4 Best Digital Pianos for Classical Pianists – Buying Guide 2022

Digital pianos have been widely used in the classical music world. Classical pianists have distinct needs for their piano, and many musicians use digital pianos for their practice because it makes learning to play music more straightforward and fun.

With the increasing popularity of digital pianos, it is a common question among classical pianists about what they should purchase. They are not just looking for a cheap way to play their music but also need a great-sounding piano that allows them to play at the top of their game. The problem with acoustic pianos is that most do not offer the features an advanced musician needs.

Best Digital Pianos for Classical Pianists – Buying Guide

In this new digital piano guide, I’ll review the best four digital pianos for classical pianists considering the best features like portability, sound quality, price range, and user satisfaction. I hope you’ll enjoy this comprehensive guide. Let’s dive in.

Yamaha P515:

Are you an experienced pianist searching for a portable digital piano without compromising the best features for under $2000? Or, do you want a realistic playing experience with a digital piano? Then the Yamaha P515 would be the best choice.

In this review, we will discuss Yamaha’s flagship of the P series, the successor to the Yamaha P255 model Yamaha P515. The Yamaha P515 digital piano is a high-quality and powerful music instrument that delivers the feel and response of a realistic grand piano. Yamaha brings a considerable number of improvements to this P515 model. 

It’ll be a fantastic choice for piano professionals who require more portability with an acoustic grand piano experience. Yamaha is a renowned brand in the piano world, and its P series is primarily famous for its exceptional portability and high quality.

However, the P515 can be an expensive selection compared to the other models of the P series. Will it be worth buying the Yamaha P515? Should you buy this exceptional digital piano if you are a severe and professional pianist? Let’s dive in!

Design:

If I’m going to tell you about the design of this piano, then I’ve to say that at first, this piano has no real surprise. Because there are no radical changes that Yamaha has made to this P515 piano model, Yamaha emphasized functions and ease of use rather than the physical design.

The piano looks excellent, which will blow your mind. You sit it quite happily on any universal keyboard stand. If you have a cheap piano keyboard stand, you may find it a little unstable because this Yamaha P515 is much heavier than most other digital piano keyboards.

THE Bespoke L515 keyboard stand can be the best choice if you want to perfectly sit your keyboard with the LP1 pedal. It will make feel the complete package like an acoustic one. Yamaha P515 has a modern design with a more contemporary technology than the other predecessors.

Sound:

Now, let’s talk about sound quality. The Yamaha P515 Digital Piano is the perfect choice for any musician looking for the best in sound and convenience, and this offers unparalleled sound quality with 256-note polyphony. The Yamaha P515 sounds more accurate than the other P series pianos like P45, P71, P125, and P200. Furthermore, the Natural Wood X keyboard will provide a genuine piano playing experience.

For better music composition, you can connect it with a computer efficiently. The midi cable provides this unique facility to connect it with your computer or PC with professional software like FL Studio.

This digital piano delivers extraordinary clarity, realism, and expression, and this excellent performance comes from Yamaha’s Virtual Resonance Modeling Technology (VRM). This VRM technology provides the sounds of a grand piano in a more realistic way.

Keys:

If I’m going to tell you about the keys, the best part is the 88-weighted natural wood keyboard, which will provide you with the same response and feel as a grand piano.

If you are thinking about whether the width of this piano keyboard will be the same as the Yamaha acoustic piano, then the answer is yes. All the keys of this piano are full size, and the 88 keyboards have the same width as the acoustic ones.

Weight:

The Yamaha P515 is relatively heavier. If you are a traveler who prefers traveling the most and wants to travel with this one, then the 22kgs (48lb) can be difficult. But if you want to move it from room to room, it’s pretty light, and you do not need two or more people to pull it off.

If you think about the fantastic features of this digital piano, I’ve to say that Yamaha has done well to pack this into this size and weight. You can carry it from concerts to rehearsals and gigs very comfortably.

Bluetooth Connectivity Facilities:

Now, what about the Bluetooth facility? Yamaha P515 digital piano has built-in Bluetooth, but the Bluetooth will act as a receiver only. You can connect your headphone or music player with the help of this technology which will turn this P515 into a high-quality speaker system.

Smart Pianist App:

The most fantastic thing about this digital piano is the Smart Pianist App. It will allow you to control many of the intelligent piano functions using iOS devices, and you can select voices, rhythms, and other essential settings from your smart devices’ touch screens. You can create a chord chart using this Smart Pianist App from your iOS music library.

Price:

If you are an intelligent pianist and want the best digital brilliant piano for the modern music genre, then the P515 will be the best selection, and if you are finding digital pianos for under $2000 and have portability features, then I recommend this piano the most.

Pros:

• You will get awesome sound samples from the world’s two superb grand pianos, Yamaha CFX and Vienna-made Bösendorfer Imperial piano.

•  This piano will provide exceptionally natural and realistic sound through Binaural Sampling and Stereophonic optimizer.

• The Natural Wood X (NWX) keyboard will give you the feel of an acoustic piano while playing. 

• This P515 features enhanced Virtual Resonance Modeling, which will calculate the strings’ different states and give you dynamic and more realistic sound quality.

• 15w+5w amplifiers will provide you with an immersive piano-playing experience.

• The Twisted Flare Port will bring you a clear bass sound.

• Create a custom piano sound using The Piano Romm function by pressing only one key.

Cons:

• This piano is not recommended for non-professionals. If you are not professional and don’t need the portability facility, you can check out the Clavinova.

• Without the L515 stand, you can’t use the three-pedal set.

• Comparatively heavy than other portable pianos.

• The P515 is included with a sustain pedal which is not good enough.

Yamaha P515 Full Specifications:

Brand Name	Yamaha
Model	P515
Dimensions	52.6 x 14.8 x 5.7 inches
Weight	22 KG
Number of Keys	88
Keyboard Type	Natural Wood X (NWX)
Touch Sensitivity	Hard2/Hard1/Medium/Soft1/Soft2/Fixed
Display Size	128×64 dots (Full Dots LCD)
Language	English
Tone Generation	Yamaha CFX, Bösendorfer Imperial, and CFX Binaural Sampling, Binaural Sampling, Key-off Samples, Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM)
Polyphony	Maximum Number of Polyphony 256
Number of Voices	40 Voices, 480 XG Voices, and 18 Drums SFX Kits
Effects	6 Reverbs, 3 Choruses, Intelligent Acoustic Control, Stereophonic Optimizer
Rhythm	40
Storage	1.4 MB of Internal Memory and USB Flash Memory available.
Bluetooth Audio	Yes
Auto Power Off	Yes
Amplifiers	(15W+5W)x2
Power Source	USB
Power Consumption	15 W

For further specification details, please visit Yamaha.

Korg G1 Air:

Korg is a renowned Japanese piano manufacturing company that produces many popular digital piano models. Now I’ll tell you about a digital piano manufactured by Korg. Korg G1 Air is known as Korg G1b and is pretty good for advanced pianists. This high-end digital Korg model is fantastic, and you can get this unique piano for under $2000. Let’s talk about it.

Design:

If I have to talk about the design, the first thing that comes up is its finishing. It has soft-curved legs, and the fantastic finishing of this piano will blow your mind at first sight. If you were searching for some of the best digital stage pianos, then the Korg G1b should be the first choice. The slim-line cabinet is designed beautifully, keeping in mind the history of the musical instrument making of Korg.

This fantastic piano is available in four colors: Black (G1-BK), White (G1-WH), Dark Brown (G1-BR), and White Ash (G1-WA). While I was thinking about picking the best one for reviewing, Korg G1 came to mind first because of its great acoustic piano features. This advanced digital piano will give you the taste of modern digital pianos without question.

I am impressed with its build quality, especially its sleek and modern design. The piano is sturdy and durable, and it has a full-width rack on which you can put your piano books quickly. The quality of all the materials is very satisfactory, and it is entirely designed and made in Japan.

Sound:

If you want to discover and explore your unique styles, then this piano offers 32 high-quality sounds. This high-quality digital piano guarantees you’ll find the right sound for your desired performance. Korg G1 will meet the requirements of every pianist.

Three world-famous concert piano samples reside in Korg G1, The German, The Japanese, and Austria. If you want extreme and expressive power, the German will meet your requirements with many dynamics and vibrancy. The Japanese piano sound will make you happy if you want the classical, jazz, or pop version. The third one is from Austria, and this will provide you with a soulful and inspiring tone.

Like a real piano, the G1’s touch is similar to that of an acoustic piano, and the Real Weighted Hammer Action 3 (RH3) will provide this facility. The Japanese-made RH3 Keybed consists of heavier hammers in the bass notes, and the lighter hammers are in the treble.

You will get Stereo PCM sound generation with 29 sounds with the three bass sounds. Brilliance, Reverb, and Chorus effects add superb customization options for the player. The Korg G1 Digital Piano has a maximum polyphony of 120 notes, which allows you to play music at full speed without interruption, and the pitch transpose function will allow you to quickly change the key of your instrument without having to scroll through all of your presets, and this is especially helpful if you’re playing something that requires a specific range of keys.

Moreover, the Korg G1 digital piano has a built-in speaker system that produces sound through its four two-way speakers. The built-in speakers do their job well: they produce a crisp, clear sound that’s easy enough for anyone to hear even when it’s playing at high volume levels. You can also connect a headphone for silent practice.

Keys:

As I discussed before, the G1 features 88 weighted keys, which will simulate the playing experience of a grand piano. The piano provides a highly responsive keyboard, and the keyboard feels great under your fingers while playing. These five sensitivity levels are gifted with critical touch control: light, regular, heavy, stable, and fixed. Another thing is the critical action; it is so realistic, which will amaze you while you practice.

Weight:

This piano is not recommended if you think of the easier portability option. The Korg G1 piano weighs 42 KG or 97 pounds, which is too heavy for a piano player to carry outside to perform concerts. This 88-key piano is recommended for those who do not compromise with sound and quality. For beginners and intermediary players, this piano can be a good option.

Bluetooth Connectivity Facilities:

The Korg G1 model features a built-in Bluetooth system. You can easily connect your Bluetooth devices with this piano, like smartphones, iPhones, or iPads, and listen to your favorite music. You can also use this piano as a powerful speaker system by connecting your speakers through Bluetooth.

Price:

You must spend approximately $2199.99 to get a digital Korg G1 Air piano. This digital model of this brand is worth it if you consider its superb features and functions. It’ll be a perfect decision if you want this piano at home.

Pros:

• The Korg G1 has a modern and beautiful design with a sleek profile.
• You will find the feel of a real acoustic piano in Korg G1 without compromising the sound quality.
• You’ll get real playing experience of a classical piano.
• Bluetooth connectivity will allow you to listen to music from another of your room wirelessly.

Cons:

• You can find an audible hiss in the sample sound at the end while the sustain pedal is on.
• This piano has too much weight. If you have portability issues, then this piano is not recommended.

Korg G1 Air Full Specifications:

Brand Name	Korg
Model	G1 Air
Dimensions	56.5 x 18.75 x 14.5 inches
Weight	42 KG
Number of Keys	88
Keyboard Type	Real Weighted Hammer Action 3
Touch	Five types of touches
Pitch	Transpose and Mater tuning
Temperament	9 types of temperaments
Sound Generation	Stereo PCM
Polyphony	120 Voices (Max)
Sounds	29 sound, and 3 bass sounds
Effects	Brilliance, Reverb, and Chorus effects
Recorder	45,000 notes (2 tracks)
Demo Songs	10 demo sounds, and 40 piano songs
Pedals	Three pedals
Bluetooth	Yes
Power Supply	DC 24 V
Power Consumption	28 Watt

For further specification details, please visit Korg.

Roland-RD-2000:

If you did not find a digital piano with portability features and excellent sound quality, that is Roland’s RD series, and this is one of the best portable digital pianos for musicians. Classical musicians love the RD series piano because it can blend high-quality sound, straightforward workflow, and excellent features.

Design:

If you don’t have the required and enough space for a complete traditional piano, this Roland RD-2000 can be a gorgeous replacement. RD-2000 fits nicely on the stand if you buy this one as a bundled version. This piano has eight knobs and nine sliders, and this facility will provide you to control the sounds and effects instantly. The knobs feature LED indicators that help you adjust precisely with instant visual feedback.

With fine playability, easy operation, and a weighted keyboard, the RD-2000 is a compact, high-value digital piano. Its compact size and weighted keyboard make RD-2000 an excellent choice for any classical piano player.

If you want a digital piano that has every single feature of a music stand, Roland’s RD-2000 Digital Piano will not let you down! This excellent value digital piano is loaded with 88 graded hammer action keys and flawless USB connectivity.

If I’m going to tell you about the realistic touch technology, its realistic touch response system will give you excellent finger control on its 88-note hammer action keyboard and damper pedals to simulate traditional acoustic piano sounds.

The cable selection is fabulous, and if you like sampled pianos from the acoustic grand to upright piano, the Roland piano (RD-2000) has vast options. This game-changing stage piano weighs less than 50 lbs, approximately 47.9 lbs (21.72 Kg), a bit heavy but will provide you with superb portability facilities than any other digital pianos on the market. This piano should be your choice if you are a real fan of a grand or upright piano.

Sound:

Do you know the most critical factors a professional pianist takes into account? The action and sound. A reasonable price and lighter pianos get great importance from a professional pianist for the best transportation experience without compromising the sound quality. In this complex situation, Roland Digital RD-2000 is a game changer.

This digital piano comprises two advanced sound engines, V-piano Technology and SuperNatural. This feature makes this piano standalone. This V-piano engine will make you happy if you want the full-keyboard polyphony of 128 voices. For most of the acoustic pianos available on the piano market, the sounds of those pianos come from this V-piano technology. Moreover, this realistic piano has approximately 1100 piano tones.

The SuperNatural sound engine will give you the feel of the sound of the pianos of the 60s to 80s, and you will get the newly developed recreations of the RD-1000 and MKS-20 sound module, providing you with a superb playing experience of classical pieces. This powerful digital piano includes the famous BOSS CE-1 Chorus and Roland SDD-320 Dimension D to process your EPs perfectly. The EP sounds include Rhodes, Wurli, Clav, Etc.

The RD-2000 is equipped with Roland’s classic pitch/mod lever and two modulation wheels, which allows expressive options for any performance style. The dual wheels are helpful for detailed and best sound adjustment on external synths and can be independently assigned per program.

Keys:

A digital piano for advanced pianists must have superb piano action. The new PHA-50 action digital keyboard with escapement will be the ideal platform to play the fabulous responsive acoustic and electric pianos, and this is a tremendous step from Roland and will be an excellent experience for you while playing the piano. The newly designed keyboard features hybrid keys made of wood and molded materials, giving you the classic feel with extreme durability.

Weight:

This premium piano weighs around 21.72 kg and is slightly lighter than the Yamaha P515. If you put this aside and prefer most the sound quality and action, then this Roland’s masterpiece must be your choice.

Price:

If you have chosen a big budget and want a professional piano with features from an upright or grand piano, then you can buy this masterpiece for only $2999.99. I will mostly recommend this piano.

Pros:

• The Roland RD-2000 is easy to use. 
• It has a plug-and-play facility.
• You will get the perfect balance of tone, volume, and articulation.
• This piano has the ultimate in intuitive performance.
• This piano works well as a stage instrument.
• RD-2000 has a good build quality.

Cons:

• The sustain pedal isn’t as good as some might expect.
• Knobs are tiny.

Though its capabilities have some limitations, I think this is one of the best solutions for those who need the performance.

Roland-RD-2000 Full Specifications:

Brand Name	Roland
Model	RD-2000
Dimensions	Width: 1412mm, Height: 140mm, and Depth: 367mm
Weight	21.7 KG
Number of Keys	88
Keyboard Type	PHA 50 Keyboard
Tones	Over 1100 Tones
Sound Generation	2 Sound Engines (V-Piano Technology, and SuperNatural), PCM Sound Generator
Polyphony	128 Voices (Max)
Effects	Tremolo/Amp Simulator, Reverb, Delay, and Sympathetic Resonance
Storage	USB 2.0 Flash Drive
Display	256×80 dots LCD

For further specification details, please visit Roland.

Casio PX-870:

When choosing the best digital piano for advanced players is a daunting task, I’m here to help you to choose the best piano. I’m excited to review this particular piece, the Casio Privia PX-870. If you are madly searching for the best digital piano similar to the acoustic piano and can play modern music perfectly, the Casio PX-870 will be the best option.

Design:

Though there are many digital pianos in the digital piano market, PX-870 will give you an authentic piano voice, the flagship of the famous Privia line. If you’re looking for a compact digital piano that will fit seamlessly into any home décor, the Casio PX-870 is the one for you. This piano comes in three colors, Black, Oak, and White, giving it a simple and professional look.

It features three built-in pedals, allowing you to play with it more professionally. The three built-in pedals are a sustain pedal (which allows you to play notes without depressing the keys), a soft pedal (which allows you to control volume or other parameters), and a damper pedal (which activates or deactivates the damper system). The damper system makes this digital piano especially suited for live performances since it allows musicians to adjust their sound levels on the fly.

Sound:

If you want the natural feel of a grand concert piano and want to play certain styles of music, then this piano is perfect according to its sound qualities and functions. Professional pianists consider the sound quality most when choosing the best one.

This piano has various features, including the ability to layer and split different instruments, 256 notes of polyphony, and 19 instrument tones. PX-870 features the most popular AiR Sound Source, which includes four layers of grand piano sounds, making the tones more realistic and perfect.

The incredible thing is that this piano comes with new four-layer stereo sounds, and it works great!

The Casio PX-870 has String Resonance that lets you control the decay of strings by using your fingers on the keyboard. This feature can add more depth to your performance by creating the illusion of multiple layers of sound. Another thing is the powerful 40-watt, 4-speaker system. This speaker system envelops the audience and room with rich, detailed sound.

Keys:

If you want a digital piano for beginners, this Casio PX-870 has a versatile keyboard that both beginners and professional musicians can use. It’s available in 3 preset touch sensitivity settings: Soft, Medium, and Hard. The Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II keyboard uses a hammer mechanism that provides an authentic piano feel. The easy-to-use key-bed makes it easy for anyone to play this keyboard with little to no training.

The keys are weighted perfectly for each note’s pitch, with less chance of accidental critical presses than on regular keyboards; this makes it easy for beginners to use this keyboard without frustration or limited success.

Weight:

If you think about the portability feature, I must discourage you. This piano weighs around 34.3 kg, which is too heavy to carry to another place. But this digital piano for advanced classical musicians is perfect according to sound, touch sensitivity, polyphonic tones, and other exclusive features. This piano will make you feel like an authentic acoustic piano while playing. The price of the piano is $1199.99. At this price point, Casio is providing the best digital piano that fits the needs of an advanced artist, so this digital piano is the best option for beginners to advanced players according to its affordable price range.

Price:

Picking the best digital piano at the desired price and quality was a daunting task for me. I got this one, which is affordable and best for beginners and professionals. This Casio model will cost you exactly $1199.99. This piano will be the best choice if you have a lower budget and don’t need the portability option with the best sound features.

Pros:

• PX-870 has a unique, slim, and stylish design.
• You will get 256- polyphony notes.
• This piano features 19 unique sounds.
• PX-870 has a built-in MIDI and an Audio recorder.

Cons:

• This piano weighs more than the other pianos and has a low portability feature.
• The piano has very few sound effects.
• You can find a bit noisier necessary action while playing.

Casio PX-870 Full Specifications:

Brand Name	Casio
Model	PX-870
Dimensions	55.08 x 11.77 x 31.54 inches
Weight	34.3 KG
Number of Keys	88
Keyboard Type	Tri-sensor Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard II
Touch Response	Three levels of sensitivities
Tones	19 Tones
Sound Source	Multi-dimensional Morphing AiR
Built-in songs	60
Polyphony	256 Voices (Max)
Pedals	Three pedals
Speaker	2 way 4 speakers
Power Consumption	20 Watt
Amplifiers	20W+20W
Music Stand	Yes
AC Adapter	Yes
USB	Type A and B

For further specification details, please visit Casio.

If you love to play classical music and have an extreme passion for digital pianos, then the pianos I reviewed here will be the best options. I tried to review these based on budget, portability, and quality sound generation features. Although, it’s true that some of these pianos are expensive and may not be suitable for beginners. However, on the other hand, you will get a very high-quality sound. Why not invest in a product that will give you the best quality possible? After all, it’s better to spend more at first with the intention of upgrading than buying something cheap upfront and then having to replace it later.

If you are looking for a digital piano, you can choose from this list. Because these digital pianos offer all the excellent features that a professional pianist needs, don’t forget to share your thoughts here. I’ll be delighted to listen to you!