UPDATED REVIEW – April 1, 2024 – TOP 9 DIGITAL GRAND PIANOS – Digital Grand Pianos is a relatively small category in the world of digital pianos. There are only 4 major (top brand) digital piano companies that make these instruments with 4 of these digital grands coming from Yamaha, 3 from Roland, 1 from Kawai, and 2 from the Orla digital piano company from Italy.
The digital grand piano category is divided up not only by brands, but also by sizes. Some are very small and some are big. A full size digital baby grand would be 5′ deep (from the back of the piano to the front). A “mini” digital grand would be anywhere from 3′ to 4′ deep, and a “micro” digital grand would be under 3′ in depth.
There are also a few “off brands” out there like Suzuki, Williams, Kurzweil, and a couple of others which produce digital grand pianos that are typically not sold in piano stores. We do not recommend them due to a noticeably artificial piano playing experience when it comes to key action, piano sound realism, and pedaling as compared to the top name brands. The off-brands do cost quite a bit less money…but you also don’t get something for nothing, as the old saying goes!
If you absolutely need to be “under $3000” then in our opinion you would be much better off musically with regard to a noticeably more authentic piano playing experience if you purchased a “vertical/upright” digital piano from one of the top brands instead of a digital grand from one of these off-brands.
So if you really want to get the most authentic piano playing experience out of a digital piano then I recommend you stick to the major piano brands like Yamaha, Kawai, Roland, and Orla.
YAMAHA DIGITAL GRAND PIANOS
Yamaha has 4 digital grand models which include (priced in polished ebony) the Clavinova CLP-765GP ($5999), CLP-795GP ($8199), CVP-809GP ($17,499), and N3X Hybrid digital grand piano (approx $17,799). 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 model 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 handle 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 ReviewThe 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 custom mini 4′ deep grand piano cabinet with a proprietary 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 and a few other instrument sounds. 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 the keys have a 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. This is called a “haptic vibration” in the N3X.
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 $17,800 selling price, but hey, “you can’t take it with you” as the old saying goes, so might as well spend it now. Go to the following link to read our review on the Yamaha Avantgrand N3X: Yamaha N3X Review
KAWAI DIGITAL GRAND PIANOS
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, well over $12,000. However, they discontinued that model a while ago and recently came out with a small mini digital piano called the DG30 which sells at Kawai piano stores for $6299 discount price. 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 played in its price range and it sounds great with a very capable internal sound system putting out impressive stereo grand piano sound.
When comparing Kawai to Yamaha digital grand pianos, you definitely cannot go wrong with the Kawai. This is especially true if you need a smaller size cabinet but a high quality piano playing experience along with some useful fun and educational features.This newer DG30 model has some piano songs in it from popular lesson books for play-along while you are learning to play piano as well as a 16-track MIDI recorder & 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 $6299 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 small spaces, and that smaller size is what helps make it so popular. If you didn’t know already, Kawai is a well known and respected acoustic grand & upright piano company having produced these acoustic pianos in their factories for many, many decades. They are played and used all over the world on stage by experienced pianists. So if you own a Kawai grand piano, you know doubt have a good one! 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 GRAND PIANOS
Roland digital piano company has offered 2 models of digital grands for many years that are recently discontinued with new models replacing them. Based on what we have been told, the only recently discontinued model that is still available is the GP609 (5′ deep piano) being closed out at $8999 in Roland piano stores and on-line. Of the top manufacturers who make digital grand pianos, Roland has been very popular along with Yamaha with regard to key action authenticity as well as piano sound realism. Roland is a very good digital piano and keyboard company and they produce reliable product. The new models just coming out are more realistic in piano sound and key action touch as compared to the discontinued models. But they are quite a bit more money, so it depends on what you need.
Roland recently announced a new line of 4 digital grand pianos which are called GP3, GP6, GP9, and GP9M. They start at $3999 for the GP-3 micro-grand size at just 27″ deep and they go up to their full size 5′ deep GP9 which is priced at $11,000. These 4 new models replace the 2 previous models. I will soon have a detailed review of the new pianos. The upgrades in the GP6 as compared to the previous model is a new cabinet with new interior appearance, new piano sounds, new panel layout and interface, an upgraded internal sound system, and a few other features. So the GP6 at $6299 discount price may be a better investment for you if you want a smaller 3′ size mini grand piano.
The now discontinued GP609 had the largest digital grand piano cabinet of the 3 brands coming in at 5′ deep, so it definitely looked more authentic like a real baby grand piano for size and design. This larger 5′ GP609 was very popular at its previous $12,000 price tag and Roland sold a bunch of them. But now it’s being closed out at $8999 on-line price so if you want an attractive, larger digital grand piano that plays and sounds good and has lots of cool digital features, then this one would be it. If you want the “look” of a larger digital grand piano and want a super low price on this “closeout model,” then this 5′ deep instrument is an excellent choice. The GP609 is the only digital grand piano out of all the brands to have this type of larger cabinet, internal speaker system, cabinet design, and operation at this $8999 closeout price.
Roland has their “longer key” key actions in the upper two brand new 5′ deep digital grand models (GP9, and GP9M) which is a very good key action upgrade. Also, the piano sound realism has been improved in the new 3′ deep GP6 and GP9/9M as compared to the previous models. But whether or not you could tell the difference may be questionable unless you are a very experienced acoustic piano player. The Roland digital piano and keyboard company has been producing digital pianos for many decades. They are a Japanese music company and highly respected around the world for quality electronic musical instruments. If you want even lower discount prices on any of the Roland digital pianos, please contact us before you purchase anything anywhere!
ORLA DIGITAL GRAND PIANOS
Orla is an Italian digital piano company and be designing and producing a variety of digital pianos and keyboard for decades. Orla is well known in Europe but not as well known here in the USA, although they have had their digital pianos available here for many years. We have played these pianos many times and these newer models are impressive. Orla has a 4′ deep digital mini grand called the Grand 500 which is priced on-line for $5495, and they also offer a small “micro” size digital grand which is about 32″ in depth and sells on-line for $4595.
Both of these models are identical when it comes to their digital technology, features, and functions. But they are different from each other in cabinet size, lid design, and internal speaker system. In their price range these two models are impressive not only with their stereo piano sound, but all the other instrument sounds and features that are in these 2 models.
Based on our experience with the Orla Grand 500 and Grand 120 models, they compete very favorably with the other more well known brands and really do get a lot for the money. They come with a 3-year factory warranty, they are beautiful to look at, they have a big sound along with Bluetooth wireless audio, and their is even a “one-man-band” feature which can make you sound like you are in the middle of a band or orchestra. It’s a lot of fun.
We highly recommend these 2 models. Take a look at my detailed review of these two models at the following link and then you’ll know more about them. As with all digital piano brands, we can help you get them for even LESS money including free shipping and no sales tax! Orla Grand 500/Grand 120 Review
IMPORTANT DIGITAL GRAND PIANO UPDATE!We just found out that 2 top name brand US distributor warehouses are offering an unadvertised instant rebate off the advertised internet discount price on their best digital grand pianos while they last.
The unadvertised instant rebate is an additional $1500 off the current advertised price. And you may be able to get it with NO SALES TAX & Free Shipping depending on where you live.
We are not allowed to disclose in writing which brands and models have this rebate (they would be very unhappy with us if we did) but what we can say is this instant $1500 rebate is on 2 of the following brands and models:
– Yamaha CVP-809GP*, Yamaha CLP-795GP*, Roland GP609*, Roland GP9*, or Kawai DG30*. You must call or email us if you want to know which piano has this huge $1500 instant rebate.
We don’t work for the different brands and would not be recommending that you consider this offer unless we thought it was a great opportunity.
You will not find this grand piano offer on-line or in local stores. We can help you get it direct with the distributor warehouse as long as this model is still available. If you are interested in finding out more then please let us know ASAP.
OTHER DIGITAL GRAND PIANO BRANDS
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.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There is a good reason why the name brands such as Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, and Orla 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 2024 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 of Yamaha, Kawai, and Roland and invest your hard earned money 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.
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.
They all look the same. Any plans for a modernized version either in aesthetics or functionality? The Roland 607 has been around for a long time now, right?
I love that you are keeping up with this category of pianos! I own the now discontinued Kawai CP1 and have never had a moment of buyer's remorse. It has had a bit of warranty work done as there was an issue with some glue used on portions of the keyboards, but it was taken care of professionally. The sound is excellent with the huge soundboard and massive speakers. The action is also very good. Unfortunately, the weak link is now it's touch screen interface and auto-accompaniment software which both are showing their age. I had always hoped that Kawai would offer some kind of firmware update to bring the electronics up to date, but I guess not. As far as I can tell, there is no other instrument that looks like a grand, sounds like a grand, is built like a grand but is loaded up with such great tech.
Great information and review!