The Yamaha DGX-660 is a portable digital grand piano that focuses more on modern, high-tech features and less on authentically recreating the sound and feel of an acoustic grand piano.
Ease of Use
Despite all of its high-tech wizardry, the Yamaha DGX-660 is remarkably intuitive to use, thanks in large part to a multifunctional display panel and big LCD display screen.
Sound & Connectivity
While the Casio goes all-out in an effort to authentically recreate the sound and feel of an acoustic grand piano down to the minutest detail, the Yamaha DGX-660 taps the potential of its digital capabilities to offer a host of high-tech features that deliver a much wider variety of sound options but perhaps not the delicate nuance of the Casio.
For example, Yamaha's Live! Cool! Sweet! Voices allow the user to mimic the sounds of other instruments like guitar, bass, or even a string section, and the Piano Room feature includes sounds from several different piano types and acoustic settings to mimic a variety of playing environments, from a standard room to a concert hall.
In terms of connectivity options, the Yamaha DGX-660 blows away the Casio PX860. The Yamaha features not only USB connectivity, allowing it to be connected to any PC, its Audio Recorder feature allows you to record directly onto a USB flash drive in uncompressed, CD-quality sound, or to play WAV files stored on the USB drive through the digital piano, allowing you to provide the piano accompaniment to any song you'd like. Check also: How to Record Digital Piano the Right Way
Design Quality
Despite the high-tech features, Yamaha hasn't overlooked the importance of recreating the feel of an acoustic grand piano in its digital pianos. While the portable nature of the Yamaha DGX-660 means that its sturdiness will depend a great deal on the setup from location to location, when paired with a quality stand, this Yamaha digital piano delivers the sturdiness you'd expect from a high-end digital piano.
Warranty
Yamaha digital pianos come with a 3-year warranty, three-times the length of the warranty on the Casio PX860.
Pros
Cons
Roland RD-300NX

This 88-key digital stage piano is made with the touring musician in mind, as it packs top-level, professional sound into a relatively diminutive, lightweight, travel-friendly design.
Ease of Use
With fewer buttons and switches on the face of the digital piano than the Yamaha, the Roland RD-300NX still features more digital amenities than the Casio PX860, which it has incorporated into a simple, straightforward design. However, if Roland was going to include an LCD screen, which it did, we wish they had made it as large and multi-functional as that on the Yamaha.
Sound & Connectivity
Like the Yamaha DGX-660, this Roland digital stage piano incorporates more high-tech bells and whistles than the more straightforward Casio PX860. Similar to the Yamaha, the Roland RD-300NX offers wireless connectivity to iOS devices via an accessory that is available separately, or it can connect to your iPad via USB and Apple's iPad Camera Connection Kit.
Design Quality
The Roland RD-300NX is purpose-built to be smaller and lightweight than the other digital pianos we looked at, especially the non-portable Casio PX860. As such, it definitely has a different feel than either the Casio or the Yamaha. However, the 88-key Ivory Feel-G keyboard feels solid and the keys have an appropriate weight to them.
Warranty
Roland provides a limited 1-year warranty on its digital pianos and a 90-day warranty on accessories.
Pros
Cons
Kawai ES-100

Designed around low cost and portability, the Kawai ES-100 features a simple, straightforward design and a price that is hundreds less than the other digital pianos we looked at. While the Kawai does not have the top-of-the-line acoustic-piano feel and sound of the competing models, the Kawai ES-100 will fulfill the needs of most amateur musicians. And, with built-in Alfred Piano Lessons included, the Kawai ES-100 is a functional, high-end digital piano for learners.
Ease of Use
The Kawai ES-100 is simple and straightforward to use. While it may lack some of the features on other models, it is a solid instrument for learners.
Sound & Connectivity
While the Kawai ES-100 does not have the digital bells and whistles of, say, the Yamaha DGX-660, it does feature a surprising amount of connectivity options, including MIDI in and out jacks for connecting the digital piano to a computer or other instrument, as well as two headphone jacks, which can be helpful when an instructor wants to listen in on the session.
While the sound produced by the Kawai is good, compared to top-of-the-line digital pianos from the likes of Casio, Roland, and Yamaha, the Kawai ES-100 simply does not recreate the sound of an acoustic grand piano to the same degree of precision and nuance. However, the Kawai still offers more than enough sound quality for an amateur, at-home user.
Design Quality
While the Kawai ES-100 does not go as far as the other models, particularly the Casio PX860, in attempting to recreate the acoustic grand piano experience, the feel provided by the Advanced Hammer Action IV keyboard is sufficiently acoustic-like for learners to be able to transition effectively between this digital piano and acoustic models.
Warranty
The Kawai digital piano comes with a limited 3-year warranty on parts and service. The 3-year warranty period is tied with the Yamaha for the longest in the group.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
If you're looking for an authentic, acoustic grand piano experience in a non-portable digital piano, you'd be hard pressed to do any better than the Casio PX860 digital piano, particularly for under $1,000. That's why we've decided to give the Casio PX860 a rating of 4.5 stars overall.
However, each of the other models we've looked at have their niches. For the professional musician on the go, we'd recommend the Roland. For those looking for the most high-tech bells and whistles, we'd recommend the Yamaha. And, for beginners, we'd go with the Kawai and its built-in Alfred Piano Lessons.
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