasonably happy with the piano (except maybe my wife, who seemed to have the strongest opinion regarding acoustic vs. digital). Without a real piano to compare to the digital, I doubt even she would be bothered by the sound of the digital. And I could have saved $3K!


If you are just biding time between now and when you can get an acoustic, maybe you could aim lower in the digital price range? I played a couple of Casios that were "nice-enough" feeling and sounding to get by with for a couple of years. You'll find several posts by Gyro praising a certain model. Good luck!

I am an admitted Yamaha fan when it comes to digitals. They are the only ones I will recommend to my clients. There are differences between the YDP series and the slightly more expensive CLP series:
1. YDP223 typically comes in only one color. CLP230 come in three colors.
2. YDP series comes with a 1 year warranty (you pay the shipping to Yamaha). You must save the big box for warranty shipping. CLP series comes with 5 year parts, 1 year labor and is "in-home" serice warranty.
3. CLP features the GH3 keyboard wich is slightly more authentic in the touch.
4. CLP has slightly more recording capability.
You will pay a little more for the CLP230, but many folks believe these features are worth it.

We tried the Roland HP 101 & 103 but felt (as did our teacher) that the Yamaha had best touch and tone. The Roland seemed sluggish and shallow. Our teacher uses Yamaha at the local university so we chose Yamaha. We then noticed that the Yamaha YDP223 looked just like the slightly more expensive Yamaha CLP230. The CLP230 is much better than the YDP223 for many reasons and is worth the slight price difference. The CLP230 has the real GH3 action (touch) and more accurate pedal system. The YDP series is from Yamaha's "keyboard" department where as the CLP230 is from Yamaha's "Clavinova" department and has much higher quality parts, hence the five year in home full service warranty. The CLP230 will also retain it's resale value as it's an authentic Clavinova. We're now trying to decide between the CLP230 and CLP240. CLP240 has an even richer sound and overall depth that is simply incredible. For truly mind blowing UNBELIEVABLE sound though, try the Yamaha CLP280 ~ WoW !

Have any of you tried the new Roland HP-200 series (eg 201, 203, 207)? They are MUCH improved over the HP-101, 103, etc, and IMHO, significantly better than the best Yamahas for sound (Yamahas are too bright for me) and the ability to control the dynamics. I think Roland's new PHA-II action is excellent.

I plan to buy the HP-207, based on my experience and recommendations of friends who are professional pianists. The HP-207 also gives you extensive control over the sound quality through equalization settings.