Piano Overview

Roland’s HP series has for many years been a key go-to for folks looking for a good quality home digital piano that looks like a real piano and incorporates cutting-edge technology, without breaking the bank.

The first HP models, the HP-300 and HP-400, were originally released all the way back in 1983 and were the very first digital piano to feature MIDI connectivity! These were also the first digital pianos to feature a two-piece cabinet design (main body resting on stand), a design style used to this day by every major digital piano manufacturer. Fast forward to 2019, Roland released the newest incarnation to this fabled line in the form of the HP700 series, consisting of the Roland HP702 and HP704.

While the HP702 serves as a true midpoint between Roland’s entry-level and high-end ranges, the HP704 operates as an entry point to, and full-fledged example of their high-end range. Outfitted with Roland’s SuperNATURAL sound engine with full modeling and limitless polyphony on the piano tones and the PHA-50 hybrid wood action widely regarded as one of the top actions currently on the market, the HP704 offers up a truly compelling musical experience.

At this point you may be thinking to yourself, “this looks an awful lot like the DP603, why pay an extra $500?” While you would be correct, the big difference with the HP704 digital piano is the upgraded speaker system (4 speakers as opposed to 2) and the elegant, realistic cabinet. While the DP603 features a compact, minimalist cabinet, the HP704 features a larger, more heavy-duty cabinet in the form of a traditional upright piano. For those looking for style and performance, look no further.

Action

The HP704 uses Roland’s PHA-50 action. This is an action that our Director of Sales, Stu Harrison, happens to be very familiar with as it’s featured in the RD-2000 stage piano – Stu’s personal gigging instrument. The PHA50 is a hybrid wood/plastic action that is generally regarded as one of the better actions available on the market.

Stu also raves about the durability of this action. His RD-2000 has received 100’s of hours of borderline abusive stage use and he hasn’t had a single issue to date with the action.

There’s a nice texture on both the white and black keys, and there’s also escapement and a triple sensor. If it’s been a while since you’ve played a digital piano, there’s a good chance you’ll be blown away by how good this action feels.

Sound Engine

The HP704 has 4 speaker cones that are being driven by a total of 60 watts of speaker power via 2 distinct amplifiers. While the power output is the same as the DP603, the extra 2 speakers do make a difference with added tonal clarity.

In terms of the tone engine itself, the HP704 is loaded up with Roland’s SuperNATURAL Modeling engine, with limitless polyphony on all of the piano tones. Sound modeling generates a piano tone in real-time as opposed to triggering a sample like sample-based sound engines do.

The factory default piano tone is highly detailed, with lots of upper harmonics. There’s also a tone of user control over various sound-related parameters through Roland’s Piano Designer, with the ability to customize variables like damper resonance, string resonance, lid height among many others. You can access this via the touch screen, or through the Piano Designer app on a smartphone or tablet.

There are 324 total onboard sounds here, including a variety of electric pianos and synths, with a whopping 384 notes of polyphony on all non-piano tones. The quality of the non-piano tones is definitely high enough for professional applications should you wish for your HP704 to double as a studio or production instrument. The HP704 also features the Headphones 3D Ambience technology, which enhances the experience when playing with headphones.

Connectivity

Roland covered all of the basics, plus a bit more when it comes to connectivity here. For starters, the HP704 has a DC in jack, stereo mini input jack, ¼” L/MONO, R output jacks. The output jack is particularly useful if you’re considering this instrument for a performance venue or place of worship.

There’s also USB A and B, and two headphone jacks, along with both Bluetooth MIDI and Bluetooth Audio. Bluetooth Audio is a super cool feature that effectively turns your instrument into a large Bluetooth speaker as you can stream music from your smartphone or tablet with ease.

Notable Features

Where the Roland HP704 digital piano really shines is in the combination of looks and musical experience it provides. We’ve already mentioned this above, but it’s worth highlighting here; from an aesthetic and performance capability standpoint in the price range, the HP704 can go toe to toe with anything else out on the market currently.

• Piano Sound: SuperNATURAL Piano Modeling
• PHA-50 Keyboard: Wood and Plastic Hybrid Structure, with Escapement and Ebony/Ivory Feel (88 keys)
• Hammer Response: 10 types
• Audio: Bluetooth Ver 3.0 (Supports SCMS-T content protection)
• MIDI: Bluetooth Ver 4.0
• Compatible Android / iOS Apps (Roland)
  • Piano Every Day
  • Piano Designer
• Convenient Functions
  • Metronome (adjustable Tempo/Beat/Down beat/Pattern/Volume/Tone)
• TwinPiano (with Individual Mode)
• Music rest: Tilt Adjustable (3 levels), with Music holders
• Graphic OLED 128 x 32 dots

Conclusions

The HP704 successfully continues the stellar, almost 40 year legacy of the HP series. Musically capable and super stylish, the HP704 is tough to beat for the price.

View more Roland Digital Pianos here.

Roland HP704 Owner’s Manual

• [English] HP704 Owner’s Manual

Roland HP704 Related Resources

• [VIDEO]Roland HP704 Digital Piano Review – PHA-50 Keyboard Action, 4 Speaker Audio System