Korg keyboards and digital pianos on stage and in a variety of venues all over the world and they make great synthesizers, keyboard workstations, and a bunch of cool pro audio, drum, guitar, and studio production products. However, they have not been much of a "player" (haha) in the home digital piano world until about 4 years ago. They used to make a number of home digital furniture cabinet pianos in the past about 30 years ago or so that were quite impressive and I remember playing them. But then Korg got out of that business and instead concentration on professional stage keyboards, stage digital pianos, and studio production gear and they are a powerhouse in that category. But now in the last few years with their new very successful higher priced models called the C1 Air at $1449 and the G1 Air at $1799 and now the the LP-380U with advanced integration to external devices like iPad, Korg is a big "player" again in the home digital piano market.
The new LP-380U cabinet model has the same responsive key action found in their higher priced digital pianos which is a very good thing. The Korg RH3 hammer weighted key action is one of the main reasons I like Korg digital pianos so much along with a big, full piano sound through their powerful speaker systems. When it comes to the fundamentals of piano playing it is really about 4 things: key action response and key-weight, piano sound realism, pedaling sustain response, and how it all comes out of the internal speaker system. Cabinet design and construction can also play an important part in the buying/decision making process too...but for me it is mostly about how it feels and sounds as far as reproducing a real acoustic piano playing experience is concerned. After
playing the portable SP-280 a number of times I feel that the NH key action in it could be a bit better when trying to play softly along with reproducing a wide dynamic range of tone, especially when compared to a good acoustic piano. Nevertheless, the NH key action in the SP-280 portable piano is physically quiet and doesn't make much noise at all when the keys move up & down, so I give high marks to Korg for that. Korg is using this NH key action in other lower priced models as well as some stage digital pianos and although that key action is very good as compared to other brands and models in this price range including Yamaha and Roland, there is a noticeable difference in the two key actions (NH vs RH3). For me I would always opt for a Korg digital piano with the RH3 advanced piano key action, and with that in mind the LP-380U would be the preferred choice for me.
![Korg SP280 digital piano]( "Korg SP280 digital piano")
As far the piano sound goes, both models have a big, bold stereo piano sound along with 120-note polyphony which is more than enough to play at advanced skill levels without any note drop-out. It is true that some digital pianos from other brands have up to 256-note polyphony in this price range which is good. But this is generally only necessary with layering 2 sounds sounds together and playing lots of sustained chords together at one time or recording multi-track songs playing several tracks. Plus, when you use external iPad grand piano apps and have those sounds coming through the LP-380U using the USB audio streaming technology, the polyphony of the LP-380U has no effect at all on other stereo grand piano sounds coming into the LP380U from acoustic piano apps in the iPad such as CMP because their piano polyphony power is independent from the Korg piano and visa-versa. The main stereo acoustic piano sound in this new LP piano and the SP-280 is big and full and has good sustain decay time (with half damper control) when using the piano sustain pedal. Many digital pianos in this price range don't have good sustain time and also cannot trigger the half-damper (variable sustain time). The SP-280 and LP-380U are the same in this way and the SP-280 portable model has a very realistic single piano sustain pedal included for its price, so the SP-280 is very good when it comes to this feature. Although I do like the acoustic piano sound in the SP-280 portable, it does have somewhat limited sound dynamics when playing soft to hard, delicate to loud, etc as compared to Casio, Yamaha, Roland, and Kawai in similar price ranges. In other words, when you try
![Korg LP-380U keyboard]( "Korg LP-380U keyboard")
to express yourself and want more natural "color" to the music as you play the keyboard, the Korg SP-280 in my opinion just doesn't cut it as well for me. The piano sound itself is good but doesn't change character too much as you strike the key harder or softer like a real piano would. Also when the volume knob/slider is up somewhat loud, when you try to play more quietly and strike the keys easier on the SP-280, it is a bit difficult to get a quieter touch volume...it's like the the volume is louder when striking the keys more easily or lightly. This is not true on other good digital pianos I have played where the volume knob or slider was on loud. On some of those
![iPad CMP piano app]( "iPad CMP piano app")
pianos you could still play lightly at a very soft volume because the dynamic changes allowed for more natural response. The LP-380U furniture cabinet model with the advanced RH3 key action does offer more control over the sound dynamics and is noticeably more enjoyable to play because of that key action. Also on the LP-380U, if you want to add to and improve upon the piano sounds that are already in the piano then you can just connect one of the newer acoustic piano apps in the app library on an iPad and stream that new stereo grand piano directly into the LP-380U so that when you play music on that piano you'll be hearing new stereo concert grand piano sounds coming into your piano speaker system from the iPad which lets you utilize a new library of brand new sounds...all courtesy of the new Korg USB audio streaming technology in the LP-380U.
![Musical colors]( "Musical colors")
The bottom line is, music has tonal dynamics, color, tonal changes, and expression and when you play a good digital piano correctly. As I mentioned earlier, in the beginning when you're just learning to play piano it does not matter much about dynamics and tonal changes. But as a student progresses (or if you already play well) you may not be able to play at a more advanced level and so that would be a possible downside of the SP-280 in my opinion.
![Korg LP380U white]( "Korg LP380U white")
One of the impressive features of the SP-280 as well as the LP-380U is the internal audio power and speaker system as I have mentioned before. These two models both have 44 watts of total power (22 watts per side stereo) with nice sized built-in speakers, so if you are looking for a big full piano sound, both pianos do that nicely and the SP-280 is especially impressive in that way for its low price. In fact it has the most powerful speaker system in this price range of all the major brands for a portable digital pianos. However, the sound on the SP-280 comes up towards you through its speakers on top of the keyboard and if you have the volume up much past 1/2
![Korg LP380U]( "Korg LP380U")
way -3/4 volume, it gets to be much too loud coming right up at you. The speakers are in a different place on the LP-380U so it is not the same in that way and sound is dispersed and positioned in a better way. As a comparison, the Yamaha P-125 portable piano ($649 internet price) has just 14 watts of total power but it also has 4 speakers as opposed to two in the Korg SP-280, and the Yamaha in my opinion is loud and full enough for a portable digital piano because the sound is projected in a different way and using 2 additional speakers helps too. The SP-280 is much louder through headphones too so you cannot play much past half volume that way either. If you were playing in a large crowded noisy room either professionally or at home, the extra volume would be helpful, but even then it can get too loud for the person playing it as opposed to people in the room hearing it at a distance. Again, the LP-380U put out a much more balanced, better dispersed sound with more volume control dynamics so the piano playing experience on that model is a lot more enjoyable for me. The LP-380U is the only digital piano in this price range with a separate enclosed speaker box/chamber mounted under the keyboard and this system allows the sound to be positioned so that it comes out towards you (the player) rather than the speakers be in the bottom of the piano pointed down to the floor like many of the other brands do on their furniture cabinet pianos. So not only do you hear the piano sound in the LP-380U better, you also
feel that sound as well as it comes out towards you like a real piano, and that makes it more organic and natural.
![Korg SP280 digital piano]( "Korg SP280 digital piano") |
| SP-280 control panel buttons |
The SP-280 portable does have a nice contemporary design and styling with its rounded corners, back, and sides and the control panel buttons are easy to use, nicely laid out and accessible with buttons centered above the middle of the keyboard. Korg did a great job with that, although the features themselves on this piano are a bit basic (same as LP-380U) but they offer good control over the functions. The LP-380U compact cabinet piano is also very nice with its flat closing top and out-of-the-way buttons located on the left side of the top control panel. It's a simple but elegant look so does not appear to be unnecessarily cluttered with buttons. The cabinet takes up a small footprint and the key cover acts as the sheet music rest, and when you are done playing the piano and want to close it up, the key cover is a special "slow-close" type of cover that comes down more slowly so that it cannot slam down and then it folds up flat So when it comes to putting together an efficient and impressive piano in terms of key action, piano sound, pedaling response, cabinet, and internal sound system in this price range, the Korg company has done a great job in the LP-380U model, and an decent job in the SP-280 portable.
![Korg SP280 white]( "Korg SP280 white")
Both piano models offer 30 very good instrument sounds including electric pianos, strings, organs, choirs, etc, it can layer two sounds together, has reverb echo efx, transpose modulation ability, 3 key touch sensitivities, adjustable metronome for rhythm timing, stereo ![Korg LP-380U closed key cover]( "Korg LP-380U closed key cover")
audio output, and other useful features including duet partner mode. Partner mode is the ability of the piano to allow to people to play the same song at the same time. It's useful but only when two people want to practice the same song at the same time dividing the 88-keys electronically into two 44-note keyboards. Neither model
has a recording feature (which is too bad) and the SP-280 does not have USB direct connection to computer or iPad as I mentioned earlier. The SP-280 does come with a basic metal keyboard stand/legs included in the price which mounts to the piano and allows for good leg room when sitting at the piano, although I don't personally like the look of the stand unless this will be on-stage or in a bedroom. The stand is functional but not very attractive in my opinion. The SP-280 and LP-380U also have a number of preset temperaments or tunings including tunings for Middle Eastern and Indonesian music which is very cool.
![Casio CGP700]( "Casio CGP700")
My general assessment of these pianos is that if you are wanting to spend somewhere between $700-$1100, the LP-380U is a great choice from Korg although I am not as much a fan of the portable SP-280 because it does not have USB connectivity. But if you just want to mainly play piano and you are not as concerned with wanting to connect to external devices, then the Korg SP-280 at $799 (without optional stand) can be sufficient. There are also other choices as far as key action and sound is concerned such as what Yamaha, Casio, and Kawai have to offer with their digital pianos including the newer and popular Casio PX-870 furniture cabinet model at $999, Casio PX-S3000 portable digital piano at $849 price, and the Kawai ES110 portable digital piano ($699 internet price - lower left pic shown with optional stand & 3 pedal unit which are extra costs). You'll get a good responsive key action, nice piano playing dynamics & tonality for piano sound, more overall internal features, USB direct connect to iPad and computers (on the Casio, not Kawai), and the portable Casio and Kawai pianos are much lighter in weight than Korg SP-280. The Korg SP-280 portable weighs in at about 40lbs and the Casio, and Kawai weigh in at about 26lbs each (without stand). Having 30 instrument sounds and big audio volume is great in the Korg SP-280, but having less sounds with
![Kawai ES110]( "Kawai ES110") |
| Kawai ES110 |
better key action and technology is even more important in my opinion and you can always connect external speakers to these pianos for more volume if needed. However, it's the new Korg LP-380U that really shines especially when you compare that model against some of the other brands & models in that price range such as the
Roland F140R ($1299 internet price) with just 24 watts of total power through a small speaker system or the
Yamaha YDP-144 ($1099 internet price) with just 16 watts of total power through a small speaker system. In my opinion the Korg LP-380U furniture cabinet model at 44 watts audio power along with USB audio streaming
![Korg LP-380U closed key cover]( "Korg LP-380U closed key cover")
technology is the much better buy and is the best bang for the buck" in that price range when it comes to using external iOS app piano lessons and other iPad app technology. The very popular Casio PX870 at $999 follows right behind it and also offers a lot of great piano sound and options and we have done a review of that model as well. As I mentioned earlier, both Korg piano models (LP-380U & SP-280) are essentially the same pianos but with different key actions in different cabinets and they also have different internal speakers. I believe that a person could also be happy with the Korg SP-280, but a lot happier with the LP-380U depending on the cabinet (portable or furniture), your musical goals, playing skill level, music experience, and expectations. The LP-380U has a special textured finish on its matte black cabinet, although it does come in other color finishes, and you can see this better when the key cover is closed flat (see left photo) which gives the LP-380U a very sleek, contemporary appearance.
![Korg LP-380U is made in Japan]( "Korg LP-380U is made in Japan")
In fact, Korg is the only brand out of all the popular digital piano brands to have their cabinet digital pianos manufactured in
Japan in their own factories as opposed to being made in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc as many of the other famous brands will do. So when it comes to a very good value, you really don't have to look any further than Korg, and especially with regard to the new LP-380U and the older SP-280 which is still a fairly good portable digital piano in this price range. Korg also produces some even more authentic home digital pianos with even better internal piano sounds, more advance internal speaker systems, and other features. Those pianos are called the
Korg C1 Air and
Korg G1 Air. Check out my reviews of those models and then contact me for more info and lower prices than on the internet for any and all digital pianos.
If you want more info on new digital pianos and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.
playing the portable SP-280 a number of times I feel that the NH key action in it could be a bit better when trying to play softly along with reproducing a wide dynamic range of tone, especially when compared to a good acoustic piano. Nevertheless, the NH key action in the SP-280 portable piano is physically quiet and doesn't make much noise at all when the keys move up & down, so I give high marks to Korg for that. Korg is using this NH key action in other lower priced models as well as some stage digital pianos and although that key action is very good as compared to other brands and models in this price range including Yamaha and Roland, there is a noticeable difference in the two key actions (NH vs RH3). For me I would always opt for a Korg digital piano with the RH3 advanced piano key action, and with that in mind the LP-380U would be the preferred choice for me.
As far the piano sound goes, both models have a big, bold stereo piano sound along with 120-note polyphony which is more than enough to play at advanced skill levels without any note drop-out. It is true that some digital pianos from other brands have up to 256-note polyphony in this price range which is good. But this is generally only necessary with layering 2 sounds sounds together and playing lots of sustained chords together at one time or recording multi-track songs playing several tracks. Plus, when you use external iPad grand piano apps and have those sounds coming through the LP-380U using the USB audio streaming technology, the polyphony of the LP-380U has no effect at all on other stereo grand piano sounds coming into the LP380U from acoustic piano apps in the iPad such as CMP because their piano polyphony power is independent from the Korg piano and visa-versa. The main stereo acoustic piano sound in this new LP piano and the SP-280 is big and full and has good sustain decay time (with half damper control) when using the piano sustain pedal. Many digital pianos in this price range don't have good sustain time and also cannot trigger the half-damper (variable sustain time). The SP-280 and LP-380U are the same in this way and the SP-280 portable model has a very realistic single piano sustain pedal included for its price, so the SP-280 is very good when it comes to this feature. Although I do like the acoustic piano sound in the SP-280 portable, it does have somewhat limited sound dynamics when playing soft to hard, delicate to loud, etc as compared to Casio, Yamaha, Roland, and Kawai in similar price ranges. In other words, when you try 
to express yourself and want more natural "color" to the music as you play the keyboard, the Korg SP-280 in my opinion just doesn't cut it as well for me. The piano sound itself is good but doesn't change character too much as you strike the key harder or softer like a real piano would. Also when the volume knob/slider is up somewhat loud, when you try to play more quietly and strike the keys easier on the SP-280, it is a bit difficult to get a quieter touch volume...it's like the the volume is louder when striking the keys more easily or lightly. This is not true on other good digital pianos I have played where the volume knob or slider was on loud. On some of those 
The bottom line is, music has tonal dynamics, color, tonal changes, and expression and when you play a good digital piano correctly. As I mentioned earlier, in the beginning when you're just learning to play piano it does not matter much about dynamics and tonal changes. But as a student progresses (or if you already play well) you may not be able to play at a more advanced level and so that would be a possible downside of the SP-280 in my opinion. 
One of the impressive features of the SP-280 as well as the LP-380U is the internal audio power and speaker system as I have mentioned before. These two models both have 44 watts of total power (22 watts per side stereo) with nice sized built-in speakers, so if you are looking for a big full piano sound, both pianos do that nicely and the SP-280 is especially impressive in that way for its low price. In fact it has the most powerful speaker system in this price range of all the major brands for a portable digital pianos. However, the sound on the SP-280 comes up towards you through its speakers on top of the keyboard and if you have the volume up much past 1/2 
way -3/4 volume, it gets to be much too loud coming right up at you. The speakers are in a different place on the LP-380U so it is not the same in that way and sound is dispersed and positioned in a better way. As a comparison, the Yamaha P-125 portable piano ($649 internet price) has just 14 watts of total power but it also has 4 speakers as opposed to two in the Korg SP-280, and the Yamaha in my opinion is loud and full enough for a portable digital piano because the sound is projected in a different way and using 2 additional speakers helps too. The SP-280 is much louder through headphones too so you cannot play much past half volume that way either. If you were playing in a large crowded noisy room either professionally or at home, the extra volume would be helpful, but even then it can get too loud for the person playing it as opposed to people in the room hearing it at a distance. Again, the LP-380U put out a much more balanced, better dispersed sound with more volume control dynamics so the piano playing experience on that model is a lot more enjoyable for me. The LP-380U is the only digital piano in this price range with a separate enclosed speaker box/chamber mounted under the keyboard and this system allows the sound to be positioned so that it comes out towards you (the player) rather than the speakers be in the bottom of the piano pointed down to the floor like many of the other brands do on their furniture cabinet pianos. So not only do you hear the piano sound in the LP-380U better, you also feel that sound as well as it comes out towards you like a real piano, and that makes it more organic and natural.
Both piano models offer 30 very good instrument sounds including electric pianos, strings, organs, choirs, etc, it can layer two sounds together, has reverb echo efx, transpose modulation ability, 3 key touch sensitivities, adjustable metronome for rhythm timing, stereo 
audio output, and other useful features including duet partner mode. Partner mode is the ability of the piano to allow to people to play the same song at the same time. It's useful but only when two people want to practice the same song at the same time dividing the 88-keys electronically into two 44-note keyboards. Neither model has a recording feature (which is too bad) and the SP-280 does not have USB direct connection to computer or iPad as I mentioned earlier. The SP-280 does come with a basic metal keyboard stand/legs included in the price which mounts to the piano and allows for good leg room when sitting at the piano, although I don't personally like the look of the stand unless this will be on-stage or in a bedroom. The stand is functional but not very attractive in my opinion. The SP-280 and LP-380U also have a number of preset temperaments or tunings including tunings for Middle Eastern and Indonesian music which is very cool.
My general assessment of these pianos is that if you are wanting to spend somewhere between $700-$1100, the LP-380U is a great choice from Korg although I am not as much a fan of the portable SP-280 because it does not have USB connectivity. But if you just want to mainly play piano and you are not as concerned with wanting to connect to external devices, then the Korg SP-280 at $799 (without optional stand) can be sufficient. There are also other choices as far as key action and sound is concerned such as what Yamaha, Casio, and Kawai have to offer with their digital pianos including the newer and popular Casio PX-870 furniture cabinet model at $999, Casio PX-S3000 portable digital piano at $849 price, and the Kawai ES110 portable digital piano ($699 internet price - lower left pic shown with optional stand & 3 pedal unit which are extra costs). You'll get a good responsive key action, nice piano playing dynamics & tonality for piano sound, more overall internal features, USB direct connect to iPad and computers (on the Casio, not Kawai), and the portable Casio and Kawai pianos are much lighter in weight than Korg SP-280. The Korg SP-280 portable weighs in at about 40lbs and the Casio, and Kawai weigh in at about 26lbs each (without stand). Having 30 instrument sounds and big audio volume is great in the Korg SP-280, but having less sounds with 
