I've read many a post on here about the pros (and cons) of each of these different "home" digital pianos. I'm in the market for one and recently got the chance to spend quie a few hours in a couple of local shops test-driving the following models.
Yamaha:
CLP 440
CLP 470
Roland:
HP-305
HP-307
Kawai:
KDP-80
CA13
CA63
CN23
CN33
CN42
The first one I tried was a KDP-80. I hated it. I thought "oh no, maybe we can't have a DP after all if this is what they play like. We'll have to have an acoustic". It felt awful, plasticky. There was hardly any sensitivity to the keys. The sound was artificial.(大致翻译:我第一个试的琴是KDP-80,我讨厌这个琴。我当时在想:“不,如果这就是演奏电钢琴的感觉,或许我根本不应该去选电钢琴。我会去买一架真钢琴。”KBP-80弹起来感觉是糟糕的、塑料感的。它的键盘弹起来很不灵敏。音色听上去很不自然。)This was the only DP this particular shop had in, so I left feeling very dejected.
I then tried the CLP440 and 470. Much better. "So we can have a digital after all". These felt much more like playing a piano. The CLP-470 was in polished ebony and looked really smart as well. This shop only sold Yamahas (I didn't bother trying any of the CVP models they had). But I left in much better spirits.
I then found another shop which had the Rolands and Kawais as well as the Yamahas.
I took my own headphones with me and switched between them for a couple of hours. As I moved between the models I started to feel very confused. They don't feel much different. How am I going to decide!! However then I played the Roland HP307. The very first thing to strike me was the feel of the keys. It actually physically made me smile. They felt fantastic. I tried the HP305 too and they also had the same feel.
It took me a lot longer to make a decision over the sound and the action but I eventually decided that I wasn't keen on the Yamahas. The sound (like many other people have reported) was too mellow, too muted. Sounded like it was being played with a cushion over the speakers or something (I exaggerate, but those who have tried them will know what I mean). Note - this wasn't anything to do with the amplification, or the built-in speakers. I was using my own headphones all the time. This is the sound itself. Perhaps its the instruments they sample, I dunno. The keys also felt too "square". Thats about the best I can describe them. It didn't feel as natural playing them as it did with the other makes. So I was then left comparing the Kawais and the Rolands.
Its really difficult. They both feel and sound noticably different. I very quickly dismissed the Kawai CNs. Again - they felt a bit plasticky; too 'glossy' and the sounds didn't sound as realistic. I think the sound on the Roland's is much nicer. The "Grand Piano 1" on the HP-307 sounded really really really nice.
On the Kawai CAs it was a little different. I didn't like the standard Concert Grand 1 on the CA63. It sounded like it had too much Reverb, particularly in the high end. I ended up playing the "Studio Grand" most. What I actually prefered was the first, standard piano sound on the CA13. As for how they played, I initially prefered the action on the Rolands. There are many who have posted here who can tell the difference between PHa II Ivory and PHa III and much prefer PhaIII. I couldn't tell. Perhaps it was down to the piece I was playing (I pretty much stuck to playing Maple Leaf Rag - just to have something consistent to compare). But then I thought maybe the Rolands were *too* realistic. I mean the action is very distinctive. It 'thumps'. You can hear and feel the thump when you play. Is this realistic? Probably not. But its *distinctive*, and maybe thats why I thought I prefered it, because I could feel it. Does that make sense?
In the end I kept coming back to the HP-307. I just *felt* more like playing a real piano, even down to the deep purple felt. (The CA63 was a bright red and the CA13 was black). Next up was the CA63. Despite the sound - it just 'felt' better than the CA13. The CA13 felt a little 'cramped'. Like the keys were slightly too short or something (even though they probably weren't - I didn't measure them). I'm probably not doing the HP305 justice since it was cramped into the room beside some boxes (so I couldn't sit the stool far enough back)and very dimly lit, so it goes bottom of my list.
Oh - and another thing to say about the Rolands and the CA63. the connection interface was very nicely placed under the keybed, facing out, so you can see very easily where to put your headphones / MIDI cables etc. The CA13 and all the Yamahas were hidden facing down toward the floor and very difficult to find / plug in. A small thing maybe, but if you're interchanging between headphones and speakers I'm sure it would quickly become annoying.
So: The hp307 and ca63 "feel" the most like playing a real piano, but the only problem with both is that they are relatively expensive and packed with features that I probably won't use. I just want a good piano sound. I don't care about organs and choirs and strings and pads and sequencers and "piano designers" etc etc. I'm a synth guy too - I can do all that on my workstation. So my wallet is telling me that I'd be paying for stuff that I wouldn't use (and I hate doing that). So if I were to buy new I'd probably go for the CA13 or the HP305.