Introduction
This page provides a basic comparison of the Roland RD-88 EX and Roland RD-08, the Kurzweil KA-P1 and the Yamaha P-S500.
Types of Instrument
All the instruments being compared are digital pianos.
Manufacturers
The instruments are from well-known manufacturers Kurzweil, Roland and Yamaha.
Instrument Age
The earliest released instrument is the Yamaha P-S500 from 2022, and the latest released instruments are the Kurzweil KA P1, Roland RD-08, and Roland RD-88 EX in 2024. That’s a difference of two years, which suggests the underlying technology could be fairly similar.
All instruments are still fairly new and at time of publication are still being manufactured and sold new.
Keyboard Type
All instruments being compared have 88 full sized, fully weighted keys with full touch sensitivity but no aftertouch.
Most pianists prefer an instrument which has either fully weighted or semi-weighted keys, which provide closer realism to that of an acoustic piano.
Touch sensitivity is vital for piano players; aftertouch is not required for those wanting a pure piano experience but it can be useful to have (if it can be swtiched on or off) for use with other instruments.
Polyphony
All the instruments you are comparing have 256 notes of polyphony.
A good figure for polyphony on a modern digital piano is a minimum of 96, preferably 128. Older and less expensive digital pianos had 64 or fewer notes of polyphony, which can lead to problems when playing certain pieces of music.
Number of Sounds
The instruments you are comparing have a number of voices ranging from 28 to 3000.
Digital pianos are primarily intended for replicating acoustic piano sounds, sometimes with additional keyboard instruments such as electric pianos, organs, harpsichord, clavichord and so on. Additional sounds may include strings and other instruments, but they are usually a bonus rather than a requirement, where the acoustic piano realism is more important. A selection of alternative acoustic pianos is a good inclusion.
Tutorials and Learning
One of the four instruments, the Yamaha P-S500, has tutorials on board.
Different manufacturers may include a range of tutorials and learning functions on their digital pianos. These are rarely as advanced as practicing with a human tutor or online learning, but can be a useful tool. Learning may include built-in songs, lighted keys, tempo adjustments, note correction and more.
Price
The instruments you are comparing have a retail price ranging from $1,099 to $1,599.
Digital pianos range in price from a few hundred, to tens of thousands of dollars.
Main Feature Chart
| Model | # Keys | Key Size | Key Weight | Polyphony | # Sounds | Touch Sensitive | Aftertouch | Accompaniments | Learning | Year | RRP |
| Kurzweil KA P1 | 88 | Full | Piano | 256 | 28 | Y | N | Y | N | 2024 | $1599 |
| Roland RD-08 | 88 | Full | Piano | 256 | 3000 | Y | N | N | N | 2024 | $1099 |
| Roland RD-88 EX | 88 | Full | Piano | 256 | 3000 | Y | N | Y | N | 2024 | $1429 |
| Yamaha P-S500 | 88 | Full | Piano | 256 | 660 | Y | N | Y | Y | 2022 | $1599 |
