This is our comparison of the Casio Privia PX-S3000 Vs. Roland FP-30, two of the most amazing pianos available in the market.
I have years of experience with pianos and have thoroughly researched both of these models to assist you in choosing one.
There are roughly the same number of keys on both of these pianos. Also, although their width is nearly the same, their weight varies.
I have used both as a pianist and found them excellent in performance, appearance, and features.
Whereas Roland FP-30 gives 128 notes of polyphony, Casio Privia PX-S3000 delivers 192 notes. Although both pianos’ performance, service, and sound quality are excellent, a few subtle variances set them apart.
Ultimately, the choice depends on the user’s needs. So, to help you select the best, I have reviewed both here.
So, let’s start with the review of the Casio Privia PX-S3000 and Roland FP-30 piano here.
Contents
Casio Privia PX-S3000 Vs. Roland FP-30: At A Glance
Before sharing details of both pianos, let us explore some basic similarities. Both pianos are digital and well-known for their portability and high quality. Designed with a similar number of keys, both offer amazing weighted key action and a variety of instrument voices to choose from.
Casio Privia PX-S3000 has been manufactured by a well-known Japanese company designing electronic instruments since the 1980s. Privia is their prime line of digital pianos that have been in the market for decades.
On the other hand, Roland has been in the market since the 1970s and is well-known for its high-quality electronic keyboards and synthesizers. Most of the pianos they manufacture are used by both beginners and professionals.
The Casio Privia PX-S3000 and Roland FP-30 are praised for having a realistic sound and feel. Both are renowned for genuine piano sound, simulating playing an acoustic piano. The FP-30 is still regarded as having good sound quality, but the PX-S3000 stands out because of its superiors sound aspects.
While the FP-30 is still portable and has a more robust sound, the PX-S3000 is a little lighter and might be simpler to transport. Anybody looking for a high-quality digital piano has two excellent options.
But which of these two is the clear winner? Keep reading to learn about the main comparison points and aspects you should consider while buying a piano.
Casio Privia PX-S3000 Vs Roland FP-30: Comparison
The Roland FP-30 and the Casio Privia PX-S3000 are better pianos than most on the market. They have everything function needed to enhance your piano-playing experience. Let’s compare these on several feature points to see who comes out on top to grasp this better.
So, let’s get started.
Size And Weight
The FP-30 is a lightweight digital piano that measures 51.2″ x 11.2″ x 5.9″ and weighs 31 lbs. Its straightforward and practical design makes it easy to move and set up. The piano has a simple appearance, a matte black finish, and a detailed control panel.
With measurements of 52″ x 9.1″ x 4″ and a weight of 25.1 lbs, the PX-S3000 has a more distinctive and unique style. The piano features a sleek, contemporary appearance, glossy finish, and touch-screen control panel.
Because of its size, PX-S3000 is also suited for home and personal use. On the other hand, FP-30 is considered to be a stage piano.
While both pianos are great, selecting one based on portability and dimensions is equally important. Where both are nearly similar in size, PX-S3000 is way lighter than FP-30. Though FP-30 is not much bulky, it is overall heavier than the PX-S3000.
Winner: Casio Privia PX-S3000
Keyboard
Both Casio Privia PX-S3000 and Roland FP-30 are 88-key pianos. But various things make these keyboards stand apart.
The FP-30 digital piano by Roland comes with 88 progressive hammer action keys, Ivory Feel, and escapement features. The keys are heavier in the low and lighter in the high end, just like on an acoustic piano.
The PHA-4 Standard action is Roland’s newly developed action of the 4th generation, producing less noise and an improved mechanism. The keys are touch-sensitive, allowing you to adjust the level of sensitivity to your playing preferences.
Unlike most digital pianos that offer 3 preset sensitivity settings, the FP-30 has 5, including Super Heavy, Heavy, Medium, Light, Super Light, or Fixed touch sensitivity settings, giving you more precise control.
The PX-S3000 has a new Smart Scaled Hammer Action with 2 sensors designed for the compact size of the new PX-S series. The keys are responsive and allow for quick note repetitions.
However, the action had to be shortened due to the reduced size of the chassis, which makes it harder to play keys further up the fallboard, particularly the white keys between black ones.
The keys have a plastic build with simulated ebony and ivory surfaces that prevent slippage. They also have five different touch sensitivity levels, from light to heavy.
The FP-30 is perfect for classical and conventional piano playing since it includes progressive hammer action keys and five fine-tuned touch sensitivity settings, which give it a more traditional piano-like feel.
The PX-S3000, on the other hand, is the best option for players searching for a light, portable piano with a contemporary feel because of its small form, innovative Smart Scaled Hammer Action, and replicated ebony and ivory surfaces.
Winner: Roland FP-30
Visual Style
The Casio Privia PX-S3000 and the Roland FP-30 have different visual philosophies.
The PX-S3000 boasts a sleek, modern design with a matte black finish. It has a futuristic control panel with a touch sensor and an LED backlight.
The FP-30, on the other hand, features a black satin finish with a traditional and elegant design. It is straightforward to use, even for beginners, because of its user-friendly control panel and clearly labeled controls.
Light-up keys are an option for both pianos. The PX-S3000, on the other hand, features a more sophisticated light-up feature that can display the exact notes to play for various tunes, making it a fantastic tool for beginning and intermediate musicians.
The FP-30 has a more conventional appearance than the PX-S3000, with more sophisticated capabilities, including touch-sensor controls and fancy light-up keys.
Winner: Casio Privia PX-S3000
Sound
Casio’s PX-S series is promoted as an entirely new line of digital pianos using an improved version of their renowned AiR sound engine, AiR 2. The PX-S3000 includes new sample sets and enhanced reverb, space, and resonance simulation algorithms to bring the sounds to life in a simulated setting.
Integrating the acoustic modeling found in the Celviano series enables the alteration of several parameters for each piano sound, including the String Resonance, Damper Resonance, Damper Noise, and Key On/Off Action Noise, with four levels of intensity and the choice to disable them.
Hall Simulator, Reverb, and simulated Surround Sound modeling are some sound effects in the Casio PX-sound S3000’s modes. With speaker outputs emanating from several directions, the Surround Sound mode offers a slightly wider sound.
Deep editing of digital sound processing (DSP) chains is also available with the PX-S3000, ranging from simple chorus or equalizer chains to intricate amplifier chains containing compressors, amps, and cabinet simulations. Up to 4 modules can be adjusted by users using programmable settings, such as dry/wet controls, controls for particular effects, and more.
As an alternative to employing an equalizer as a DSP effect, Chorus can be activated separately in 12 various intensities. Brilliance lets users adjust the brightness or mellowness of sound within a range of -3 to +3.
The SuperNATURAL modeling engine found in Roland’s FP-30 digital piano seamlessly switches between samples, notes, and velocities to mimic the subtleties of an acoustic piano. It accurately reproduces the many nuances of a piano sound, such as resonance from the strings, dampers, and keys.
The FP-30 offers a limited number of sound customization possibilities despite having a variety of instrument sounds. The five adjustable settings resemble playing in a concert hall while allowing you to change the brightness of the music and the atmosphere.
The Roland FP-30 digital piano comes with 35 built-in instrument sounds, including three grand pianos, a ragtime piano, three electric pianos, four organs (jazz and church), three strings, two harpsichords, a vibraphone, and additional options such as an accordion, harp, choirs, bass, and more.
With this variety of sounds, players can access a wide range of musical styles and unleash their creativity to explore different genres and styles.
Though both are great, Casio Privia PX-S3000 surely has the upper hand in range.
Winner: Casio Privia PX-S3000
Polyphony
The Rolando FP-30 has 128-note polyphony, while Casio Privia PX-S3000 has 192-note polyphony. The most notes or voices that a digital piano can produce at once are referred to as polyphony.
The Roland FP-30 has a polyphony of 128, which means it can produce up to 128 notes or voices concurrently. This is usually adequate for most playing scenarios, including performing challenging classical works or layering several sounds.
The Casio Privia PX-S3000, on the other hand, offers a higher polyphony of 192, enabling even more intricate and layered playing. This can be quite useful for highly experienced players or those who want to construct complicated arrangements employing a variety of sounds.
Winner: Casio Privia PX-S3000
Speakers
The Roland FP-30 has two built-in 12cm speakers and two 11W amplifiers, which produce rich, natural sound with great bass response. The FP-30’s dynamic range is outstanding, enabling more expressive playing from fortissimo to pianissimo.
These speakers are a fantastic solution for individuals who prefer to play without additional external speakers because they are powerful enough for casual home playing and even modest concerts.
On the other hand, the Casio Privia PX-S3000 also includes speakers, which is remarkable given its small size. Even without the simulated Surround Sound, the PX-S3000 speakers are powered by two 8W amplifiers and provide a broad stereo field.
The PX-S3000 works best when placed against a wall because the speakers are backward, which maximizes sound reflection.
Overall, the built-in speakers on both digital pianos are remarkable and loud enough for casual home playing and modest performances. The PX-S3000 is notable for its small size and wide stereo field, although the FP-30 boasts slightly more potent speakers.
Winner: Roland FP-30
Recording And playback
The FP-30 piano can record your performance and save it to its internal memory or a USB flash drive for playback later. You can play back your recordings, 30 built-in songs, and MIDI and WAV files from a flash drive.
However, the FP-30 can only record one track simultaneously, so you can’t record each hand or instrument part separately. But you can use music-making apps on your computer or tablet to create multi-track recordings with more control and advanced editing features. Despite its limitations, you can still achieve high-quality recordings by using external software.
The PX-S3000 has fewer demo songs—only 6—for practicing. Yet, it makes up for it with a sophisticated MIDI recorder that lets you capture your performance while maintaining the flexibility to alter voices and settings later.
Up to five songs can be saved in internal memory, and you can record up to three tracks per song. You may choose which track to record; the MIDI recorder also enables overdubbing.
An audio recorder is another function of the PX-S3000 that enables you to capture the instrument’s genuine sound. Even though you won’t be able to change the tone, tempo, or rhythm after recording, audio recordings can be readily played back on computers and mobile devices without additional software.
Winner: Casio Privia PX-S3000
Connectivity
The Roland FP-30 digital piano has two headphone jacks conveniently located on the front panel, allowing for easy headphones connection without needing adapters, regardless of plug size.
While there is no dedicated Line Out jacks, external speakers or amplifiers can be connected to the headphone jacks, which is made possible by using an A to B USB cable. The piano also has Bluetooth MIDI connectivity for wireless connection to a computer or tablet that supports Bluetooth.
The USB to Device port connects a flash drive, while the sustain pedal jack accepts pedals with a 1/4″ plug. The FP-30 can be used with various music apps for recording, editing, and notation creation, making it a versatile instrument for professional and hobbyist musicians.
Two headphone connections are at the front of the Casio PX-S3000 for late-night practice sessions. Line Out connectors also connect to PA systems or studio interfaces.
Also, it has Bluetooth audio for wireless connectivity, an Audio In small connector for connecting your music player, and a USB port for attaching compatible hardware and software.
Moreover, there are three pedal jacks for damper, expression, custom pedals, and a USB flash drive port for audio file storage. Both Type 1 and Type 2 expression pedals are compatible with the PX-S3000, and you may adjust the settings from the menus.
Winner: Casio Privia PX-S3000
Accessories
When it comes to accessories, both the Casio Privia PX-S3000 and Roland FP-30 have the same accessories available to them. Both come with a manual, music rest, and AC power adapter. The only change is in the pedal.
Rolan FP-30 offers DP-2 Sustain Pedal, while Casio Privia PX-S3000 comes with SP-3 Damper Pedal. SP-3 is considered less ideal due to its shape, but the DP-2 seems like a half-pedal.
Winner: Casio Privia PX-S3000
Casio Privia PX-S3000 Vs Roland FP-30: The Winner
Comparing all the features and aspects, the overall winner is Casio Privia PX-S3000. Both keyboards have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice ultimately depends on the individual’s preferences and needs. However, I believe the Casio Privia PX-S3000 is better due to its superior sound quality, more extensive range of features, and more portable design.
The Casio Privia PX-S3000 is a versatile digital piano that beginners can enjoy, advanced players alike, music educators, composers, and anyone needing a high-quality, portable instrument.
Roland FP-30 is a great choice for students, teachers, gigging musicians, or anyone needing a high-quality, portable digital piano. Its authentic piano feel, rich sound quality, and convenient features make it a versatile and affordable instrument that musicians of all levels can enjoy.
So, pick your piano from Casio Privia PX-S3000 and Roland FP-30 and prepare for your musical journey.