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As we approach the fourth quarter of the year, keyboard manufacturers are jostling for position as we head towards the all-important holiday season, when parents of would-be players – and adult newbies, due to that matter – start to ask themselves what the best digital pianos for beginners are at the moment.

In 2024, Casio hopes to be part of the conversation with two new Celviano models – the AP-300 and AP-S200 – both of which are described as ‘entry-level’.

Despite their lower price tags, both are designed to deliver the ‘immersive grand piano experience’ of the more expensive models in the Celviano range – though not to quite the same extent, obviously. So that means high-quality sounds, decent speaker systems and playable keyboards.

The AP-300 is the pricier of the two, and is said to adhere to “the same core principles” as Casio’s high-end Grandphonic Sound System example, as used in the recent AP-750. So, the sound is designed to disperse from the speakers and reflect off the materials within the cabinet. The AP-S200 is based on a similar concept but has an open design and slimmer profile.

The grand piano tones themselves are generated by the Multi-Dimensional Morphing AiR Sound Source, and are said to change according to your playing style and as notes sustain.

Similarly, the Smart Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard adapts its touch sensitivity depending on how strongly the keys are played.

The AP-300 (£1,249) and AP-S200 (£999) are available now in black, brown and white color options, and both come with the WU-BT10 Bluetooth adapter for wireless MIDI and audio streaming. Find out more on the Casio website.

Roland’s new premium digital pianos look like uprights, but are designed to sound and play like acoustic grands. The LX-9, LX-6 and LX-5 use a range of technologies to make them feel mighty real.

They look like uprights, but Roland says that its new LX-9, LX-6 and LX-5 digital pianos give you the “sound and playability” of a grand, which could be the ideal combination if space is at a premium but you don’t want to compromise on tone or touch.

These are the latest additions to the long-running LX series and feature the Piano Reality Modelling tech that was debuted in the GP digital grand piano range. This is designed to emulate every part of the acoustic piano tone generation process, the hope being that the end result is as close to the real thing as possible.

The same could be said of the new LX pianos’ 88-note keyboards, which have a hammer action with escapement and a hybrid wood/molded key construction. The LX-9 and LX-6 have the extended key length that you’d get on an acoustic grand, and in the case of the LX-9, you also get haptic feedback that promises to emulate the subtle vibrations that occur when playing said instrument.

In the case of each piano, the keyboard is designed to work with the three-pedal setup that supports all traditional pedalling techniques, while the multi-channel sound systems promise to emulate the sound characteristics of an acoustic piano (string/cabinet resonance, hammer noise and more). You can also choose from a variety of virtual environments, so you can feel like you’re playing in everything from a concert hall to a cosy studio space.

Other handy features include Bluetooth MIDI and audio, a twin mode for teaching and same-range duets, a built-in recorder and a metronome.

Each piano is available in multiple finishes, and if you want to see what it would look like in your room, you can get a ‘virtual installation’ from Roland’s Piano AR tool. Prices range from $3,800 to $7,200, and you can find out more on the Roland website.

“A truly authentic playing experience” – Casio brings an immersive spatial sound system to its new Celviano digital piano range, and an automatic recorder means you’ll never lose your best performance.

2024 NAMM Show: If you want to buy a digital piano that looks like it belongs as much in your living room as it does your studio, one of Casio’s new Celviano models might well fit the bill. These three ‘furniture pianos’ – the AP-750, AP-550 and AP-S450 – prioritise both style and sound, and come with redesigned speaker systems and a visual information bar that promises to aid your learning.

The sonic highlight here could be the new Hamburg Piano Tone, which Casio has created to “faithfully capture the natural bloom of one of the world’s most coveted and majestic pianos”. This has been matched to the new Celviano speaker system, which is designed to emulate the sound of a grand piano by creating a 3D effect that feels like it’s coming from both above and below the soundboard.

Both the AP-750 and AP-550 have a top lid that can be physically opened in order to project sound forward.

The new Visual Information Bar, can either display a pulsing metronome that will help to keep you in time, or provide feedback on your playing strength and pedal depth, giving teachers additional insight into students’ finger and pedal technique.

The Instant RePlayer feature also sounds handy – use it to return in time to a recent performance or a moment of inspiration that you might otherwise have lost. This might also help you to avoid the stress that comes with pressing the red button and knowing that you’re recording, which can hinder performance.

The AP-750 is the flagship model here, offering a Grandphonic 8 spatial sound system and 39 built-in tones. Nine of these are grand pianos; as well as the Hamburg tone, you also get a Berlin Grand that was developed in collaboration with Bechstein, and the Vienna Grand, another tone that’s based on “one of the world’s finest pianos”.

In the middle of the range, the AP-550 has a 2-channel/4-speaker system and 26 tones, six of which are grand pianos. Here, the Hamburg tone is joined by the New York Grand.

The AP-S450 is similar but more compact, and like the AP-550 is available in black, white and brown colour options. You can have the AP-750 in any colour as long as it’s black.

All three models include the Celviano edition of Casio’s Smart Hybrid Hammer Action Keyboard, a refinement of the action found in the most recent Privia models, and come with the WU-BT10 Bluetooth adapter, which supports wireless MIDI and audio. One of the many apps you can connect to is Casio’s own Music Space; available for iOS and Android, this enables you to adjust the piano’s settings, view and annotate sheet music, engage with interactive game-like lessons, work with audio files and more.

The AP-750, AP-550 and AP-S450 priced at $3,399.99/£1,999, $2,999.99/£1,749 and $1,999.99/£1,549 respectively. Find out more on the Casio website.