M-Audio PROKEYS 88SX 88-Key Lightweight Stage Piano with Semi-Weighted Action

I'm using this piano for two purposes -- regular old playing and also as a midi controller for use with Propellerhead Reason 4.0.

As a piano, it's a good full-sized keyboard for the price. It's a light unit (17 lbs) which is good for convenience sake, but sometimes it's nice to have something a little more substantial. The action on the keys is fine -- it's not like a real piano but for 300 something dollars, it's not bad. The action on this piano is lighter (keys push down more easily) than on some of the other M-audio keyboards I've tried, btw.

As some reviewers have noted, in order to hear the piano, you'll need to buy either a pair of headphones with a 1/4" jack or external speakers.

I'm using this keyboard as a midi controller with Reason, and it's worked perfectly well. The software and drivers are easy to install, and it's really just plug & play. Very simple.

One last thing, this unit comes with a sustain pedal, so don't make the mistake I did and order a sustain pedal, b/c you'll just end up returning it. You should, however, probably buy a keyboard stand (I bought the World Tour Single X Keyboard Stand which is working great) and music stand.

I researched and was impressed with the great reviews of this piano. Reviewers noted that it didn't come with speakers and that you'd have to get those. I didn't think it would be an issue as I have a few sets of speakers we use with laptops, etc. The problem is that the piano input jack for speakers is 1/4" and most of the remote electronic speakers use a smaller jack. I wound up giving my 7-year old a piano she couldn't hear for her birthday (NOT a good Dad move). I wound up going to a local music store and buying a keyboard amplifier for about $150. With that, everything is fantastic. My daughter is taking lessons and the teacher has commented on how nice the keyboard is. It has the important features like full keyboard and weighted keys. I recommend the keyboard, but know what you're getting into with the need for speakers!

I bought this thing for two reasons: to teach myself to play piano (despite 20 years grounding in music theory and various instruments, I've never sat down and learned the instrument), and to help with my computer compositions using things like Garritan Personal Orchestra. As a piano for a beginner, it seems great. I have it hooked up to a computer speaker since I'm not terribly worried about stage quality sound while I'm plinking away at Canon in D, but even so the samples all sound great to me. As far as its functions as a MIDI controller, I can't speak to the advanced functions yet since I haven't learned how to use them. The basic function--that of inputting notes into Finale or whatever program you use--works great, and will greatly speed up your note entry. The included pedal is a nice touch, although put something hard underneath it (like a book) if you're using it on carpet.
The only thing that irked me was the 1/4" jacks for audio, necessitating a trip to Radio Shack to purchase a suitable connector.
All in all, well worth the price. I'd buy it again any day.

I've had this product for about 8 months. I started out knowing very little about the piano and was hestitant to get this keyboard due to some reviews stating it's hard to play quickly with this. I've found that I have no problem with speed on this keyboard. I may not be playing many songs with 16th notes, but for any person with under 2-3 years experience, this keyboard will suit you well.

The only drawback I've found is that the keys are just slightly harder to press than your more expensive keyboards and the pedal is almost completely useless. I've placed a board underneath the keyboard to set the pedal on, and it works to some satisfaction, in the future I will buy a better pedal though.

There are two headphone jacks, one can be used for speakers and one for headphones. This is great for not having to switch them out and get cords tangled. Haven't had any problems with the keyboard at all, sounds great after almost a year of heavy use.

I purchased the 88SX model based on the description on the site. However, portions of the description are for M-Audio's model ProKeys 88, the more expensive model. The 88SX has 7 great voices, is lightweight, easy to use and well worth the price. However, it does not have keyboard splitting functionality, 14 voices, sound layering capabilities or some of the other features mentioned in the description on line. I suspect that someone combined the descriptions of the two differnet models. I phoned Amazon and asked that they make a correction.

Bottom line - for a basic keyboard, the 88SX is wonderful. It fills my needs perfectly. I am a gigging musician who doesn't want to lug a weighted 88-key piano around. The 88SX has good voices, simple operation and is very easy to pack around.