REVIEW - Korg SP170S Digital Piano - Improved model is very nice but still needs better Key Action Sensitivity

I have reviewed the previous Korg SP170 (not the S version) in the past and wasn't very happy with it. However, the Korg company does make some great pro keyboards and other pro music gear and has for years, so I do like many music products from this company and have personally played and used them.

Korg has made some nice improvements in this new updated version of the SP170 which is called the SP170S ($499 internet discount price - optional stand additional cost). First of all, Korg finally realized their mistake (which I had pointed out earlier in a previous blog) in the original SP170 with regard to Korg not having a control panel with knobs and/or buttons for that model. What were they thinking!!?? Anyway, they put a power on/off button on the front top of the piano along with a basic control panel which includes a button to quickly access all 10 instrument sounds (which are very nice by the way) as well as a default button to automatically reset the instrument to the best piano sound on the instrument (there are 2 acoustic piano sounds with only the main one being acceptable to me). They also put the volume control knob on the front control panel instead of on back of the piano as they did on the previous model. I give credit to Korg for learning from their obvious mistakes in the recent past.

The keyboard action on this model is surprisingly quiet and sturdy and moves well except for one thing; the response of the piano notes/keys while playing normally is not so good when wanting to play lighter or softer passages. When you are trying to play a piece that requires a good response from the notes while playing easily and/or quickly, the notes do not react as they would on an acoustic upright or grand piano. This may not be something the average person would notice right away until you play a song where you would need to play more quickly or quietly with less finger pressure while playing normally as you would on an acoustic piano. In that way the key action feels somewhat mushy with strange note reaction time. There is an editing control for key touch sensitivity but this does not help when wanting to get better control over the sound (any instrument sound) during normal play. When you play normally, the physical action and response time and sensitivity should work well no matter what. In this instrument is does not and that's too bad.

The stereo piano tone is very good and convincing as an acoustic piano, but the difference in the tonality from soft touch to hard touch when playing the piano could be better. This is because the variance in piano tone characteristics (how hard or quickly the hammer strikes the string) on a regular acoustic piano is more subtle and progressive when playing soft to loud in the amount of key pressure applied to the keys on those types of pianos. The Korg SP170S is more noticeable when it changes tone as it is not as subtle or progressive, but for $499 it's certainly acceptable.

The physical buttons and knob on the instrument feel sturdy and well built and the on-board speaker system sounds really good in this price range and is an improvement over the older SP170 model. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that this piano supports half damper play using the included single sustain pedal. So sustain is not just on/off as it is in other low priced models, but it is progressive which duplicates what acoustic pianos really do when it comes to proper pedaling with the damper pedal. There is plenty of polyphony with 120 maximum notes (60 in stereo) and the looks of this instrument are very nice as well. It has a few other editing features as well as key transpose which is a good thing, but it does not have a USB computer connection output, only MIDI output (too bad, it should). With its weight coming in at just about 27lbs, it's also easy to carry for most people.

Overall, it's a very good instrument but it's still not quite there because of the key action and piano response sensitivity, especially when playing with a lighter and/or quicker finger touch as many people do. I played on this model many times and still couldn't get over the deficiency in the key touch when playing normally, so personally even though all the other features on this piano are very nice and the price is low, I would instead recommend you look at the Casio PX130 ($499 internet price) or the Yamaha P95 ($549 internet price).

Korg is gradually coming close to 'getting it right' when it comes to a low price digital piano, but they're still not there with this one in my opinion. This is Korg's only newer 88-key digital piano under $1000 and I don't know of any other alternatives in the Korg brand. The SP170S also has an option furniture style stand at an extra cost as well as a white version of the piano for the same price as the black version. Not many piano companies offer a white version of their low priced digital piano except for this one and Casio on their PX130. Korg does not offer an option 3-pedal setup for the piano (which may be important to you) but Casio does. Actually for a little bit more at $699, you could look at the Casio PX330 which is a very popular instrument and significantly upgraded in many ways from the Korg SP170S. Take a look at that review on my blog if you wish to learn more about it.


If you want more info on these and other pianos and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.