Roland RD-800 or Privia Px-5S What would You choose

[johnnyd]

Hey Guys. I'm about to replace an old Korg Sg-Pro-x digital piano

that went through a flood in my basement.

I been considering the Privia Px-5s or the Roland Rd -800

Can't really demo either one without driving 6 hours.

The Roland is like $1400 more than the Privia. I'm wondering if it's worth that much more. I realise the build quality of the Roland will be superior, but what about sound and action.

Has anyone demoed both and what would you choose.

[Brettymike]

The PX5 , but you must play them both before buying.

 

Brett

[miden]

....Cue the bag of chips

[George88]

I've played them both.

 

I think the Roland is $1,400 better than the Casio.

 

FWIW,

 

I think Led Zeppelin is $1,400 better than Steely Dan,

and Louis CK is $1,400 funnier than Craig Ferguson.

[Brettymike]

.....don't forget to lift them both either.....

 

Brett

[johnnyd]

Weight is not a big issue for me,but the tiny screen on the casio is... Even wearing glasses I imagine that text might be hard to read

 

[AnotherScott]

The big advantages of the PX-5S over the RD800 are size/weight and price. And those are very big advantages to lots of people. If those don't matter to you, I'd go for the RD800.

[Kenny Ingram]

The big advantages of the PX-5S over the RD800 are size/weight and price. And those are very big advantages to lots of people. If those don't matter to you, I'd go for the RD800.

+1 Plus the synth engine on the Casio is one of the best you'll find on a stage piano.

[johnnyd]

Thanx for the input fellas..

[J. Dan]

Plus unlike the Casio, the Roland will take an expression pedal. (Re-cue the bag o chips)

[Jazz+]

I think I would chose a Yamaha CP-4 for live piano and Rhodes gigs. And I am a fan of Roland and Casio in general.

[johnnyd]

Wow that Roland is a beast..about 3 inches longer than my old Sg Pro-X , but 4 lbs lighter.

[16251]

I think I would chose a Yamaha CP-4 for live piano and Rhodes gigs. And I am a fan of Roland and Casio in general.

Hey, don't ruin the OP's thread. He's not talking about Yamaha...

 

Relax, I'm just messing with ya. And no, none of them have built-in speakers.

[ChiefDanG]

I think an important question is - How much organ are you gonna play? The PX5 will only disappoint in that department, without the exp. pedal, terrible Leslie sim, and anemic B3 sounds.

Having said that, I own a PX5 , and love it. But I do have a second board that does great job at organ and solo synth stuff (Vr09). Plus I already owned a MIDISolutions pedal thingy.

Just getting one board, and money or weight is of no concern - get the 800.

[Carl C.]

Do I dare bring up half pedal?

 

[Doerfler]

I realise the build quality of the Roland will be superior,

 

This might have been true once upon a time, but today the build quality of the Casio seems on par with Roland, and yes, that's saying a lot. Personally, I would buy the Casio and use the extra $1400 to buy a Hammond XK1c to augment the Casio. As always, YMMV.

[Kawai James]

johnnyd, is there a reason why you have singled out the Casio and Roland specifically?

 

Cheers,

James

x

[Brettymike]

The PX5 organ sounds Fine!! >

 

If someone plays organ like a bozo , and sounds like crap out front , just tell the audience you've got a crook back , and had to leave the heavy Hammond at home ;-).

 

Brett

[Dave Ferris]

On first play (with AKG 240 phones) of around 90 minutes, I found the RD-800 to be impressive. The nicest sounding and playing DP from them I've ever experienced.

 

[sMatt]

I found the RD800 superior to other stage pianos I've played and bought one

 

I've played some Privias (Priviae?)... none come close to the feeling of playing the RD800.

[M_G]

 

RD800 or PX5S ???

 

=> Kawai MP-7 !!!

[Jazz+]

The Roland RD-800 would be my choice for piano playing.

 

But it's a lot heavier, so I wouldn't want to move it to gigs. The CP-4 would trump the Roland and the Kawai, IMO. The Casio would win in the portability category for gigs. I am willing to sacrifice the sound and response quality for portability.

[Six-string-man]

It seems to me that you have come down to an unusual choice. I could understand say the MOXF vs the Roland FA, but you seem to be comparing apples with oranges.

 

I would be interested as to how you ended up with a short list of these two boards.

 

Anyway, IMHO, the RD 800 is of higher quality, and has better sounds. But it certainly isn't $1400 better.

 

I would buy the Casio, and save the extra cash for something else. I don't think the PX-5S will disappoint, it's extremely versatile, and great patch creators such as Mike Martin and Dave Weiser have periodically uploaded sounds that you can get from the web site.

 

 

SSM

 

 

 

[Marillo]

I own a CP-4 and recently tried the RD-800. It's nice and I would say I marginally prefer the piano sound, but the CP-4's action remains the best I've ever played.

 

I use it at home for classical as well as stage and my technique has improved no end in recent months. Factor in the reduced weight and length (smart move to put the wheels above the keyboard) and the CP-4 wins out.

 

I had been searching for a long time for a piano that would double as a home/stage piano and the CP-4 is it.

[Halluxone]

I tried both and although the Casio gives you a lot more bang for the buck, it's just not fair to compare these two pianos. They are totally different pricepoints and have features that make me think the new FA-08 is probably a better Roland to compare to the Casio.

 

I was turned off by the tiny screen, plasticky feel to knobs and sliders and lack of expression inputs and half pedaling on the Casio. Although I do like the idea of saving some cash and adding a dedicated clonewheel....

 

For pure piano playing, the RD-800 is what I chose and I don't regret it. Even the CP-4 didn't cut it for me, although it does have better Epianos for sure.