Piano Reviews

“The SP170 had quite simply the most realistic, lovely and pleasing sound quality”

I am the Bass/Baritone member of a fund-raising trio, singing a range of
material from ‘Show Songs’ to ‘Gilbert and Sullivan’ to ‘World War Songs’ to
‘Victorian Ballads’ to Light Opera. Sometimes we need to furnish our own
piano where one is lacking at the venue or of poor quality. So we decided to
invest in a good quality, portable digital piano.

The digital piano that we decided to purchase was:

Korg SP170 (Black) with Stand and Korg Sustain Pedal DS-1

After extensive listening and playing comparisons, the final choice of the
Korg SP170 was based on the following features, all of which were of equal
importance to us.

Sound Quality:

Clarity.

Realism.

Although, on the ‘Normal’ key touch setting, the SP170 did not seem as
‘loud’ as the closest alternative Yamaha that we played and heard, we felt
that the SP170 had more than adequate volume and had quite simply the most
realistic, lovely and pleasing sound quality. Furthermore, you also have a
choice ‘soft’ ‘medium’ and ‘heavy’ touch settings on the SP170 to assist
volume levels for the ‘lighter touch’ player. We felt that the Yamaha lost
some discernable realistic acoustic piano sound in the mid-range, at the
expense of its seeming extra volume.

Feel of keys

Three selectable settings for key ‘touch’ weighting. (L,M,H).

Versatility:

Portability coupled with a good looking, rigid, easy and quick-to-attach
stand. (Even the stand itself can be ‘packed flat’ in minutes if required).

Many other piano and organ sounds included.

Appearance

Smart, professional black finish.

Clean, uncluttered, simple and attractive lines.

Although this will be played mainly by our accomplished pianist (a
professional Piano Teacher)at our show venues, I will also be learning to
play it. I learnt to play a keyboard with ‘single finger accompaniment’ in
the past, so now I want to learn triad chords etc for my own pleasure (I am
66 going on 37).

Reviewed by Peter Cogswell

 

“It’s an attractive and versatile model”

The Korg SP170 an excellent digital piano with a great variety of sounds
and a touch as close to a real piano as you could imagine. It’s also an
attractive and versatile model.

The piano, vibraphone and harpsichord functions are the highlight of the Korg.
On the negative side, it’s a shame there’s no recording function or metronome.

Review by Paul Kirby, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, UK

 

“I ended up buying the Korg SP-170S”

… your top recommend in the mid level machines, sadly when it arrived one of the keys, the middle clef C#, is jammed and doesn’t play, the company I bought it from is being very helpful and will pick it up and Tuesday and replace it, however right now it is all in the air, this is just an update. As soon as all is resolved I’ll tell you both the resolution of the problem and how I feel about the machine. As I am an absolute begginer my opinion is actually not of all that much value, however up to now I’ve been using either simple keyboards or very light touch electronic pianos and I find the extra effort required to hit the keys a new experience, particularly for my little pinkie, I’m left handed and my right hand pinkie is reall ytaking a beating. for the record I’m a reasonably mature student, hacking in at 74, my US instructor did explain to me I’d better enjoy learning as it was unlikely I’d ever be actually any good, this skill is apparently only for the poeple who learn when they are much younger, well so it goes!

Review by Phillip Edmonds, USA

 

“I have no pleasure using it and consider sending it back”

I immediately ordered a Korg SP170S at Music Store although I already had a Korg SP250 in another place but from the same source. Impossible to compare.
I was very disappointed by the keyboard which is very hard and inappropriate for fast playing. Also the quality of the Sound the head phone output is so bad that it can’t be used for amplifying.
I have no pleasure using it and consider sending it back

Review by Jean Niyens, Belgium

 

“I really like the feel of it”

Just started playing the piano and decided to get a digital one so I don’t drive the neighbours crazy. I got a Korg SP170S and I really like the feel of it. The sound is good too, but a bit tinny without the sustain pedal. I think it’s well worth the price and I’ll upgrade in a couple of years if I stay with it.

 

“It is astonishingly good”

I was intending to pay between£1500-2000 for a reasonable digital piano. I was recommended the Yamaha clavinova range and tried a few of those- not very impressed.

I tried some Kawai digital pianos which were better , but still not overly impressed. I then chanced upon the Korg sp170 on you tube and immediatly thought wow what a sound!! I checked out many you tube examples of the korg 170 and all were impressive. I imagined it must be mega expensive and was shocked to find I could get one for£429.00 !! I am now the proud owner of the korg 170 and I think it is astonishingly good.

The sound is warm and rich – especially when played through my stereo with a decent set of speakers. The bass is incredibly powerfull whilst the high treble u can almost hear the” hammer” hitting the” string”. I am so pleased I didnt spend more on a digital piano when the Korg is sooooo impressive.

Review by Graham, Birkenhead, England

 

“It makes a great sound”

We settled for a Korg SP170S, which is a fairly basic digital piano, but the requirement my daughter had was that she wanted a piano and nothing else, she didn’t care for lots of special effects or other sounds, just a piano, and the Korg fits the bill very well here.

She tried playing six different digital pianos at Kenny’s Music in Dunfermline (who were very helpful) ranging from the£429 Korg to a£699 Yamaha YDP141, and she opted for the Korg.  It doesn’t have a dust cover for the keys which would be useful, but my wife is happy it fits in with the lounge decor, and my daughter is very happy with the full 88 keys and the great sound it makes, so all is well.

Review by Eric Thomson, Dunfermline, Scotland

 

“I think the value for money is excellent”

Have had my new piano for a week and am very pleased with it.
Delivery – very fast under 24 hours from telephone order. Assembly – not too difficult.  Instructions suggest two people needed to erect stand but as I did not have anyone I managed this on my own and I am a 78 year old lady.

Performance – graded action fine.   Volume not too loud, but no problem. The
“voices”, ie organ, vibes etc, quite fun, but I really only need a piano.   Am
not going to get involved with the midi function, being a technophobe.

I think the value for money is excellent and would recommend it for anyone who just wants to be a fun player, or is just learning.

Review by Mavis Hulford

 

“I like the  variable volume”

I found your advice on buying a digital piano invaluable and I am sure my choice would not have been so successful without it. I have a Korg digital piano which I find ideal for my limited ambitions.

I like the  variable volume which I can increase for playing pieces, while I can lower it for excersises and scales etc.  I purchased this from your company  and was impressed with the service on my phone order.

Delivery was swift and I managed to erect this on its stand single-handed, despiute being a septuagenarian.

Many thanks again for your help and advice.  PS I am also using the Rocket Piano Course on your advice.

Review by Mavis Hulford

 

“Highly recommended”

The website with guidance by Graham Howard was invaluable in researching for my daughters piano.
It was very helpful and honest on the various brands. When we came to buying from UK Pianos the service was excellent. Highly recommended.

Review by Tony Kypreos, Mill Hill, London

 

“It has greatly helped our daughter’s enjoyment of learning the piano”

Found the piano review extremely useful – easy to understand and comprehensive.
Was invaluable in helping me understand which piano to buy to help with our
daughter’s piano exam (bought the Korg SP 170 from ukpianos).

Best price was matched, delivered very quickly and is a superb instrument.

I believe it has greatly helped our daughter’s enjoyment of learning the piano.

Many thanks.

Regards

Review by Phil Hyde, Waterlooville, Hampshire

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

 

>> For Korg SP170S information, specifications and prices, click here

“The touch is very similar to my acoustic piano”

I bought a Korg SP250 with which I am delighted.  The touch is very similar to my acoustic piano but it is in tune!

The sound is excellent too – I try and use headphones so as not to disturb the rest of the household, and of course
it is very small only being just larger than the size of an 88 keyboard.

The big problem with it which I can see is that it is heavy – about 20kg and being 88 keys just a little large for
my boat, so when we go off sailing in the summer, I hope to have reached a standard where I may buy a smaller,
lighter inferior keyboard to keep up the lessons without it giving me too many bad habits.

Reviewed by Neil Eccles

 

“Very satisfied with the quality of the sound”

I am thankful to Graham to help me choose a Home piano to second my Stage piano.
I was the owner of a Korg SP250 and very satisfied with the quality of the sound of it with the Korg speakers or when amplified and also with the touch feeling.
I was looking for a Home piano to second it. Finally, with the help of Graham I decided for a Korg SP 170 to my satisfaction. Of course, the difference in price does justify a small difference in quality, sound touch and use of the keyboard, but compare well with other brands. However, I suggest ,if you have the money, to stick to the 250 model.

Review by Jean Nuyens

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

 

>> For Korg SP250 information, specifications and prices, click here

“The LP350 is not in the same league as the top grade models, but it works for us”

Thank you for all your help, reviews of pianos in your book. Here in Kuwait music stores are few in number, and one I visited really only had very high range acoustic pianos, or top of the range electric pianos – Yamaha, Roland etc. These were far out of my range. In a small music store near by, run by a very helpful young man, I discovered there were the reps for Korg instruments and Vox amplification etc. There was no pressure to purchase merely encouragement to test the limited number of keyboards in the shop, nd excellent hospitality.
The keyboard was being offered at very reasonable price, (as were the congos I purchased also) and the owner did his best to respond to my needs / requests.

The sound of the Korg LP350 piano is good, there are various option sounds – 4 pianos with 3 variable sounds on each of them, therefore I have 6 electric piano sounds and 6 acoustic piano sounds which is far more than I need for my purposes. Other sounds are available as on many piano keyboards like this (as in my much loved Yamaha PF 80 of 25 years + back at home in the UK). There is lovely music to be heard in the test / demonstration option – this is what the Korg LP350 can sound like. The action of the keyboard is good – I like it as in keeping with what you suggest in your book. The weighted feel (which I like /need) is very good – perhaps the middle C and Csharp feels its been overplayed?? The three peddles are a good adition making it feel more like a normal piano – damper, sustainer etc.

One critque is there is a little rattle in the speakers (located under the keyboard – a good position I think – I have no problem with them being there – less optin for kids to spill coke on!!!!) the rattling comes in middle few notes of piano if the volume is past a certain level. However I wonder if this is due toi the fact I have knowingly purchased (with discount) a shop demonstration model. I wasn’t aware of this in the shop on the model I played there. To be fair to the owner – I would willingly have taken the ‘white’ piano( John Lennon had one so why not me?) but our flat is made up of very dark Arabic style furniture and I really thought a ‘black’ keyboard would fit better – the owner went out of his way to facilitate and found a ‘black’ one in a sister store. The fit in our flat is both aesthetic and the small size feel of the piano is good in terms of size fitting. The top comes down on an easy action function so that the piano loooks like an occasional table rather than a piano – with keys exposed collecting dust. Be aware – in Kuwait you can have state of the art air locking doors but still the sand dust is found on surfaces! So this top cover is very helpful here!

The Korg’s stand is very stable and also very easy to assemble – it took my wife and 15 minutes to screw it all together and fix peddles and wires. Considering this had been put together once taken apart to bring to us at the shop we purchased it from – reasssembled for us to play – then taken apart again and put back together by us – there were no problems, lost screws or scratches.

The owner provided free of charge a set of head phones to use – my wife doesn’t want us to hear her re learn to play – and I am often working out tunes for a worship service late at night and don’t want to annoy the neighbours.

The piano is a good addition to our house, answering are needs in various ways – is good value for money 280 KD – because it was a demonstration model – original price on white new model was 350 KD but was offered to us because of buying things for a church at the discount of 320 KD. So all round if I double 289 KD – I get 560 – so for around 560 pounds sterling we got the piano.

I don’t think I’ll attempt to exchange regarding rattle – I accept it was demonstration and don’t plan to bang loudly anyway. At present I am very happy with this piano – although I acknowledge the LP350 is not in the same league as the top grade models – it works for us.

Thank you Graham for your help in us arriving at this point!

Review by: Stewart Grinsted, Ishbilya, Kuwait

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

 

 
>> For Korg LP350 information, specifications and prices, click here

“All in all I thought the Korg PA 588 is a great keyboard”

I didn’t know whether to buy the Korg or Roland? After long deliberation and
spending hours reading the reviews and countless visits to various music
shops I purchased the Korg PA 588 a digital keyboard with weighted keys

At 25 Kg not really a portable instruments but a very good purchase for the
following reasons:

Korg PA 588 is not cheap (£1600.00) however here are my views:

It was important for a keyboard to play and sounded like a real Piano not
only by listening to it on headphones but also in a live situation. I needed 88 keys that
were weighted. I also require a the following instruments to sound full
tone wise, not thin and wispy

The sounds I required were:-

Grand and upright Bright piano

A Fender Rhodes type piano

Strings and layered synths

I needed 4 organ types for live work

Hammond B3

Drawbar with rotary speaker effect

VOX continental

Gospel type

Accordion

Acoustic guitar

It had to be reliable. Inputs Outputs to easily accessed.
A quick and easy
way to navigate save favorites at a touch of a button.

Having a recording and backing facility was a bonus.

All in all I thought the Korg PA 588 is a great keyboard a great feel and a
great selection of useful sounds.

I would recommend this instrument for all the reasons mentioned above.

I intent to upgrade my piano later this year to a lighter model.

The weight would need to be 20kg. Yamaha now have two models considering CP
1 and CP 5, or alternatively Roland 700 NX series.

Reviewed by: Julian Bishop

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

“The keys feel cheap in comparison to others I’ve tried”

Its quite nice and simple, Which is good for a beginner. However the keys feel cheap in comparison to others I’ve tried.  They are weighted, but not as heavy as I expected them to be.  It has a built in metronome which is helpful, but only has the capacity to record 2 tracks on it, which is disapointing.

Overall I wasn’t thrilled with it, but its not bad enough to send it back.

Reviewed by Kirandeep Kaur, UK

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

“It sounds good and realistic to me”

I bought a Thomann DP-30 digital piano,and I am very satisfied with the piano in such a good price.

It sounds good and realistic to me,key weight is heavy,but feels more like an old acoustic piano.

It is easy to use, my 4 years old can play it at once without my help.

It is really a good choise if you just begin to learn and you are in a tight budget.I think it is much better than a Casio once I saw in Costco,I forgot the type of the digtal piano,but it costs 599 pounds and still not got hammer effects.

The only thing is the delivery.It is too heavy to delivered from Germany,so be careful when you buy such a thing if you cant pick up yourself. The one I bought has a broken lid when I opened package,although Thomann changed one for me,I have to assemble it myself,and it is really a hard work.

In general I love this digital piano.

Reviewed by Lola, Huddersfield, UK

 

“Overall I’m very surprised how good this cheap digital piano is”

Overall I’m very surprised how good can this cheap digital piano be. I’d call this DP as a “decent” digital piano.

PRICE/QUALITY RATIO 9/10
It’s cheap, I bought my DP-30 19th day October 2012 for 398€ ($509 or£320) from Thomann.de. I have to say that if I didn’t know the price, I’d say that this thing would be much more expensive. You really get what you pay for.

SOUND 4/10
Sound quality is ok, but the sound dies a bit too fast for my taste. Of course, the sounds have been recorded from a real piano so for some people that’s not a problem. When DSP is on, some strange rustle can be heard, so I don’t use it. When it’s off, sound is clear. For beginners or amateur players sound is good enough, but for professionals or demanding people, sound quality may be too bad. Pitch is accurate and that’s the most important thing for me.

TOUCH 7/10
This is the part where I was surprised the most – touch responsivity is good and keys are heavy enough, atleast for me. Key width is good and not very hard to play. Let me compare this to Roland RP-301 SB (1199€), which I’ve played dozens of times. Roland has better sound and key quality, but touch sensitivity is very artificial in Roland. I’d say that DP-30 has better keytouch.

QUALITIES 8/10
This thing has a lot of useful features; recording, split mode, dual mode, 210 different voices (most of them are useful), 60 different songs, 120 different beats and a lot more. You can connect it to computer via USB. Pedals are a bit strange…they doesn’t feel so realistic. This thing is mostly user-friendly. I mean different features are easy to use. Jog dial is great invention! Key cover is a plus too.

SEMBLANCE 9/10
DP-30 looks very cool. My one is black, I don’t know if there’s other colors. Coat patterning looks great, but only bad thing in this piano’s semblance is pedals. They just does not look so good for me, but that’s just me.

DP-30 has enough watts to be used indoors. Bottom speakers are big my mind, about 5″. Assembling was rather easy. Took about 25-30min. 2 persons are needed to hoist the piano itself on the stand (it weights about 45kg and it’s too big to hoist alone). There was 2 user manuals, in English and in German.

Delivery time was 2 weeks to here in Finland. I ordered it in Friday and it came to my door 2 weeks later.

Review by Kalle, Finland

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

First impressions

The key touch is too shallow. The piano has a strong sound, but the notes die away far too quickly.

Touch

Playing softly

It’s fairly easy to play softly, although sometimes, notes are missed due to the over-strong initial down stroke of the key. Note: When the volume is turned up high, playing softly is a little more tricky.

Score:  7 out of 10

Repetition

All keys react well. Not brilliant, but better than average.

Score:  7 out of 10

Touch sensitivity

Variations in volume are quite good. This piano has 4 levels of touch sensitivity: p (piano), mp (mezzo piano), mf (mezzo forte) and f (forte). Lacks power when keys are struck hard.

Score:  6.5 out of 10

Key weight

On the light side. Overall quite good.

Score:  7 out of 10

Touch response

Three options of touch response are offered: light, medium, heavy. The default is set to medium and is the most realistic setting by far. The light and heavy settings feel completely unnatural.

Score:  3 out of 10

Progressive Hammer Action

Doesn’t have a progressive hammer action. The keys in the bass are the same weight as the keys in the treble. It is an advantage to have this feature. Shame this piano does not offer it.

Score:  0 out of 10

Key noise

The key noise (action) is quite low on this piano. It is not noticeable until the volume knob is turned down to around 1/4.

Score:  7 out of 10

Authenticity of touch

Feels similar to an upright piano. Difficult to play softly when the volume is set to above ½ way.

Score:  7 out of 10

Sound

Sound Quality

Pleasant sound that is a little on the bright side. The top two octaves sound more like bells than a piano. The bass has a false sound.

Score:  5.5 out of 10

Power/Volume

The volume range is large. A very powerful piano.

Score:  8 out of 10

Sound Decay

This is the most disappointing bit about the piano. The sound dies away far too quickly. This is with our without the sustain pedal depressed. The harmonics disappear almost instantly, which takes away the depth of tone. The result is a lifeless sound.

Score:  2 out of 10

Tuning

The middle section (which is the most important) sounds OK. The top two octaves are flat.

Score:  5 out of 10

Playing Wiih Headphones

No sound improvement was noticed when playing with headphones.

Score:  3 out of 10

Features

Record

Easy to use. Has 2 track recording capability.

Build Quality

The backboard is flimsy, otherwise, overall it’s pretty good. All screw holes are pre-drilled.

Assembly

Easy to put together. Not many screws. Simple assembly job.

Assembly time: 30 to 45 minutes.

Looks/Design/Style

Looks a bit tacky, dull and old fashioned.

Packaging

Extremely well packed. Thick cardboard box. Plenty of polystyrene, bubble wrap and other packaging to secure the piano whilst in transit. Handles on both ends of the box. Moving parts such as pedals and keys are doubly protected. There is very little chance of the piano being damaged during delivery.

Owner’s Manual

Clearly laid out in English and in German.

Annoying Things

Sound dies away far too quickly. Not B near the top of the piano hardly works. The display panel lights that show you which features are on are hard to see unless you are looking directly over them.

Piano Grades

This piano will get you up to around grade 5

Thomann DP-40 Score Sheet

Features:

Touch (in order of importance – scores out of 10)

Key weight: 7/10

Touch sensitivity: 6.5/10

Key control: 6.5/10

Repetition: 7/10

Key depth: 3.5/10

Graded hammer effect: 0/10

Sound (in order of importance – scores out of 10)

Realistic/authentic:

Bass: 5/10
Middle: 6/10
Treble: 3/10
Top: 2/10

Key noise: 7/10

Sound decay: 2/10

Interval tuning: 5/10

Octave tuning: 5/10

With headphones plugged in:3/10

Pedals

Effectiveness of soft, sostenuto and sustain: 8/10

Cabinet (scores out of 10)

Style/shape: 4/10

Wood grain or finish: 3/10

Music desk: Too small, could be longer and taller also. 3/10

Dimensions: Length 139cm ( 54.5 inches), Depth 53cm (21 inches), Height 84cm ( 33 inches)

Weight: 62kg

Portability: You need to undo 4 bolts and unplug a few cables. 3.5/10

Strength of structure: Strong if the piano is left in one place. Best not to move it around too much. 3/10

Choice of colours: Dark rosewood only.

Ease of assembly: Fairly straightforward. 6/10

Build quality: 4/10

Features

Key cover: Yes

Headphone socket(s): Yes x 2

Speakers: 2 underneath the keyboard and 2 on the control panel. Total of 50 watts.

Headphone hanger: No

Basic Functions

Record: Yes. 2 tracks. Easy to use.

CD, DVD, Floppy, Smart Media: No

Metronome: Yes

Polyphony: 32 note.

Reverb: No

Control Panel

How easy to use: Easy. 6/10

Instrumental voices

Most popular:

Electric piano: OK
Harpsichord: Not good
Vibes: Funny sound
Strings: Not good
Organ: Good

Demo songs: Yes x 19. Popular classical music.

Transpose: Yes

Ease and speed of assembling: 30-45 minutes. Easy to moderate.

Manual:

How easy to follow: Easy 6.5/10

How many languages offered: 2. English and German

Warranty: 3 years

Which grade it will take you to: Grade 5

Re-sale value: Sell within 3 years time for around 35-40% of the price you paid for it. 2/10.

Value for money: 5.5/10

Total score (out of 100): 35

Overall Comments

I quite liked the Thomann DP-40, it’s nice to play. With its firm, crisp action, bright sound, and responsive keys, the DP-40 suits most types of music. The main problem I found was the sound decay. As soon as you strike the note, the upper harmonics die away; the sustain is terrible. This is a shame. The key touch is also quite shallow. If you’re used to playing an upright piano this will feel a bit strange to you. Also the top two octaves are cringingly flat.

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

“I think I made a huge mistake!”

I just received my thomann dp 50 white(set). It is gorgeous. All my friends like it and think that gives more style to the room but i think i made a huge mistake.

My previous yamaha ydp140 was far superior to the thomann. I knew from the beghining that yamaha is better, but i thought that it will be like trading an AUDI for a VW. In reality is more like trading a JAGUAR for an OPEL. It doesn’t sound like a piano. The recorded sounds are far from the real thing(yamaha…5 stars for recorded sounds).

The keys are very noisy and do not maintain the same distance between them( or level). it is obvious if you are looking from a side. The sustain pedal is not graduated. The sustained notes are too long and there is an annoying buzz that acompanies every note. That annoying buzz builds up very loud if you play whith the sustain pedal pressed. On the harpsicord you shouldn’t have touch control, and the list goes on an on.

One mounth ago i played the piano every night. Now , i don’t feel like it. It doesn’t give you that joy, no attraction, no soul. It is just another piece of furniture in my house. I don’t recomand it to nobody because if you don’t love the way it sounds, it feels,you won’t love it and that will damage your study.

Review by Sirbuo Marian

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

 

“Middle C not working”

It was delivered today and now I’m trying to find out how to get the keys below middle C to work –
all dead and only has instruction manual in German – so have requested help from Thomann.

I watched various videos of product being demonstrated and it appeared a reasonable starter
electric piano, but wish I could have tried out in UK first.  Hope Thomann can get problem
resolved on keys and supply English manual!

Review by Tony Appleby

 

2) “I would definitely recommend this piano”

Hi Graham

Thanks for all your advise, I have now bought a Thomann Clifton SP5500 from Thomann Cyberstore for £289.68. It was much bigger and heavier than I had imagined it would be but the sound is alright and you get so many bells and whistles.  It came without a UK plug but luckily we had one which fitted and the instruction book was only in German.  I phoned them up and they sent me a PDF English Manual so I can work my way through the instructions.  I have no regrets about choosing this one as I think I will get a lot more fun out of it than an ordinary piano would give.  It wouldn’t be any good for someone wanting to move it on a regular basis as it is very bulky and heavy.

Review by Ann

 

3) “The keys made a wooden thumping sound going down and coming up”

I bought the SP5500 because of the price and all the goodies that where on it. More than some top keyboards.
Different firms give this piano different names and prices. I bought this one from Thomann in Germany and I
would not hesitate to recommend this firm as they have been very helpful. They answered all my E-Mails and
sent me a pr-paid returns label to send it back. The full refund took about a week to go through.
Now for the reasons for returrning it

1. The Music rest which is very basic would not slot into the two holes provided. ( No problem I made my own )
2. The top five keys were faulty, even with the volume on full they just gave off the odd tinkle.
3. The Keys did not rattle sideways as there was a little pad seperating them, but when played they made a
wooden thumping sound going down and coming up. This was not noticeable when using the headphones but
to anybody in the room it was like listening to Bongo Drums. Very annoying
4. There was very little difference in the touch settings, even on the light setting the keys felt stiff and clumsy
and I would say a child would have trouble playing them
5. When playing a run there was not a smooth transition in the sound. The black keys seemed to be louder than
the white ones, and sometimes even a little out of tune.
6. I did’nt try out all the sounds and styles but they did sound a bit basic. Some O.K some poor, but as with
other instruments you cant please everyone. Each person has thier own idea as to what a good sound is.
For several years now I have been playing 61 note keyboards so I suppose a piano would seem hard work.
My first upright piano was a John Broadwood and it was a joy to hear and play, a very light touch. After a long
lay off I went onto the early Technics Pianos and then Technics and Yamaha keyboards. I missed the old piano.

My advice to anyone buying a piano is to try and go to a shop where you can try it out, and then shop around for
the best buy. Graham Howards advice is worth its weight in gold ( I should have listened to it before buying.)
In all the SP5500 is a well made and nice looking piano but for me it was a very dissapointing playing experience

Review by Derrick Summers, Atherton, Manchester

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

 

First impressions

The keys are bouncy and uncontrollable. The touch is too deep and the keys are irritatingly rattly.

Touch

Playing softly

If you try to play softly (piano or pianissimo) the keys jump down with force. This is because the spring tension in the keys is too great.

Result: It is not possible to play quietly/softly.

Score: 1 out of 10

 

Repetition

The repetition is good on the black keys and just below average on the white keys.
This is one of Hemingway’s better points. The repetition is still not as good as a real piano, or other better known digital pianos.
Result: Some fast passages are difficult to play.

Score: 6 out of 10

Touch sensitivity

This is virtually non existent. Most digital pianos have 4 or 5 levels of touch sensitivity which is designed to replicate a real piano. The Hemingway DP501 has only two. Although sometimes it feels like only one. You cannot get any power from the piano by pressing the keys down harder. And you certainly cannot put any expression into your music.

Result: Very frustrating to play. Not enjoyable at all.

Score: 1.5 out of 10

Key weight

The weight of touch is very important. If you practice on a piano with too light a touch you will not develop your finger muscles and dexterity. A heavier touch is always preferred. The Hemingway has a false touch. The touch is actually quite light but the spring tension is too great on the initial key depression and also when the key returns. The DP501 has 4 touch levels: Off, light, normal, and heavy. It performs best on ‘light’.
Result: The light to medium touch coupled with strong spring tensions results in a false touch. This makes it very difficult to control.

Score: 1.5 out of 10

Progressive Hammer Action

The Hemingway DP501 does not have a progressive hammer action. The key weight is the same on all keys. A progressive hammer action (also known as ‘scaled hammer action, or ‘graded hammer action’) means this: The keys in the bass section are heavy and get progressively lighter as you go up the keyboard. This replicates the touch of a real piano where the hammers are bigger/heavier in the bass, and smaller/lighter in the treble.

Key noise

The keys are very noisy. This becomes more noticeable as you turn the volume level down. If you play with headphones or with the volume level right down you will here how noisy the keys are. The knocking and clicking sounds are actually louder than the  sound of the piano at the lower end of the volume scale. Half of the notes that were tested around the middle of the piano produce a very loud click.
Result: The noisiness of the keys is really off-putting and will distract you from playing. If you plan on practicing with headphones so as not to disturb your neighbours or family sleeping in the next room, beware: The noisy, clicking keys will certainly be cause for complaint.

Score: 1 out of 10

Other characteristics

The keys are loose and very bouncy. There is also a lot of sideways movement. The depth of touch is too deep. This is also accentuated by the key fronts being far too long. The bounciness of the keys make it very difficult to control your playing.

Authenticity

Overall, the touch is not very good. Taking all the above points into consideration, and comparing the touch to a real piano, the Hemingway DP501 gets a score of 3 out of 10.
Result: The touch is false and doesn’t feel anything like a real piano. The only marks it picks up are from the reasonably good repetition and some resistance in the key weight.

Score: 2.5 out of 10

 

Sound

Sound Quality

Pleasant, clean/pure sound. Bell-like in the top treble. The sound is neither bright, nor mellow. You can hear right away that it’s a digital piano because the electronic sound comes through. The piano is also quite boomy, and it gets worse if you turn up the bass volume adjustment.
Result: After playing this piano for more than 10 minutes the boomy sound started to hurt my ears.

Score: 4 out of 10

Power/Volume

The DP501 has supposedly 2 x 40 watt speakers. But where is the sound? The speaker quality is poor and the volume of the piano (even on its maximum level) is weak. Quite disappointing. The sound appears to come from to small speakers located underneath the piano.

Result: The poor quality speakers and also their location contribute to the poor end result.
Score: 3 out of 10

Sound Decay

How quickly does the sound die away when holding down a note/notes? The sound decay is pretty good on the DP501. It actually replicates the decay length of an acoustic piano very well.
Result: Well done Hemingway! Good sound decay.
Score: 9 out of 10

Tuning

The harmonics in the bass are very rapid, and way out. The top treble (last two octaves) are in tune, with the last 3 notes a little sharp.  The centre of the piano (which is the most important area) is not good. The 3rd’s, 4th’s and 5th’s are very inconsistent. Some flat, some sharp. All over the place!

Result: It is rare to find a digital piano that is ‘in-tune’ near the top. The Hemingway DP501 has very good tuning in the top section. It’s a shame the tuning in the centre and bass lets it down big time

Score: 3 out of 10

Playing With Headphones

The sound is still very poor when playing with headphones. In fact, the noise from the
keys overpowers the sound from the piano. After just a short time playing with headphones you get rather annoyed with the ever present noise of the clunking keys.

Features

Record

Very complicated to use. Couldn’t work out how to use this feature at all. The manual explained how to use this feature clear enough, but after 5 minutes of struggling and getting in a right muddle, I gave up in frustration.

Build Quality

Construction is weak
Poor build quality
Pedal board moves when you press down on the pedal
Pedals have too much side play. The middle pedal (sostenuto) is longer than the other two.
The back board is very flimsy and is secured by two screws at the top and four at the bottom. The four at the bottom have not been pre-drilled. Tough work to get the bottom four screws in. Can result in damage to the cabinet if not careful. The key cover is secured by a wire to protect it in transit. This looks like a poor job. Very fiddly to undo the wire to release lid

Assembly

The DP501 is not easy to assemble. The instructions are not that clear, which leaves quite a bit of guess work, trial and error. The holes to connect the keyboard to the legs are not lined up very well. It takes a bit of jiggling (and requires two people) to get it right.

Assembly time 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Looks/Design/Style

The polished ebony version looks smart. The gold Hemingway logo is overpowering and looks a little tacky. The control panel looks simple and well laid out, but a little out-dated.

Packaging

Extremely well packed. Thick cardboard boxes (one inner and one outer). Plenty of polystyrene, bubble wrap and other packaging to secure the piano whilst in transit. Handles on both ends of the box. Moving parts such as pedals and keys are doubly protected. There is very little chance of the piano being damaged during delivery

Owner’s Manual

Well very laid out. Easy to read. Written in English and German.

Annoying Things

1) The reverb feature is automatically on when you switch on the piano. This has to be turned off to get the most realistic sound. To turn off the reverb you have to press the button 4 times.

2) The piano’s touch is set to ‘off’. This is nowhere near as good as the soft touch. To get the soft touch you have to press the touch button once. Unfortunately, when you turn the piano off and then back on, it doesn’t remember your previous setting.

3) The power lead is too short at only 1 meter. This means you have to place the piano directly in front of a power switch.

4) The DP501 comes with a European 2-prong plug. You will have to go out and buy an adaptor to be able to use it in England.

Piano Grades

This piano will get you up to around grade 2.

Hemingway DP-501 Score Sheet

Touch (in order of importance – scores out of 10)

Key weight: 1.5/10

Touch sensitivity: 1.5/10

Key control: 1/10

Repetition: 6/10

Key depth: 3/10

Graded hammer effect: 0/10

Sound (in order of importance – scores out of 10)

Realistic/authentic: 5.5/10

Bass: 2.5/10
Middle: 3.5/10
Treble: 3.5/10
Top: 6/10

Key noise: 1/10

Sound decay: 9/10

Interval tuning: 2/10

Octave tuning: 9/10

With headphones plugged in: 2.5/10

Pedals

Effectiveness of soft, sostenuto and sustain: All three are realistic.

Cabinet (scores out of 10)

Style/shape: 5/10

Wood grain or finish: 6/10

Music desk: 7/10

Dimensions: Length 141cm (55.5 inches), Depth 49cm (19.5 inches), Height 86cm (34 inches)

Weight: 53kg

Portability: 2/10

Strength of structure: 3/10

Choice of colours: Dark rosewood, polished ebony

Ease of assembly: 3/10

Build quality: 2/10

Features

Key cover: Yes

Headphone socket(s): Yes x 2

Speakers: 2/10

Headphone hanger: No

Basic Functions

Record: Yes,  but extremely difficult to use

CD, DVD, Floppy, Smart Media: No

Metronome: Yes

Polyphony: 64 notes

Reverb: 4 selections: Room, Hall, Theatre or off. Unfortunately, when you turn the piano off and then back on, it doesn’t remember your previous setting.

Control Panel

How easy to use: 3.5/10

Instrumental voices

Most popular:

Grand piano: This is the piano’s most realistic sound

Upright piano: A little too bright and electronic sounding

Electric piano: 2 variations
Harpsichord: OK, not brilliant
Vibes: Nice sounds
Strings: OK, nothing special
Organ: Solid sound but hard to distinguish the octaves

Demo songs: One for each instrumental voice. Plays the classics

Transpose: Dead easy to use, but only offers semi-tone increments

Ease and speed of assembling: (Takes 1 hour) 3/10

Manual: Yes

How easy to follow: Easy to follow.

How many languages offered: 2 (English, German)

Warranty: 3 years

Which grade it will take you to: Grade 2

Re-sale value: Sell within 3 years of purchase for around 25-30% of purchase price. 1.5/10

Value for money: 3/10

Total score (out of 100): 20

Overall Comments

Pleasant sound, but boomy, and it’s impossible to add expression to your music. With its annoying lack of key power and control, and its annoying bouncy and noisy keys, this piano is really frustrating to play. If you already own a Hemingway DP501, to get the most out of it you should select the soft touch, take off the reverb, and keep the volume level in the middle. Don’t use the headphones, it will drive you insane!

Reviewed by Graham Howard on 16/08/2008.

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

 

Hemingway DP-501 Review

2) “A budget concious, beginner or advanced piano player choice”

First, when you look at it (mainly from a picture or on the internet) –
looks really pretty. The black stylish finish, and the lovely keys kind of
mergint together. Sipmlictic at first – with no charisma, but when is
actually in your home it looks a nice piece of furniture.

It’s not the best built, so it could be that you would need to ‘adjust’
your DIY skills – to get it without any wombling / bouncing.
However, I’m sure if I would have paid at least twice as much – this would
not be an issue.

The stool is perfect, and continuing with its style – it’s very pretty and
comfy.

When you’re actually sitting down and start playing it, probably the 2nd
Uprigth Piano is the best sound to play on. Needs a little bit of
adjustment / testing until you think  you’re hearing the perfect piano
sound.

Playing it, sounds very good – specially if you always wanted an electric
piano – and you very excited about it – which I was at the time.

The touch sensitive  / weighted keys are not perfect – you can feel it that
it could be better, however it works OK.

It seems a bit annoying feature, that the piano can’t remember your effects
settings – everytime you switch it on / off.

However having said all of that it’s a lovely furniture in our home, and
sounds really lovely, full of joy when I’m sitting down and playing it.

If you are looking or searching for something rather perfect, don’t choose
this one!! It won’t suit your needs. If you are a piano player, who always
wanted a piano to play one and can’t afford to pay too much money on it,
you may as well choose a Hemingway.

All after all – it’s a piano, and if  you love playing it, doesn’t matter what you’re
playing one. It would matter if you can have the choice (providing you have the
money for it) – in that case yes it would matter, and I would also choose

another one maybe a Yamaha one.

Probably the best way – how I would rate this product is: This is a budget
concious, beginner or advanced piano player choice, but after a couple of
years, you will be upgrading it. It could be an excellent choice to someone
who is getting into the music world – or just simply can’t afford a Yamaha
Clavinova.

Review by Robert Nagy

 

3) “I liked the mellow sound of the instrument”

 

It is very much like any other Digital Piano, with several different types of piano including Organ. Always listen to the demo, as the sound of an instrument is paramount.
There were no delivery charges. It arrives in a big box and will take two people to put it together. Make sure you ask for a UK mains adapter as they are all continental two pin.
I liked the mellow sound of the instrument, which is so important. Once all connected and switched on, I found it as good as my previous Hemingway upright. For 479 Euro’s it cannot be beaten.

Review by Edward Waller, Abergavenny, Gwent, Wales, UK

 

4) “The keys feel so robust and very hard to pull down”

Hi Graham

I must say, reading the ‘7 things You MUST Know Before You Buy a Digital Piano’ was one of the most eye-opening and illuminous experiences ever and I sincerely recommend it to everyone!

However, unfortunately, my discovery of this incredible pdf file came far too late. Here is my concern: I had been gathering money to buy a sublime digital piano throughout the entire summer. The main piano on my mind had always been the Roland F-120 (€ 990). Until a couple of weeks ago, when the sum of earnings I had received, had reached about 850 euros, I came across a Youtube video of a Hemingway DP 701 (to give You a better understanding of what seduced me, it was Für Elise in the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XuNafbMfZg). Since it cost about 300 euros less (€ 575) than the F-120, it gave me an opportunity to keep some money after the purchase. Unfortunately, I didn’t bother to read any reviews until after I had already ordered it – that’s when I came across Your book – and only then did I begin to seriously doubt in my choice-making.

Then finally the piano arrived. Within the first couple of minutes I understood that this was not by a long shot anything close to what I had hoped for. The sound is bearable, but the keys feel so robust and very hard to pull down, the pedals make a weird sound when pressing them down, I found out that in order for me to attach a plate to the frame of the piano, I would have had to attach it using a drill (which I decided not to go for), there are so few availabilities when it comes to choosing from different sound effects etc.

To sum it up, I am more than convinced that I made my decision solely based on only one video and a price difference of 300 euros…

This is where I would like to turn my humble head to You in great awe. I understood from Thomann.de (the site from which I purchased my piano) that they guarantee a total money refund within 30 days, should the product be not quite what the customer expected. However, I disposed of all the packing hard-paper in which the piano was wrapped. Having said that, is it still possible for me to send it back to them just by having the local postal service in my hometown make the wrapping and packing themselves (which I personally doubt)?

In total, I have gathered about 1200 euros (within that is the 650 euros I paid for the Hemingway – in that purchase was also the t-bone headphones and a Thomann piano chair).

If by miracle, I am able to sell it for a similar price, I might go for the Roland F-120 or choose something from Yamaha or anywhere else. What I’m looking for is a digital piano as close to the state-of-the-art technology as one can get for about 1200 euros (it is my understanding that only Roland and Yamaha come close to that).

Review by Toomas