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So I intend to buy a digital piano due to limited budget and more importantly space, and have been tied between 2 choices Yamaha NP30 or Yamaha P85.
Now the P85 is 2-3 times the price of the NP30, but according to several sources the NP30 is kinda 'plastic feeling' and that the P85 is a closer resemblance to what an acoustic piano sounds and feels like. The P-85 also has 88 keys as opposed to 76 for the NP30.
I personally tried the P70 model(discontinued) which is kind of the predecessor of the P85 and it was great, I tried an acoustic one and then tried this and it had more or less the same feeling as the differences would be unnoticeable for a beginner like me.
So what do you recommend, NP30 or P85? or is there another model which is better?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yamaha-NP30B-K- ... dpp_ttl_in
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yamaha-P-85-Dig ... d_sim_ce_5

Thanks in forward

EDIT: I also noticed that NP30 has 32 polyphony and the P85 is 64 polyphony, now I don't have the slightest idea about what that is. So help on this would be appreciated.

mahfood1990 wrote:I also noticed that NP30 has 32 polyphony and the P85 is 64 polyphony, now I don't have the slightest idea about what that is. So help on this would be appreciated.

Check out the Digital Pianos FAQs which will give you more information.
I wrote a post about polyphony there too. Follow this link to see: http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-forums/vi ... =21&t=7133

As far as better models, yes there are better models but what is your budget? This would make it easier to advise you.

markymark wrote:

mahfood1990 wrote:I also noticed that NP30 has 32 polyphony and the P85 is 64 polyphony, now I don't have the slightest idea about what that is. So help on this would be appreciated.

Check out the Digital Pianos FAQs which will give you more information.
I wrote a post about polyphony there too. Follow this link to see: http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-forums/vi ... =21&t=7133

As far as better models, yes there are better models but what is your budget? This would make it easier to advise you.

Thanks for clarification on the polyphony question, and sorry for not being clear enough. Anyways my budget is anything around 600 GBP or less. I also want it to be either a standalone keyboard with a separate stand or have a detachable stand. I will be moving a lot as I'm a university student, and it wouldn't be really practical to have to carry the keyboard and the stand attached together.

I have been looking at the YDP140, are these better than P-85? Is the Keyboard detachable from the stand?

Thanks again

mahfood1990 wrote:I have been looking at the YDP140, are these better than P-85? Is the Keyboard detachable from the stand?

No - to both questions. They both have the same keyboard action and practically the same insides. The P-85 has a few more voice but the YDP-140 has three pedals. Their extras kind of create their own niche in the market. For portability, the P-85 would be better. The YDP-140 can be detached from the stand but will still need to be connected to its pedal board which is why it isn't classed among the portable models.

The only other keyboard that I can suggest you look into would be the Casio PX range. I think they can either be attached or detached from their stands although I have seen them mostly attached to something similar to the Yamaha YDP-140. The keyboard action is firm enough but I'm not too fussed on the piano voices.

Besides it, I think the P-85 would be your best best with its GHS hammer action keyboard. The NP-30 you mentioned earlier only has a semi-weighted action which is why it feels plastic-y.

markymark wrote:

mahfood1990 wrote:I have been looking at the YDP140, are these better than P-85? Is the Keyboard detachable from the stand?

No - to both questions. They both have the same keyboard action and practically the same insides. The P-85 has a few more voice but the YDP-140 has three pedals. Their extras kind of create their own niche in the market. For portability, the P-85 would be better. The YDP-140 can be detached from the stand but will still need to be connected to its pedal board which is why it isn't classed among the portable models.

The only other keyboard that I can suggest you look into would be the Casio PX range. I think they can either be attached or detached from their stands although I have seen them mostly attached to something similar to the Yamaha YDP-140. The keyboard action is firm enough but I'm not too fussed on the piano voices.

Besides it, I think the P-85 would be your best best with its GHS hammer action keyboard. The NP-30 you mentioned earlier only has a semi-weighted action which is why it feels plastic-y.

Thanks for the reply.
I looked at the Casio PX range, there seems to be a new one that got released very recently the PX330 and is just a bit more expensive than the P85, but there's not much reviews on the web on it. Also the PX320 sounds good as well and has positive reviews.
I'm probably going to stick to the P85, the more I look the more I get confused . Or maybe I'll wait a while and find a store where I can try the different models myself.

Anyways, thanks a lot for your help

You won't get many reviews on the PX-x30 range because they are replacing the 20 range. They are new models.

Unless you can play the instruments in person, do not make your decision solely on the reviews of others as they have different needs, appreciations, expectations from instruments. I personally don't rank Casio piano sounds as very good although the keyboard action is a step in the right direction, though not as good as Yamaha's in my opnion. Yamaha produce a superb range of digital instruments ranging from basic right through to professional ranges. No other brand can compete with that AND for the prices they charge.