Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Thomann SP5100/5500!

Hi!
Has anybody tried the above models? They are full sized 88 with hammers keyboards and the prices are unbeliveble. What do you think of them?

I think if you can get to a Thomann store to try them in person by all means do and post your impressions here please! If you can't try them steer well clear, if the price is unbelievable there's probably a very good reason! Weighted hammer actions are complex and expensive to produce, to make a cheap one you have to cut corners somewhere.

BTW it's quite likely that particular member will post in this thread that all digital pianos are good and that a reputable company like Thomann wouldn't stock rubbish. You will find that he is the only person on this forum that holds that view, there's a reason for that too

If money is tight look at the following models, they're all good entry level instruments.

Korg Sp170 - odd method of changing voices but very nice touch and good sound. €468 at Thomann

Yamaha P95 - Good basic piano with Yamahas excellent build quality, not as high spec as the Korg and Casio but still worth considering. If you can find a P85 it should be quite a bit cheaper, it's the fore runner to the P95 and almost the same instrument. €618 at Thomann

Casio PX130 - Very popular model, good value, maybe slightly lower build quality than the others but still a decent instrument. €619 at Thomann

Kawai CL-25 - I've never tried one of these but Kawai make great pianos! I suspect it uses older sampling technology from a generation or so back when Kawai weren't noted for their sound, it should have a great action though and you can always use an external sound source (computer or module) to improve the sound. Well worth trying if you can find one - potentially the best of the bunch - €659 at Thomann

Hi,

I actually didn't try them but word on the street is they're unbelievably bad, both sound & feel! Which is what I`d rather believe considering the price.

I just purchased Korg SP-170 from Thomann, the black bundle with stand, a nice piano chair and two headphones totalling 650 euros.

According to the tracking number, there are three packages coming in and all of them are currently in Hamburg waiting for the flight to Finland.

Once I receive all packages, build the piano rest and test out the piano, I will come back and write a review

There is a musical instrument dealer in Manchester that sells its "own brand" DPs - I strongly suspect these will be the same item Thomann is rebranding and selling. I haven't played either but the old adage of you get what you pay for is bound to apply.

Yes i also saw on youtube a review of what its called Winchester SP5500 and it looks exactly like Thomann SP5500. Anyway i listened to some youtube videos around SP5100/5500 and those keyboards make awefull squeeking sounds; i just wouldnt live with that.

it's a medeli

http://www.medeli.com.hk/products/sp/sp-5500.html#

Hi! I have a friend who bought a SP5100 from thomann.de 12 days ago and 2 days ago it was delivered. It was bought through a local dealer and I went with him to help him carry it home, plus I was curios to check it out myself . The dealer said it was the last one, so he was lucky, I guess. I didn't have enough time with the piano to form an opinion, but my initial reaction is that it's great for the money! The speakers sound very good (default piano sound), better I think than my Korg SP250. The touch is light though, on the Yamaha P85 side, but with a better control than a semi-weighted keyboard. Plus a ton of 'extra' options. As for the build quality, time will tell...
I'll visit my friend and post a second opinion later next week. And for those who can't read German, the reviews on the site are mostly positive..good deal for the money, touch not great, but ok, piano sound ok.

Waiting for the review Bogs:)

I couldn't wait anymore, so I went and visited my friend with his brand new piano last night. Unfortunately, I have only bad news. The sound is clear and powerful, it sounds like a piano, but for sure you cannot be fooled it could be a real thing. So the speakers are great, the piano sound is not THAT good, definitely not better than Korg SP250 as I initially thought. But that didn't bother me so much...what bothered me was the playability of the piano. In my opinion, it has very limited dynamic range and the keyboard makes it even more difficult to play dynamics with confidence. I guess it also takes a little bit of time to adjust, but for me it just didn't feel right. Also some of the keys are wobbly or make a distinct sound when you release them and if you keep pressed the E right above middle C, you will hear how it looping a sample that goes from up to down...other keys were ok.
On the positive side, I like the fact that there are so many things you can adjust. It was a slider for the piano sound from mellow to brilliant, which is great! I was amazed to find a soft pedal jack too. Touch can also be adjusted from 0 [can full-hammer action keyboards actually do that!?] to 3.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but a beginner on a budget. For anyone trained on an acoustic, the SP5100 would be a difficult downgrade. Now I know why Korg SP170/250, Yamaha P85/95 and Casio 130/330 are considered entry level digital piano. If you go lower than this, you risk sacrificing too much

Thanks alot Bogs. You put them out of my mind completely. This is common sense after all. The cheapest of any product as many flaws one has to live with.

I bought SP5500, and I have nothing like described above : "Also some of the keys are wobbly or make a distinct sound when you release them and if you keep pressed the E right above middle C, you will hear how it looping a sample that goes from up to down...other keys were ok."
I am not sure about "dynamic range", but this piano sounds excellent for me.
I bought it for my son, but myself ended up learing how to play. It sounds very nice, there are lots of sounds to choose from.