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This article is from the Digital Pianos FAQ, by Isako Hoshino rmmpfaq@yahoo.com with numerous contributions by others.

6] What are the basic things I should look for in a digital piano?

Before you set out shopping, fetch a good-quality (the best quality
you can get your hands on) headphone sets and take it with you to the
piano dealers. If you're buying a digital piano instead of an
acoustic piano, the chances are you'll be practicing through
headphones a lot and should determine how it sounds through a headset
as well as through the speakers. Using headphones is also practical
because it is easier to hear many subtle defects which might be masked
by the speakers. Don't be afraid to play away on the floor models.
That's what they're there for. If you want, you can grab a friend who
can play the piano well, so you can listen how it sounds while your
friend plays it. But don't be a passive observer. Also, if the
showroom also has fine acoustic instruments, use them for comparison.

Keep in mind that it is *you* who will be playing the digital piano,
and not your friend or the salesperson. Buying digital piano is like
buying a stereo system. You can spend almost infinite amount of money
if you don't watch out. Get what you are satisfied with, not what
others say that you will be satisfied with.

Here are some common concerns for picking a good digital piano,
whatever your needs.

(1) Action. Does it *feel* like a piano to you?
Do the keys have the proper weight and do they move
under your fingers the way you remember a good piano
does? Is it easy to imagine that you are picking up and
throwing a hammer forward at the end of each stroke?
Some pianos offer many levels of velocity-response (i.e.
how heavy you have to hit the keys before you get a
sound out), so check those settings also.

(2) Dynamic range. Does it respond to velocity
properly? How loudly and how softly can it be played?
Is it easy to play and maintain an even dynamic level?
Does the timbre change properly with dynamic shifts?

(3) Sound. Pick a note, play it loudly, hold it and
listen carefully while it decays into silence. Does it
sound natural? Does it take long enough? Does it last
*too* long? (Time a note at similar loudness on a grand
piano for comparison). Can you hear obvious, repeating
patterns ("loops")? Repeat this test, playing a chord
instead of a single note.

(4) Realistic sound source. Play something moving up
and down the keyboard (scales, arpeggios, etc.). Does
the sound "move" realistically from side to side (do the
bass notes seem to be coming from the left side of the
cabinet while the treble notes come from the right)?

(5) Polyphony. How many notes can you hear at once?
Ones with less polyphony (12-16), you can run out of
notes quickly if you start sustaining multiple notes or
playing big chords, resulting in notes being abruptly
"cut-off". A good test is to hold down the sustain
pedal, play the two lowest C's, then play a glissando
about five octaves or more long. Not-so-good models
will prematurely and abruptly drop notes in a fashion
that you can hear clearly; the worst models will drop
one or both bass notes. The best models will chose
notes that are acoustically masked by others.

(6) Design. Is the control panel (and the manual)
well laid-out and easy to understand? Some poorly
designed panels have buttons which are too close to the
keys, and while you play you may accidentally hit the
control buttons and change the setting of the
instrument.

(7) Gadgets. Does it have many bells and whistles?
Are the ones it does have useful for you? Is there a
built-in key cover? If you need some non-piano voices,
does it have the ones you want? Are they good enough for
your purposes? Some models offer various levels of
reverb, imitating the acoustic "echo" effect you hear
when you play an instrument in different environment
such as, room, concert hall, studio, etc.

(8) Fine-tuning capability. What kind of hidden
"effects" does the model have? Some digital pianos
offer a few special purpose modes (like alternate
tunings, variable harmonics, adjustable decay length,
etc.). Alternate tunings are useful if you play in an
ensemble often, because you will be allowed to tune your
piano to the ensemble. Others are useful for those who
like to fiddle with electronics to get the sound "just
right."

(9) Pedaling levels. Does the damper (or sustain)
pedals have multi-level of pedaling response, or is it
just on-off? In a piano, depending on how much you
depress the pedal, you get different amounts of
sustaining of the notes. A simple "on-off" pedaling may
hamper pianists who are trained to use half-pedaling
techniques in a piano.

(10) How powerful is the amplifier/speaker system?
Bigger amplifiers and multiple number of speakers
generally give you a better sound. You may not
necessarily ever use all that excess power, but having
that excess power can give you more balanced sound when
you play (doesn't sound as if the speakers are
straining, etc.).

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• prev: 5] Should I buy a digital piano or an acoustic piano?
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• next: 7] Are there any magazine reviews on digital pianos?