I love my Roland FP-90 but maybe someday if I have $5999 sitting around and a larger home to accommodate it, I would just love to own this Roland Baby Grand Piano. Alas, for now, I shall enjoy my FP-90, improve my skills, and dream about this beautiful piano someday. 🙂
"Out of the box, in my opinion, the DG30 needs a bit of a tweak via the Virtual Technician mode to optimize the sound engine" In the video you mention "Full", although in Virtual Technician I am not seeing that specific term as an option. Do you have the settings available perhaps on a website or in another video? Thanks!
I'd love to see a review of the Roland LX706/LX708 with the Hybrid Grand action. Perhaps a comparison with the Kawai Grand Feel III (CA79/CA99) as well.
Both are lovely sounding instruments. Roland has made very powerful professional synths for years. Enya is said to have produced most of her music with a single Roland D-50. I have that synth but one of my favorites was the Roland Super JX-10 which was capable of some very beautiful color washes that were similar to a water color impressionistic painting. Roland also develop one of the very first digtial piano modules called the MKS-20. The bottom line, Roland knows what they are doing when it comes to tone generation. In contrast Kawai was known more for their acoustic pianos, particularly their parlor grands. They would not have the depth of experience that Roland has in terms of electronic tone generation. That said, they do have massive experience with well respected acoustic instruments. They do know what a good piano sounds like. I think any digital has to be tuned to the room. For that reason, Pianoteq Pro which has limitless adjustment of every single note and is more satisfying than the Pianoteq Stage which is limited in adjustments. Stu is playing these pianos in a large open showroom. It could be that Kawai has the DG-30 set up more for a smaller home environment. I love the sound of the DG30, but both sound great. I would be happy to play either one. For myself, I'm waiting for delivery of a Kawai es920 which is a portable instrument with a similiar level of technology as the DG30. The other option for me would have been the Roland RD-2000 which Stu owns. I think the es920 is lighter weight than the RD-2000 which I believe is a bit of a beast to transport. Stu, you could carefully round the edges of your RD-2000 keys with very fine sand paper, like 400 or 600 grit. Whichever of these two pianos a person chooses, I think they won't regret their decision.
Yeah, Stu's reviews are the best. And I cannot agree more about the NV5. It is a beautiful instrument with features and experience, honestly, much more advanced than these two. Enjoy.
@Konstantin Ridaya cannot agree more. I haven't tried Dg30 myself yet but I am curious about the wooden board's contribution to the experience. Though I don't expect it to justify the difference in price. This piano is even more expensive than the CA99 which, I think, is the best digital piano this side of a Novus 5.
I played both CA99 and DG30 today. DG30 sounds way way better than the CA99. I much prefer buttons than LCD. I just wish DG30 uses a dark cover like the CS11.
A pity that both of the Little Grands have older technology. the DG-30 should have at least the same Generator as the CA-99 for that price and also better keys and a Soundboard. But then it would be very near to a Novus 10 from a sound perspective. The GP 607 should use the LX 708 keys and engine which are both one step further, especially for that price, a short comment on what is different to the GÜ 609 would be helpful as well. I would also like to hear a good mike comparison of both mini grands. As the sound on Headphones is not why I pay more for a large Digital Piano. I expect a better analog section/speakers than on a CA99 or LX708 when I pay several thousand dollars more. If you could compare those models and use a pair of good mikes as well, so we can hear what you can hear and understand your judgment.
Thanks for the great videos - it's really helping us decide what piano to buy next. Any chance you could do a comparison video of the Roland GP607 and the LX706?
Does Kawai & Roland had stereo line out? So we could connect to a console for live stage situation? If they had, does connecting it would mute their built in spekaer?
Roland doesn’t offer any pianos with a comparable action. This is one of the biggest advantages of Kawai (and Yamaha). They make real acoustics and have the advantage of adapting and designing acoustic piano actions for digital pianos. The only other maker that is close is Casio/Bechstein partnership.
I had a Yamaha NU1 and then got a GP607. I also compared NU1 with N3 side by side. I think NU1 has the best sound even better than N3. I don’t know why 🤔
Stu, please do a review of Pianoteq 7. I’d love to hear your opinion of it, although obviously doesn’t fit with your reviews of all-in-one instruments. I’m sure it’s moved ahead of Roland’s modelling technology these days.
I would like to see a battle of soundengines: Kawai PHI vs Yamaha GFX vs Roland PureAcousticModeling vs SuperNATURAL-piano-modeling vs SuperNATURALpiano and pianoteq. Same piece of music and same volume on every engine; line out.
@@thomasfeldbauer5025 Actually I’d just love to know well it plays. Even though the sound of Pianoteq is excellent, the key is the feel and responsiveness to the player. So we’ll need Stu for that one!
Kawai has just launched a plethora of new models within the CN and CA lines. We have not yet heard of any updates to the DG30 in the works, but, I suppose, it is only a matter of time before every model sees some type of update. :)
On paper the Roland is a clear winner. It has a higher power output and in my opinion the better action compared to Kawai RHIII. The Roland PHA-50 plays in the ballpark of Kawai GrandFeelCompact(GFC). I tried all three actions in a store and I would say: GFC > PHA-50 >> RHIII. Between GFC and PHA-50 there was not much difference, but both way more pleasing then the RHIII. Another plus for this Roland action its durability. Especially on an extra-high-price digital this seem to be very important. It's simply annoying to throw away a instrument after some year just because the action has worn out. On a CN series piano that's okay as a replacement is not that expensive, but on a grand-style piano this would be embarasing. Stu, any words about the longevity of the RHIII. I know you have no official numbers, but if there is a man on the planet who has a feeling about when to expect noises from a plastic-action, this is you. Thank you.
I have played all of them as well (and own a ca58 with gfc and a mp7se with the RHIII) and honestly, the difference is not that stark, at least to me. I actually really like the RHIII even compared to the gfc. The gfc is an obvious step up over the rh, but that one is still miles ahead of anything that yamaha has to offer, and I don't really like the pretty harsh bottom-out of the Roland actions. I can also comment on the durability of the RHIII: Why should it be less durable than the gfc? I've owned my mp7se for about 1.5 years now, it's been played every day for at least an hour, and so far there are no signs of wear/tear or... really, any other issues. It plays the same and sounds the same. And while even my newer mp7se has issues with "ghost touches", calling a single ghost touch per hour an issue might be a little far fetched. It doesn't annoy me, tbh. And other than that, there have been no issues with the keybed whatsoever.
@@Thelifreak95 & @Thomas Feldbauer I appreciate both of your comments on the actions. I haven't tried either one. But it's good to know there is a difference of opinion. Thinking it over for myself, and being mostly interested in an easily transportable self=contained instrument; a hybrid grand action would not be practical. Even the es920 is on the heavy side to the point of probably being too heavy. Each company probably put in the best action they had for these two instruments; best of course being subjective. As far as I know the PHA-50 action is the best Roland has to offer. As for Kawai, they had the choice to put in a wooden key stick action, but chose not to. Perhaps they are holding that back for larger cased digital grands. It's hard to say. It seems to me that both instruments are lovely. The good news is the age of quality digital grands has arrived. The only drawback is that you can't play them when presumed President Biden turns off the electric power because of providentially mandated energy conservation.
@@Thelifreak95 Hi friend, which key action is better or did you prefer between Kawai RHIII, Roland PHA-50 and Yamaha NWX?. And please give me reasons for yor choice, like: faster keys, confortable feeling, key noises, reliability, etc... Thanks!.
@@JoeLinux2000 I'm just gonna ignore that part about Biden shutting of the electrical grid?!? But whatever, to your point: Why kawai put the RH3 into the es920 is easy - to make it somewhat portable. The GF Action is HEAVY. Like, really heavy. The mp7 and mp11 have a very similar build, but the mp11 is 12kg heavier than the mp7 which can mostly be attributed to the action. Also, the GF Action is just more expensive. However, I think the pricing of the es920 is kinda stupid, it should be lower than the es8 but isn't, since its still mostly the same stuff, and just minor upgrades. If you want the best kawai has to offer, there is always the mp11se, which has the same sound engine as the es920 and the best action they have to offer. Concerning ghost touches on the mp7... it's not the same tone, but thinking about it, it's a limited amount of keys. Maybe 2 or 3, and the sensor "activates" at full volume right after I let them go. Since I just played the key, the ghost touch is never "out of key (musically speaking)". So while it sounds weird, it doesn't really distract and since it happens so rarely, I'm fine with it.
So Stu, there is a question I don't find answered anywhere on the internet, and I'd be really happy if you could do a video on it, however short. And that is: Should I get a Kawai K-200 with silent system, or a NV5? Could ask the same for K-300 or K-500, but they would be a lot more expensive. The k-200 with silent system would be about the same price as the NV5. Well, actually more. I guess the K-15 with ATX3 would be the same price as the NV5. For me, these two are the final pair of choices. But which one to choose? I feel only you could answer that authoritatively. Oh, and: is ATX3 much different from an 'ordinary' silent system? So if you have a couple of hours to spare...
I would go for the NV5. I believe one is being played here: ruclips.net/video/-8GzuHuxVRg/видео.html If I'm wrong correct me. I'm going by the opening in the top. I also believe no standard upright would sound this good.
@@i.ehrenfest349 There are many advantages to digital pianos. Most acoustic uprights aren't very good, and the Asian instruments devolve into a very harsh brittle and hard tone after a while. All of those issues will be eliminated with the NV5. I haven't heard of anyone not liking the NV5. Another feature of at least many of the Pianotec voices is the exquisite tuning which just isn't possible on an actual stringed instrument due to the inharmonicity of the strings themselves. You might need to read up on that. If I were you, I would compare the sound of the NV5 to the DG-30. Of all the pianos Stu has played, the DG-30 is perhaps my most favorite. The action on the NV5 is said to be superior. For myself, I'm interested in portability and have an es920 on order, but I don't think it sounds as good as some other Kawai models.
The DG30, at a street price of USD 5,500, is ridiculously over-priced. With the CN39 selling for USD 2,700, I would gladly pay up to 3,500 for the "grand" cabinet, but not much more. So, to my mind, the DG30 is about 2K more than it should be. Kawai is probably pricing its first entry into this market at a high price point, to leave themselves a good amount of pricing wiggle room for future entries, and maybe to test market reaction to a ridiculously-high price. I like the product, but not at that price!
I love my Roland FP-90 but maybe someday if I have $5999 sitting around and a larger home to accommodate it, I would just love to own this Roland Baby Grand Piano.
Alas, for now, I shall enjoy my FP-90, improve my skills, and dream about this beautiful piano someday. 🙂
Wow- what a fabulous and balanced review! Thanks so much for taking the time to make the video, with such detail. Superb playing btw! :)
So the user can put it on celestial 432Hz
like
ruclips.net/video/uqnQxBXdmEg/видео.html
"Out of the box, in my opinion, the DG30 needs a bit of a tweak via the Virtual Technician mode to optimize the sound engine"
In the video you mention "Full", although in Virtual Technician I am not seeing that specific term as an option. Do you have the settings available perhaps on a website or in another video? Thanks!
I'd love to see a review of the Roland LX706/LX708 with the Hybrid Grand action. Perhaps a comparison with the Kawai Grand Feel III (CA79/CA99) as well.
Thank you for such a thorough comparison. We would never been able to do so much ourselves.
Both are lovely sounding instruments. Roland has made very powerful professional synths for years. Enya is said to have produced most of her music with a single Roland D-50. I have that synth but one of my favorites was the Roland Super JX-10 which was capable of some very beautiful color washes that were similar to a water color impressionistic painting. Roland also develop one of the very first digtial piano modules called the MKS-20. The bottom line, Roland knows what they are doing when it comes to tone generation.
In contrast Kawai was known more for their acoustic pianos, particularly their parlor grands. They would not have the depth of experience that Roland has in terms of electronic tone generation. That said, they do have massive experience with well respected acoustic instruments. They do know what a good piano sounds like.
I think any digital has to be tuned to the room. For that reason, Pianoteq Pro which has limitless adjustment of every single note and is more satisfying than the Pianoteq Stage which is limited in adjustments.
Stu is playing these pianos in a large open showroom. It could be that Kawai has the DG-30 set up more for a smaller home environment. I love the sound of the DG30, but both sound great. I would be happy to play either one. For myself, I'm waiting for delivery of a Kawai es920 which is a portable instrument with a similiar level of technology as the DG30.
The other option for me would have been the Roland RD-2000 which Stu owns. I think the es920 is lighter weight than the RD-2000 which I believe is a bit of a beast to transport.
Stu, you could carefully round the edges of your RD-2000 keys with very fine sand paper, like 400 or 600 grit.
Whichever of these two pianos a person chooses, I think they won't regret their decision.
So helpful thank you. I will be coming into the store to try these two!
As always, a wonderful review and comparison, however, I’ll stay with my Novus NV5, I love it!!!
Want it too!
Yeah, Stu's reviews are the best. And I cannot agree more about the NV5. It is a beautiful instrument with features and experience, honestly, much more advanced than these two. Enjoy.
@Konstantin Ridaya cannot agree more. I haven't tried Dg30 myself yet but I am curious about the wooden board's contribution to the experience. Though I don't expect it to justify the difference in price. This piano is even more expensive than the CA99 which, I think, is the best digital piano this side of a Novus 5.
I played both CA99 and DG30 today. DG30 sounds way way better than the CA99. I much prefer buttons than LCD. I just wish DG30 uses a dark cover like the CS11.
A pity that both of the Little Grands have older technology. the DG-30 should have at least the same Generator as the CA-99 for that price and also better keys and a Soundboard. But then it would be very near to a Novus 10 from a sound perspective. The GP 607 should use the LX 708 keys and engine which are both one step further, especially for that price, a short comment on what is different to the GÜ 609 would be helpful as well. I would also like to hear a good mike comparison of both mini grands. As the sound on Headphones is not why I pay more for a large Digital Piano. I expect a better analog section/speakers than on a CA99 or LX708 when I pay several thousand dollars more. If you could compare those models and use a pair of good mikes as well, so we can hear what you can hear and understand your judgment.
Thanks for the great videos - it's really helping us decide what piano to buy next. Any chance you could do a comparison video of the Roland GP607 and the LX706?
Hey Stu, whatever happened to that vid you were going to do on your custom settings for the CA79? Just asking! :-)
Does Kawai & Roland had stereo line out? So we could connect to a console for live stage situation? If they had, does connecting it would mute their built in spekaer?
do you have a comparison video between the roland 607gp and the roland 609gp
Can you make Yamaha CLP-795GP review?
Roland's best digital piano are only comparable to Kawai's RH3 (CN) series?
So what is equivalent to Kawai CA 99 that have Grand Fell III action?
Roland doesn’t offer any pianos with a comparable action. This is one of the biggest advantages of Kawai (and Yamaha). They make real acoustics and have the advantage of adapting and designing acoustic piano actions for digital pianos. The only other maker that is close is Casio/Bechstein partnership.
In the US, I believe that the DG30 is about $500 less, not $1,000 less, than the GP607 ($5,500 for the DG30 vs $6,000 for the GP607).
Hey Stu, is it possible to to an in depth review of the C. Bechstein Millennium 116K? some of us miss the acoustic piano videos!
I had a Yamaha NU1 and then got a GP607. I also compared NU1 with N3 side by side. I think NU1 has the best sound even better than N3. I don’t know why 🤔
Good job, Thanks a lot!
Stu, please do a review of Pianoteq 7. I’d love to hear your opinion of it, although obviously doesn’t fit with your reviews of all-in-one instruments. I’m sure it’s moved ahead of Roland’s modelling technology these days.
I would like to see a battle of soundengines: Kawai PHI vs Yamaha GFX vs Roland PureAcousticModeling vs SuperNATURAL-piano-modeling vs SuperNATURALpiano and pianoteq.
Same piece of music and same volume on every engine; line out.
@@thomasfeldbauer5025 Actually I’d just love to know well it plays. Even though the sound of Pianoteq is excellent, the key is the feel and responsiveness to the player. So we’ll need Stu for that one!
Both amazing, but the Kawai wins it going away.
Do you know if Kawai has any new digital grand coming up? A dg 30 v 2
Kawai has just launched a plethora of new models within the CN and CA lines. We have not yet heard of any updates to the DG30 in the works, but, I suppose, it is only a matter of time before every model sees some type of update. :)
@@MerriamPianos Thank you for your swift reply 👍
An honest broker. Great info.
Thank you for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed! -LP
Does anybody know what piece he is playing at 17:37?
Liszt - Liebestraum No. 3
The Kawai sounds brighter and chirpier; the Roland sounds thick and rich.
Kawai Natural.
On paper the Roland is a clear winner. It has a higher power output and in my opinion the better action compared to Kawai RHIII. The Roland PHA-50 plays in the ballpark of Kawai GrandFeelCompact(GFC). I tried all three actions in a store and I would say: GFC > PHA-50 >> RHIII. Between GFC and PHA-50 there was not much difference, but both way more pleasing then the RHIII. Another plus for this Roland action its durability. Especially on an extra-high-price digital this seem to be very important. It's simply annoying to throw away a instrument after some year just because the action has worn out. On a CN series piano that's okay as a replacement is not that expensive, but on a grand-style piano this would be embarasing.
Stu, any words about the longevity of the RHIII. I know you have no official numbers, but if there is a man on the planet who has a feeling about when to expect noises from a plastic-action, this is you. Thank you.
I have played all of them as well (and own a ca58 with gfc and a mp7se with the RHIII) and honestly, the difference is not that stark, at least to me. I actually really like the RHIII even compared to the gfc. The gfc is an obvious step up over the rh, but that one is still miles ahead of anything that yamaha has to offer, and I don't really like the pretty harsh bottom-out of the Roland actions.
I can also comment on the durability of the RHIII: Why should it be less durable than the gfc? I've owned my mp7se for about 1.5 years now, it's been played every day for at least an hour, and so far there are no signs of wear/tear or... really, any other issues. It plays the same and sounds the same. And while even my newer mp7se has issues with "ghost touches", calling a single ghost touch per hour an issue might be a little far fetched. It doesn't annoy me, tbh. And other than that, there have been no issues with the keybed whatsoever.
@@Thelifreak95 & @Thomas Feldbauer
I appreciate both of your comments on the actions. I haven't tried either one. But it's good to know there is a difference of opinion. Thinking it over for myself, and being mostly interested in an easily transportable self=contained instrument; a hybrid grand action would not be practical. Even the es920 is on the heavy side to the point of probably being too heavy. Each company probably put in the best action they had for these two instruments; best of course being subjective. As far as I know the PHA-50 action is the best Roland has to offer. As for Kawai, they had the choice to put in a wooden key stick action, but chose not to. Perhaps they are holding that back for larger cased digital grands. It's hard to say. It seems to me that both instruments are lovely. The good news is the age of quality digital grands has arrived. The only drawback is that you can't play them when presumed President Biden turns off the electric power because of providentially mandated energy conservation.
@@Thelifreak95 Regarding "ghost touches," Is it always the same pitch or does it vary?
@@Thelifreak95 Hi friend, which key action is better or did you prefer between Kawai RHIII, Roland PHA-50 and Yamaha NWX?. And please give me reasons for yor choice, like: faster keys, confortable feeling, key noises, reliability, etc... Thanks!.
@@JoeLinux2000 I'm just gonna ignore that part about Biden shutting of the electrical grid?!? But whatever, to your point: Why kawai put the RH3 into the es920 is easy - to make it somewhat portable. The GF Action is HEAVY. Like, really heavy. The mp7 and mp11 have a very similar build, but the mp11 is 12kg heavier than the mp7 which can mostly be attributed to the action. Also, the GF Action is just more expensive. However, I think the pricing of the es920 is kinda stupid, it should be lower than the es8 but isn't, since its still mostly the same stuff, and just minor upgrades. If you want the best kawai has to offer, there is always the mp11se, which has the same sound engine as the es920 and the best action they have to offer. Concerning ghost touches on the mp7... it's not the same tone, but thinking about it, it's a limited amount of keys. Maybe 2 or 3, and the sensor "activates" at full volume right after I let them go. Since I just played the key, the ghost touch is never "out of key (musically speaking)". So while it sounds weird, it doesn't really distract and since it happens so rarely, I'm fine with it.
Quarter inch inputs-balanced?
So Stu, there is a question I don't find answered anywhere on the internet, and I'd be really happy if you could do a video on it, however short. And that is:
Should I get a Kawai K-200 with silent system, or a NV5?
Could ask the same for K-300 or K-500, but they would be a lot more expensive. The k-200 with silent system would be about the same price as the NV5. Well, actually more. I guess the K-15 with ATX3 would be the same price as the NV5.
For me, these two are the final pair of choices. But which one to choose? I feel only you could answer that authoritatively.
Oh, and: is ATX3 much different from an 'ordinary' silent system?
So if you have a couple of hours to spare...
I would go for the NV5. I believe one is being played here:
ruclips.net/video/-8GzuHuxVRg/видео.html
If I'm wrong correct me. I'm going by the opening in the top. I also believe no standard upright would sound this good.
@@JoeLinux2000 Thank you, Advocate. I think I may just go for it.
@@i.ehrenfest349 There are many advantages to digital pianos. Most acoustic uprights aren't very good, and the Asian instruments devolve into a very harsh brittle and hard tone after a while. All of those issues will be eliminated with the NV5. I haven't heard of anyone not liking the NV5. Another feature of at least many of the Pianotec voices is the exquisite tuning which just isn't possible on an actual stringed instrument due to the inharmonicity of the strings themselves. You might need to read up on that. If I were you, I would compare the sound of the NV5 to the DG-30. Of all the pianos Stu has played, the DG-30 is perhaps my most favorite. The action on the NV5 is said to be superior. For myself, I'm interested in portability and have an es920 on order, but I don't think it sounds as good as some other Kawai models.
@@JoeLinux2000 Thank you, Advocate! This is very helpful to me.
Will start watching DG-30 reviews forthwith.
Kawai sounds superior and simulates more the sound of a real accoustic piano.
The DG30, at a street price of USD 5,500, is ridiculously over-priced. With the CN39 selling for USD 2,700, I would gladly pay up to 3,500 for the "grand" cabinet, but not much more. So, to my mind, the DG30 is about 2K more than it should be. Kawai is probably pricing its first entry into this market at a high price point, to leave themselves a good amount of pricing wiggle room for future entries, and maybe to test market reaction to a ridiculously-high price. I like the product, but not at that price!
I wasn't seeing any demo for the Roland
Es una pena. Si tuviese el dg30 la tecnología del ca99 me lo compraría sin duda. Pero creo que se equivocaron con esto. Es una verdadera pena
anyone who buys the DG30 clearly has too much money to burn and does not know that the CN39 exists!
The CA99 is also a good choice
Great review and playing. (P.S., it's: "AS I said," not LIKE I said). All the best--keep up the good work.
Talk..talk..talk... too much moooooreeee talk.. i would to listen pianos compare sound, but i can listen his voice only....