The entry point into Roland’s 88-key digital home piano line for the last few years has been the RP102 – an affordable model that while light on features none the less boasted a great combination of tone and touch, making it a very popular option in the marketplace, and virtually impossible to find in stock anywhere during the piano boom of 2020 and 2021.
While still arguably a relevant instrument despite its multi-year production run, Roland has nonetheless released an upgrade to the RP102 in the form of the new Roland RP107 digital piano.
With an improved sound engine, beefed-up speaker system expanded Bluetooth functionality and more, the RP107 looks poised to potentially deliver an even better value than the RP102 did.
Let’s have a closer look.
Roland RP107 – Background
The space that the RP107 is fighting for in the marketplace is a very crowded one, arguably even more crowded than it was when the RP102 first hit the market several years ago.
There are several seriously good, affordable home console options available for under $1,500 USD including the Kawai KDP-75 and KDP-120, Yamaha Arius YDP145, Casio PX770 and PX870, and Korg LP-380.
Expand this list to include slab units that offer designer stands and triple pedal systems as optional add-on accessories and the list gets even bigger.
Given Roland’s sterling reputation as a brand, they could probably even put out a mediocre product in this category and it would still perform decent in terms of sales volume. Fortunately, Roland is never one to rest on their laurels, and for the price, we think that the RP107 is going to make a compelling case for being one of the best value digital pianos in this extremely crowded class. We’ll start with a look at everything sound related.
Piano Sound
SuperNATURAL Piano Technology
On paper, the RP107 appears to be using the same sound engine as the RP102 as we see the sample-based version of the SuperNATURAL piano engine on the specs sheet. But don’t be fooled – while this is technically the same engine, it may as well be a new one thanks to the presence of the upgraded BMC sound chip.
The BMC chip is substantially more powerful than what the 102 was using and has greatly improved the fidelity of the sample. The musical experience of the piano tone is similar to what you can get out of the Roland FP 30X or even the brand-new Roland GP3 digital grand piano.
Musical Observations
One of the defining characteristics of the piano tone is a very fat attack right across the range anytime you’re playing at a forte volume or above.
This works incredibly well for a lot of contemporary styles, as well as for jazz playing, though it can feel a little bit overwhelming for certain styles of classical music. Of course, this point will be more relevant for experienced players seeking a practice instrument, whereas subtleties like this aren’t really going to be a concern for a beginner.
We also quite like this strong attack in the treble section since the treble in general is an area that can sometimes sound too simple on digital pianos, whereas the tone is undoubtedly complex and shimmering here.
The tone is also much more dynamic and colorful than what the 102 was capable of.
Polyphony
Thanks to the BMC chip, the polyphony has been improved by 100% on the RP107 from the RP102, from a respectable 128 notes to a robust 256.
From a practical standpoint, this probably won’t actually manifest as a particularly noticeable upgrade, but it does speak to the sheer power of the BMC chip.
Other Sounds
Like the RP102 before it, the RP107 is quite light in terms of the sheer number of sounds, coming in at 15. This is one of the areas that keep the price down on the 107.
That said, the quality improvement we’re hearing courtesy of the BMC chip is not confined to the acoustic piano sounds, and in fact can be heard across all of the 107’s 15 sounds including the electric pianos, organ and synthesizers.
Now, of course, if you are looking for a wider selection of sounds and this is really important for you, you’ll probably want to look at the Roland F701, or Roland RP 701 if you’d like to stay with the traditional upright cabinet.
Speaker System
Roland beefs up the speakers from 12 watts of power output on the 102, to 16 watts of power on the 107. A 4-watt bump may not sound like much, but this is a 33% increase from 12-watts so it is fairly significant.
16-watts may still not sound like much, but the way Roland has designed the speaker boxes in conjunction with the key cover allows for quite a bit of tone to come out from the front which adds quite a bit of detail in the treble register.
Some of the other speaker configurations in the price range are more powerful but exclusively use downward-facing speakers with no tone porting out the front. So, the trade-off is a little bit less low warmth than what some other instruments in the class are capable of, but better treble color and clarity here.
Piano Action
A digital piano’s key action is a really important specification, especially for people who are just starting out with the piano. There are certainly going to be people checking out this review who fall into that boat.
Whether you fall into this category or not, finding an action you enjoy playing is going to play a huge part in how connected you feel with your piano as a whole. Having a good key touch also directly leads to good development of technique and muscle strength which is important if the goal is ultimately to transition to an acoustic piano at some point in time.
In this important regard, the RP107 holds its own and arguably even leads the class. Let’s explore why,
PHA4 Standard Keyboard Action
Like the RP102 before it, the RP107 is once again equipped with Roland’s PHA4 Standard Keyboard action. This is a professional-grade action with excellent playability, and it can also be found on a number of other Roland models, even the new GP3 digital baby grand.
The big thing about this action is that it has triple sensor key detection, whereas a number of other actions in the class are still using a dual sensor. A triple offers a greater degree of sensitivity, and better accuracy in terms of dynamic output.
It also has escapement or let off as it’s otherwise known, and this essentially recreates the physical sensation of playing a grand piano action, and with that, better control in lower dynamic ranges,
The key tops also have an ivory feel which creates a nice feeling of glide to the keys. The weighting is on the heavier side, and this is actually a good thing for beginners as it will help them build technique and strength in the long run for carryover onto acoustic pianos.
Features/Connectivity/Accessories
Functions
The RP107 is pretty light as far as features are concerned, but all of the standard basics are covered. For example, the 107 has a metronome, bare-bones recorder with playback option, Twin Piano, Transpose and a nice selection of 377 internal songs.
Connectivity
When it comes to the connectors, the RP107 has dual headphone jacks (with a Headphones 3D Ambience effect). There are no discrete line outputs, so you can use the headphone port if need to be if you want to connect to an amp or PA system.
There’s also USB Type A and Type B. From there, the 107 also offers both Bluetooth MIDI and Bluetooth Audio, which is a nice new addition here.
Bluetooth allows you to wirelessly connect to mobile devices to access apps such as the new Roland Piano App for iOS and Android.
Accessories
The RP107 ships with an integrated stand, triple pedal system (damper, soft, sostenuto), music rest for your sheet music, bench and power supply all included.
Closing Thoughts
The big thing the Roland RP107 has going for it is its combination of tone and touch. The tone is based on a sample of a NY Steinway D concert grand which many people tend to gravitate towards, and the action is just great – very capable of providing a ton of mileage to fledgling piano players.
It also offers a nicely upgraded speaker system and modern technology like Bluetooth connectivity.
So, is the RP107 worth moving to the top of your wishlist? There’s a decent chance that the answer is yes.