Roland RD-300NX review
Roland made quite a stir in the digital piano industry when they introduced the RD-700 NX. The RD-700 NX was a stage piano created to excel on variety of levels, and it certainly delivered in many of those areas.
As a response to the success of the model, Roland decided to continue the series with a model focused on bringing much of the same quality and design to a lighter and more versatile package. This led to the new Roland RD-300 NX. This is a certified Roland 88 key digital piano that carries on the tradition of high-level pianos exemplified in many Roland models.
Piano Review Table
Below, check out how the affordable Roland RD-300NX stacks up against some of its peers on the market:
| Photo | Model | Features |
|---|---|---|
 | Roland RD-88 | PHA-4 Standard action, ZEN-Core sound engine |
 | Nord Stage 3 | OLED Display |
 | Casio PX5S | Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II Keyboard |
 | Nord Piano 5 | Polyphony: 120 Notes (piano section), 46 Notes (sample synth section) |
 | Yamaha YC88 | 128 Notes (AWM2/Organ), 128 Notes (FM) |
 | Nord Grand | Effects: Phaser, Flanger, Chorus, Vibe, Pan, Tremolo and more |
 | Casio PX-560 | 5.3” Color Display |
Roland RD 300NX: Wonderfully Designed
The Roland RD-300NX was specifically designed to carry all of the major benefits of the RD-700 NX, but at a lighter weight and more importantly, a more affordable price.
The piano weighs in at 38 pounds, much lighter than the RD-700 NX’s 55 pounds. The body of the piano comes in a beautiful metallic black finish, a traditional touch for a lot of stage pianos. There is a nice dots graphic LCD backlit display set in the middle of the machine along with an assortment of knobs, sliders and buttons for different functions such as the equalizer, layer level, voices, rhythms, and volume.
The RD-300NX comes with a number of different accessory options, including the Roland KS-G8 keyboard stand. This stand is designed specifically for the 300NX and other 88 key digital pianooptions from Roland.
There is also the amazing three pedal unit created by Roland named the RPU-3. This three pedal unit has the same configuration of a grand piano pedal unit with a soft, sostenuto and sustain pedal.
Below, please take a look at some of the best selling digital stage pianos online, and then see how well they compare to the Roland RD-300NX:
| BEST SELLERS |
|---|
| 1) Casio PX-560 |
| 2) Nord Piano 5 |
| 3) Roland RD-88 |
| 4) Korg D1 |
| 5) Roland RD-2000 |
Voices and Tones
The RD-300NX has a great selection of stage piano tones onboard, as well. There are a surprising number of 939 tones available, including GM2 tones and 23 rhythm kits. The piano is based around a strong grand piano sound, which is based off of Roland’s proprietary SuperNATURAL Piano Sound engine, along with the PCM Sound Generator.
The SuperNATURAL Piano sound engine is founded on three important areas: velocity response, note decay, and key range. The engineers at Roland worked hard to produce a sound rooted around these three elements, and the touch and tone of the sound certainly delivers. There is also an electric piano sound engine that produces just as great a sound.
Engineering and Touch
The engineering onboard the RD-300 NX rivals any of the technology onboard any of the cutting edge digital pianos on the market today. It starts with Roland’s Ivory Feel-G keyboard, which uses Roland’s advanced sensor technology and escapement technology.
The Ivory Feel-G keyboard has the look and feel of ivory, which makes for an incredible design, and also has a weighted and graded key action system comparable to graded hammer action systems in other brands such as Yamaha and Casio.
There are 128 notes of polyphony available on the machine, which when combined with layering, dual, split, pedal and other functions make for a click-free experience free of dropped notes.
Key Features
The Roland RD-300NX continues the tradition of One Touch Piano functions, too. As opposed to other digital piano options where voices, tones and rhythms must be selected through a number pad or a wheel function, the One Touch Piano gives a great advantage to stage piano performers who are looking to switch between tones such as the grand piano or electric piano with ease.
At the touch of one button, you’ll be able to switch between the Live Set functions, which include options such as a mallet, strings/pad, organ, guitar/bass, and choir tones. There is also an RD-NX Editor, which allows the user to switch between the best live setups for stage piano performances.
The RD-300 NX is also home to Roland’s Innovative Sound Focus feature, a beautiful audio technology enhancement that allows the machine to engineer a clear, detailed sound. This feature is based on Roland’s SuperNATURAL audio phase correction technology that ensures that the sound of the digital piano won’t be drowned out in concert with an array of other instruments.
This is a wonderful and welcome addition for anyone who’s ever played on stage before, as it can be a hassle trying to manage the sound and level of your instrument in the middle of a performance.
By Comparison
The best and easiest comparison to make with the RD-300NX is of course its predecessor, the RD-700 NX.
A lot of times with digital pianos, it is difficult to make the jump from one model in the series to the next because of a great difference in price or a lacking amount of real advancements to the series. In this case we have a relationship that is the other way around. Jumping from one model to the next won’t see a drop in quality, but rather a different shaped package and a lower cost.
It all depends on what the consumer is looking for.
In comparing the two Roland digital pianos, you quickly see many of the similarities, such as 128 notes of polyphony, Roland’s own SuperNATURAL Piano and Electric Piano Sound Engine, a PCM Sound Generator, and a full length 88 key piano.
However, with the Roland RD-700 NX, you will be privy to the much higher end graded hammer action board with Roland’s PHA Ivory Feel Keyboard. The RD-300NX’s Ivory Feel-G is definitely nothing to sneeze at, but it certainly isn’t as great as the PHA.
The RD 700 NX also has a greater selection of Live Set preset selections that the user can choose from to select and modify. However the RD-300 comes at an amazing deal, considering it has many of the same capabilities but at a lower price.
The RD-300 NX is listed retail for around $2,100, but you can easily find this model for about $1800 online.
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