My wife began taking lessons about a year ago. Unfortunately her lessons are taught by a co-worker at her place of business, so a portable piano was necessary. The tiny Casio keyboard just wasn't cutting it. Her teacher has a Roland EP70, which was what we decided to buy before doing any research. Then we decided to opt for 88 versus 76 keys, which meant the EP90. We went to Sam Ash Music in New Haven, CT where they had a wide selection (but very poor help) and we tried EVERYTHING! When it came down to it, the SP88 definately sounded better than the EP90 and we preferred the key action of the SP88 as well. The only downside is that the SP88 requires a separate amplifier as it does NOT have built-in speakers like the Roland EP-series does. The SP is also made entirely of METAL where the Roland has alot of plastic and it's an interesting purplish/cobalt blue color. The Roland had a couple of unique instruments that we would've liked in the Kurzweil, but its primary function was that of best emulating a REAL PIANO! This is where the Kurzweil shines brilliantly. While it has 32 "different" instrument selections, you'll almost never take it off of the piano that you most prefer, it's that good. We also looked at the Korg 100. We preferred the Korg's key feel, but not the sound. The Korg is also a little more compact, front to back. It was really a toss-up because of debating between sound vs. feel, but in the end we decided on the better-sounding SP88 because of our plans to record some original soundtracks from the SP for some video projects we're doing. So basically if feel is more important, you can't beat the Korg 100 in the $1000 price range. But if it's all about the sound, then the SP is the only way to go.

The bottom line is, if you're looking for a digital PIANO, and NOT a "keyboard," at a reasonable price, then the Kurzweil is for you.

Recommended: Yes