Digital Piano Dilema - Please Help!

[pianopop9]

Hi guys,
I'm a professional pianist about to head out on the road for tour and need to find the best portable digital piano I can find. When I say portable, I don't mean TOO compact, but rather...not quite a baby grand. I currently own the Yamaha P80 and the Yamaha P200. I want something a little meatier in appearance than the P80 and the P200 which sounds great through my built-in speakers, sounds like crap through any kind of sound system. It appears that my outputs my need work. I love the sound of Yamaha products, but I've had MAJOR problems with keys breaking on me. I can repair them myself but they are not very durable by any means. I've recently been told good things about the Kawai MP9500. I've also been looking at some of the new GranTouch Yamaha's that are out. Can anyone make any suggestions or shed some light on the problems I've described above? Thanks so much for your time!

Brian

[ilewis33]

I own the MP9500, and while I'm not a professional pianist, I've been quite satisfied with it.  It seems that the better the equipment you provide for sound output, the better it sounds.  And it's obviously designed for pro use, with 1/4" output jacks and XLR outputs too.  It's been durable for me - 1-2 hrs of practice a day for a few months now.  (course, it never goes anywhere, and it is HEAVY - 70 pounds or so).

If you get one, make sure you buy the one you try.  Because the keys are wood, just like a real piano, there's variability in feel from sample to sample, so be sure you find one you like and take that one.