REVIEW - Yamaha YDP181, YDPV240 & DGX640 Digital Pianos - Yamaha's 3 Best Digital Pianos Under $2000

UPDATED REVIEW - February 10, 2013: I recommend the Yamaha DGX640, YDPV240, and YDP181 digital pianos. The YDPV240 & DGX640 are designed to give beginners and recreational piano players a good selection of automatic accompaniment rhythm styles along with some fun educational features that can be helpful for piano practice. The YDP181 is overall a basic digital piano when it comes to what it offers and it is my best guess this model will be discontinued soon for a newer version. My opinion is based on the fact that the lower priced Yamaha YDP141 and YDP161 just had major updates for 2013 (and are now called the YDP142 and YDP162) and the YDP181 did not have any upgrades for 2013. So in some ways the new lower priced models are better than the higher priced YDP181. The YDP181 was designed primarily as a piano replacement with a minimal amount of sounds and no automatic or fun educational features like the other two pianos, but the YDP181 does have a more authentic piano key action and piano sound than the YDPV250 or DGX640. The YDPV240 furniture cabinet piano and the portable DGX640 are essentially the same as far as controls, sounds, and electronics. Yamaha designs & produces reliable and fun to play digital & acoustic pianos and for many years I have played them professionally and enjoyed them very much. They are generally well built and have a big following among musicians and families. The Yamaha company started in Japan in 1887 founded by Mr. Yamaha, and built their first Japanese piano in 1900 (over 100 years ago). They were a piano company long before they started producing motorcycles, wave runners, ATV's, snowmobiles, tennis rackets, golf clubs, speakers, stereo's, etc.

Yamaha YDP181

Yamaha has a well known and respected name in the music industry and it is well deserved. The YDP-V240 (top left pic) is internet priced at $1999, the YDP181 (middle left pic) is selling for $1699, and the DGX640 is selling for a new lower price of $699 (incl stand). The DGX640 is improved over the previous model by having a better piano tone (especially important) and nicer cabinet & color options. However, it still uses the basic lighter weight GHS key action as does the YDPV240. I have played this key action many times on various lower priced Yamaha digital pianos and although the action feels good overall, it is a bit noisy with some occasional rattles & shakes (plastic sounding), and is not as quiet or solid of a feel as the Yamaha GH action found in the YDP181.

Yamaha DGX640

The YDPV240 and DGX640 have all "the bells and whistles" on them incl multi-track general MIDI recording a playback with USB flashdrive input feature that can be fun for piano students and recreational players. These two models also have hundreds of cool instrument sounds, drum rhythms, one finger automatic chord styles, and other interactive features which some people use and some do not. However, the YDPV240 is over $1000 more than the DGX640 (when optional pedals & bench are added) which in my opinion makes the V240 overpriced for what you're getting. Yes, it does have a few more electronic features than the portable DGX640, but not enough to justify the price... and yes, the V240 full size cabinet is more substantial along with its 40 watt speaker system as opposed to the portable cabinet and 12 watts of total power the DGX640 has, but that does not add up to over $1000 more, not even close. The key action movement and polyphony of the both the YDPV240 & DGX640 is also not near as good as the YDP181. The YDP181 has 128-note polyphony along with a heavier & quieter key action movement as opposed to the low 64-note polyphony and basic and lighter weight GHS key action in the DGX640 & YDPV240. If the V240 had the better key action & polyphony aspects of of the YDP181, then the V240 would have been a much better value, but unfortunately it does not.

Casio PX780 Piano

The Yamaha YDPV240/DGX640  does some very cool stuff but the Casio company just came out with new digital pianos that are using a newer 3-senor keytouch system with a hammer style mechanism to give a smoother acoustic upright piano response and sound with a more natural key movement in my opinion. So when it comes to piano polyphony, piano tone, and key action, the YDPV240 could have been better, but it is a lot of fun and does some cool tricks. If Yamaha had a much lower price on the YDPV240 closer to that of the new Casio PX780 coming out soon, then no doubt it be a much better value and a closer competitor.

But no matter what, in most cases the "piano playing experience" is personal and subjective as it should be, so you can have a great time with all of these models depending on what you want. However, the Yamaha V240 is internet priced at $1000 more than the new Casio PX780, which is a huge difference, so that price difference alone makes the new Casio a much better buy in my opinion. I would recommend you also check out my recent Casio PX780 review: Casio PX780 review

As far as the Yamaha YDP181 goes, it's really quite basic (same cabinet & sound system as the V240) and has almost none of the functions of either the Yamaha DGX640 or YDPV240. But it was not built for that as it's main purpose is to give you a good replacement for an upright piano which is what it tries to do and is certainly much better in that way than the other two Yamaha pianos. However the YDP181 does not have a USB ipad/computer output connection on it which is a big drawback in my book. Even the YDPV240 and DGX640 has the USB connector although it is not the new "plug & play" system that Casio pianos have which is even better and make interactive play with an iPad more intuitive.  I can provide you with more iPad digital piano info if you contact me.

Casio PX850

With regard to Casio in the lower price range right now, they also have their new 2013 model PX850 which at just $1099 internet discount price is a very low price in my opinion and is $500 less than the Yamaha YDP181 too and easily competes with it. The PX850 has 256-note polyphony (allows for an even more realistic piano tone), 40 watt 4-speaker sound system, synthetic ivory & ebony keys for very nice key surface, and many other cool features including high speed USB direct connection to iPad for educational apps (I use them all the time for teaching and notation). Yamaha does have the more popular name in pianos (they make great acoustic grands & uprights), but the name isn't what you will be playing...it's the piano itself and with that in mind, check out the new Casio models because I think you'll be impressed. Go here for my Casio PX850 review: Casio PX850 Review

At the rate digital piano technology is going, regular acoustic upright pianos may become a thing of the past one day and it's just a matter of time, but until then acoustic pianos are still a great investment and can be a great playing experience although they have high upkeep costs, are heavy, loud, and cannot be played with headphones, nor can they be connected to laptop computers or iPads. No wonder digital pianos are far outselling acoustic upright pianos these days:)

For more info on digital pianos and how to get one of these models for LESS than any advertised US price on the internet, please contact me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864 

REVIEW - Tradtional & Ensemble Digital Pianos...What's the Difference? - Roland KR115M, HPi7F, RP301R, RM700 - Yamaha YDPV240, CVP501, CVP503, CVP505, CVP509, CVP409GP, CGP1000 - Kawai CN43, CP119, CP139, CP179, CP209 - Casio AP620 - Samick SDP45, SG450 - Omega LX503, LX505, LX802

UPDATED REVIEW - Feb 10, 2013 - Ensemble and Traditional Digital Pianos...what's the difference? 88-key digital pianos in furniture style cabinets come in two basic technology forms which are called traditional and ensemble. A traditional digital piano is one that has technology which can (on the better brands) reproduce the touch and tone of an acoustic upright or grand piano along with a handful of other instruments that you can play on the piano keyboard. In reality, NO digital piano currently made can actually reproduce the entire spectrum of acoustic piano sound and key action (especially acoustic grand piano), but many of the newer digital cabinet pianos come so close that only a seasoned pianist or pro could tell the difference and even at that point, the difference would be minimal in many cases. So traditional digital pianos are for people who want to play piano the "traditional way" meaning using both hands playing either bass clef & treble clef, or using left hand chords and melody line (aka: fake music style) which many pro players use from jazz to rock, pop to Latin, and country to oldies.

Ensemble digital pianos (above left pic and left pic) have everything traditional digital pianos have but take technology a step further by giving the player not only a lot more melody instruments to choose from, but also also providing the ability to play music with what are known as  "backing track styles." Other names for this type of technology are as follows: arranger, interactive, music styles, auto accompaniment, ensemble, interactive music styles, backing tracks, multi-track arrangements, and so on. Most people realize that listening to live musicians playing music together in bands or orchestras is great entertainment! Whether it be Benny Goodman or Glenn Miller in their Big Bands from the 40's, Elvis or Frank Sinatra with their bands from the 50's, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, or Simon & Garfunkel in the 60's, Stevie Wonder, Santana, Chicago, and Elton John and their bands in the 70's, Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston in the 80's, and up to current music today including Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, and Kelly Clarkson with their bands, all of this music is rhythmic, moving, and include various instruments being played at the same time by different people.  There are also famous recognizable film scores including music from Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman, Jurassic Park and a host of others, many of them written and conducted by John Williams of the Boston Pops. That music is far more complex with many more instruments being played at the same time by many more people in arrangements that are obviously impossible to duplicate by just one person on one instrument.

Samick SG450 ensemble B Grand

Ensemble digital pianos have the ability to reproduce the sound similar to live musicians playing together in a band or orchestra like the ones I mentioned (backing you up - hence the term backing tracks) by allowing that style of music to play along with you in backing tracks automatically on the digital piano, depending on what chord you (the player) are playing on your left hand. It is all about the style you choose and the chord you play as to what the backing track arrangement will do and how it will sound. It is a very interactive playing experience and one that takes some getting used to. However, once you do, then you can sound like you have the entire band or orchestra playing along with your music while having "real time" control over what they'll be playing and what you'll be hearing. Music style categories on an ensemble digital piano can include Jazz, Latin, Rock, Big Band, Oldies, Country, Western, March, Honky-Tonk, Soft Rock, Classical, Blues, Motown, Folk, Broadway, and just about anything else you can think of. You can also find music styles accompaniments of the world including Asian, South American, German, African, Russian, Jamaican, and others.  It is super fun and I have played interactive auto accompaniment digital pianos & keyboards for many years and enjoy the experience very much. It allows you to experience and play music in ways that are not possible on traditional format digital pianos. BUT, it's a way way of playing that you need to develop and because it's rhythmic and you set the tempo for how fast or slow you want the backup band or orchestra to go, you have to stay up with it...it will not wait for you! Some people who have poor timing and rhythm skills may find using this technology a bit frustrating because of that reason. However, it can also be a good way to learn various types of music and improve your timing by interacting with this technology. It just depends on what you want and what your musical goals are.

Interactive ensemble digital pianos usually cost more money than digital pianos without that technology, especially when shopping within the same brand. There are currently around 40 different ensemble digital pianos on the market spread out amongst various brands. Some piano brand and model examples for furniture cabinet style ensemble digital pianos are as follows: Roland HPi6F, HPi7F, RP301R, RM700, KR115M, KR117M - Yamaha YDPV240, CVP501, CVP503, CVP505, CVP509, CVP409GP, CGP1000 - Kawai CN43, CP119, CP139, CP179, CP209 - Casio PX780 - Korg PA588 (portable, does not come in a traditional cabinet but worth mentioning) - Samick SDP45, SG450 - Kohler KD165 - Omega LX503, LX505, LX802.

As you can see, the top digital piano manufacturers produce many models of the ensemble type digital pianos and consider them to be an important part of what they offer to the general public. They even produce some of them in mini and small baby grand style cabinets and they look very attractive & stylish that way too! There are other brands that I do not recommend who also offer ensemble type digital pianos but those brands are very low in quality and and won't mention them here. However the ones that I have mentioned are all great fun, all higher quality, look great, sound great, and add lots of entertainment value to the piano playing experience.

Another option (although a limited one) is the Kohler  (part of Samick piano company with US headquarters in Nashville, TN) digital grand ensemble piano model KD165 (left pic). At one time not long ago, Kohler produced an incredible (in my opinion) ensemble digital piano in an authentic 5' long acoustic baby grand piano cabinet that not only had all the ensemble piano "bells & whistles" including backing tracks, built-in mic karaoke singing with auto-harmony, a wonderful grand piano touch and tone, and built-in 360 watt 5-way sound system, but the piano also had a actual player piano system built into it that played live music with moving keys! Those systems alone cost about $4000 to get installed on regular acoustic grand pianos. The KD165 piano also was very expensive at the time, selling for about $10,000. However I was recently told that the Kohler/Samick piano company has a few of these digital ensemble baby grand pianos remaining at their factory and they're being sold for well under $6000 while they last, which in my opinion compared to what's out there today, is a very good deal. The only caveat is it is only available in a brown mahogany high polished finish which is very beautiful (I have seen it). I just thought I would mention it because it's an unusual opportunity, and I don't hear about that kind of thing very often.

The realism in the band and/or orchestra accompaniment backing tracks in most of these pianos is pretty cool and it sounds like at times you've got the "real thing" right in your living/family room. And I suppose buying one of those pianos is still cheaper than renting and feeding all those people that you would otherwise have to hire to come over to your home to play live music along with you!:) Whether you purchase a more traditional technology digital piano or an ensemble arranger digital piano from one of the many good brands, you will enjoy your new piano and be able to use it in new ways that will increase your ability to make good music.

If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet or store discounts (including the Kohler digital grand), please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.

Here are 2 videos below of ensemble digital pianos in action. 

Digital Pianos - REVIEWS & NEWS - GO HERE!

OCTOBER 2012 - The BEST Digital Piano REVIEWS are HERE! My name is Tim Praskins and I am an Independent Piano, Keyboard & Guitar Teacher, long time Pro Musician who has played hundreds of different digital pianos & keyboards, and Expert piano consultant to the PUBLIC. I talk about piano stuff you may find interesting, including piano lessons, music technology, new & used pianos, & do in-depth REVIEWS of many Digital Pianos. Although I am based out of Arizona (where the Grand Canyon is), I'LL BE HAPPY TO PERSONALLY HELP YOU FOR FREE NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE (only email inquiries from outside US).

Please click on the links or use the search bar on the right side of this blog to look for more digital piano reviews, because there are lots of them. Just put in the brand and/or model number of the digital piano you're searching for, and if you don't see it, I continue to add new reviews all the time. Or...you can contact me directly.

Also, please don't purchase a piano without contacting me first! I can help you get digital pianos for LESS MONEY than internet pricing, special sales, or local piano stores (US only) and you can be sure you'll get the right one.

You may email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call me direct at 602-571-1864 (only email inquiries from outside US)
**Please note that all my reviews are independent of any others on the internet and are done with great research, time, energy, and personal experience with each instrument. There are some individuals on-line who claim to be digital piano reviewers but know little about digital pianos (they say things that just are not true) and simply want to get paid a commission by linking you to a web site (like Amazon) that sells digital pianos. If you see something like that, then I would advise you to stay away. I do not endorse or support those people, blogs, websites, or twitter accounts that would try to take advantage of you! I write my blog primarily for the love of music and to help you and/or your family make the correct piano buying decision. And if you are looking to purchase a good piano for your yourself, your spouse, or your children, then you are giving a gift that will keep on giving:) Also, when you own a good digital piano that can help you learn and play better through its built-in digital technology, you will likely enjoy the piano experience even more...and it's really all about experiencing the joy of music in a personal way. Playing & listening to music can move the "inner soul" in ways that are amazing and I encourage everyone to play the piano because it's something you'll never regret!
If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts or store prices, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.

Digital Piano REVIEWS on FACEBOOK - GO HERE for the BEST!

Looking for digital piano reviews on facebook and other on-line sites? THE BEST DIGITAL PIANO REVIEWS ARE ACTUALLY HERE ON AZ PIANO NEWS! It's sometimes very difficult to find honest, detailed, and unbiased digital piano reviews & info on the internet. My name is Tim Praskins I am an independent piano teacher & long time musician having played nearly every digital piano out there for the last 40 years including the most current models out today. If you are seeking good advice on what digital piano to buy, where to buy it, what to look for, what to avoid, and what new digital piano will be best for you and/or your family, then contact me directly and I will give you FREE advice. I am not a salesperson, I don't have a store or warehouse, and I'm not employed by any piano manufacturer or dealer.

I teach all kinds of instruments including piano, keyboard, all kinds of guitars, jazz, pop, & church organ, private and group lessons, and I play and record my music using the latest technology. I understand what digital pianos need to do in the way of properly reproducing the right expression, dynamics, tone, key action, response, pedaling, and digital features that can enhance the playing and learning experience. I can also give advice (in the US market) on whether you would be paying too much or getting a great deal when it comes to actually purchasing a new digital piano including Roland, Yamaha, Kawai, Casio, Samick, Korg, Kohler, Orla, Adagio, Suzuki, Kurzweil, Williams, or other digital piano brands.

When looking around the internet at facebook, various small blogs, review sites by people who don't identify themselves or have little experience or real knowledge, at dealers and/or stores that would try to convince you that the brands they carry are perfect and all the rest are bad (like the guy in the left pic - fortunately they're not all that way), or eBay and/or Amazon consumer reviews where many people who bought pianos really don't know what they're talking about when giving a personal review of a piano they bought, shoppers generally just get confused and don't know who to turn to. That's why I do what I do...to help you, and at no charge. I can also tell you how to get all kinds of new digital pianos at prices lower than internet & store discounts.

You may email me direct at tim@azpianowholesale.com no matter where you live, or call me on the phone (US only) Monday through Saturday from 11am-7pm PST at 602-571-1864. Due to my busy schedule I can not always take the call but you are welcome to leave a message and I can return the call.

I am here to help you. DON'T BUY ANY NEW DIGITAL PIANO WITHOUT CONTACTING ME FIRST...YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID!