The Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 are both excellent entry-level pianos for beginners, but with differing specs and features, how can you know which model is best for your needs? To help you make the best decision, we’ve put together this detailed Yamaha P125 vs Roland FP-30 comparison.
With the specs, features, differences, and similarities laid out for both models, you’ll know exactly which keyboard suits your requirements better.
Let’s get into it!
Yamaha P125 vs. Roland FP-30 Specifications Compared
|
Specification |
Yamaha P125 |
Roland FP-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Cell | |  |
|
Keys |
88, Graded Hammer Standard keys |
88, Progressive Hammer Action keys |
|
Touch sensitivity Options |
4 |
5 |
|
Polyphony |
192 |
128 |
|
Rhythms |
20 |
8 |
|
Voice |
24 |
35 |
|
Sound Technology |
Pure CF Sound Engine |
SuperNATURAL Technology |
|
Recorder |
2-track |
1-track |
|
Speakers |
2 |
2 |
|
Amplifier |
7 Watt |
11 Watt |
|
Line-Out |
Yes |
No |
|
Bluetooth |
No |
Yes |
|
USB to Host |
Yes |
Yes |
|
USB to Device |
No |
Yes |
|
Dimensions |
1326 x 295 x 166mm |
1300 x 284 x 150mm |
|
Weight |
11.8kg |
14.1kg |
| Cell |
Major Similarities Between Yamaha P125 vs. Roland FP-30
Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 are equipped with numerous features that are usually only found in high-end professional pianos, which makes it hard for anyone to pick one among the two. In this section, we’ve discussed some of the areas where the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 are similar to each other.
First things first; both the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 consist of 88, touch-sensitive keys that give the user an excellent keyboard playing experience. Not only are the keys of both these keyboards are highly touch-sensitive, both of these pianos allow the user to adjust the level of touch sensitivity as per their needs, ensuring that every user gets to enjoy a fully-customized piano playing experience.
Another common feature between the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 is that they have a good range of built-in songs to help beginners learn to get hold of playing the keyboard. Not only can you play any of the built-in songs from the songs library, but you can also play the songs that you recorded on the keyboard’s memory. You’ll find this option in both the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30.
Another similarity that is worth mentioning is the presence of multiple modes. Both the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 comes with 3 different modes; Split mode, Dual mode, and Duet mode. The Split mode splits the keyboard into two, with each part producing the sound of a different instrument. The Dual mode allows the user to play the sounds of two different instruments at the same time. It layers the sounds of two musical instruments, so every time you press the key, the sound of two instruments will be produced together. The Duet mode divides the keyboard into two identical halves, allowing the user to practice with their teacher or partner.
Both the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 are equipped with USB to Host connectivity that enables you to export songs other than the ones in the song library to the keyboard to practice further. You can also use an external USB to store more of your performances to enjoy later since the memory of the keyboards itself isn’t that sufficient.
Both the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 feature a compact design that makes it quite easy for the user to transport the keyboard around. Both of these keyboards are great options for people who often have to travel with their keyboards for their stage performances.
The Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30, both have high-quality onboard speakers that enable you to play the keyboard out loud. Whether it’s at a gathering with friends or while you’re performing at the stage, onboard speakers are an indispensable tool!
Looking at the surface, both the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 seem quite similar to one another, but when you look into them deeper, you’ll see how different they are.
Major Differences Between Yamaha P125 vs. Roland FP-30
The first major difference between the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 lies in the keyboard. Although they both consist of 88 touch-sensitive keys, the levels of touch sensitivity are different. There are 4 touch sensitivity levels in the Yamaha P125; soft, hard, medium, and fixed, whereas there are 5 touch sensitivity levels in the Roland FP-30; medium light, super light, super heavy, heavy, and fixed. In addition, the Roland FP-30 features Ivory Feel keys, unlike the plastic keys in the Yamaha P125, offering a much more enhanced keyboard playing experience for its users.
The Yamaha P125 uses high-quality sound technology, the Pure CF sound engine, with 4-layer sampling. The addition of the 4th layer produces a smoother and more dynamic sound, which is closer to the sound produced by an acoustic piano. The Roland FP-30 features the SuperNATURAL modeling technology that gives each of its keys a very unique tonal character that varies with how soft or hard you struck the keys. It also uses the stretched tuning that makes low-end notes relatively lower and high-end notes a bit higher in pitch, producing a sound that feels great to the ears!
The next difference between the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 is the polyphony. While most keyboards, including the Roland FP-30, feature a 128-note polyphony, the Yamaha P125 features an incredible 192-note polyphony! The Yamaha P125 gives the users more freedom and allows them to add more layers to their music.
While both the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 feature onboard speakers, they vary in quality. The Yamaha P125 comes with two 7 watt speakers, and the Roland FP-30 features two 11 watt speakers. However, the Yamaha P125 has the edge over the Roland FP-30 with its 4 speaker system. It has 2 full-range speakers on the top along with 2, 4cm tweeters on the underside. When the quality of the entire speaker system is combined, it comes up to an incredible 14 watts! It creates an all-surrounding experience for the users, which is what the Yamaha P125 is so popular for!
Another noticeable difference between the two is that the Roland FP-30 comes with Bluetooth connectivity that the Yamaha P125 lacks. Bluetooth connectivity is an excellent add-on as it opens doors to endless possibilities for the user who wishes to create, edit, and mix music using the numerous software and applications available for the purpose.
There are two headphone jacks in both the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30. Roland FP-30 doesn’t have any line-out socket, so if you wish to connect your Roland FP-30 to external speakers or amplifiers, you need to use the headphone jacks. On the other hand, the Yamaha P125 comes with an aux-out jack and separate ports for connecting headphones, and a sustain pedal.
Some of the additional features that provide the Yamaha P125 a slightly superior sound quality is the Sound Boost and Intelligence Acoustic Control (IAC) features that make the sound clearer and sharper.
Yamaha P125 Summary
Major Features
|
FEATURE |
DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Keys |
As mentioned earlier, the Yamaha P125 features 88, touch-sensitive keys with Graded Hammer Action that help create a sound that is similar to a classical, professional piano. Each key is touch-sensitive, and the touch sensitivity of each key can be adjusted to 4 different levels; hard, soft, medium, and fixed. |
|
Sound Quality |
The Yamaha P125 is equipped with the Pure CF sound engine, 192-note polyphony, 24 voices, and 20 rhythm styles that allow the user to create high-quality, real sound, similar to that of an acoustic piano. |
|
Onboard Speakers |
There are two 7 watt speakers on the top side of the Yamaha P125 along with two tweeters on the underside. The overall power of the speaker system totals to an incredible 14 watt. The sound produced is loud, clear, and sharp! |
|
Modes |
The Yamaha P125 is equipped with the Dual mode, Split mode, and the Duet mode. The Dual mode allows you to enjoy the sound of two instruments at the same time. The Split mode splits the keyboard into two parts, with each part producing the sound of a different instrument. Lastly, the Duet mode divides the keyboard into two equal halves, allowing two people to play the piano at the same time! |
|
Music Library |
The music library of the Yamaha P125 consists of 50 preset songs, giving the user numerous options to practice and polish their piano playing skills. |
|
Recording and Playback |
One of the best features of the Yamaha P125 is that it allows the user to record up to 2 tracks or 3 songs on the memory of the device, which they can play back anytime in the future. The recorded songs are stored in MIDI format and can be transferred to your computer easily. |
|
Connectivity |
The Yamaha P125 is equipped with aux-out jacks, a jack for sustain pedal, and a USB to Host port. The Aux-out port makes it possible to connect external speakers or amplifiers to the keyboard. The USB to Host port makes it possible for the user to connect their keyboard to their computer or their smart devices (iPad, iPhone, and Android). |
|
Yamaha Smart Pianist App |
The connectivity feature has been taken to an all-new level with the Yamaha Smart Pianist App for iOS and Android devices. The app is user-friendly and super-easy to navigate. You can access all of the functions of your Yamaha P125 from the app directly. It won’t be wrong to say that this app is like a remote control for your Yamaha P125. |
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 88 touch-sensitive, Graded Hammer Standard keys
- 192-note polyphony
- Pure CF sound engine
- 4 Layer CF sampling
- USB to Host connectivity
- Equipped with aux-out and headphone jacks
- Onboard speakers
- Compatible with the Yamaha Smart Pianist app
Cons
- No Bluetooth connectivity
- Little addition to sound effects
The Bottom Line
The Yamaha P125 has everything that a beginner would want and a lot more than that, making it a great option to invest in!
Roland FP-30 Summary
Major Features
|
FEATURE |
DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Keys |
The Roland FP-30 features 88, Progressive Hammer Action (PHA) keys with escapement feature, and Ivory Feel. It is one of the very few keyboards that offer Ivory Feel at the price point at which it’s available. All keys are touch-sensitive with 5 different levels of touch-sensitivity. You can set the level at medium, light, super light, super heavy, heavy, or fixed, depending on how you like your keys to sound. |
|
Sound Quality |
The Roland FP-30 is equipped with the SuperNATURAL modeling technology that gives the Roland FP-30 a sound like that of a real, acoustic piano. In addition, the 128-note polyphony and stretched tuning feature makes sure that the sound comes out just right! |
|
Onboard Speakers |
There are two 11 watt onboard speakers on the Roland FP-30 that deliver natural and rich sound with excellent bass and resonance. |
|
Modes |
The modes that you can enjoy with the Roland FP-30 include the Dual mode, Split mode, and the Duet mode. The dual-mode allows layering of two different sounds, the Split mode splits the keyboard into two different musical instruments and the Duet mode allows two people to play the keyboard at the same time. |
|
Recording and Playback |
The Roland FP-30 comes with a 1-track MIDI recorder that you can use to record your performance and listen to later. You can either opt to save the recorded track on the keyboard’s internal memory, or you can save to an external USB drive, thanks to the USB to Host connectivity. |
|
Song Library |
The Roland FP-30 has a song library comprising of 30 in-built songs for the users to play and practice. It helps them groom and polish their piano playing skills. |
|
Connectivity |
It is equipped with two headphones jacks, sustain pedal jack, and USB to Host and USB to Device connectivity. Since it doesn’t have Line-Out jack, you’ll have to use the headphone jack to connect external speakers or amplifiers. You can also connect your keyboard to your computer. You can also connect your keyboard to your tablet with the help of the Bluetooth! |
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 88 Progressive Hammer Action keys with escapement feature and Ivory Feel
- SuperNATURAL sound engine
- Power onboard speakers
- Bluetooth MIDI connectivity
- Headphone jack in the front
- In-built song library
Cons
- Quite heavy
- Little sound customization options
- No lesson function
- No line-out jack
The Bottom Line
The Roland FP-30 seems like a great option for beginner and intermediate-level keyboard players. The sound exceptional sound quality, the powerful onboard speakers, and the Bluetooth connectivity are some of the features that make this keyboard stand out.
Yamaha P125 vs Roland FP-30 Comparison
Conclusion
If you look at the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP-30 closely, you’ll see how different they are from each other. They’re both excellent with the performance and features. The Yamaha P125 seems like a better option to us. But at the end of the day, it is your choice alone to see which of the two models suits your needs best!
