Roland DP-603 88-Key Digital Piano, Polished White

I did a lot of looking at digital pianos before taking a leap of faith on the Roland DP-603. I played many different models but wasn’t able to find this model to play. After reading enough and comparing similar models in Roland’s and Yamaha’s lineup I became convinced this is the piano I wanted and I’m happy to report it is great. Great sound, a great feel to the key action, and great connectivity with the Roland app. The modern, sleek and minimalist design is perfect.

Love this piano. I got it from Amazon a month ago and it’s been a joy to play on it. I grew up playing on a Yamaha acoustic upright and all sorts of acoustic grand pianos at the music conservatory. I’ve had a Casio digital piano from Costco for the last 10yrs and needed an upgrade. I know what I like: a bright clean sound, an expressive keyboard with fast action, a contemporary look with a small footprint to fit my home, and all the bells and whistles of modern digital pianos. I’m pretty happy with my choice. No buyer’s remorse.

The look: I got the piano in polished white (great value on Amazon compared to other online sellers). It’s beautiful, sleek, minimal and angular. It doesn’t take much room, but your eyes can’t miss it when you scan the room. For modern living with limited space, it’s what I’m looking for. Once you open the piano and sit in front of it, it has the familiar look and setup to an acoustic upright piano.

The sound: The sound is excellent. The default grand piano tone has a really nice deep bass and really clear highs. I played a Nocturne (Chopin) and was wowed by the depth of my left hand and how the melody on my right hand was still so clear and bright. The speakers are under the piano inside a hollow “sound bar” which allows for a more natural amplification. You feel that the sound comes from the entire piano, instead of a pair of speakers in front of you. Btw, the sound is big enough to fill a large room in a normal size house. This model has a large set of tones (simulated instruments) to play with. Some are better than others. The EPs (Electric pianos) are a lot of fun for modern jazzy tunes. There’s plenty to experiment with. You can do a lot with this piano.

The touch: This keyboard is NICE! The wood keys with the simulated ivory have a very nice feel and weight to it. The action is great. I don’t feel like I’m playing in the mud, nor is it light like a cheap digital piano. It’s well balanced. I’ve never tried Roland keyboards before, but I can understand why they have such a great reputation. The pedals don’t feel as satisfying, but are solidly built in the pedal bar. I think the pedals could be better, but they are still very functional.

The electronics: I haven’t really played much with it yet. The headset capability works great. The piano boots up adequately fast. All the layout for the buttons/functions are pretty intuitive.

Quality, Build, and Installation: Roland is a Japanese company and it shows. Everything is well thought out and well executed. The packaging was a work of art in itself. My piano was delivered without a scratch even though there was some small damages to the box. The box is HEAVY. You’ll need a cart or 2 people to move it. Putting the piano together wasn’t too bad. Some pieces were heavy, but I managed to do it by myself. The instructions made sense. You build the base first, then you drop the keyboard on top of it and lock it in place. I had no trouble making the audio cable connections in the back (not sure what that bad review was about). The wood on cabinet is all MDF, but that’s pretty standard. The finish on the while veneer was perfect. There’s quality in the construction and the design of the entire piano, even in the packaging.

Notes: This piano doesn’t come with a bench. I found a Satin White Roland adjustable bench from another retailer and it fits nicely with this piano.

I did a lot of research to find a piano that I would really enjoy for the next 10yrs. I think this one is a winner.

I was so worried about this not being shipped properly that I tried to buy locally but the retailer ran out of stock at the sale price. I was so relieved to see an Amazon truck pull up with 2 workers inside and they easily carried the box to my front step. The driver told me he only does oversized/overweight packages which is why they have 2 workers. The box had some tears and dents but the pieces are so well packed that no part actually comes into direct contact with the end or sides of the box. All the components were in pristine condition and I assembled it myself in around an hour. (There’s an excellent assembly video I watched on youtube).

The piano itself has amazing sound and the speaker system is much more robust than the entry level FP-10 I was initially considering. I watched and read several comparative reviews of the DP 603 and did hours of research but didn’t play the piano or hear it IRL before purchasing. The keys are really nicely weighted and even my young kids noticed the difference in play and sound immediately. My only complaint is that I’m having trouble connecting the piano via bluetooth to the Piano Player app on my relatively new ipad which seems to be a chronic issue with Roland digital pianos — I cannot believe they don’t have a better support system or straightforward tutorial about how to do this. If you don’t connect to the app, you miss out on utilizing all the extra features that the piano offers.

2 things to note are that the console design is so minimal and streamlined that there’s no “top” to put a small lamp, notebook, sheet music. Also, there’s no way to play the keyboard without connecting it to the console itself (where the speaker is installed) so you can’t just pop out the keyboard from the stand and take it outside, etc. Overall, I love this piano and the sale price of $1999 is amazing.