Top 9 Digital Grand Pianos - REVIEW | LOWER PRICES- May 2022

🎹 REVIEW - May 1, 2022 - TOP 9 DIGITAL GRAND PIANOS - Digital Mini Grand Pianos is a relatively small category in the world of digital pianos. There are only 3 major digital piano companies that make these instruments with 4 of the mini grands coming from Yamaha, 2 from Roland, and 1 from Kawai. The next piano company under those 3 companies that has them is Samick which offers 2 popular models of these mini digital grand pianos. There are also a few "off brands" out there which produce digital grand pianos but we don't recommend them due to a noticeably artificial piano playing experience.

There are other digital pianos brands out there who offer the mini grand piano cabinets. But I would put them on a much lower tier of piano playing realism because in my opinion they do not behave or sound like real acoustic pianos based on all my playing time with those brands and models. Those brands include Suzuki, Williams, Artesia, Kurzweil, and a couple of others. So if you really want to get the most piano playing authenticity out of a mini digital grand piano then I recommend you stick to the major piano brands which include Yamaha, Kawai, Roland, and Samick.

Yamaha has 4 digital grand models which include (priced in polished ebony) the Clavinova CLP-765GP ($5899), CLP-795GP ($7999), CVP-809GP ($17099), and N3X Hybrid digital grand piano (approx $17000). The CLP-765GP is the smallest in the line measuring 45" deep, the upgraded CLP-795GP measures 48" deep, the CVP-809GP measures 48" deep, and also the Yamaha N3X also measures 48" deep . All models come in either polished ebony or polished white which has a much higher cost, with the exception of the N3X Hybrid which only comes in polished ebony. 

I have played all 4 Yamaha models and they are really great instruments with the most popular being either the CLP-765GP or CLP-795GP in polished ebony. They have the latest piano key action, piano sound, and piano pedaling technology for digital grand pianos under $10,000. The CVP-809GP has literally thousands of bells & whistles compared to the other 3 models so if you are into having an interactive one-man-band, large interactive color touch screen, and all the music possibilities that you can possibly handle, then the CVP-809GP would be the one to get...assuming you could put out the large price tag for it.

The CLP-765GP and CLP-795GP do have a number of "bells & whistles" but those models are focused squarely on the piano playing experience and not as much as all the other features...even though you can do some cool things on them in terms of having some other instrument sounds, 16-track recording and playback, some basic interactive accompaniment styles, and a touch screen to make accessing the functions more intuitive. Go to the following link to read my review of the Yamaha CLP-765GP: Yamaha CLP-765GP Review

The Yamaha N3X Hybrid is called hybrid" because it has an actual full grand piano key action that comes from the Yamaha acoustic grand piano line and that key action feels and plays like an actual acoustic grand piano. That's the "hybrid" part of it and to get a key action like that costs thousands of dollars. It also has a customer mini 4' deep grand piano cabinet with a custom Yamaha internal sound system which is very impressive. 

With regard to functionality, the N3X is pretty basic and there is little you can actually do on the piano except for playing piano. So it is squarely focused on the best piano playing experience in a grand piano shaped instrument that you can get. However, one interesting piece of technology in the N3X is its ability to make the wooden keys "vibrate." 

In other words, when you play the keys there is a feature that can make they keeps have a slight vibration in them which is how a real grand piano key action would feel because of the natural acoustic sound waves that can permeate those keys when the strings are vibrating in the piano. You actually feel a slight vibration coming through the keys and into your finger tips when playing the piano.

The amount of that "vibration" is controllable as well to be very subtle of more pronounced. It's a cool feature and if you have played on acoustic pianos before then this "feeling" you get from the vibration in the keys may be familiar to you. So in the N3X model Yamaha has done just about everything they can do to make the piano playing experience as real as possible and yet give you a digital grand piano that does not go out of tune, can be played privately with headphones, can let you interface with external devices through USB connection, and the cabinet looks great as well. It's about $17000 selling price, but hey, "you can't take it with you" as the old saying goes. Go to the following link to read our review on the Yamaha Avantgrand N3X: Yamaha N3X Review

The Kawai piano company used to have one very large digital grand piano with lots of bells and whistles, and it was a lot of money too. However, they discontinued that model and recently came out with a small mini digital piano called the DG30 which sells at Kawai piano stores for $5499. It's just 34' deep and has a wood interior so it looks cute but yet very elegant in my opinion. It has one of the best key actions I have ever played in its price range and it sound great with a very capable internal sound system putting out beautiful stereo grand piano sound. 

When comparing Kawai to Yamaha digital grand pianos, you definitely cannot go wrong with Yamaha. However, if you need a smaller size but still high quality mini grand cabinet then the Kawai brand would be the one I would choose. In the meantime if you want more detailed info on all of these Yamaha digital grand pianos then read my detailed reviews on them at the following link: Yamaha CLP grand pianos review   Yamaha N3X grand piano review

This new DG30 model has some piano educational features including songs from popular lesson books for play-along while you are learning as well as a 16-track MIDI recorder and player for composition and arranging music if you are a slightly more advanced player. There are hundreds of instrument sounds on this model and it can play General MIDI files of thousands of popular MIDI file songs available on the internet.

At $5999 price I believe this model can handle most everything someone would want in a new digital grand piano and it is small enough to fit in nearly any space and that smaller size is what helps it do so well. My best guess is you'll have a difficult time trying to find this model in stock because it seems to be in very high demand right now because it is meant for any level of playing whether you are a beginner or advanced player. If you want more info on the new Kawai DG30 then click on my review link to read more about it. Kawai DG30 Review

Roland digital piano company makes 2 model digital grands with the GP607 37" deep instrument selling for about $6300 and the GP609 60" (5') instrument selling for about $12,000 in Roland piano stores. Unlike the Yamaha CLP and CVP digital grands being available to purchase on-line, the Roland digital grands are not available for purchase on-line as of now. So generally speaking you need to go into a Roland store to make the purchase. The smaller GP607 has a number of features and functions on it and I like the key action and piano sound along with the pedaling ability.

The GP607 has a very nice cabinet but the interior is a bit dark and not natural wood like you would find in the Kawai DG30. But otherwise it looks very elegant in its smaller cabinet. Unlike the Yamaha and Kawai pianos, the GP607 is a much older model (about 5 years old) and has not changed in all that time so in my opinion it's definitely due for an upgrade and that will likely occur sooner than later. 

The GP609 has the largest digital grand piano cabinet of the 3 brands coming in at 5' deep, so it definitely looks more authentic like a real baby grand piano. But...that GP609 model is identical to the GP607 as far as functions and features go including the same key action and the same piano sound engine. That's certainly not a bad thing but that GP609 model key action does not feel at all like a real grand piano because unlike real grand pianos that have very long wooden keys, the GP609 has relatively short keys with a different balance and fulcrum point making it feel more like an upright piano which is the way the GP607 feels.

In the (hopefully) near future Roland will upgrade the GP609 to include its newer and better "grand" key action which offers longer and more balanced keys from front to back. Roland has this better key action in a couple of upright digital pianos but not in their GP609. So the GP606 is definitely do for an upgrade in its key action and also a few other features, especially because that model has also been out for quite a while. But in the meantime, as far as digital grand pianos go, both models are very capable and definitely worth consideration. Please read my detailed review of Roland digital pianos at the following link: Roland digital piano review

The Samick piano company is well known for producing a big line of acoustic upright and grand pianos and have been building high quality pianos for many decades. They are a South Korean piano company just like other famous South Korean consumer products companies such as Samsung, Hyundai, and others. Samick may not be as well known as the other top piano companies but they are known within the piano industry and produced thousands of pianos in their own factories. 

The Samick SG500 and SG120 are imported from overseas and the main components are designed by an Italian digital piano products and software company in Italy called Orla. They design and create most all the internal piano and instrument sounds along with amplification, speaker design, cabinet design, and lots of functionality. The key actions are also from Italy and high quality based on my playing experience with them. The pianos are assembled in China under their supervision and the SG500 and SG120 models are impressive.

The Samick SG500 is 48" deep and is priced at $5299. It comes in either polished ebony, polished white, or polished red and all 3 of them look beautiful. The SG120 is 32" deep and is priced at $4399. That model also comes in all 3 of the same cabinet colors and it has the identical functionality as the SG500. The difference in those 2 models is cabinet size, cabinet design, and internal speaker system...otherwise they are the same piano...which is a good thing.

The stereo piano sound in these 2 models is impressive along with its

vast instrument sound library offering just about every instrument and effect you can think of...ad all of those sounds are quite a bit more advanced in realism that many other brands. The Samick models have interactive style arrangements, 16-track MIDI record and player and Bluetooth wireless audio.

Both models look very elegant, sound great, and everyone who has ordered and received their Samick pianos seems impressed. The problem with these 2 models right now is that they are out of stock as are so many products these days due to the pandemic, and it is doubtful they'll be available for a number of months. Nevertheless, please read my detailed review of these 2 Samick digital grand piano models and then you can learn more about them. Samick SG500/SG120 Review

As far as other digital piano brands that offer digital grand cabinet models, there are some out there which sell at Costco, Guitar Center, on-line, and other places. These other brands I normally refer to as "off-brands" because they do not come close to the name brands in reproducing a great piano playing experience based on my playing experience with them, and they have limited distribution. They are not models or brands that you would normally see in actual piano stores because they really cannot keep up with the name brands as far as piano playing realism. 

Some of those piano names include Kurzweil, Artesia, Williams, Suzuki, Pearl River, and a few others. My advice with regard to those brands is to "stay away" if you are looking for a more authentic piano playing experience. There is a reason those "off-brands" sell for a lot less money than the name brands. The off brands do have some nice looking cabinets along with a number of "bells & whistles." But when it comes to coming close to duplicating an actual piano playing experience, I have never played even one of those models that comes anywhere close to the name brand digital pianos or any acoustic piano with regard to key action, piano sound, dynamics & expression, and pedaling response. If you want a good and enjoyable piano playing experience then I recommend you stay away from those "off-brands" and stick to the name brands and invest your money wisely into something that you can enjoy for years to come.

Those off-brands do have lots of bells & whistles, they do have attractive cabinets, and you can definitely play them. Their biggest attraction on those pianos are their much lower prices for a "digital piano mini grand cabinet" and having many interactive functions. But you just do not get "something for nothing" as the old saying goes when it comes to a natural and realistic piano playing experience. 

There is a good reason why the name brands such as Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, and Samick cost a lot more money...and it is not because of "bells & whistles" features. It's because of the vastly more advanced piano playing technology including key action, piano sound, pedaling, and other important ingredients. If you are mainly wanting to have the grand piano type cabinet and don't have a lot of money, then you can do that with those off-brands. 

But if you also want a great piano playing experience in 2022 and trying to get close to playing and sounding like a real acoustic grand piano, then based on all my playing experience, that won't happen on the "off-brands."Stick to the name brands and invest for the future. Digital grand pianos of any size can look beautiful in your space, but do it right the first time...you'll be glad you did.