Roland HP307 Reviews

“The sound quality is most convincing, but the top 4/5 notes on the keyboard are very feeble – basically one hears a succession of key thumps rather than a musical pitch”

After some 3/4 weeks of using the piano I feel quite confidant of my choice
of this model. The sound quality is most convincing and the touch
sensitivity, which is marginally adjustable, is what I had been hoping to
find. Most of the other parameters provided, though not really essential,
are well thought out and easy to find.

My only reservation in commending the HP307 is that the top 4/5 notes on the
keyboard are very feeble in their purely musical output – basically one
hears a succession of key thumps rather than a musical pitch.
I have written to Roland at Swansea, commenting on this but have, to date,
received no reply.

Thank you for your very helpful hints on the whole digital piano scene.

Review by Carey Humphreys

 

“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 was the best option within my budget”

Since I live in Brazil, it is difficult to pick a piano by its price, since all things here
that are imported are incredible inflated, and here it lacks of options, so I bought
the Roland HP307 with the “6 Simple Tests You Can Do In The Piano Store Before
Making Your Decision” guide, it was the best option within my budget.

I had also tested the v-piano and found amazing the software used in that piano,
however the v-piano costs R$ 18.000,00 (6.700,00 Pounds)  and the HP307 was
R$ 8.500,00 (3.150,00 Pounds).

I also tried many Kawai pianos and Yamaha pianos, but the Roland had (in my
opinion) the most similar tone to a acoustic piano, and again, the most
considerable price. The cheapest Kawai piano was the mp8ii and costs R$
8.250,00, so you my guest how expensive are the pianos here and how
different it is to choose a digital piano.

Review by Felipe Wetter

 

“The HP-307 has a very dull and booming bass and the tones sound artificial”

After trying Roland pianos: HP-307 and RG-3 I decided that the Roland is not realistic in its sound.

The HP-307 has a very dull and booming bass and the tones sound artificial. Even though it has the new “supernatural” sound.
The RG-3 was a special offer from the store (5900 Euro): they had to get rid of it since its successor RG-3F was coming.

Again I found the action sluggish (but of course it was the “older” PHA-II action. At first sight the sound was impressive:
using many loud chords and the pedal you might get the “woow” feeling. But playing a chromatic scale across the keyboard
revealed many deficiencies. Notes that were too loud, too sharp or just plain ugly. And again the dull bass.

Review by Paul Provoost

 

“It does not feel like or sound like an acoustic piano”

I recently purchased a Roland HP 307 from Harrods ( 2 months old) but I do
not like it as it does not feel like or sound like an acoustic piano.
I now have to try and sell it or part exchange for an acoustic upright.

Review by Kevin Morris

 

“I was immediately irritated by the clunking noise the keys made”

After initially deciding to buy a decent digital piano I opted for the Roland HP307 in polished ebony. It cost me £2900. A digital piano would offer me the oppurtunity to play silently in the evenings and late at night so the idea of buying an acoustic was out of the question. After unpacking the 307 I was very happy it looked great and was easy to use.

HOWEVER! After a few minutes playing I was immediately irritated by the clunking noise the keys made. It was so loud you could hear it through the headphones with the volume all the way up. You could also hear the keys being played all over the house. It completely cancelled out the main reason for buying a digital….silent playing. I did not pick up on this key noise in the shop as I guess the background noise in the shop hid this. But in the house when it was quiet it was so annoying. I then read forums on the internet where many people have mentioned this annoying problem.

It is not anything than can be rectified, it is just the Roland key setup. Anyway I sent it back for a refund and have now purchased a acoustic / silent piano. I was going to buy the Yamaha B2 but instead was lucky to find a Kawai piano second hand for a good price with a silent system fitted. The keys do make a noise when in silent noise but its not as tinny and clunky as the Roland. Plus I now have the real acoustic deal as well. It was a shame really the HP307 was a beautiful looking piano with lots of great features and a realsitic key touch. Make sure you are happy with the clunking noise before you buy one.

Review by Brendan Clifford, Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom

 

“I find the Roland HP 307 piano very organic and random”

I had a Clavinova CLP 170 that I taught piano on for 8 years. I liked it
very much, when looking, I tried the CLP 380 and found the sound to be the
same  sounding sample sets except with more notes and dynamics sampled. I love
Yamaha, Roland and Korg products as I use them all as synths and electronic
organs  in my recording studio. I feel that the Yamaha was still a little sterile
with regard to the overall interaction of the samples and resonance etc. But
still does sound great of course.

The Roland HP 307 was a shock in tone to start with as it is much mellower and
boomy in sound through its speakers (Steinway sample). After spectrum
analysing  the tonality I found a resonance peak at around 40 – 50hz which  when
attenuated with the inbuilt EQ and together with a 3db shelving boost at 4k
this gave the sound clarity and presence.

I find the Roland HP 307 piano very organic and random when playing like the
many grands and uprights I have played (the good ones). It is not perfect, as I
believe that until the total V-piano technology is used at this price point it
won’t be. The other samples onboard are the best I have heard and are as good
as my Roland Fantom X8 synth.

Review by Paul Lee (ALCM), London

 

“The finish of this model plus the good sound are the real plus’s”

I purchased the ROLAND HP307 PE from Gear4Music .  I managed to get it (after a mix up with another
one I thought I’d ordered) some £300 off their price.

The multiplicity of voices that it has, are perhaps not necessary, but are fun if you look upon them
as free extras. The finish of this model plus the good sound are the real plus’s.

Overall I am very pleased with my purchase

Review by Dennis Fleetham

 

“I found Roland’s feel and sound true to a real grand piano”

Comparing the HP-307 with Yamahas Clavinova series, I found Roland’s feel and sound to much more true to a real grand piano, and alot more satisfying to play.

Piano sound:
While Roland writes that the SuperNatural piano sound is sample based, with some technology borrowed from the physically modelled V-piano, I suspect that much more than they claim are based on physical modelling, and that the SuperNatural technology is merely a semantical twist to cater to a less expensive market segment. For instance, I initially thought that the damper pedal “gasp” at depression was a mere sample played over and over again. But repeated pedal action reveals that the sound is actually slightly different every time, and as a scientist specializing in computational mechanics, I can tell it takes a really advanced model to produce that effect realistically. The damper pedal is also velocity sensitive. Here’s another test you can do: press one key so gently down that it does not produce any sound. Then strike a key an octave above or below that. Try the same with a other inervals as well; you will hear overtones in the depressed key which are very true to life. There’s also a host of customizations to design a piano sound to your taste.

Keys:
The keys feature a nice and dynamic hammer action that the yamaha models lack. The black keys are relatively broad, e.g. compared to Kawai’s keys. I like it, it makes them easier to play. The texture feels very dry, supposedly, it is an ivory imitation. When you stike the keys hard, they will make audible thumps. In my opinion, this is not annoyng as someone else have commented – I think an accoustic piano would produce approximately the same thumps, but you don’t notice them due to the loudness of the strings. The same is the case with the Roland piano, if you turn up the volume to a level comparable with an accoustic piano. Compared to the Yamaha keys, they feel much better; the Yamaha keys sort of spring back at your fingers and give you a qualitatively the same feeling you would get by striking a metal plate with a metal bat.
The only thing i miss is wooden keys. This is however not noticeable unless you look for it.

Other features:
Full set of GM2 sound, and quite a few of Roland’s own higher quality sounds; e-pianos, strings, organs..
However, only the piano sound features SuperNatural technology.
3-track sequencer
USB connection for midi and wav playback

Review by Dennis Morton

 

“Overall we are quite pleased with the action”

Hi Graham,

We purchased a digital instrument.  We were considering a very lightly used Roland HP 307, that had been purchased new within the past year.  Not sure if it was a “left-over” or not, since I believe the 507’s have been out a bit longer.  This was purchased for use in a church fellowship hall.  Two of our keyboard musicians tested the keyboard action and sound and overall were quite pleased with the action and the quality of the sound.  We have a Yamaha grand piano in our sanctuary, and it is helpful to have an action that feels compatible for our musicians.

For the record, we purchased this instrument for about $2,200, so it was significantly less than what is available in our area in the HP 500 series.

Thanks,

Review by Del Keeney, Mechanicsburg, PA, USA