Today, Digital Piano Review brings you the long-awaited review of the Yamaha DGX-640. It’s part of Yamaha’s “Portable Grand” line of digital pianos.
According to Yamaha, the “DGX-640 is Yamaha’s most piano-like Portable Grand ever, with weighted graded hammer actions, ultra-real feel and more. All the best sounds are available at the push of button and recording virtuoso performances is simple with built-in recorder. The Yamaha Education Suite and USB connectivity add functionality.”
Well? Is it as good as they make it sound?
Even though this is just the start of the review, we’re going to say ‘YES’, a big yes! Now that we’ve experienced it, it has become one of our favorites. Whether it’s the key action and the response, the sounds and feel of the instrument, or the technology and extra features, the DGX-640 is nearly perfect. This Yamaha instrument is beyond our expectations.
Before we go into the in-depth review, let’s take a look at some features:
- 88-key Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) weighted action keyboard
- 64 Polyphony Notes and 535 voices
- 24 Live!, Cool! and Sweet! Voices including 4 piano voices
- 35 Reverb types, 44 Chorus types, 237 DSP types
- 5 Preset Master EQ types, 26 harmony/echo types
- 165 Preset styles and 30 preset songs for playback
- Metronome; Dual & Split effects
- Easy Song Arranger (ie. To play a classic song in a tune of rock)
- Database with 300+ songs; also add your own external files
- Panel Sustain capability
- (Y.E.S) Yamaha Education Suite (advanced learning tools)
- Sustain Pedal; and Pitch Bend Wheel
- Performance assistant technology (PAT)
- Music notation display
- 98mm X 65mm backlit LCD display
- Headphones, DC IN, Pedal Unit, Footswitch outputs
- USB to-DEVICE and to-HOST
- Built-in amplifier speakers
Whew! That was quite a list and it’s not even complete. There are a bunch of other features.
Graded Hammer Standard:
Anyways, let’s get back to the review. The key response and action from the Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keys immediately impressed us. The sound that came out of the speakers was not only clear, but also powerful. The feel you get from playing the keys is like playing a grand piano. For example, the lower note keys have a heavier touch, while the higher note keys feel lighter. This GHS technology provides the authentic touch even in a portable instrument.
Sound Quality:
With a number of features you get, it can get quite overwhelming. Yet it was easy to set it up. And like the feel and touch quality, the sound quality is incredible. For even richer sound, it’s best to plug in headphones. Plus you won’t disturb others if you use headphones.
Preinstalled No of Voices:
To continue praising the sound quality, if you were blindfolded and played the DGX-640 without knowing it, you would probably mistake it for an acoustic piano. The selection of voices, especially the grand pianos voices add to the authenticity of the instrument. And it’s really easy to change between the 535 voices
Digital Signal Processor:
To further enhance the sound, the 237 types of DSP (Digital Signal Processor) effects can be used. And Yamaha’s own Live!, Cool! and Sweet! Voices deliver very lively and natural sounds. Another great thing about this Yamaha digital piano is that its features are extremely helpful for new learners. Some of these features include the Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.), the Music Notation Display, the Performance Assistant Technology (P.A.T.), and the Easy Song arranger. These features make the learning process so much easier. It being so user-friendly makes it so much better.
Available in two Colors:
For the price you pay, the DGX-640 has decent looks. While it’s not as attractive as a grand or an upright piano, the DGX-640 will fit in with your furniture. As it goes for the wooden parts of the instrument, you have option to get it in two colors: cherry or walnut. Additionally, the black keys have a matte finish. This gives the keyboard an expensive look.
USB for Data Transfer:
Additionally, the outputs such as the USB-to-device or host are very useful for composers. You can easily transfer music back and forth from the instrument and a computer. Whether you want to import music or record it and export it, it can all be done very easily.
Some concerns we have
We wish the output for headphones was located on the side or the front rather than on the back. This is not a major problem, but if your headphone’s cable has a small length, it may be a slight problem. Also, it was actually quite heavy. So moving around the instrument may require more than one person. Although it’s not very portable, the wooden stand makes it very sturdy. These are the only minor concerns we had. That’s why we previously mentioned that the Yamaha DGX-640 is ‘close to perfect’. But of course, nothing is perfect!
Yamaha DGX 640 or 650:
This is the most common question most of the buyers ask about the difference between DGX 640 and 650. Mainly you can consider the 650 as advance version of DGX 640, As there is improvement in the features like Polyphony in DGX 640 is 64 while in 650 is 128. Similarly in DGX 650 Preset songs are 100 while in DGX 640 it is 30.
| Features | Yamaha dgx 640 | Yamaha dgx 650 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Keys | 88 Keys | 88 Keys |
| Touch Response | Weighted Keys | Weighted Keys |
| Master Equilizer | Built in | - |
| Chorus | Built in | Built in |
| Reverb | Built in | Built in |
| Polyphony | 64 | 128 |
| No of Sounds | 535 | 147 |
| Preset Songs | 30 | 100 |
| No of Pedals | - | 3 |
| Aux In | - | Present |
| MiDI | Not Availble | Available |
| USB | Built in | Built in |
| Speakers | Built in | Built in |
| Price | Check out the Price | Check Out the Price |
Yamaha DGX 620 vs 640:
Yamaha DGX-640 vs 660
Yamaha DGX 630 vs 640:
Final Conclusion of Digital Piano Review
To conclude, we love the Yamaha DGX-640 and strongly recommend it. Whether it’s the sound quality, the feel and the touch and the looks, or the bunch of useful features, this instrument is worth every penny. For everything you get from this, the price is affordable. Yamaha has done a tremendous job! No wonder it’s so popular.