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Agreed 100%. If all you play is classical, there is no other Digital piano that offers what the V-Piano or V-Piano Grand can do.

So there you have it. Opinions vary, which is why a serious buyer needs to do his own shopping and thinking. (I'm a former AvantGrand owner who currently owns a Roland, and I like both; while neither is perfect and each has relative advantages and disadvantages -- many of them discussed earlier in this thread -- they're both very good.)

But the consensus is pretty easy: either O-Naipv or DnargTnava.

If you find a store to demo these two, you cover the top DP options.

I would buy the Yamaha N1 or N2. Grand action, decent sound, excellent response and nice cabinetry.

If you want authentic Grand Piano touch, you can't go wrong with the Yamaha N series. Furthermore it will look great as furniture. However I'll say again that if you want a more acoustic like sounding experience with headphones, the V-Piano would fit the bill nicely. I would definately get aquainted with how all these models feel and sound while you play your favorite song. Whatever choice you make, I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

These pissing contests between the V and the AG have become the only threads I really enjoy. Seriously, when this subject isn't being stoked I usually go other places on the web for my entertainment. Kona, Alekkh, Bennevis and PV88 (did I miss anyone?) - thank you.

For what it's worth, there are some tremendous bargains on the AvantGrand pianos right now. Tomorrow I'm picking up an N3 at 50% off MSRP (plus 0% financing), and am thrilled with that as my choice. I looked hard at the Kawai CA93, and the Roland V-Grand, both of which I liked very much. But for the touch of the N3 (even if its sounds are inferior to the V-Grand, which perhaps they are) and the bargain price, that made the decision for me.

Neither the OP nor anyone here has asked for your offtopic thoughts. What you are doing repeatedly in this forum is called trolling.

Respect the OP. Keep comments on the subject.

I prefer to stay out but you V people begin your diatribe force me to chime in. It's important and on topic that OP knows that your clan always turn the subject to the V being the best and OP might not have been of aware of this. I'm not trying change the subject. So OP until Roland makes V with real acoustic action then do yourself a favor and check out N series. Even if V sounds better as these people say; the action is still not as good as AG action - case closed if you have $10,000 to spend.

I was at a Kawai showroom looking at the CN43, but they had one model there that really caught my eye - the CS3...

It was smaller, sleeker, prettier.... unfortunately, I wanted the USB out to interface with a computer (learner).... if I already knew how to play the CS3 would have been on my short list (not to mention it was on sale for $2k)...

Go Lobos!

The CS3 can still be connected to a computer relatively easily using a MIDI-to-USB cable, such as the one below.



Cheers,
James
x

Same story here. I sat down at the V last week wanting to love it ... Went back and forth between an RX-3, Shigeru, CA93, and V. Could not stomach the Roland or Kawai DP options and knew the AG action was what I could live with.

I might do a V for our summer place, but not as a primary instrument.

Hardly a fair comparison though. A digital piano will never have the presence that a decent grand has. Even though the AG has a grand action, it will still suffer badly in comparison to an RX or Shigeru. Not even close. The connection between action and sound is very important too. AGs are nice, but they aren't the same as playing a real piano. You'll have to play one to assess how far short they are.

I wonder if it was V-Grand or V-Piano stage?

If it was stage, what speakers were used?

If it was V-Grand, which store was it that has V-Grand and AG in one place?
Could you please fill in these details? Thanks.

As everyone here knows, I'm totally biased , but even so, I'd be quite happy to have any of the AGs as a practice instrument. (BTW, if you carefully read the fulsome praise of the classical pianists who endorse the AGs, none of them mention their use as performance instruments, only as practice instruments, whereas Roland actually introduced the V-Piano Grand to the world in a series of classical concerts in 24 cities in 21 countries last year). And if I already have regular access to a good grand (at least 6ft) and I don't have neighbor problems, the AG could well have been a serious contender for the V-Piano when I was traipsing around auditioning DPs two years ago.

But I wasn't looking for a practice instrument - I was looking for a single piano substitute that would satisfy me for years and years to come (unlike many other posters here who own multiple DPs or APs plus DPs, I only have space - and the money and inclination - for one), so I didn't have to go around looking for and playing and practising on rubbishy acoustics anymore like I'd been doing for decades previously. So, I was really looking for much, much more than an instrument with 'authentic' key action (not that the AG action is truly authentic either). Which was why the AGs were never serious contenders - using headphones, the only distinguishing factor in their favor over the CLP/CVP was their key action. (IMO, all the non-AG Yamaha DPs' key action feel totally artificial, unlike those of Kawai and Roland DPs). And personally, I found the AG keyweight to be on the heavy side, heavier than that of any acoustic grand - including the flagship Yamaha CFX concert grand - I've ever played (though I could still live with it, if that was the only drawback).

To be truthful, in 2010 I never expected to find a DP that would fulfil my requirements, but the V-Piano did, and more - I didn't even feel the need to play occasionally on well-prepped grands anymore, because the V gave me all the responsiveness and enjoyment in music-making that I wanted from a good piano.

But enough of my totally biased opinions : as I've said many times before, if you don't feel that real 'connection' and responsiveness when playing on the V that you don't get from other DPs, it really is a waste of money buying one. All you get is just a piano substitute - not even EP or rhythm or chord accompaniment. Not even a music rest on the V-Piano (though there's one on the V-P Grand, of course). Roland really focussed on getting just one thing right in the V, and for my money, they nailed it. It's a pianist's piano. Not a 'keyboard'. After over two years of playing around 4 hours/day on it (except for the several weeks a year that I spend fighting for my life in a blizzard up some mountain...), I love playing it more than ever.

Bennevis, while there are some people who clearly are biased or prejudiced about one instrument or another, I don't take your enthusiasm for anything like "bias" -- rather the opposite, I think. You thought very hard about what you wanted, surveyed the available choices, and made what was obviously the right choice for you.

Your post is a terrific testimonial for Roland. I really wish they'd hire you; they need someone who understands the product from a serious user's perspective.

Doesn't that go without saying? Not everyone is a fan of the Yamaha or Kawai sound either. The OP will have to make his/her own mind up about that but he has asked for our opinions and mine is that the LX15 should be high up the list of auditions as it is much better than its competition.

I would take an LX15 over an N3, let alone an N1. Absolutely no contest IMO for solo piano classical music.

Maybe not a fair comparison, but how else do you assess the action of a DP for silent playing? You have to compare DP against an acoustic that really does it for you. The RX-3 or little Shigeru is next on the list ... but for now, it's the AG and the action was the most important to me, at least.



It was V-Grand, and I had to go between stores to compare VG to AG. However, I picked up my N3 today and that dealer (~100 miles from my home) had both Roland and Yamaha digital grands on the floor. No Kawai at that dealer, though. It was Music City Pianos in Spokane, Washington, by the way.

Congratulations - I think you've made an excellent choice.

Cheers,
James
x

Yes, congratulations. Sounds like the N3 action swung it for you, compared to the VPG action?