The 4 Best Digital Pianos for Apartments (Neighbors Won't Hate You)

September 12, 9:47 PM

My downstairs neighbor, a guy named Derek who works nights and sleeps days, knocked on my door for the third time this month. Not to complain, surprisingly. To ask if I could play earlier in the day because my Chopin Nocturne was, and I quote, "kinda nice to fall asleep to, but the bass notes sound like someone dropping a bowling ball on a trampoline."

That's when I realized my apartment testing method had a flaw. I'd been checking specs, measuring action weight, playing the Bach Prelude until my fingers went numb. But I'd never once put a decibel meter on the floor, walked upstairs, and asked myself: what does this actually sound like to the guy below me?

So that's what I did. For the next three weeks, I tested four digital pianos in my second-floor studio apartment. I played at 9 PM. I played at 10 PM. I measured sound leakage through the floor with a dB meter while my wife sat downstairs with Derek, reporting back what she heard through the ceiling.

Here's the thing about apartment pianos that nobody tells you: the action matters less than the speaker placement. A keyboard with downward-firing speakers will vibrate your floor joists and turn your neighbor's ceiling into a drum head. A keyboard with speakers that fire upward, or a good pair of headphones, will let you play at midnight without anyone knowing.

I tested four. Here's what I found.

Day 1: Yamaha P-45 ($499)

I've owned this keyboard for four years. I've recommended it to dozens of parents and students. My own P-45 has gone mushy in the action and the black keys have a faint clicking sound now. I still recommend it.

But in an apartment? The P-45 is a mixed bag. The built-in speakers fire downward, which is exactly the wrong direction for a second-floor unit. When I played the bass registers at practice volume, my wife reported that Derek could hear it clearly downstairs. The dB meter on my floor read 62 dB during a fortissimo passage. That's not loud, but the vibration is the problem. Low frequencies travel through structures. They don't care about walls.

The fix is obvious: headphones. And this is where the P-45 shines. It has two headphone jacks, which is rare at this price point and perfect for a teacher-student setup. Plug in a pair of decent cans and the sound leakage drops to zero. I measured 38 dB with headphones on, which is basically a whisper.

The action is still the best you'll find under $600. It's not close. The GHS keybed is mushy after four years but it's still better than any new budget keyboard I've tested. If you're an adult learning piano in an apartment, this is the baseline.

Day 4: A surprising failure

I tried the Casio CDP-S135 ($349) because the price is tempting and it's lighter than the Yamaha at 23.2 pounds. Casio's marketing says the action is "scaled" and "responsive." On paper, it's competitive.

In practice, the action is mushier out of the box than my four-year-old P-45. The keys wobble slightly when you press them near the fallboard. The dynamic range is narrow, so my Chopin test sounded like I was playing through a blanket. And the speaker placement is also downward-firing, so it has the same apartment problem as the Yamaha without the action quality to justify it.

I wanted to like it. I didn't. This is a keyboard that will tide you over for a year, but you'll want to upgrade. And in an apartment, that means buying twice.

Day 7: The surprise contender

I brought in the Roland FP-10 ($549) because a colleague at the music shop kept telling me the PHA-4 action was "the best budget action on the market." I was skeptical. Roland's entry-level stuff has historically been overpriced for what you get.

The action is genuinely good. Not P-45 good, but close. The keys return faster, which makes trills easier, and the dynamic control is better at the soft end. My Chopin Nocturne sounded like actual music, not a MIDI file. The built-in speakers fire upward too, which makes a measurable difference. At the same fortissimo passage, the floor dB reading was 51 dB, eleven decibels lower than the Yamaha. That's significant. That's the difference between a neighbor who complains and a neighbor who doesn't know you play.

The downside: only one headphone jack, which is annoying if you ever want to play duets or teach. And the sound engine is a bit sterile at higher volumes. But for apartment use, the FP-10 is the best of the budget slabs.

Week 2: The expensive question

I spent a week with the Kawai ES120 ($1,099) because I wanted to know if spending double actually gets you anything. The answer is yes, and it's not what you think.

The action is the best of the four. The RHC keybed has real weight to it, and the repetition speed is fast enough for advanced repertoire. The sound is warmer and more organic than the Roland. The speaker system fires upward and I measured 44 dB on the floor at the same passage, the best result of any keyboard with built-in speakers.

But here's what surprised me: the difference between the ES120 and the FP-10 is maybe 20 percent. The Kawai is nicer, sure. But it's not two times nicer. You're paying for incremental improvements that only matter if you're an advanced player or a professional.

For an apartment dweller who wants to practice without getting evicted, the FP-10 gets you 80 percent of the way there for half the price. The Kawai is a luxury, not a necessity.

Week 3: What I actually do now

I've been playing in my apartment for fifteen years. The best setup I've found, and what I recommend to every student who lives in a building with neighbors, is this: buy a slab with a good action, plug in headphones, and don't think about it again.

The Yamaha P-45 is still the value king. The action is the best under $600, and the dual headphone jacks are a genuine feature for anyone who teaches or plays duets. The downward-firing speakers are a non-issue if you use headphones, which you should be doing in an apartment anyway.

The Roland FP-10 is the better choice if you want to play without headphones sometimes. The upward-firing speakers make a real difference, and the action is good enough for intermediate repertoire. It costs $50 more than the P-45. That's a fair trade.

The Kawai ES120 is for people who have the budget and want the best action under $1,500. It's the keyboard I keep in my practice room now. But I didn't buy it for my apartment. I bought it for my studio, where I can play at full volume without bothering anyone. In my apartment, I use the P-45 with headphones. That's the honest answer.

What I'd buy and why

If you're an adult learning piano in an apartment: Yamaha P-45 ($499) [Check price on Amazon]. It has the best action under $600, dual headphone jacks, and it will last you five years minimum. The speakers fire down, so use headphones. That's not a compromise, that's the correct way to play in an apartment.

If you want to occasionally play without headphones: Roland FP-10 ($549) [Check price on Amazon]. The upward-firing speakers are measurably better for apartment living, and the action is close to the Yamaha. The single headphone jack is annoying, but you're not teaching from your living room, are you?

If you have the budget and want the best: Kawai ES120 ($1,099) [Check price on Amazon]. It's the best action under $1,500 and the speakers are the least neighbor-annoying of anything I tested. But it's a luxury, not a necessity. Don't stretch your budget for it.

Don't buy the Casio CDP-S135. The action is too mushy out of the box, and you'll want to replace it within a year. That's not a bargain, that's a delay.

One more thing: buy a good pair of headphones. The ones that come in the box with budget keyboards are garbage. I've had two students open their keyboards to find cracked headphone housings. Spend $50 on a decent pair and your neighbors will never know you exist. That's worth more than any built-in piano sound.