Buying a keyboard: My 7 best recommendations 2025
Here you will find my recommendation of the best keyboard for you. I have divided the keyboards into the categories beginners, advanced, kids and crazy people. You can find the answers to the most important questions at the end of this guide.
This text has been translated into English. Please report spelling mistakes to sebastian@musiksocke.com
What kind of keyboard are you looking for?
Frequently asked questions:
Keyboard for beginners
The most important criteria for your first keyboard are a well-made keyboard and the right number of keys. The keys must also function perfectly and give a good feeling when playing. Furthermore, the quality and sound of the loudspeakers should be considered, as these are mostly used at the beginning. Connection possibilities, such as a plug for headphones, are also part of the basic equipment for beginners.
The Yamaha PSR-E373 is equipped with 61 keys and a velocity sensitive keyboard. With 622 instrument sounds, 205 styles and a 48-fold polyphony, it is well-equipped for a start. I find the “Keys to Success” function very helpful for the beginning, to be able to learn songs step by step. The operation is sometimes a little illogical, but you quickly get used to it. In my opinion, the E373 offers the best value for money for beginners.
The Casio CT-S300 is often used by beginners. It has 61 velocity-sensitive keys and a wide range of features: 48-voice polyphony, 400 sounds, 60 preset songs, 77 preset rhythms and many other technical gadgets. Despite the scope, the operation is easy to learn. Only the speakers could be a little better. But if that bothers you, you can always play the sound directly to your ears via your own headphones. All in all, a good keyboard to start with.
Keyboard for advanced players
All musicians who require higher quality speakers, keys and more extensive features have to dig a little deeper into their pockets. The advanced models have more connection options and a larger display on the keyboard. More sophisticated electronics are installed inside, so that a higher number of selectable tones, rhythms and songs are available. In addition, the manufacturers try to convince with exclusive functions in their instruments.
The Yamaha PSR-SX600 is a keyboard with good basic equipment. 128-voice polyphony, many sounds and all necessary connections can be found in the PSR-SX600. For advanced players, the subtleties are especially interesting: the included sounds sound very real and can easily be expanded with your own sounds via USB connection. A microphone connection is also available and rounds off the good overall package. You can see why this model from Yamaha has done well in many tests in magazines.
The Roland E-A7 has 61 keys and, with 1,500 instrument sounds and a 128-voice polyphony, offers a lot more compared to cheaper models. The speakers seem much more sophisticated and sound very good. The menu navigation via two displays is a little complicated. You first have to get to grips with the many setting options. But you have countless possibilities to find the perfect sound. This keyboard takes you to the next level.
Keyboard for kids
If you want to introduce your child to playing the keyboard, so-called mini keyboards are a good place to start. These are characterised by a small number of keys, which means that the keyboard is clearly laid out for the child. The keys are adapted to children’s hands and are smaller. Thanks to the robust plastic housing and battery operation, these keyboards can be used anywhere and do not necessarily require supervision by a parent.
The Casio SA-77 is equipped with 44 keys, an LC display and good speakers. It also has 100 instrument sounds, 50 styles, 5 drum pads, a piano/organ button and 10 practice pieces. Very important for parents is the headphone jack. Kids love the easy operation and don’t get the SA-77 disassembled into its components. A power supply unit is not included, but the battery operation with AA batteries lasts a long time (batteries must be ordered separately). All in all, I would describe it more as an upmarket toy, as it is not an alternative to a full-fledged keyboard. But for the price, it’s a good way to introduce very young kids to making music.
The Kirstein FK-54 is a good keyboard especially for kids. Compared to many other mini keyboards, it has a full 54 keys and comes with a decent microphone. A power supply unit is included, although battery operation with AA batteries is possible. The 100 sounds, 100 rhythms, 8 percussion sounds, 8 demo songs are of average quality. The microphone also leaves a lot to be desired. You can already tell that it is more of a toy. The kids don’t mind and they have all the important functions combined in one keyboard to have a lot of fun with it.
Kirstein FK-54
Keyboard for crazy people
Do you not only want to play standard classical songs or pop and rock music, but are you looking for something crazy? Then there are keyboards for you that, in addition to basic equipment at the highest level, come up with individual components that are not available in any other device.
The Yamaha PSR-SX900 is a crazy expensive keyboard with a large screen that gives you a good overview of the many setting options. Special are the 525 accompaniment styles, also many unusual styles are included. The sound is true to the original, so you can immerse yourself in a completely different culture. The built-in speakers are also exceptionally good. You have a really powerful sound when you play.
The Yamaha Genos falls more into the category of “entertainer keyboards” and is only suitable for professionals due to its high price. Nevertheless, I wanted to introduce it to the crazy keyboards because it simply has everything that is currently technically possible. In addition to extensive basic equipment, it has countless high-quality effects and a large memory. It even has Wi-Fi and the operating system is constantly being developed to fix bugs or add new functions.
How do I recognize a good keyboard?
You can find keyboards with different numbers of keys. To play a wide range of songs, you need at least 61 keys. The more keys a keyboard has, the more songs you can play.
For good playing, it is important to have good velocity-sensitive keys, which controls the volume of the notes by the way the key is struck. The more force you use to strike the keys, the louder the sound will be reproduced.
The polyphony indicates how many notes the keyboard can play at the same time. This means that a keyboard with a high polyphony such as 128 will make your playing sound richer than one with a lower polyphony such as 48.
For storing your own creations, there are keyboards with a registration memory. You can compile different sounds into a song and assign them to a certain style. Afterwards, you can play back the registration from the memory at any time.
What accessories do I need?
To start with, you don’t need to worry about accessories. That’s the beauty of playing the keyboard: You can start right from day 1!
Just make sure you sit at the right angle to the keyboard. At this point, it might also make sense to buy a bench. The Millenium KB-2006 is an inexpensive bench that is height-adjustable from 49 to 63 cm and is absolutely fine for the price.
If you don’t have a suitable table or you like to play standing up, a stand for the keyboard is recommended. With keyboard stands, I look for a stable stand and a wide rubber support for the instrument. With the Millenium KS-1010, you have a stable double-strut construction with thick struts.
To improve the sound quality later, you can buy headphones or external speakers. There are no special versions for keyboard players. You can connect everyday headphones and speakers to most keyboards with an aux connection. If you don’t have good headphones at home, I recommend the beyerdynamic DT-770 PRO/80 Ohm. The headphones go over your ears and together with the good technology you get a beautiful sound from your keyboard. The advantage of these professional studio headphones is that there is a 3 m cable attached to the headphones, which can be extended from the classic 3.5 mm plug to 6.3 mm with an adapter.
To simulate playing the piano as well as possible, you need a sustain pedal. Unfortunately, the manufacturers could not agree on a technical transmission path and therefore I recommend universal keyboard pedals so that the device also fits the keyboard in any case. Alternatively, each keyboard brand offers its own pedals. The M-Audio SP-2 is very popular and can be used with almost all keyboards.
A bag is recommended for transport. The keyboard cases are padded and thus protect the instrument. If you need even more protection, e.g. on tour, you should buy a hard case. For most musicians, however, a bag is sufficient. I can recommend the Thomann Stage Piano bag for models with 88 keys. It fits all current keyboards and has a good price-performance ratio. In my list of the best keyboard cases, you will also find recommendations for keyboards with 61, 73 and 76 keys.
What are the best keyboard brands?
I compiled this list together with experienced musicians. It was important to us that only established brands appear in the list that have delivered consistent quality over many years.
How much does a good keyboard cost?
A good keyboard costs between 500 and 2,000 euros. However, models for around 200 euros are already suitable for beginners. The difference is mainly in the number of connection options and the quality of the external speakers. If your goal is to perform on stage, you should go straight for an advanced keyboard.
Here is my recommendation for a good keyboard.
What is the best keyboard for beginners?
As a keyboard for beginners, the Yamaha PSR-E373 is suitable for about 250 euros. It has a high-quality finish and offers a good price-performance ratio with the included sounds. For beginners, the possible connections are completely sufficient.
For advanced musicians, the Yamaha PSR-SX600 is suitable for about 750 euros. The speakers are much better and for less than 1,000 euros you get a keyboard that can be considered professional.
More details on the keyboard for beginners.
⚠️
* For the links marked with a star, we receive a commission on a purchase. The price does not change for you. Please use our link and support the independent work of Musiksocke. Thank you very much!
✔️
The product recommendations made here are based on my experience and conversations with expert musicians. All products presented here meet the criteria of the checklist.
🏦
All prices are incl. VAT plus shipping costs. The amount was estimated by me and may differ from the actual price. As an Amazon partner, I earn on qualified sales. This also applies to Thomann, Kirstein and all other partners.
String instruments:
Wind instruments:
Key instruments:
Drums:
Recording:
