Now featuring…the features! This digital piano’s best aspect is its features. Don’t worry. You still get your piano, but in addition to that, you also get 535 more voices! Personally, I play digital pianos because I love pianos, but I know that many other people also want a variety of other instruments. As always, I start my reviews emphasizing the feel and sound of the piano. I believe this is the most important factor when buying a piano, but a big focus of this review will be on some of the features of the DGX-640.
The Yamaha DGX-640 is for:
- Anybody in the music industry (features will be listed below)
- People who want a digital piano that plays like an acoustic piano but also want a huge variety of other instrumental choices
- People who like to play the piano as a hobby
- Beginners to intermediate level players
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Yamaha DGX-640: Video Sample
Click here for more information on the Yamaha DGX-640
Yamaha DGX-640: Feel and Sound
The Yamaha DGX640 uses the GHS (Graded Hammer Standard) weighted-action keyboard. Like most people, you’re probably thinking, “What in the world is that?” The GHS technology simulates a real piano in that the lower notes feel slightly heavier than the higher notes. A few people feel that the GHS is “too light”. However, most people, especially beginners, won’t notice a difference. The “feel” of the keys is perfectly acceptable for beginners.
In addition, Yamaha always does a superb job when it comes to sound. As a result, we can expect that this digital piano sounds great. It has a 3-layer piano sound. This means that depending on how hard you hit a note, there can be up to 3 different variations of sound, which allows the player to have more expressivity and nuances in his or her performance. Overall, the feel and sound of this digital piano is great. The question arises though… How much better is it than the other cheaper models? It is similar to many other Yamaha models. However, where this model excels is in its features.
Ok. You keep talking about the features. What about them?
- As I already said before, it has 535 voices. If you ever get tired of the piano (not possible), just switch to the violin, guitar, harp, or any of the 535 other voices. It will seriously change the mood and feeling. It will bring a whole new perspective onto your music.
- Many digital pianos have just the sustain pedal (aka damper pedal). However, the DGX640 supports all 3 pedals. It allows you to bring other dynamics and subtleties into your performance. Beginners probably won’t use all 3 pedals, but if you plan on having this for a long time, it’s a good investment.
- You can layer and split sounds. Having the ability to layer sounds on top of each other is awesome.
- You can record up to 6 songs within the piano itself. Awesome.
- You can speed up or slow down any of your recorded performances. Cool.
- It has a display screen on the digital piano, which helps a lot when it comes to using the features. It’s user friendly.
- Finally, it also includes the Yamaha Education Suite (possibly the best feature of all). It’s essentially a built-in teacher. This particular feature allows you to learn select songs step-by-step. You can do exercises. You can get progress reports. Ultimately, it just teaches you how to become a better piano player.
That depends. It weighs about 45 pounds so it’s definitely not portable. You can see this as a negative or as a positive. Some people like to have a portable keyboard to take with them. Others like it when their keyboard is heavier. It might not feel as wobbly when they play. It just gives off the impression of being more stable.
However, the speakers may be a little underpowered. The volume might not go as high as some people would like, although I’m sure many people don’t feel the need to blast their pianos.
What do others think?
- “I would not know the difference between this and a real piano if I couldn’t see them.” – R. Road
- “The things you can do with this are amazing – import music, record and export your own creations, over 530 voices, etc.” – Canadiantree
- “I cannot recommend this keyboard more…I am so happy.” – A. Borovkoff
Conclusion
The Yamaha DGX640 plays great, feels great, and sounds great. It isn’t portable, but the main feature of this digital piano is in its features. It has 535 voices, giving life to new music every time. You can layer and split sounds. You can speed up and slow down recordings. You can record up to 6 songs within the keyboard. It’s just masses of features.
In the end, this piano is perfect for those that want a lot of voices other than just a piano so that they can express themselves in more ways than can be described.
Where can I find it cheapest?
| Price | Buy Now | Other |
|---|---|---|
| $799.99 |  |
- Free headphones (offer ends 10/31/11) - Free M-Audio Oxygen 25 (offer ends 10/17/11) |
| $799.99 |  |
- Free M-Audio Oxygen 25 - Free shipping |