Choosing a keyboard is no longer a matter of deciding between 61 and 88 keys. Digital pianos, stage pianos, synthesizers, workstations and MIDI controllers can look almost identical on a shelf while being engineered for completely different jobs.
A parent buying a first piano, a student choosing a practice instrument, a band director outfitting a rehearsal room and a touring keyboardist are all reading the same spec sheet and should be looking at different lines on it. This guide explains what each specification actually does, so you can match the instrument to the job instead of to the price tag.
Start with the Category, Not the Price
Two keyboards can both have 88 weighted keys and still be designed for completely different jobs. A furniture-style digital piano may devote a substantial part of its cost to its cabinet, speaker system and piano-oriented action. A stage instrument at the same price may put far more engineering into professional outputs, real-time controls, multiple sound engines, effects, zones and rugged construction.
| Category | Primary design priority | Typical strengths | Common applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Piano | Piano feel and acoustic-piano reproduction | 88-key hammer action, speakers, headphones, pedal support, simple operation | Home, lessons, piano labs, classrooms |
| Stage Piano | Piano performance in a live system | Professional outputs, splits/layers, effects, pedal control, portability | Jazz, church, theater, stage, rehearsal |
| Performance Keyboard | Fast access to several keyboard roles | Piano, organ, synth engines, real-time control, effects, program recall | Touring, worship, professional live performance |
| Synthesizer | Creating and manipulating sound | Oscillators, filters, modulation, sequencing, expressive control | Electronic music, sound design, production |
| Workstation | All-in-one performance and production | Large sound library, multitimbrality, zones, deep synthesis, sequencing | Theater, composition, arranging, professional performance |
| MIDI Controller | Controlling software and external instruments | Keybed, pads, faders, encoders, transport, DAW and MIDI integration | Studios, computer labs, software instruments, production |
Digital piano
Artesia Vivace Pro 88-Key Digital Piano
A self contained 88 key hammer action piano with cabinet, speakers and a three pedal unit. This is the format most families and teaching studios start with, because it works the moment it is turned on.
- Keys
- 88, hammer action
- Format
- Furniture cabinet
- Speakers
- Built in
- Pedals
- Three pedal unit
Buying for Home vs Buying for a School or Institution
The correct instrument can change dramatically depending on where it will be used. Home buyers usually evaluate the playing experience of one person or family. Institutional buyers must think about a system that may be used by many students, teachers, technicians and performers over several years.
For Home Use
- Quality of the piano action
- Internal speaker quality
- Headphone experience
- Three-pedal capability
- Cabinet design and appearance
- Space requirements
- Bluetooth or consumer connectivity
- Simple, immediate operation
For School or Institutional Use
- Action durability under multiple users
- Portable vs permanent installation
- Dedicated line outputs
- Headphones and lab integration
- USB MIDI and computer compatibility
- Replacement pedals, power supplies and stands
- Standardization across multiple rooms
- Ease of reset, recall and faculty operation
A school should begin by identifying the job. A beginning piano classroom, jazz ensemble, choir room, theater pit and music-production lab should not automatically receive the same type of keyboard.
Home and portable
Kurzweil KaP1 88-Key Digital Piano
Graded hammer action, 256 voice polyphony, Bluetooth audio and MIDI, USB audio and a four speaker system in a portable body. A good example of a piano that suits a living room, a lesson room or a practice space equally well.
- Keys
- 88, graded hammer
- Polyphony
- 256 voices
- Connectivity
- USB audio and MIDI, Bluetooth
- Speakers
- 30W four speaker
Key Action: The Specification Pianists Should Take Seriously
Key count tells you how many notes are available. It does not tell you how the instrument feels. Two 88-key instruments can have completely different mechanisms, resistance, sensor systems and intended playing techniques.
Synth Action
Synth-action keys are generally light and fast. They are well suited to synthesizer leads, pads, electronic music, brass and string parts, organ-style playing and applications where portability and speed are more important than reproducing an acoustic piano mechanism.
Semi-Weighted Action
Semi-weighted designs add resistance while remaining lighter and faster than a conventional hammer action. They can be an excellent compromise for keyboardists moving between piano, organ, synth, strings and other sounds during a performance.
Hammer Action
A hammer action is designed to emulate the resistance and motion associated with an acoustic piano mechanism. For traditional piano instruction, serious practice and repertoire that depends heavily on piano technique, this is normally the preferred starting point.
Graded Hammer Action
An acoustic piano does not feel identical from bass to treble. Lower-register hammers are physically larger and heavier. A graded digital action attempts to reproduce this by making the lower register progressively heavier than the upper register.
Wooden Keys, Escapement and Pivot Length
Premium actions may add wooden keys, escapement simulation and longer key pivots. A longer pivot can make a difference when playing close to the fallboard because the resistance across the length of the key can feel more natural. Escapement recreates the subtle mechanical sensation associated with a grand-piano action near the bottom of the keystroke.
Keybed engineering
Studiologic Numa X Piano GT SE
A Fatar TP/400 Wood hammer action with three contacts, escapement and aftertouch. When a maker spends this much of the budget on what the fingers touch, it shows up in the spec sheet as sensors, escapement and pivot length rather than preset count.
- Keys
- 88, Fatar TP/400 Wood
- Sensors
- Three contact with escapement
- Zones
- Four, internal and MIDI
- Aftertouch
- Yes
Two-Sensor vs Three-Sensor Actions
Digital keybeds use sensors to determine the position and velocity of the key. A three-sensor design can improve repeated-note behavior because the instrument can detect a new strike before the key has returned completely to its resting position. For advanced pianists, fast repetition and trills can therefore feel more natural.
Velocity Curves
Velocity measures how quickly a key is struck. Professional instruments often allow the player to change the velocity curve so a lighter or heavier touch can reach the desired dynamic range. This is particularly useful in an institution where the same keyboard may be used by many players with different techniques.
Aftertouch
Aftertouch measures pressure applied after the note has already been triggered. It can control vibrato, filter cutoff, volume, modulation, effects and other parameters. Aftertouch may be of little importance to a beginning piano student, but it can be extremely valuable to a synthesist, workstation player or professional controller user.
How Many Keys Do You Need?
88 Keys
An acoustic piano has 88 keys. For classical repertoire, serious piano study, accompaniment and dedicated piano laboratories, the full range is usually preferred.
73 or 76 Keys
For live performance, 73 or 76 keys can be a very practical compromise. The musician keeps substantial range while reducing width, case size and transport weight. Jazz, church, theater and touring musicians often benefit from this format.
61 Keys
Sixty-one keys are common on synthesizers, workstations and organ-oriented keyboards. For many professional applications this is not a compromise at all. It is simply the appropriate format. It should not, however, be treated as equivalent to an 88-key instrument for a traditional piano curriculum.
49, 37 and 25 Keys
Compact formats are especially useful for computer production, electronic music, secondary keyboards, beat-making stations and environments where desk space matters more than full piano range.
One platform, three keybeds
Nord Stage 4
The Stage 4 family is offered with a fully weighted 88 or 73 note action and a 73 note Compact with a semi weighted waterfall keybed. The right choice follows the technique and the repertoire, not the largest number available.
- Keys
- 88 and 73 weighted, 73 semi weighted
- Sections
- Organ, piano, synth
- Polyphony
- 120 piano, 46 synth
- Best for
- Professional live performance
Polyphony: More Complicated Than the Number on the Box
Polyphony is the number of voices an instrument can generate simultaneously. It is one of the most frequently compared keyboard specifications, but also one of the easiest to misunderstand.
Why Would a Pianist Need More Than Ten Voices?
The player has ten fingers, but the instrument may need to maintain far more than ten active voices. Notes continue sounding while the sustain pedal is held. Stereo samples can use additional resources. A single program may contain several layers. Release samples, sympathetic resonance, pads and effects can also add complexity.
A pianist playing repeated large chords with the damper pedal down can therefore consume far more polyphony than the number of keys being physically held at that instant.
Voice Stealing
When an instrument reaches its available polyphony, its voice-allocation system decides which existing notes can be terminated so new notes can sound. This is commonly called voice stealing. Good allocation algorithms are designed to make the process unobtrusive, but complex sustained layers can expose the limitation.
Why 256 Is Not Automatically "Twice as Good" as 128
Manufacturers do not always count or allocate voices in the same way. Some keyboards provide a common dynamically allocated voice pool. Others specify polyphony separately for different sound engines. Stereo samples, layered programs and synthesis methods can also consume resources differently.
Workstation polyphony
Kurzweil K2088 88-Key Synthesizer Workstation
256 dynamically allocated voices and 16 part multitimbrality. The same number that appears on a digital piano spec sheet means something different here, because the voices are shared across a much deeper architecture.
- Keys
- 88, Fatar TP/40L
- Polyphony
- 256 dynamically allocated
- Multitimbral
- 16 parts
- Memory
- 2 GB factory, 2 GB user
Multitimbrality, Layers, Splits and Zones
These terms are related but describe different capabilities.
Layer
A layer places two or more sounds across the same keyboard range. A common example is grand piano plus strings.
Split
A split assigns different sounds to different areas of the keyboard, such as bass in the left hand and electric piano in the right.
Zone
A zone is more powerful. A zone can have its own key range, MIDI channel, transposition, volume, controller assignments and internal or external destination. Zones are extremely important in theater, complex live rigs and MIDI-based systems.
Multitimbrality
Multitimbrality describes how many independent instrument parts the keyboard can address at once. A workstation may need piano, bass, strings, organ and synth parts operating simultaneously on separate MIDI channels. A stage piano may instead focus on a smaller number of immediate layers designed for live performance.
Neither architecture is automatically better. The question is whether the musician needs deep multichannel arrangements or fast hands-on control of a smaller number of performance layers.
Sound Engines: Sampled, Modeled, Analog, FM and Hybrid
Counting presets tells only a small part of the story. Understanding how an instrument produces sound is often more informative.
Sampling
Sampling uses recordings of acoustic or electronic instruments. Piano libraries may capture multiple velocity levels, key release, pedal behavior and resonance. The quality of the source recordings and playback engine matters as much as the raw sample-memory number.
Physical Modeling
Physical modeling uses mathematical models to recreate the behavior of an instrument. Instead of playing only a static recording, parameters can interact continuously according to the model.
Virtual Analog
Virtual-analog systems digitally recreate the structures and behavior associated with traditional analog synthesizers, including oscillators, filters and envelopes.
FM and Wavetable Synthesis
FM uses interactions between oscillators to create complex timbres. Wavetable synthesis allows the engine to move through sets of digital waveforms. Both are important in modern sound design and can produce results far removed from a conventional sampled piano.
True Analog and Hybrid Instruments
Some synthesizers use genuine analog signal paths. Others combine analog and digital technologies, sample playback, modulation and computer integration.
True analog synthesis
Arturia PolyBrute 12 Analog Synthesizer
Twelve analog voices with polyphonic aftertouch and the Morphee three dimensional controller. This instrument is built to create sound rather than reproduce a piano, which is why key action is only part of the story.
- Keys
- 61, polyphonic aftertouch
- Voices
- 12 analog
- Control
- Morphee and ribbon
- Best for
- Sound design and electronic music
Sample Memory and Expansion
A larger memory capacity can allow longer samples, more instruments, more velocity layers or user libraries, but memory size alone is not a measurement of sound quality. Compression, modeling, streaming technology and sample design all affect the result.
For an instrument expected to remain in service for years, also consider whether new sounds can be installed, whether the manufacturer maintains libraries and whether user samples can be imported.
Built-In Speakers vs External Monitoring
Internal speakers are essential for some applications and largely irrelevant for others.
When Built-In Speakers Matter
- Home practice
- Private lessons
- Classroom use without a PA
- Portable rehearsal where rapid setup matters
- Self-contained piano installations
Why Professional Stage Keyboards Often Have No Speakers
A professional stage instrument is normally connected to a mixer, powered speaker, keyboard monitor, in-ear system or installed PA. Internal speakers would add cost, size and weight without replacing the stage sound system.
When Comparing Speaker Systems
Look beyond the word stereo. Consider total amplifier power, number of drivers, driver size, placement, low-frequency capability and whether the system is intended for personal monitoring or for filling a room.
Connectivity: Where Institutional Buying Often Goes Wrong
A keyboard is part of a system. Before purchasing, determine exactly how it will connect to that system.
Dedicated Line Outputs
For connection to a mixer, powered speakers or installed sound system, dedicated line-level outputs are preferable to treating a headphone jack as the primary output.
L/Mono and R
Many keyboards use separate left and right quarter-inch outputs, with the left connection doubling as a mono output when only one cable is used. This is practical in environments where stereo operation is not always available.
Balanced vs Unbalanced
Balanced connections provide better rejection of interference over long cable runs. In a theater, church, school auditorium or installed system, that can become a meaningful advantage.
USB MIDI vs USB Audio
These are not the same feature.
USB MIDI
Transfers performance and control information such as notes, velocity, pedals, modulation and program changes.
USB Audio
Transfers digital audio between the instrument and computer and can sometimes reduce or eliminate the need for a separate audio interface.
5-Pin MIDI DIN
Traditional MIDI remains valuable for hardware synthesizers, theater rigs, redundant stage systems and computer-independent setups. USB MIDI has not made DIN MIDI irrelevant.
Audio Inputs and External Sources
Some stage keyboards allow external audio sources to be connected or mixed through the keyboard. This can simplify compact performance systems, but the exact routing should be checked before purchase.
Pedals Are Part of the Instrument
Pedals are often treated as accessories when they are actually part of the playing interface.
Sustain
The standard piano damper function. For piano instruction, this is essential rather than optional.
Half-Damper Support
An acoustic damper pedal does not operate only as on or off. More advanced digital-piano systems can recognize intermediate pedal positions for more realistic control.
Soft and Sostenuto
A three-pedal system is important for advanced piano study and repertoire that uses the complete traditional pedal set.
Expression Pedals
Expression is particularly important for organ, synthesizer, pads and worship applications where continuous level or parameter control is needed.
Assignable Footswitches
Professional stage keyboards may allow pedals to advance programs, change rotary-speaker speed, enable effects, change layers, trigger tap tempo or perform other functions without taking the player's hands off the keyboard.
Effects, Program Memory and Live Workflow
In live performance, the number of sounds matters less if the musician cannot reach the correct one quickly.
Effects Architecture
Professional instruments may provide separate insert effects for each layer, shared master effects, independent delays and reverbs, amp simulations, rotary speaker effects, compression, EQ and modulation processors.
The key question is not only which effects exist, but how they are allocated. If several layers must share the same processing resources, building a complex performance setup can require compromises.
Programs, Favorites and Set Lists
A working musician may need to store a complete performance state including sounds, splits, layers, effects, transpositions, pedal assignments and MIDI zones, then recall it in seconds.
Seamless Transitions
Some keyboards allow a previous sound and its effects to continue naturally while the next program is selected. For theater, worship and professional live performance, this can be more important than another thousand presets.
Hands-On Control vs Menus
Dedicated knobs, drawbars, faders and buttons allow a player to make changes while performing. Touchscreens can offer deep editing, but the quality of the workflow depends on how many critical functions remain accessible without menu diving.
Stage workflow
Nord Piano 6
Triple sensor keybed, three selectable touch curves and a panel laid out so layers, levels and effects can be read at a glance from behind the keys instead of through menus.
- Keys
- 88 or 73, triple sensor
- Touch curves
- Three selectable
- Layers
- Independent piano and sample
- Best for
- Stage and studio piano
Institutional Durability, Portability and Standardization
A keyboard that performs perfectly in a private studio may still be a poor institutional purchase if it cannot survive the operational environment.
Duty Cycle
Schools may place far more hours on an instrument than a typical home owner. A keybed, power connection, pedal jack or headphone jack can be used by hundreds of students during the life of the product.
Portability
Do not evaluate keyboard weight in isolation. A complete portable system can include the keyboard, case, stand, bench, pedals and cables. A difference of ten or fifteen pounds on the keyboard itself can determine whether one teacher can move it safely.
Internal vs External Power Supplies
External adapters can reduce chassis size and weight, but they are another component that can be lost. Institutions purchasing multiple keyboards should consider spare adapters and consistent models.
Standardization
When purchasing a lab or several instruments for one district, standardization provides real operational benefits:
- One interface for faculty to learn
- Consistent pedals and power supplies
- Common lesson instructions
- Simpler troubleshooting
- Spare accessories can be stocked
- Students can move between stations without relearning controls
Service and Parts
Check warranty support, replacement pedals, stands, power supplies, firmware support and the availability of service. Institutional purchasing should consider the useful life of the system, not only the day-one feature list.
What Should You Prioritize for Each Application?
| Application | Priorities | Typical category |
|---|---|---|
| Home beginner | 88 keys, hammer action, speakers, headphones, sustain pedal, simple controls | Digital piano |
| Advanced piano student | Premium action, sensors, velocity response, pedal implementation, piano engine, polyphony | Higher-end digital or stage piano |
| School piano lab | Standardized 88-key hammer actions, headphones, USB MIDI, durable pedals, simple operation | Digital piano |
| Band rehearsal | Piano/EP sounds, portability, line outputs, speakers when needed, splits/layers | Portable digital or stage piano |
| Jazz ensemble | Acoustic piano, Rhodes-type EP, clavinet, organ, good action, effects, pro outputs | Stage piano |
| Musical theater | Large library, zones, layers, program recall, pedals, MIDI, multitimbrality, high polyphony | Workstation or advanced stage keyboard |
| Church / worship | Piano, EP, organ, pads, strings, synth, expression, seamless program changes | Performance keyboard / stage piano |
| Production lab | DAW control, USB MIDI, pads, faders, encoders, aftertouch, software integration | MIDI controller |
| Electronic music | Synthesis architecture, modulation, sequencing, expressive control, MIDI | Synthesizer |
Browse by brand
How the Keyboard Brands at Victory Fit Into the Picture
Victory Musical Instruments carries several keyboard brands because no single manufacturer is the ideal answer for every player, school or performance environment.
Artesia
Practical digital-piano and controller solutions for home, education and cost-conscious installations where straightforward operation and integrated functionality are important.
Kurzweil
A broad range that extends from digital pianos into serious stage instruments and professional workstations. Kurzweil becomes particularly relevant when sophisticated sounds, layers, zones, synthesis and multitimbral operation are required.
Studiologic
Strong emphasis on keybed design, stage pianos and professional MIDI control. The relationship with Fatar makes Studiologic especially relevant when keyboard action is a major part of the purchasing decision.
Nord
Professional performance instruments centered on immediate control, piano, organ and synthesizer capability. Nord is especially relevant to touring players, jazz programs, houses of worship and performance institutions.
Arturia
Deep roots in synthesis, software instruments and MIDI control, with products ranging from compact controllers to professional KeyLab models, hardware synthesizers and standalone stage-performance systems.
MIDI controller
Arturia KeyLab mk3 MIDI Controller
The 88 key version uses a Fatar hammer action with aftertouch, paired with pads, faders, encoders, USB C, MIDI in and out and multiple pedal inputs. An excellent piano style action does not make it a digital piano, and that is the point.
- Keys
- 49, 61 and 88 versions
- 88-key action
- Fatar hammer with aftertouch
- Controls
- Pads, faders, encoders
- I/O
- USB C, MIDI in and out, pedals
Keyboard Buying Checklist
Before comparing model numbers, answer these questions:
- Who will use the instrument?
- Is the primary purpose piano instruction, rehearsal, live performance, production, synthesis or composition?
- Does the player need the full 88-key range?
- Is hammer action required?
- Would graded action or a premium wooden action materially benefit the player?
- Is three-sensor repeated-note performance important?
- Does the player need aftertouch?
- How much polyphony is appropriate for the intended layers and arrangements?
- How many independent sounds must operate simultaneously?
- How many splits, layers or MIDI zones are required?
- Are built-in speakers required?
- Will the keyboard connect to a mixer or installed sound system?
- Are dedicated or balanced line outputs important?
- Will the instrument normally be operated in stereo or mono?
- Is USB MIDI required?
- Is USB audio required?
- Are traditional 5-pin MIDI connections required?
- Which pedals are needed: sustain, half-damper, three-pedal, expression or footswitch?
- Will the instrument be moved regularly?
- What case, stand, bench, cables and monitoring are required?
- If purchasing multiple units, can one model be standardized?
- Are replacement adapters, pedals and accessories readily available?
- How quickly must programs and performance setups be recalled?
- Does the player need user samples or downloadable sound libraries?
- What is the expected job of this keyboard three to five years from now?
The Bottom Line
There is no specification called professional that automatically makes one keyboard better than another.
A $4,000 stage keyboard can be the wrong instrument for a beginning piano lab. A straightforward digital piano can be exactly the correct institutional purchase. A premium MIDI controller can have an exceptional hammer-action keybed while being inappropriate for a room that has no computer-based sound system. A 61-key synthesizer can be far more sophisticated than an 88-key digital piano while serving a completely different musical purpose.
That is why the correct comparison goes beyond price and key count. It includes key action, sensors, velocity response, aftertouch, polyphony, multitimbrality, sound-engine design, layers, zones, effects, pedal implementation, outputs, MIDI, USB audio, internal amplification, workflow, portability and long-term support.
For a home musician, the objective may be finding the best connection between the hands and the piano sound. For a school or institution, the task is broader: selecting a complete system that works technically, musically and operationally for the people who will actually use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a digital piano and a stage piano?
A digital piano is built to reproduce the feel and sound of an acoustic piano in a self contained package, usually with built in speakers, a simple control layout and a pedal system. A stage piano assumes a professional performance environment. It normally adds better audio outputs, deeper splits and layers, more pedal inputs, faster program recall and a more rugged chassis, and it often has no internal speakers at all because it is expected to be connected to a PA system or monitors.
Is a weighted keyboard the same as a hammer action keyboard?
No. A keyboard can be described as weighted or semi weighted without using a piano style hammer mechanism. Weighted simply means resistance has been added to the keys. Hammer action means the instrument uses a mechanism designed to imitate the way an acoustic piano hammer moves. If the instrument is for piano study, look for the actual action type, whether the weighting is graded, how many sensors it uses and whether escapement is simulated.
Do I need 88 keys?
For classical repertoire, serious piano study, accompaniment and piano labs, 88 keys are usually the right starting point, because technique develops around the dimensions of a full keyboard. For live performance, 73 or 76 keys keep most of the range while cutting width and weight. For synthesizers, workstations and organ playing, 61 keys are often the correct format rather than a compromise. Compact 49, 37 and 25 key instruments make sense for computer production and as second keyboards.
Does more polyphony always mean a better keyboard?
Not by itself. Polyphony is the number of voices an instrument can sound at once, and the number has to be read in the context of the sound engine. One maker may quote a single dynamically allocated pool while another quotes separate figures for its piano and synth sections. Stereo samples, layered programs, release samples and resonance modeling all consume voices differently. A 128 voice instrument with an efficient architecture can perform better in practice than a 256 voice instrument used in a much more demanding way.
What is the difference between USB MIDI and USB audio?
USB MIDI sends performance data such as notes, controllers and program changes to a computer. No sound travels over the cable, so the computer either plays software instruments or records the data for editing. USB audio sends the instrument's actual audio to the computer over the same cable, and often returns audio for monitoring. A keyboard with USB audio can record its internal sounds with one cable and no separate audio interface, which matters a great deal in a classroom or a small studio.
Do MIDI controllers make any sound on their own?
Generally no. A MIDI controller is a playing and control surface for software instruments, DAWs and external MIDI hardware. It needs a computer, tablet or sound module to produce sound. A controller can have an outstanding hammer action keybed and still be the wrong purchase for a room that has no computer based instrument system.
What keyboard should I buy for a child who is starting piano lessons?
Start with an 88 key hammer action digital piano with a proper sustain pedal, a headphone output for quiet practice and speakers good enough to enjoy playing on. Graded hammer action is worth looking for, because the low end feels heavier than the top just as it does on an acoustic piano. Hundreds of extra sounds and synthesis menus add cost without helping a beginning piano curriculum. As the student advances, half damper pedaling and a three pedal system become the next things to add.
What is aftertouch and do I need it?
Velocity measures how fast a key is struck. Aftertouch measures pressure applied after the note is already down, and it can be assigned to vibrato, filter cutoff, volume, modulation, effects or pitch. It is very useful for synthesizer players, workstation players and anyone controlling virtual instruments. It matters much less to a beginning piano student, and it has nothing to do with how heavy the keys are.
What is multitimbrality?
Polyphony is how many voices can sound at once. Multitimbrality is how many independent parts the instrument can run at the same time, each with its own program, MIDI channel, volume and effects. A 16 part multitimbral workstation can act as a complete sound module for a sequencer or a theater production. A home digital piano may have excellent polyphony and almost no multitimbral capability, because it was never designed for that job.
Do I need a keyboard with built in speakers?
It depends entirely on where it will be played. At home, in a practice room or in a teaching studio, built in speakers mean you turn the instrument on and play with no other equipment. On stage, in a sanctuary or in a studio, the instrument is going into a PA system, monitors or an interface, and speakers add weight and cost for no benefit. Decide the environment first, then read the spec sheet, because a stage piano with no speakers will need powered monitors and cables before anyone can hear it.
Still deciding?
Victory Musical Instruments carries digital pianos, stage pianos, workstations, synthesizers and MIDI controllers from Kurzweil, Nord, Studiologic, Arturia and Artesia. If you are weighing two instruments against each other, or working out what a classroom, church or studio actually needs, we are happy to talk it through.
