🎹Donner DDP-300 Digital Piano Review & Demo - Weighted 88-Key Home Digital🎹
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- 🛒 Get the Donner DDP-300 ▸geni.us/Donner-DDP-300
🛒 See More Digital Pianos▸geni.us/Digital-Pianos
💕 Subscribe to Merriam Pianos HERE ▸ bit.ly/SubscribeMerriam
🔔 Click the 🔔 bell to be notified of all videos! ▸ bit.ly/SubscribeMerriam
Comparable Alternatives:
🛒 Donner DDP-100▸geni.us/Donner-DDP-100
🛒 Casio PX-S1000▸geni.us/Casio-PX-S1000
🛒 Roland FP-10▸geni.us/Roland-FP10
0:00 - Intro
1:08 - Playing Demo
1:28 - Video Overview
3:53 - Piano Sound
9:03 - E Piano & Other Sounds
12:27 - Graded Hammer Action
17:01 - Piano Features
#Donner #DDP300 #DigitalPiano
Welcome to the Merriam Pianos RUclips channel. It’s been a little while since we’ve reviewed a digital piano, so we decided to hope back over to the digital realm.
In this video, we’ll be reviewing the Donner DDP300, which is one of the top-selling digital pianos on Amazon. Given its popularity, we felt it was worth a closer look.
Please like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell!
Video Overview
Donner makes a few different models of digital pianos, but they actually got their start in the industry several years ago by making guitar accessories.
The DDP300 has been out for a few years now, and as mentioned in the intro, it’s been a very big seller on Amazon, largely due to its highly affordable price, and impressive feature list.
Considering that Donner is not at all a big name in the industry, we were very curious to see how the DDP300 stacks up against offerings from Kawai, Roland, Yamaha, Casio, and Korg.
The DDP300 features a weighted 88-note action, sample-based sound engine, and on paper looks to compete against something like the Yamaha P-45 or Casio CDP-S100.
Let’s start by checking out the sound engine.
Piano Sound & Tone
The sample is pretty darn solid once you get playing this thing. Now, it’s clearly not 88-note individual sampling going on here and instead features a series of 3 or 4 note blocks with stretching applied. It also sounds like a single-layer sample, but that would be expected for the price, and the sample itself is really quite nice.
It’s definitely a nicer sample than what you’re getting on the Alesis in this price range, but not as complex as the Yamaha or Casio alternatives.
The dynamic control is quite good, and the left pedal effect is well calibrated.
Moving onto the E piano, and it’s actually quite functional. The Rock Organ, less so, but the Strings aren’t bad except for an add decay. Bass rounds out the sound selection, and is pretty good.
The dual speaker system offers 20 watts of power, and that’s more than enough for home use.
Piano Action
Donner advertised the DDP300 as having a GHS action. This is not Yamah’s GHS action, so let’s get that out of the way.
The DDP300’s GHS action is actually quite heavy, which isn’t typically the case with action’s in this price range.
It’s definitely one of the better actions we’ve tried at this price point, as it feels fairly accurate in terms of it’s dynamic output.
The key surfaces have more grip than we would like, but they’re not bad. Repetition speed is pretty good and should be fine for beginner and intermediate repertoire.
In a lot of ways, this feels like the actions Roland was using in their HP series instruments about 15 or so years ago. All in all, really not a lot to complain about here considering the price.
Piano Features
There’s definitely a few additional features worth noting here. For one, it actually has an auxiliary ¼” stereo line output, which is quite surprising for the price. There’s also two headphone jacks.
It also has Bluetooth MIDI, which is also very unusual for the price. There’s a basic on-board recorder which could help as a practice tool.
There’s also Split, Metronome and Transpose.
Conclusion
On the whole, the DP300 provides a very good musical experience for the price point. If the DP300 is sitting at the top of your budget, it’s definitely a fine option.
Are you better off spending more on a Casio or a Yamaha? For a lot of people, we would say yes, as you’re getting an action and sound engine that will take you further through lessons, and provide a more fulfilling experience for hobbyists.
But again, it all comes down to budget and what’s ultimately important to you.
Thanks for watching!
Connect with Merriam Music:
● Website ▸ www.merriammusic.com/
● Contact Us ▸ www.merriammusic.com/contact/
● Instagram ▸ / merriammusic
● Facebook ▸ / merriammusic
● Twitter ▸ / merriammusicinc 
Видеоклипы
![Cordae - Saturday Mornings (feat. Lil Wayne) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/z2GYJua09F0/mqdefault.jpg)
I think that with your playing level, you could make almost any piano sound good. I always enjoy hearing you play... very inspiring.
This piano does not sound good. But his playing makes listening still fun. That’s my opinion.
Have to totally agree. 👍
Not the rockjam
I love how this guy plays piano, he is so good, really smooth.
Stu is awesome! We're certainly lucky to have his immense talent! Thanks for tuning in! :)
Wow! That went really quickly. Great review!
My dear friend Stu Harrison. This was once again a very successful presentation of Digital Piano DDP-300 from Thunder. Since I buy a digital piano at Amazon in the near future, this was very helpful for my purchase decision. But now I fell in love with one or better two digital pianos from the manufactory Fame and on the one hand the FAME6500DP and the FAME8600DP. I would be very thank you very much thank you to test these two models too. Thank you very much in advance. Greetings from the beautiful Lower Saxony Langenhagen near Hannover in Germany sends you André.
I was considering an Alesis top model I think the artist one but for the similar price it doesn’t even come with a stand. This Donner looks amazing and you said it sounds better. It still sounds pretty good just coming through my iPhone speaker
Thanks for your Videos !!!
Yay first review of the year. Tell us, can we expect new DP releases for the NAMM online event in a few days?
Hey, thanks for your great videos! There is just no other channel on RUclips that actually makes good piano reviews like you do!
Are we by any chance going to see reviews of higher-end Yamaha digital pianos such as the CLP 785 or NU1x any time soon?
Stu...I heard a bit of Johnny Costa in there. You can make a toy piano sound great. Terrific review!
I love your demos!! You are a great player with some great licks. Keep up the great work.
I will be sure to pass on the kind words to Stu on your behalf! :)
thank you so much for the logical and thorough review. I've been looking at these along with the Donner DP-80. Do you have any comment about the 3 pedal system, perhaps specifically related to the sostenuto pedal and its clarity, or functionality?
Hola! ¿Podrías hacer una revisión de la colección de pianos (4) de "EAST WEST" por favor? A ver cómo andan en comparación con VSL.
Buen año 2022! ,🙋🏼♂️
Not bad. I played a DG-30 the other day, and liked it. "Hobby Player", that's me.
Fun fact,the piano sample they used is almost identical to the sample in Yamaha P-45 or P-125,you can even do note by note comparison.
Your expression at 5:08 tells me everything I need to know about the product, Stu! 😁
Sometimes, expressions are worth a thousand words! :)
After listening closely to several reviews on your channel of similarly priced products including Casio and Kawai, I still like the sound of this Donner piano despite how I can see some would call it “thin”
Pls grammar better
@@Garrett_Bear_Stap no more in the school please
You make this piano sound fabulous! I love hearing u play & ur reviews as I'm sure everyone does! Thank you for these videos! I just realized I had already watched this, but u r so good I still loved it!(& Freddy Mercury poster!👏👏👏)
Thanks for tuning in! I will be happy to share your incredibly kind words with Stu! We're glad you have been enjoying the reviews! :)
FYI - The Amazon link in the description doesn’t point to this model. In fact it the model doesn’t appear at all on that page.
Hi Stu! Have watched almost all your videos, and I'm curious to know what are your thoughts on the Yamaha NU1X.... Could you share what do you think of it if you have tried it? Thanks!
Diamond Dallas Page piano! Feel the bang, my friend.
Stu is absolutely right. We can be picky about DPs if we have the cash, but 30 years ago I was performing alongside some excellent musicians using very simple DPs. They made them sound surprisingly good. It wasn't about fooling our ears that it's an acoustic grand piano, it was about playing satisying music on workable instruments.
If you can really get this DDP-300 for under $400 US, complete with built-in home furniture support, that is excellent, because the basic sound and action seem very reasonable. As a cheap beginner piano it only needs to last and satisfy for three years - after that it owes you nothing!
Regarding sound output - it's time that all manufacturers admitted that the sound systems on most of their DPs are inadequate, at least by themselves. There is a modular solution: A discrete 8" woofer or subwoofer plug-in speaker designed to compliment several models by the same manufacturer, and look nice in a home. There could even be a smart crossover built into a DP itself, for onboard speaker efficiency. This extra speaker would be a great additional sale for manufacturers and dealers alike.
I get what your saying. I know a pianist who makes great music on an old grand piano he's name is Martin Avila he plays on an old Kimball however, he's playing makes it sound very nice🎹🎶
They don't even need a subwoofer that large to achieve reasonable bass notes. The Roland DP603 has a large box with a couple of 12 cm (4.75") speakers in a sealed cabinet that produces more than enough bass. The Kawai ES8/ES520/ES920 have great bass with just a pair of very small full range speakers (no tweeters) in a ported plastic enclosure. The Yamaha DGX 670 has also great piano bass tone since it has also ported full range speakers (and tweeters). For piano tone, it is better not to use a ported subwoofer, due to the air shuffling and their high rolled-off bass slope (due to their design). A better choice is a sealed subwoofer. And believe it or not, you can also place a speaker in an open baffle and the bass will be more than enough (you will need either an inductor to limit the frequencies to less than 200 Hz or so, or an amplifier designed for subwoofers with frequency adjustment) I know that because I design speakers for digital pianos as a personal hobby and I have tried all of those designs. In fact, grand pianos don't produce bass by means of boxes (ported or sealed), but by means of a very large membrane vibrating in an H-frame (the effect on the outer rim), which is exactly how open baffle speakers produce bass.
@@Instrumental-Covers Accordingly, the Fostex Mini (5" sealed sub) could be useful.
I'm not sure I agree about those portable Kawai pianos having plenty of bass. I've not yet heard a portable piano that doesn't beg a little help in amplification.
@@Zoco101 The Kawai pianos I mentioned are the weakest of the 3, but they are still better than many vertical pianos. For example, the Yamaha CSP170 will easily overpower a Kawai or Yamaha upright piano of any size when it comes to bass. I am mentioning that specific model, due to a test I did in an actual piano store. The CSP170 has just a couple of 6.5" speakers (and 3" mid/highs full range speakers). Most baby grand pianos don't have much bass at all, and my DGX670 produces more bass than most of them. The problem with digital pianos is not bass, but midrange expansion: pianos have huge soundboards vs a couple of tiny circles (speakers). Soundboards have difficulty playing great bass for simple physics: there is a formula between area of a radiator (membrane) and bass output. Bass frequencies produce very large waves that meet from the front and back of a piano, and cancel each other out, leaving weak bass. On the other hand, even a 5" woofer in a box can produce a lot of bass due to the box preventing this cancellation. Pianos are large, and their sound is large as well, even if they don't go that deep in bass, they fell powerful. In contrast, digital pianos may have more bass, but since their speaker systems are so tiny, they feel underpowered. Adding a subwoofer is likely to produce an unnatural piano sound. It may be satisfying for some, but it is not a realistic piano sound. Even a 9 foot concert grand does not sound like a subwoofer at all. The bass sounds more like 60 Hz, and that is because the lowest fundamental tone, 27.5 Hz, is basically silent, and only the 2nd partial (27.5*2=55 Hz) starts to make its appearance.. the 27.5 Hz is about 60 decibels quieter. A bookshelf speaker is more than enough bass for a realistic piano tone, unless you just want to create a fake mega-bass piano. Again, the problem of digital pianos is their small size, not the bass output. I have used a pair of 15" full range drivers (up to four of them) in an open baffle configuration, and that is plenty of bass, with the proper crossover.
@@Instrumental-Covers That's interesting. Some studio monitors are very mid-oriented, so the 4" woofers on my P-121 produce more convincing bass than the 5" speakers on my MSP5 monitors. The sound seemed just a little incomplete, even with both sets of speakers. The sub I added has a tight sound, and I use it discretely. I believe it improves my piano sound, but I'm not a purist. Admittedly, I had a more complex agenda anyway, because I wanted a studio sub, and I wanted to be able to play the upright bass patch and organ patch more convincingly.
But now I have to replicate the effect on small gigs. I'm considering the DB Technologies unit with a "bass reflex sub" and an array of 4x3" speakers in a top unit. I'll probably use the onboard speakers too. Do you think the bass reflex aspect will cause problems then? Could it be a glorified woofer in a ported sub cabinet?
Update: Ooops, I meant to say P-255. That's what I have.
Nice to hear some Bruce Hornsby in there!
hi, can videos of KORG digital pianos? B2, LP380, Concert series or something?
Amplifier power is a complicated subject. This is not equivalent to a car speedometer, where 40 km/h is twice the speed of 20 km/h. For example, to hear music twice as loud, you need 10 times the amplifier power. So, you need 10 watts of power to hear your piano twice as loud than at just 1 watt. And 10*10=100 watts to hear it at twice the volume produced at 10 watts. So, 20 watts does not give you 2 times the volume at 10 watts, the volume increase is very small. This is why you don't get a lot more if you go from, let's say, a Kawai KDP75 (18 watts amplifier output) to a KDP120 (40 watts). You get almost nothing in overall loudness, as measured by a decibel meter. What about the bass? Do you get better performance with more watts for the bass? Well, again, it is not that straightforward. Our ears are most sensitive around 2 kHz-5 kHz, and we need more bass volume to compensate for our lack of sensitivity for lower frequencies (Fletcher-Munson curves). That means we need to provide the loudspeakers with more current to move the cone enough for those low frequencies... But this is the thing: most of these digital pianos don't have large drivers in proper enclosures to produce those bass notes anyway.
Digital pianos typically use a small full range driver, sometimes fitted inside a box without proper frequency tuning. Driving more power to them for the low frequencies does not result in proper bass anyway. So, for digital piano use, I wouldn't worry about an amplifier doing 18 watts vs 40 watts. In the case of the KDP75 vs KDP120, the speakers are not the same size, as the KDP120 has larger speaker cones which contribute to a more rounded tone with more bass. So, in this case, it is not just the amplifier but the speakers. In fact, you could make the KDP75 sound way better than the KDP120 by simply connecting its internal 9 watt/channel amplifier to a large, properly designed, high sensitivity speaker system. Can we say that the KDP120 has better bass simply because it has more amplifier power? The answer is: no. You need to look at the speaker size as well. If you fitted the KDP120 with a smaller speaker and the KDP75 with a bigger speaker, chances are the KDP75 will sound fuller. In general, can we say that more power directly translates in louder or more bass heavy sound? No. You need to also look at the speaker system, which includes both the drivers and the box design and tuning. The amplifier power rating alone is not enough information to make a statement about the performance of a sound system.
Hi. I am tending towards buying the Roland Fp60x but the way you make all the pianos sound...wow.. lt can be difficult to choose
I have it...and its amazing!
Love the Freddie Mercury piccure in the background ❤
Thank you! :)
Was that bach you were playing? It was gorgeous!!
I would have to ask Stu, but he is certainly an extremely versatile player! :)
I'd really like to hear your impression the Donner SE-1, please.
Thanks for the suggestion! We are not Donner dealers, so it is a bit tougher to do reviews and comparisons with their models. However, every now and then, we do receive them as trade-ins, which allows us to tackle reviews/comparisons. :)
Are you likely to review the Donner DDP-80?
Loved The Way it is intro song!
Thanks so much for tuning in! :)
So for $680 (Donner MSRP) is this a good buy?
You could get a Yamaha P 125 or a Kawai ES 110 with that price, and they both sound beter than that thing🎹🎶
The first product to get killed in the market is probably a Casio CDP or CDP-S, as you get a complete console with higher specs, while Yamaha P45 would still be safe right now, for its brand value.
Anything that could save Casio would be its Chordana apps perhaps?
Don't all the CDPs have dual sensors at least? The PX's have tri-sensors I believe. I wish Stu had said exactly which Alesis models are pipped by this DDP-300. I'm sure he hasn't reviewed the full Alesis range. I have checked Amazon here in Europe and the DDP-300 isn't available. The DEP10s & DEP20s are avaiable, and they cost a little more than $400 here, or at least the DEP-20s does.
@@Zoco101 ha
definitely a slip of tongue
yes 88-keyed CDP are dual sensors.
Casio CT-s100/200 are single sensor, but that's totally off discussion here.
How is the velocity sensitivity compared to VPC 1? I play a very wide dynamic range and need the PPP to FF range. Thanks Stu!
Hi! Brent here! The VPC1 is pretty much unparalleled when it comes to velocity sensitivity and expressivity tracking. The only other pianos that I have personally found compare to the VPC1 in this regard is the NV10S. Thanks and hope this helps! :)
That's a digital piano though. What about 88 key progressive/graded hammer action controllers? Thanks for your reply!
Anyone think any competing pianos in this price range are better? why? i’m thinking about purchasing this stop me if I shouldn’t.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! The DDP300 has an attractive price attached to it for a console-style digital piano. The only other console-style model at this price point that I would suggest comparing and exploring would be the Casio PX770. It took packs a lot of value for its price point! :)
Nice! Was there some Liz Story in there before Beethoven's Pathetique?
I would have to check with Stu, but it is very possible! :)
@@MerriamPianos Thanks for your reply!!
But, how long will this sound last, maybe in one year we will hear more electric sound?
Digital pianos can last 10, 15, or even 20 years if well-maintained and cared for over the years. Unless there are issues with the instrument or speakers, there should be no degradation of sound quality over time.
Nice, I would really loved to have the ddp80, but one day I went to a music store and I found. a Kawai, and I played, and just in that moment I perceived some magic, in my country I had an acoustic Kawai . So I chooses KDp75 ,for other reasons, I am not professional and I am not able to distinguish between sounds . Ddp80 would e my second option.
piano tone roks🏅🥈🥈🥉🎉🎉🎈🏆
Thanks for tuning in! :)
I can sea this work as a vst driver🎹🎶
I was thinking the same.
@@Instrumental-Covers this is the only digital piano where you can hear the transition point in the bass strings lol🎹🎶
@@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12 I wonder if these are just impressions or actual characteristics of the piano. For example, Stu says he can tell it is not individual sampling, that it sounds like they only sample about 3 or 4 keys and stretch the other notes. He says that sounds like it is a single layer. He says that Kawai sounds like it has at least 5 or 6 layers... the reality is that there is no information about that from these manufacturers, so these are just speculations. In addition, listening to these pianos through their speaker systems instead of a highly resolving pair of studio monitors adds to being more subjective than objective. Even if you were using a pair of studio headphones designed for forensic audio, like the Sennheiser HD800S or some planar magnetic reference headphones, it is still a guess, not an objective evaluation. 👀
@@Instrumental-Covers I see where your geting at the information on these things are very limited and, the fact that it's a low cost instrument no one would really care if it's a stretched sample or an 88 key sample🎹🎶
BENZ I doubt that it's worth buying any expensive VSTs for a piano like this, but maybe there are some very cheap ones or freebies. In fact I wouldn't bother getting a valuable VST for any keyboard/piano worth less than $1200.
What are people who repair electrical pianos called 🤷🏽♂️. Got one key that is super loud and a different one that has now gone very quiet.
People that repair digital pianos are usually referred to as digital piano technicians. An experienced digital piano tech should be able to assist you with your issue. Best of luck! :)
@@MerriamPianos 🙏🏾
Open up ur digital piano & see what the problem is. It could just be dirty & a graphite pencil will do the job, or the pad thing broken or torn, u can buy replacement for very little & anyone can do it in about an hour or so...hard part is taking out & putting back in all those screws! If its a DONNER, they'll replace ur piano free.
@@MK-he8xm I guess I am a little intimidated buy opening into the piano. I’ll give it shot thank you 🙏🏾😀
hello messi
Really ? It was around 300/400$ a year ago ? Now it ranks at twice this price. Any reason other than inflation ?
Inflation has been pretty extreme and rough on the piano industry. The pricing also varies from market to market. In some cases, it is much more expensive for certain dealers/manufacturers to import/export product, which can affect the retail pricing as well.
For what it's worth, the whole electronics industry has really been hit hard by post covid inflation and manufacturing lead times.
I don't buu this piano $600...this maybe 300 maybe OK.
300-400$? think again... it's almost 670$ on Amazon
You can’t sugar coat junk.
Why do the VAST majority of digital piano and electronic keyboard reviewers play jazz to demonstrate an instrument? Even the classical offering in this video isn't a "purist" piece like Chopin or Debussy. I get that the traditional 80s "electric piano" sound lends itself perfectly to jazz, but accoustic piano is surely aimed more at the classical/purist player than the more "niche" genre of jazz. Personally, as soon as jazz rears its head in a demo, I'm immediately turned off the whole demo!
Music and art will always be highly subjective. As a musician myself, I am of the philosophy that there is something to be gained from having an open mind to all styles of music. With that said, we appreciate the honest feedback and will certainly do our best to integrate more classical repertoire for these video reviews and comparisons. :)
Yes indeed, an eclectic mix of styles and genres would be fine, but my point was that, as I first stated, the vast majority feature only jazz, and NOT a mix.
Chips piano.. 👎
The tone is incredibly thin...good clarity but so "trebly" and cheap sounding.
It's a factor of the speakers, I bet. If it is piped through a decent sound system (I have never seen a keyboard like this with an explicit speaker output) it might not be half bad. Acoustic pianos don't have big soundboards for naught.
plastic
Are you referring to the action? Many digital piano use plastic key actions. While most wood key actions are more sophisticated and superior actions, there are some great plastic key actions on the market. :)
Sounds awful.
Tonal preference is a highly personal and subjective thing of course. Not everyone will resonate with every piano model and sound.
Toy "piano".
Sounds terrible.