Donner DEP-20 Review [After 1 Year of Daily Use]

If you’re looking for Donner DEP-20 review, then you’re at the right article. In this article, we’ll give you a complete guideline on Donner DEP-20 review. This review features one brand new digital piano most people have never heard of: the Donner DEP-20. It’s the smash hit piano on Amazon and opponents the highlights of laid-out items from other top brands like the Yamaha P125 and Casio PX160.

Thunder is a reasonably obscure brand to most people. They are a Chinese company that started making guitar accessories in 2012 and finally decided to make a digital piano, some including his DEP-10, which I cover in a separate review. I have a piano. Although they are a lesser-known name, they are an upstart brand, and DEP-20 is one of their most popular products.

The Donner DEP-20 is affordable and has features that outperform other instruments in this price range. It costs twice as much but includes all the features you would expect from a piano. But were there any compromises on quality? Let’s start with the Donner DEP-20 review.

Keyboard & Action

At the beginning of Donner DEP-20 review article let’s talk about its keyboard and actions. Sound aside, the downside of digital pianos is the mechanics. If the machine is terrible, the piano will severely limit your progress in playing the piano. However, Donner DEP-20 isn’t the best action I’ve ever played. Still, it’s by no means terrible and should work pretty well for both beginners and intermediate players…of course, Playing on a piano like this is never easy. However, this piano can reasonably have more expressiveness and dynamic control than can be said among many models in this price range.

Of course, the dynamic response isn’t the best, and the keys aren’t the prettiest I’ve ever played, but if you’re an advanced player who’s not going to practice 3 hours a day, you will love it.” Thunder DEP-20 is missing.

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Keys

This piano has 88 weighted keys, a real bonus at this price point. It’s also just the right weight, not too heavy or too light. It takes a while to play these after switching from a spring-loaded keyboard, be that as it may, they’re a fundamental piece of figuring out how to play the piano, and for the Donner DEP-20’s objective market, they’ve done a very great job. The key is made entirely of plastic, and the action is gradual. This means the keys are heavier at the bottom than at the top, just like a real piano.

One thing I would say about the keys is that they have a lot of lateral movement while playing and sometimes critical bumps into an adjacent key while playing. It’s weird and uncomfortable when trying to play, as you might hear a clicking sound while playing and find it a bit noisy. However, I’ve learned to live with it – it’s a quirk of the instrument, and frankly, if you’re playing transitions in the 3rd to the 6th-grade range, you probably aren’t playing fast enough to notice it.

Design

The Donner DEP-20’s design is nothing to complain about. It’s a standard, minimalist digital piano design, nothing extra. There’s a crystal-clear backlit LCD screen that shows you which voice you’ve selected, the speed of the metronome you’re using, etc., and all the buttons are arranged logically and aesthetically pleasing.

What I might want to specify here is the thickness of this piano. Very thick compared to some competitors – I measured about 7.5 inches (or about 18.5 cm) from top to bottom. This means it’s significantly higher on the table than competitors such as the Yamaha P125 and P45. This makes the playing a bit jerky. Even with the standard X-frame keyboard stand, I wanted the stool set as high as possible.

Otherwise, the Donner DEP-20’s design is what you’d expect from any other manufacturer, and it’s neither good nor bad.

Weight

This piano weighs almost nothing. It’s the lightest piano contender I’ve ever tried. The Donner DEP-20 weighs 11.6 kg, which is very soft. Unfortunately, that means you must throw it in your car or carry it in a case very quickly, as a teacher between lessons or as a musician to move between concerts, around here.

Donner has successfully packed such a great feature set into a lightweight keyboard. Honestly, it raises some questions about build quality, but time will tell on that point.

Assembly

The Donner DEP-20 does not require assembly. Remove it from the container and put it on a table or X-outline console stand and you’re all set. However, you can also choose a custom stand and pedal set that requires assembly.

Screw on the stand, insert the optional 3-pedal unit, and place your keyboard on top. Unlike other electronic pianos, it is not difficult to install and assemble.

Controls and Buttons

The controls on the Donner DEP-20 are straightforward to use. It has a clear LCD screen that provides information on which sound, beat, or other option is selected and has all the necessary buttons. This is where the Donner DEP-20 differs from its competitors. Because it’s much easier to choose different options on this keyboard than on the Yamaha P45 (a piano with a smaller feature set but in the same price range), I find it annoying to mess around with function keys in combination with keypresses.

What I would have jumped at the chance to see is an accessible thing on the more costly models, some application with a Bluetooth network. This is where this keyboard falls short compared to something like the Casio PX160. I found it very useful to be able to connect to an iPad or iPhone and change settings. However, this may not bother you. It’s not an omission, to be honest. I’d rather have it.

Pedals

The Donner DEP-20 has two options. The sustain pedal that comes with it is much better than what you get from most manufacturers, even at a higher price. However, it tends to slide, and you can’t control the sustain. It is either on or off. I advise my readers to ditch this and buy a proper sustain pedal.

The included sustain pedal isn’t fancy, but it’s a step from other manufacturers. I have to give the donor top marks for this because they do everything to enhance the experience.

If you want to take your music production a step further, you can add a 3-pedal unit including Sustain, Sostenuto, and Una Corda to the Donner DEP-20. Unfortunately, I didn’t have either of these at the time of testing, so I can’t comment on how good it is, but based on my experience with standard sustain pedals, I’m betting it’s good.

Colors

Unfortunately, there aren’t many options here. Donner DEP-20 is black only. Some people might not like this too much, but it didn’t bother me. At this cost, it’s a good idea that such a little trade-off was made. More expensive keyboards only come in one or two colors.

Other Included Sounds

Donner DEP-20 incorporates various sounds also. It’s 238, to be exact, and includes everything else you’d expect: keyboards, drum samples, guitars, electric pianos, and more. But, again, an example is enough. Not at all surprising, we could even hear a faint buzz during some of the rehearsals. Other than that, it’s a good sound set for the price point.

DEP-20 has over 200 built-in rhythms you can use and play with in almost any genre or style imaginable. This excellent fun feature helps students enjoy playing the piano and learn more.

Speakers

This is where the Donner DEP-20 impressed me the most. The speakers’ presence and depth are not what I expected from such a cheap piano, and the speakers in this instrument are better than those found in Yamaha’s P125 and Casio’s PX160. If not, I bet they are at least equivalent.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t learn much about the speakers’ specs, so I don’t know what the actual performance would be like, but I was not disappointed when I played them for the first time. If they had recorded better samples, this keyboard would make him a contender for the best keyboard under $1000.

I would say that, unlike most digital pianos. The Donner DEP-20 can have a sufficient presence to play openly. Obviously, not in a show lobby, but rather unquestionably in a little room, bar, or studio. There’s enough chirping and enough power in these speakers for them to produce a pretty decent sound without any distortion. Or distortion in the upper part.

Connectivity

All basic connectivity options are located on the back of the piano. The exception is the headphone jack on the front of the piano. I think it was best to put the earphone jack before the console. Much more convenient than connecting on the back. Likewise, since there are two of these, you can audit them with your mentor without upsetting the remainder of the house.

As mentioned above, the connection socket for the pedal unit is on the back. In addition, there are input/output audio interface lines, power line jack, triple pedal jacks, USB transfer jacks, and MP3 jack.

Unfortunately, there’s no Bluetooth connectivity option, but that’s not a feature you’ll find in this price range. On the other hand, a significant advantage of Bluetooth is that fewer cables are required.

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Compared to other keyboard pianos

Indeed, even on a limited financial plan, there are numerous choices. Here is a portion of my top picks. In addition, you can see his piano suggestions for the best consoles under $500.

Donner DEP-20 vs. Yamaha P-45

The Yamaha P-45 is more expensive, but honestly a much better piano. However, if you’re more interested in a wide range of sounds (and fun features), save your money and get him the DEP-20.

Donner DEP-20 vs. Alesis Recital Pro

The Recital Pro is one of a handful of good console pianos that satisfy the DEP-20 speaker framework. The DEP-20 has recaptured its flexibility, yet the Recital Pro feels and sounds somewhat better.

Donner DEP-20 vs. Casio CDP-S160

It’s a price hike, but you get scaled hammer-action keys on a slim body for the extra money. The grand piano sounds good too.

Donner DEP-20 Review – What We Think?

Now that we’ve reached the final paragraph of my Donner DEP-20 review, it’s time to draw the line. As mentioned in the review section, many features impressed me. The overall impression is positive. The electronic piano’s sound and keyboard exceed the price range. The speakers are of exceptionally high quality, offering enough clarity to satisfy even the most sensitive ears, and their output fills a living room environment without amplification. There are many features and effects to choose from.

Overall, the Donner DEP-20 is excellent for the money, especially for beginners. It’s not a significant investment, so you can test the waters without breaking the bank. It’s qualitative on all the right fronts. Robust construction suggests long life. This is an instrument designed for years to come. Comparable to high-end electronic pianos? Not really. But it shouldn’t be anyway. So at the end of our Donner DEP-20 review, we wanna recommend this piano to a beginner.