? UPDATED REVIEW – Jan 2, 2023 | Roland DP603 Digital Piano | Roland is known for producing some great musical instruments including digital pianos, synthesizers, guitar products, percussion, recording & audio equipment, and the list goes on. Many pro players as well as institutions own Roland digital pianos and Roland produces some good ones.
The Roland DP603 digital piano ($3299 internet price) in matte black finish only – no bench or the DP603 in polished ebony ($3799) offer an overall good piano playing experience for many people with Roland’s piano sound technology and responsive key action. Roland has had the compact cabinet DP line of pianos for many years and this one has been out for a number of years already…well over 7 years, so it is definitely not a new model.
Is this Roland DP603 piano a good choice? There are many things I can point out that should give a piano shopper good reasons to buy this piano although it does have a lot of competition out there. But before I go on further, I want to point out that Roland has had a line of traditional home style digital pianos for many years and a current model called the HP704 has the same digital technology, functions, key action, and pedaling as is in the DP603.
It is definitely worth mentioning that the new PHA-50 key action is on many of the new Roland models for 2023 in the higher price ranges as well as these 2 models here. However, Roland does have a noticeably better “grand Keyboard” model in their top digital upright pianos, but they are definitely more money. Kawai and Yamaha digital pianos also have their best upgraded key actions in their more expensive models.
This newer Roland key action also has the “escapement feature” which tries to simulate the movement of grand piano keys when you press them down slowly and easily and you feel them slightly hesitate or have a notch or bump that occurs as you press the key down. This type of feeling is a natural occurrence on a real grand piano but you cannot feel it on most upright pianos. It can help with key control when playing music slowly. Kawai also has the escapement feature which they call “let-off” and that key action is in the new Kawai ES920 and all of their other digital pianos in this price range.
Another thing I noticed about the Roland key action was how quiet it was as compared with their previous models when the keys are moving up and down. By nature, regular acoustic piano key actions do make some noise when the keys are moving, but because those pianos are always so loud and they don’t have a volume control or headphone jack like digital pianos do, you cannot hear the key action noise when playing the piano. However in a digital piano, when you have the volume somewhere between low to medium level or when you are using headphones, then you can definitely hear the key action moving and noise is more of a concern. I can say for sure that the key action noise level on these new Roland pianos is the lowest that it’s been on any Roland digital piano and has surpassed the previous models for an even lower key movement noise reduction level.
When it comes to piano sound and getting as close to approximating or matching a real acoustic piano, there is no digital piano that can exactly reproduce a real acoustic grand piano sound regardless of what anyone else may say. It simply has never been done and no digital piano brand can rightly claim that they have done it. So the next best thing is “how close can a digital piano get to a real acoustic piano sound playing experience?” If you knew how complex a real acoustic piano sound actually is and what is actually happening in a good grand piano when it comes to the piano sound itself (what it does and how you hear it), you would probably think it would be impossible to recreate it digitally because there are certain piano sound elements that happen in “real time” that are always changing depending on how fast or slow you play the keys, how hard or soft you hit (play) the keys, the type of wood the piano is made of, how much soundboard space you have in the real piano, the types of hammers and key felt that is part of the key action, the vibrations and overtones of the 230 strings (give or take) in a real grand piano and how they all interact with each other including the random vibrations, sympathetic noises, frequency changes, tonal dynamics, string thickness, string windings and materials, the scale design, the piano iron frame, dampers and their affect on the sound, decay and sustain time of the sustained strings, volume, duration of the tone and changes in velocity, among other things.
previous model DP90e |
For a large majority of people playing piano these days and regardless of skill level, the piano sampling technology has produced some very enjoyable piano sound in digital pianos and this technology has gotten better and more sophisticated with time, and the end result is some mighty impressive digital piano instruments that have recently come out from the other brands. Along with increasing sampling sophistication also has come increased polyphony in sampled digital pianos up to 256-notes. This means that when playing a digital piano, if you are at a higher skill level and play complex musical passages using a stereo piano sound, you won’t run out of notes as you play your music using many keys and pedal sustain at one time along with doing glissando’s, arpeggios, and or lots of chording. So when it comes to piano sound, the digital piano industry has come a long way in being able to reproduce it with sampled recording so that most people can be very happy with the results, depending on your budget and the brand of piano of course:)
However, Roland has now introduced a newer sound technology for the DP603 called SuperNATURAL piano Physical Modeling. Modeling (aka: modelling) is different from sampling in the way the sound is created and the way you hear it when the piano is being played. Along with this technology being implemented to create an all new piano sound, Roland is putting it in all of their new models. This means that you can get this newer technology of piano sound reproduction starting at around $3300 in their cabinet models. So exactly what is SuperNATURAL Modeling technology and what makes it different then other digital pianos?
Physical Modeling sound is not recorded from an acoustic piano but is created through non sampling computer mathematical algorithms. I am definitely not a mathematician so the best explanation I found on the subject which I believe is important to understand (at some level) so that you can appreciate this new piano sound technology, is as follows: “In sound synthesis, physical modeling synthesis refers to methods in which the waveform of the sound to be generated is computed by using a mathematical model or formula, being a set of equations and algorithms to simulate a physical source of sound, usually a musical instrument. Such a model consists of laws of physics that govern the sound production, and will typically have several parameters, some of which are constants that describe the physical materials and dimensions of the instrument, while others are time-dependent functions that describe the player’s interaction with it, such as plucking a string, or covering toneholes.
In piano sound physical modeling, that technology is dealing with things such as the energy/force you put into the playing the keys, the interaction of the tonal dynamics, piano hammers, felt movement on the hammers, string movement over time, overtones that excite other moving and non-moving parts of the strings and wood cabinet, and many more physical aspects of a real acoustic piano.,..and all of these physical properties in a real piano are recreated by computer computations. It’s like a powerful computer that draws a “virtual picture” of every aspect of the best
acoustic grand piano possible and then that “virtual picture” instantly comes to life as that actual acoustic piano played instantly in micro seconds with no repetition or sameness. This technology is supposed to give you the feeling that the piano sound which you’re hearing is being generated from an real acoustic piano, when in fact is is all done in the virtual technology world. But does this new technology actually do what it claims to do? Given all my years of experience playing top name acoustic Concert Grand Pianos and knowing what they sound like up close and personal, the answer is no.
Roland has tried to emulate the Steinway Concert grand piano sound over the years and that’s what they have tried to do here with these new digital pianos much the same way as the real thing does. Having this kind of modeling technology is supposed to give the player an approximation of Steinway grand sound characteristics without the large size and expense of that acoustic piano. An example of the new Roland sound is when you press any one key on the Roland piano without having any additional reverb or sound effects on, that one note will also trigger natural occurring “overtones” for that specific note that you would normally and naturally hear in a real piano. Also, just when a person thought that 256-note polyphony processing power for the piano sound was a lot, the new Roland physical modelling technology has jumped that polyphony number up to unlimited polyphony.
Physical Modeling Virtual Technology |
differences to really matter. But at the end of the day the new DP603 will do a fairly nice job when it comes to acoustic piano sound realism in a digital piano furniture cabinet in the $2500 price range…although as I said, it’s certainly not perfect and there are a couple of noticeable piano sound and pedaling anomalies (at least they are noticeable to me) which I do not hear when playing on real acoustic pianos and may possibly bother some discerning piano people. The Physical Modeling technology still has a long way to go but perhaps someday Roland will perfect it…we’ll have to wait and see.
overall pushing down the pedal and playing the notes, but in reality the process is much more complex as far as what you will actually hear and experience when doing that.
The General MIDI/GS song format allows you to play your piano parts live along “with the band or orchestra” in prerecorded MIDI songs and to interact with multiple instruments (up to 16 tracks) at one time using well known piano lesson books including thousands of popular songs off the internet from a variety of music styles and eras such as Jazz, Latin, Country, Rock, Gospel, Christian, movie themes, classical orchestra, pop, and much more which can be found on the Internet.
Another new technology now being put into these new Roland pianos is Bluetooth device connectivity. Bluetooth in digital pianos is relatively new and encompasses a number of separate features. So when you hear the word “Bluetooth” in digital pianos, it doesn’t mean they all do the same thing or can do everything associated with the Bluetooth technology. The Roland Bluetooth abilities include BT audio streaming so that you can hear the music from your Bluetooth capable external device (tablet, cell phone, computer, etc) such as iTunes come through the piano speaker system. Another Bluetooth feature is MIDI streaming connectivity so that you can interact with Bluetooth capable apps or programs such as Garage Band for iPad which is a great MIDI music and recording app.
Speaking of connectivity, the DP603 (just like the home cabinet models above it) have good connectivity to external devices with outputs and inputs including dual headphone jacks, stereo mini input audio jack to connect tablets, computers, iPod, etc to hear audio through the piano, two 1/4″ audio output jacks for stereo connectivity with external sound systems, USB flashdrive input, and USB output to device. This kind of connectivity is generally sufficient to meet most needs although all the jacks themselves are located just under the left front of the pianos. This is fine for some connections but I would have much preferred to see the audio input and output jacks along with the USB output located on the back of the piano like most of the other brands do. It would be the more practical position for those connector jacks in my opinion, but perhaps Roland had a reason for locating all of them up front underneath the piano…maybe it was less money for them to do it that way…but I don’t like it near as much as on the back for those specific connectors.
I do like the compact nature, size, and design of the DP603 and the cabinet color options are quite nice. But aside from the cabinet colors and finishes and the fact that the DP603 polished ebony or white comes with a nice full size matching bench, all DP603’s are the same otherwise. The dimensions of the DP603 are 55″x 15″x 39″ high (with the lid opened). With the lid closed flat the piano is only 31″ high. The weight of the DP603 is somewhere between 102 lbs and 106 lbs depending on the finish, so it’s fairly light but heavy enough that you would not want to move it too often. One important thing to know about the DP603 is that it is not considered a portable digital piano because the piano cannot be played without the furniture stand & pedals that come with it. So if you need something that you can take with you easily, the DP603 would not be a good choice in my opinion.
I believe Roland has hit the “sweet spot” in its quest for a compact digital piano in a good price range (depending on cabinet color & finish) by producing an instrument that focuses on recreating a good piano playing experience along with incorporating this new technology in a smaller, nicely designed and well built cabinet at price a point that is affordable for many people, especially compared to some other digital piano brands and regular new acoustic pianos. Even though the DP603 has some nice digital functions and lots of extra instrument sounds along with some fun
and educational features, this model seems to mostly focus on the piano playing experience…and for me that’s what it’s all about, especially in this price range. However, for me and other people they may find the new “all physical modeled sound” somewhat artificial in the DP603, as I mentioned earlier, because Roland does not use actual sampled recordings of real acoustic pianos in these new digital pianos anymore and I think that is a mistake.
We also recommend that you take a look at the new Korg G1 Air compact furniture cabinet digital piano which is a very impressive model and quite a bit less money at $1999.
But don’t be fooled by the lower price range because in my opinion it has much better grand piano sounds than the Roland DP603, more powerful speaker system, and the key action is very responsive. Check that one out at my Korg G1 Air review at the following link: Korg G1 Air ReviewIf 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.
I notice that you say the DP603 comes with "interactive auto-accompaniment features such as drum rhythm patterns and one-man band chord arrangement styles" but also that "this new Roland has no built-in drum patterns/beats, no auto-accompaniment interactive chords".
Is this a contradiction? Or is there some difference in those things? Thanks.
the auto-accompaniment features are generated by the Roland Piano Partner2 app, not the piano. If you have more questions or are looking to purchase one, please email me direct.
actually I like both and they are different from each other just as a Kawai acoustic piano action would be different from a Yamaha or Steinway acoustic piano key action. They are just different in terms of weight, movement, and response.
Great in depth review thanks!
Are there manny differences between the DP603 & the DP90se?
Is this worth upgrading from the DP90se?
In my opinion, no.
yes there are many differences and upgrades between the new DP603 vs the DP90Se including piano sound chip, key action, pedaling response, some digital features, as well as audio output power. However the DP90Se was a very good and enjoyable piano to play and had high quality components.
I'd love to know this as well!
How does this keyboard compare with the concert keyboard on the DP90Se?
Thanks for the info.
Tim. Please help me understand this better. I am trying to narrow down my next digital piano and the new models make it really confusing. The Roland DP603 replaces both the DP90e AND the DP90se ? The DP90se had the much better keyboard than the DP90e. But both the 90e & 90se were more expensive (before being discontinued) than what the new DP603 is listed for online. So does that mean that the new DP603 has the same Concert keyboard the DP90se had ? Or just the Premium keyboard the DP90e had ? Please advise. Thanks. Still deciding, but want to contact you about a price before actually ordering anything.
Great review. What are the differences between DP603 and HP605? Specifically is there a future that DP603 has but HP605 missing?
Thanks
The DP603 has the all new PHA50 action, which is an upgrade from both the DP90se and DP90e. The PHA50 is currently the highest level action that Roland offers and is the same action that is in the top of the line LX17. It also has the same sound chips as the LX17, so basically you are getting the guts of an LX17 for one third the price. You just don't have the fancy upright cabinet and high-tech speaker system of the LX17.
The DP603 has the all new PHA50 action, which is an upgrade from both the DP90se and DP90e. The PHA50 is currently the highest level action that Roland offers and is the same action that is in the top of the line LX17
Thank you for the fantastic review. I went to a local piano dealership expecting to walk out with a Yamaha Arius 163 or a CLP 535/545 and everything changed when I played the new Roland Models (DP603/HP603/HP605). All this time, I thought Yamaha made the best digital pianos but I was very wrong. What are your thoughts on the new Roland DP603/HP603/HP605 in comparison to the Casio AP650/AP700. They are similarly priced and both brands are well known. Is there one brand that has a distinct advantage over the other to make my decision more easy or does it really come down to which one feels right to a particular individual?
Yes, the DP603's feature is that it is *compact size*. HP605 is bigger, full cabinet size and has a more powerful sound system. Check the pics and you'll see the difference.
If I like a lighter action…which would be lighter…the Kawai ES8….or the Roland DP603?
I have compared those two piano models and their key actions side by side. The Roland DP603 has more/firmer "upweight" response/pressure in the keys as compered to the Kawai ES8. This situation makes it so that you would have to press down on the Roland keys with more finger strength to compensate for the keys pushing back up with more energy. In other words, the Kawai takes a bit less strength and energy to press the keys down than on the Roland DP603 so it could be said that the Kawai ES8 has a lighter key action than the Roland DP603.
I am looking to get the new Roaldn Kiyola KF-10. Could you advise on how to get at a cheaper price?
does anybody know how the backside of the white roland dp603 looks like?
Nice writeup, thanks, just ordered the 603.
I just bought a Roland I think HP 607 – may have been GP last week. Will postpone delivery until I do more research. Is GP any good? HP? I am an accomplished pianist but have had a p85 for 12 years so almost anything is an upgrade. The thing is, I also noticed the midrange sustain problem. When I recorded just a bit on it, the playback sounded strange, unless it was just my touch. Also when I heard a blind test yesterday online, I rather like the sound of the Yamaha CLP 635. Now the P515 might serve my needs as a songwriter, since my chief goal is to record and notate my songs with at least drums and bass where needed. Perhaps just a demo, but need to do get it started. Your thoughts on this please? I need help.
Thank you so much for this thorough review. I bought a Roland 607 last week and am having second thoughts. I can't remember- it may have been GP. Is that terrible? I am accomplished pianist and want to be able to play virtuous pieces, but also a songwriter, and want to record my songs. The Yamaha P515 sounds good for this.
Hi Guys, How would this Piano differ from the Roland F140? Is it a better sound and keyboard? Is it worth changing?
Darren