Donner DDP-80 PLUS Digital Piano 88 Key Weighted Keyboard, Home Electric Piano, Supports USB-MIDI & Headphones, Semi-open Cover Designed, with Metal Triple Pedal, Power Adapter

Product Information

This is REALLY where the DDP-80 gets super unique AND super interesting; once again, just like an acoustic piano – the DDP-80 has ONE sound – PIANO. It doesn’t have grand piano, bright piano, mellow piano, electric piano, strings, etc – just PIANO. So for people who just want to play piano, this is kind of cool; you don’t have 20, 60 or 800 sounds to distract you from your piano playing. And since there is only one sound, that pretty much tells you that, just like an acoustic piano, there are no layering features or splitting features on the DDP-80. MIDI via both USB and Bluetooth means that the FP-10 plays nicely with Roland’s excellent Piano Partner 2 app, and also makes a great MIDI controller keyboard.

One more thing that might be useful for people who live in shared spaces is that you can very easily adjust the volume of the DDP-80 digital piano. If you play an acoustic piano, it’s as loud as it is, and if you play notes softer, it changes the nature of the music. So this is undoubtedly an advantage of a digital piano over other alternatives. If you want to go really silent, you just use headphones instead, and nobody but you will hear you play. This might also help learners who might feel shy about having other people hear any mistakes. To all of you, I want to say: Just keep practicing. Everybody has to start somewhere, and nobody is born a master piano player. The features of the Donner DDP-80 digital piano So, when I came across the Donner DDP-80 Plus with its gorgeous wooden exterior and limited specifications list, I was definitely intrigued. I wanted to see if this could be the piano that could fill a niche gap in the market. Of course, the DDP-80 also comes with an optional piano stool that perfectly matches it for size and aesthetics and – via the optional Customised Music Stand – Donner can even engrave the DDP-80’s stand with words of your choice – adding a little touch of personalisation that the owner will love. You’ll see pianos with over 300 sounds to play with, pianos that allow you to adjust every tiny detail of the sound – from the pitch right down to the parameter of the strings, pianos that have ‘Harmonic Imaging XL sound technology’, and pianos that have a ‘RH3 responsive hammer action’. If we were to ask you what a RH3 responsive hammer action is, would you be able to answer?

An affordable digital piano that looks nicer than many expensive models? This deserves a closer look...

You don’t even play the piano? That’s not an issue either. Seeing how much more affordable the DDP-80 digital piano is compared to acoustic pianos, there’s a lot less to invest if you want to start learning to play the piano at home. But do you need to get a teacher in 2022? It might help you with some aspects of having a person coach you, but thanks to technology, there are also some very fun and more affordable ways to learn to play the piano. You could, for instance, use piano learning apps like SimplyPiano or the Piano app by Yousician. You don’t even need to connect any cables for that. Smartphones or tablets simply use their built-in microphone to “hear” if you’re playing the right notes and can advise you on what you can do to improve. Image: Donner DDP-80 has strong compatibility and can be connected to the teaching app on iPad and mobile phones for self-study, composition, or teaching. You can also connect the music editing software to the PC for internal records. As Roland’s newest entry-level, full-size digital piano, the standout feature on the FP-10 has to be its class-leading PHA-4 keyboard. Beautifully responsive and representing staggering value, it’s exactly the same action found on the pricier FP-30 model.

So how do the keys feel? Well to me, they feel heavy but really pretty good and . . . quite realistic. I personally have always preferred lighter key actions like the Casio Privia PX-S series of digital pianos, and more recently I have even started to move towards playing unweighted synth action keys. So while they feel heavy to me, those of you that like heavier actions like the Roland PHA4 action or the Yamaha P515 piano’s action, or the action on many acoustic pianos, you will feel quite at home with the DDP-80. And as I’ve gotten more used to playing them, there is a pretty decent dynamic range available. And on that note, are you wondering how many levels of touch sensitivity the DDP-80 has? Well . . . how many levels does an acoustic piano have? ONE! And so does the DDP-80; just like an acoustic piano, you can’t adjust the touch response. this is for connecting to external audio equipment like amps or PA systems. The headphone port is of course stereo, and the line out is a mono port that has a summed left and right signal. This is the same as keyboards that have TWO line out ports, one left (labelled “L/Mono”) and one right (labelled “Right”). With those ports, if you only use the L/Mono port you get a combined left and right mono signal, which is what you would typically use to connect to external amplification. And the nice thing about having this port included is that you still get the benefit of hearing the built in speakers when you are using this port to connect to external amplification, so you still have the benefit of the 40 watts of built in speaker power.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

It's still super simple to use. Gone are the banks and banks of redundant sounds, in favour of 10 very usable voices (Piano1, Piano2, E.Piano1, E.Piano2, Organ1, Organ2, Strings, Vibes, Harpsichord1, Harpsichord2) with the two grand piano options being sampled from one of Yamaha's most iconic concert grand pianos. The DDP-80 is unlike other Donner digital pianos as far as the design and other visual aspects go. The device is housed in a wooden chassis, and the metal feet are disguised to look just as if they were made of the same wood. So this means that the DDP-80 is not just a digital gadget that you hide when you’re not using it. It’s very appealing and can serve as a decorative asset to match any modern or classic type of furniture. Image: Donner

Shopping for a digital piano in 2023 can be overwhelming. Some of us know what all these features and details mean. Some of us don’t! A simple, easy-to-use, affordable piano with minimal fussis needed in the current market.

Conclusion I bought this piano out of necessity because it met my price, size, and aesthetic requirements. If given the choice, more budget, and space I definitely would have bought something better from a reputable brand. In the future, I'm probably going to sell it and upgrade to something better (hopefully acoustic) when we're able to move out. I also wanted to write this review because there aren't many out there on the DDP-80 and it's one of the first ads that comes up when you search for it so a lot of new players might be tempted to buy it. Piano legs are made of wood wrapped in lightweight metal to reduce the overall weight, making the piano durable and enhancing aesthetics. They're also more adaptable to a wide range of temperatures and environments. Get up close and you may be able to spot that this thing is MDF rather than ‘real’ wood, but given the DDP-80’s price point, that’s fair enough. Roland PHA4 (Roland FP-10, FP-30x): I think it has a similar weight, but since this is only a dual sensor, the Roland triple sensor action with escapement, will still be a much more realistic action This is played on an 88-note keyboard with a progressive hammer action, so the low-end keys feel a little heavier than the top-end ones, as you’d find on a real grand piano. Finally, there are two downward-firing built-in speakers that are powered by a 2 x 20W amplifier. Roland FP-10 digital piano review: Performance & verdict