Yamaha DGX-640 88-Key Keyboard Review

by Suresh

Rating:
The Yamaha DGX-640 88-Key Keyboard comes with graded weighted action keys and is one of the better electric pianos in the sub-$1000 price range. It may not suit those who are not very keen on having bells and whistles on a piano.

Pros
Piano Like, Good Sounds & Styles, Pricing

Cons
Headphones jack in the back, some users may not want all those extras

Best Place to Buy

On Amazon, Yamaha DGX-640 for $800-$1000

Review

If you want a digital piano with a great feel and also want it to have all the fancy styles and voices, then the Yamaha DGX640 is a suitable product for you.

However, if you are only keen on the piano sounds and do not want to have the other features such as styles and effects, then you should have a look at the models in the P series as well.

The keyboard here is a graded one where, just as on a real one, the keys are heavier on the lower octaves and much lighter on the higher keys; perfect for playing the piano. Yamaha calls it their Graded Hammer Standard or GHS action, which is among the best they have.

You also have the option of connecting a three-foot-pedal unit to your keyboard, in case you want to have the same range of expressive effects as on a real acoustic piano.

In terms of voices, it's not just the pianos and electric pianos that you get, you also get some cool organ sounds, strings, brass and lot more, including several Live! Cool! and Sweet! Voices.
The best part is that you can make these even more appealing using the several effects; you have a collection of DSP effects, ambiance effects, distortion that you can apply to the various voices.

If you're learning to play the piano, you can make use of the Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.) that can further supplement your learning. Even the screen can display the music notations when you play back a song. If the song contains both lyrics and chords, both will be shown. Experienced players however, are less likely to use these features.

It looks sturdy but not as beautiful as a piano though; the "wood" portions are made up of synthetic material.

The Yamaha DGX640 keyboard is highly recommended if you are looking for a portable piano with excellent key touch.

Specs

Here are more product features:

You get 88-keys with the Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) weighted action

Find bundled accessories included like Decorative wooden stand, PA150 adapter & sustain pedal

Excellent voices that can be further enhanced using the DSP effects

Get the most out of your Backlit LCD: It displays lyrics, chords & notation

You also get the USB TO DEVICE jack: connect optional USB storage devices

Video Review

More on Yamaha DGX640 on Amazon

Overall Ratings

The Yamaha DGX-640 is suitable for beginner students and for piano teachers to be used as a practice piano, or for performing musicians at churches and even studios, who prefer using preset sounds.

Overall: