You are so correct in stating that what is considered “the best“ is largely based on personal preference and how one plans to use the instrument. I bought the Korg SV-1 88-key largely to be my house piano on which to practice my piano technique and for jazz gigs because I love its keybed action and feel; Plus I really love its simplicity and how all of the controls are so plainly laid out and accessible. Thank you for this review. 👍

There’s a lot of subjectivity about sound and frankly they would all do more than get the job done in a live setting. The Rd-2000 has excellent controller abilities, my personal favorite action, and easily accessible controls. When I’m in the studio I like to use VSTs anyway but hearing the rd-2000 with these two well respected pianos and holding it’s own really put me over the edge. Thanks for doing this

The Korg Sv1 is hands down the best keyboard you’ll get for its price range

I have to say I'm surprised that the Roland RD 2000 was actually my favorite for both it's look and the sound of the bass notes. So rich and deep. Thank you for the comparison.

I have an SV-1 88 so I’m biased. The feel and ease of use with the knobs and feels so accessible all the time. I also feel and the samplings have ridiculous nuances in them. Also the look is eye catching which is always a huge win and bonus for touring and sentiment

The Korg, almost being 10 years old, and putting up a serious fight, especially with the E-Pianos, has me believing it is the best for still having a sizeable demand in the market

Thanks a lot for a very informative videoclip.

Great comparison. Many thanks for doing it. Could you please do the same with the just launched SV-2?

I have a Roland RD 2000 and for me it’s great. I slightly preferred the distorted organ sound on the Nord and thought the Wurlitzer sound on the Korg was good too. 3 great keyboards anyhow!

I honestly liked the sound of the SV1 the best and the Roland the least. I'm not a fan of clavinet and organ sounds anyways. I'm actually just after e-piano a la Rhodes and Würlitzer :)

Korg SV 1 is just a dream!

The Nord blows away the others. Not only in sound quality and presets that are actually useful, but as a controller, all those knobs and sliders can be used to control your VSTs in the studio. As a live performance board with so much realtime control for sound shaping and morphing sounds between 2x organ engines, 2x piano engines, 2x synth engines and 2x effects sections, the Nord is unbeatable and worth every penny compared to the others.

Are you playing through those vox amps?

I guess that the best option here IMO, is to get the SV-1 for piano and EPS, and expend another 1K in a Crumar Organ. That's a good combination! and I still save another K or more compared to the Nord price... Ok, already took my decision. Good luck!

Why your demo is mono? This test not demonstrate the sound. Because stereo channels in to one channel and sometimes fuzzy sound. Can you demonstrate with stereo channels again? Thanks...

My Favorite to play is is SV1, it has the best feeling keybed, but Nord and Roland has better sounds. When gigging with other players I use SV1, its most versatile for jamming. For studio/midi stuff I like Roland. Nord is great sounding for stage or studio, but the keys don’t feel that good for my playing style. TLDR; SV1 is good for Jamming with other players Roland is good for Studio/MIDI buffs Nord is good for traditional Piano play style

Nice comparison! I've been a SV1 user since it came out in 2010. Like you said, it's got all the controls at your fingertips - so well laid out that you can easily edit mid-song even. (this RD can do the same thing with tweaking of the lit controls) Also, I like how I can place a MacBook on the top using the supplied music stand and it's never in the way of the controls. (You'll need a different stand to do this with RD & Nord) It's also available at most every city that I go so I can rent easily. (RD is even more available, tho) What is not so great is the piano in a solo situation unless you play hard and fast. With a band, you can use the 3 EQ knobs and the onboard amps & compressor to slice through the mix. (Nord wins this imho) Finally, recording is not so great if you grew up on near-silent digital pianos like I did. Amp noise, mono output on the Rhodes and Wirly only become stereo when passed through onboard effects like chorus, phaser. But that's what the real instruments are like so...

Nord definitely has the top sounds if you have the money and are a pro, consistently making money. Roland is great, but Korg probably is the best for up and comers and market price is hard to beat with the rhodes/wurlitzer, and I know tons of pros that love it.

I actually really loved the Rolands E. Piano sound.

I'm surprised at how well the SV-1 acoustic pianos fair here, as I hate the factory patches. I EQ'ed the absolute crap out of them to get them right. Edited the Rhodes to splinters too. great comparison.

I have a complex home studio, and used/owned a yamaha s90ex, motif sx8, kurzpc3x , nord stage2 and now use an rd2000. It is heavy to move for gigs, so i leave it in the studio. For live I use a casio px5s, mainstage and a kronos61. The action and feel of. The rd2000 is great, the controls are easy to use, the nord has the best organs, but I have a hammond xk3c and ventilator leslie pedal and it is great. I am exploring using softsynth sounds live with Mainstage now thar ssd drives are cheaper. I still think rd2000 has the best keyboard, my second fav was my yamaha s90ex, the kurzpc3x. The nord is a bit springy, but each person has their own preferences re feel. I have a yamaha c3 grand piano which is hard to beat. If you want the best 88note piano controller, the kawai vc1 controller is the gold standard, but expensive The new roland fantom8 has the rd2000 keyboard.

What do you think about the sympathetic resonance behavior on each keyboard?

I ended up choosing the RD even though I'm a Korg guy...just wondered if you midi'd them all up? ...if I had all three ..I would have.....

SV-1. Dig in to the editor software and you'll see these other boards are behind. Also everyone debating stock sounds on here is fired.

Its always hard ro compare sound quality watching on my iPad Pro or on my Sony Television. But i think the Nord sounds best. The Roland sounds like there is a woolly layer of reverb over it, makeing even the grand piano sounds electronic. The Nord sounds more neutral.

I sold my Korg sv-1 to switch up to a Nord stage 73.. I really miss the sv1 electric piano 1on 7:03 .. would anybody know by chance if I can load the Korg sv-1 sounds onto the Nord stage I assume one might be able to..??

It can't be overstated how much older the SV-1 is than the other two. It's not quite a fair comparison, though I think the SV-1 either needs to be reduced in price, retired, or, ideally, revised with new samples and features.

well done

What would you take to gig if you had to play keyboard strings/ brasses in a soul funk disco gerne?

Hi thank you for this great comparison. It’s very interesting to me. I’ve been using a Korg SV-1 for 5 years now. It’s a wonderful instrument to play live especially the kind of music where you have all these dirty sounds from the seventies but also the clear sounds of the pianos, with everything under your fingers : you can change the EQ settings while playing, or the amp effects etc. I Love it. But there’s one thing about this machine I can’t bear anymore, that’s the keys. For the third time, I’ve got a key broken. Anyway the keybed sounds so « cheap », if you want to make a « glissando » you first hear the « takakakaktak ». So now, I have to buy another one. I went to a music shop yesterday to try out the Nord Piano 3. In the same shop there was a Roland RD-2000. I’ve been playing the whole afternoon, and at the end I chose... Roland. You feel just like you were at home on the RD, very easy to use, to put sounds together, wonderful keybed. The only problem is, it doesn’t look like a Nord !

Thanks, Good show! Im an old man (almost), I don't know anything about playing any of that, but I have good ears and I'm nearly debt free.... So, I bet a really good pianist could get on a Yamaha or what ever device, and command an incredible audience vs a mediocre player on the most elaborate machine you could find. Old man says.... save your money, play your ass off, drink some wine/beer... cigar watever... teach some kids:) In the end, your time with friends, kids, music,.... w a few extra $ layin around should be the best device one could have? My road led me to this:) Good job there:)

I went to a music-retailer in Norway today, and directly compared Nord Stage 3 to Roland RD 2000(sitting down playing over 1 hour). This is my honest opinion: regardless of price-differences, the Nord knocks the socks of the Roland when it comes to soundquality. What about the keybed? well... The Roland is definitely a lighter key bed compared to the Nord. But, is it better than the one on the Nord ?Yeah, ...hmm...i don´t know... maybe... but definitely not night and day, and I think the differences between them anyway is highly excagerrated on Internet forums(a professional could easily adapt to any of these two keybeds). The truth is that they´re just different from each other. So long story short. I´m selling my Yamaha Motif XS today (to heavy for gigging) and the Nord Stage 3 is now in order. So...My advice to everyone a who struggles to make a descicion between these keyboards: Go to the music store, put the headset on and TRY THEM OUT for yourself, because KZfaq is not going to make any of these any justice(and what people say on internet forums means nothing😉).

As a non-keyboard player, my ear preferred the Kong on the classic Epiano sounds. Acoustic piano was probably a tie between Nord and Roland. I felt the organs were thin on the Nord and Roland. So went with the Korg on it. A keyboard player will have their own preference on controls so whatever. Would like to have heard upright piano from all three.

Nord is really good for customization. It is also much lighter than RD 2000. The pianos that's also compliment the key bed are different but I will say playing and RD 2000 feels the most natural but Nord feels like candy. It just depends on what music you want. I am however disappointed in the MKS patches Roland brought back on. Most of there sounds feel very light. Korg feels the most buttery for Eps by far!

I don't have these models but have had lots of Korgs and Rolands. So the way I see it, Rolands have amazing dynamics and the sounds are first class. They really work well in the studio for recording. The Korgs work well in a performance situation for live work with a band ect. The new Yamaha CP are really good too. As for the nord and I know pros love them. You can't get past they are so expensive. For me they should knock off at least £500 off all models. So what if your mod wheel is made out of stone. It's musical snobbery. Some of the new Casio have sounds that can match the nord for a fraction of the price.

SV1 sensacional!!! Korg sv1 the best!!!

I like them all. :3

I own and pro play the sv1 and the nord stage 3. The distortion and the amps in the stage 3 are no match to the sv1. As well as the sounds of fender roads. The keyboard feel of the rh3 is amazing and only slightly better then the nord. The b3 sounds of the nord are superior to every keyboard that i have heard so far. I love playing them both and they are both top keyboards. The nord is a great keyboard but you cant go wrong with the sv1. I had to own them both to find out.

The ep on the sv1 is fire

I like the korg sv-1

Mono？

Thanks for the video. A good keyboard inspires you to play, and then keep playing the same sound without moving on to the next one. SV1 is best for Rhodes, Nord good on Wurlitzer, Nord wins on piano and organs. Roland's keyboard action and controller functions are amazing.

Why didn't you compare with the Korg Grandstage? The SV1 is several years old now. It's also $3,000 cheaper than the Nord and $1500 less than the Roland. It just doesn't seem like the same comparison.

THE SV1 is still a lot of fun to play and the Rhodes is the best sound. The piano sound is ok but something wrong with the output of those samples ... Not full enough. I don't know but THE Rhodes on Roland ... Hmm ... I'm not feeling that i play THE real thing ... And Nord .. It should be the best ... But anno 2018 ! Other brands makes very good stuff. They are expensive... Ok, you can download a bunch of samples .. But how manny are you gonna use ... Sorry for my English 😬😮😊

Awesome

Regardless of the sound, the feel of playing the piano-Roland brutally wins.

Would be nice to do this comparison again, now that SV2 is out.

Korg sounds a little compressed, but on the whole I think it held its own very well despite its age--it's a less modern piece of gear than the other two so it deserves some credit for that.

I went from a Kronos 88 to the RD-2000 and couldn’t be happier. Much better action on the RD plus most other sounds are coming from my plug-ins now. I’ve been doing this a long time... Using: RD-2000, Logic Pro X, Omnisphere, Keyscape, Komplete 10, Garritan CFX Lite, Arturia V, u-he Diva, OP-X, 27” Retina iMac Sold: Kronos 88, Yamaha: Motif XS8, Motif ES8, Motif 8, KX88, Oberheim: Modular 8 Voice, OBXa, OB8, KX88, Korg: T3, MS20, Prophet 5, Roland D50, Rhodes Stage 73

If I have to judge according to what is displayed on this video I´d say that I´m very disappointed about Nord´s pianos (not organ, of course). But I suspect that this comparison is not fair because, for instance, there are several Rhodes and I think in the comparison they´re not the same. I also suspect that EQ should have been adjusted better in order to avoid too much bass ends in Nord sounds. Adjustments to get the "better sound" is a tricky issue in any case and, as you are used to dealing with Roland, maybe you have got better results in this case.

The Roland RD 2000 has a piano keyboard that makes you want to play like a pianist. It encourages you to listen and feel your way into your music. The Nord sounds better in some programs but ultimately presents more of a challenge to get to know which I think ultimately distracts from feeling your music. The Korg sounds OK but the Yamaha MX88 probably sounds better for less money. I have a Kronos 2 61 note workstation which provides everything apart from 88 notes. Kronos 88 is just far too heavy and in any case, I think the RD 2000 piano simply sounds better! I am going to buy the RD 2000 for 88 notes and piano sounds but do I need all the additional sounds? Anyone want to buy my Kronos?

It's not really just about the sound, it's also pretty much about the hardware and built. Considering that you'd be investing on gears that carry such prices, you'd want them to at least be able to take the beating and the punishment of having to be moved around, played on at infinite times without "breaking into pieces", for an acceptable length of time. Or at least 'till you get your ROI (return on investment) which would be a considerable length owing to scarcity of satisfactory good paying gigs. Korg keyboards have shown unreliability in terms of durable keys and parts. Between me and my keyboardist friends, keys get broken (in half) or, they won't produce the corresponding note when pressed. My N5EX just lost one key/note in the upper register. I also have an X 5D module which I can hardly use now because the "out" terminal isn't working very well nowadays due to an inexplicable low signal output which might either be attributed to the faulty terminal or a faulty volume switch. (On a side note, I had an O1W-FD which I had tucked away for a year but when I tried to use it again, it won't power on. Long story short, as it turns out, according to a licensed service shop in Singapore, the (mother)board got corroded. So, end of the line there for the "vicious" O1W-FD and my money). As for Roland, my Juno G just inexplicably lost it's "D beam" function, it's LCD screen also went blind in the sense that although it lights up, there are no visible graphics nor words, so I can't figure out how to assign my patches and tweak the sounds. It seems, according to my friend, that this is a "regular" thing with most Roland keyboards/synths. And btw, it's power adapter (a bit similar to that of a laptop's adapter) had earlier malfunctioned as it won't power up the keyboard. I suspect it "burned" inside? I had to pay to get it repaired (at a friendly price) because getting it replaced with another original is like paying for a large fraction of the keyboard's total price, if it were even possible to get a replacement. (Keyboard dealers in SouthEast Asia charge you for EVERY accessory, including pedals AND power adapters and gig bags so that, charging you for replacements isn't news anymore). Now I wouldn't know anything about the Nord Stage 3 except that it sounds like a premium keyboard based on what I heard from some recordings, making me drool over it and wishing I have one. I do certainly hope though that, in comparison to pricey car brands like BMW or Mercedes, etc.., the Nord would live up to an expectation of a sturdy durable build and long warranties, and/or long life of functionality and usability. I just want to point out that with working musicians like me and my friends who rely solely on gigs for upkeeps, investing on expensive gears (which is NECESSARY in order to keep up with the industry's evolving demands) isn't easy, so that it would be harrowingly painful to see those instruments become useless due to some malfunctions which aren't even cheap to repair to start with. Shouldn't there be a law to protect us small musicians against these sort of "opportunistic" activities by either 3rd party dealers or the licensed dealers?

look at how many folks love the sv1. but really, it makes more sense to compare instruments in the same price range -for someone looking to buy. what else is there in the sv1 price range? the roland rd2000 price range? and well the nord... theres nothing in that price range.

40k views nice going!

1. Roland 2. Nord 3. Yamaha 4. Korg I have personally tried almost all of them. The RD 2000 feels alive when you play it, and it's very satisfying to play.The feel is the best. I don't know why people often use the worst piano preset of the RD 2000 to compare. It has a lot of much better sounds than what you hear in these demos.

how about crumar seven?

Sv1 est largement en tête !

Which monitor would you suggest for the RD 2000 (about 400 USD to spent)? Sounds very good with headphones but not with my Presonus Eris 4.5!

What's the best amp to use for the SV1?

Korg 2:13 Nord 2:36 Roland 2:55

Guys, how SV1 can be dated, since all stuff is playing el pianos which are 30-40 years old :) I have Korg SV-1 and I tried to sample it before selling. And I discover that SV-1 is unsamplable in easy way. There is really something in how they sampled el pianos. For example higher notes are shorter, and somehow brighter. I was owner of Nord Stage 2. It is strange that NS3 sound almost the same as NS2. I love how much pianos I can put in NS2. Thats really an advantage. And I'm owner of Roland RD-700SX. Keybed is best. Korg SV1 has el piano oriented keybed, which isn't really good when you want to classic piano. Roland RD700SX keybed is far much better as NS2. Far far. Also NS2 is not allowing to change how hard you can play. Maybe they repair that in NS3. And Roland pianos smell Integra pianos. Also I never liked el pianos from Roland. It was always something wrong with them. What is strange for me. Differences between all keyboards are really small, nuances. Who is the winner...hmmm...Yamaha CP88 :) New and really interesting. I'm thinking about selling my Korg SV-1 for it, but not sure. Korg SV-1 el pianos are really really good.

Nord Stage 3 forever 💪🎹

Con que grabaste el nord y el korg 😂 parece que lo grabaste con micrófono directo a la bocina y el roland directo a la interfaz

Korg surpreendente! Nunca tinha ouvido um piano de expressão e peso nos equipamentos da Korg, mas agora ela "botou pras cabeças!" Top!

PIANO: ROLAND, EP PIANO: KORG, ORGAN: NORD

I prefer nord thats the keyboard for me and i have couple of nords

SV1 is, in my humble opinion, the best looking Stage KB in the market; and its EPs and Clavs are unparalleled. Yet, even as a profound lover of those 2 classes, there's no way in hell I'd buy a mono-tibral KB. Hell, I'd run away even from dual-timbral. And worst, it has no Pitchband and mod wheel... I mean, surely it's fine for many organic timbres, but let's face: the modern keyboardist shouldn't limit himself with "traditions"... Put that fat synth on dah blues, mate!

Why not Including Dexibell in this comparison?

Korg sv1! Best!

My Korg CX-3 trumps all of them in organ =P

Good overview. Just as you said: Its all opinion.

Adam Holzman uses the KORG SV1 and there are very good reasons for it. I don't want to offend but the Nord sounds disappointing to my ear. Even in piano Mode with sensitive touch to the keys, it sounds like a Rhodes Piano.

BRM H16 1 second ago As you say, all opinion and nobody has the "right answer". Here's what I think, 1) If you are a serious pianist/musician the Roland wins hands down. 2) If you are a computer programmer go for the Nord and dazzle them with your computer skills, plus you have a red keyboard! 3) If you are simply adept at making an instrument sound good and want to enjoy yourself, go for the Korg. 4) If you are rich, buy the lot and add in a Casio, Yamaha and a Kawai... plus others, and make everybody you know jealous as Hell!!

KORG OF COURSE !

You can only balance a beer on one of them. Competition over.

For music lovers, big hands are worthier asset than being tall and handsome.

the polyphony of the Korg is just 80, compared to Roland unlimited for Piano sound and 128 for the others, and Nord also dissapoints with just 120 notes of polyphony especially for the price ... for multiple layered sounds you need at least 128 with the sustain pedal and all ... so Roland is a winner on this aspect also.

Nord its the best for me and handmade in Sweden

They are all different... and all of them are great.. at the end of the day, the winner is the one that is good to your ears. We all have different taste 😂😅😂

Korg SV1 CHRONIC Nord Stage 3 Chronic Roland RD 2000 passable

Nord for me. Easily would enjoy all 3.

I love Roland, the feel the sounds.. I have the Juno DS88 and it's fantastic. BUT tweakability is terrible. I hate diving into menus and trying to figure where something is and where another is. And they're inconsistent! At church I have the Juno Gi and the menu is different. My friend has the Jupiter and the JW8 and each of these FOUR keyboards has a different menu. So you have to learn each one of those keyboards although they're made by the same company. Even when you learn the menu it's still hard to create sounds from scratch!

Nord win...but its too expensive for me..only afford SV-1

The Korg by far is the best sounding. That Roland sounds dull compared to it. The Nord was in the middle, sometimes really good but never great. Korg had the best sonic moments for me.

i think the piano on the nord is better but the korg has better EP sounds and sorry to say but the ALICIAS keys plug-in beats them all

It’s funny how my opinions changed depending on my listening setup. Bluetooth doesn’t do the Nord any favors.

Nord!

Korg Sv-1 wins and here’s why: this is kind of a unfair comparison because two are workstation keyboards and one is a true Vintage Stage keyboard, which is the Korg. You can hear it in the sounds of the EP’s. Korg SV-1 kills the competition even in todays standards. Roland has the best Key bed of them all. Nord should just stick to making organ clones. I have the Nord C2D. It’s awesome! Like having a Hammond B3 set up in my office! I use to own a Roland Fantom. I loved the feel of that key bed more so than any I’ve used. I just wasn’t crazy about any of the sound patches besides some strings. In my opinion, if you want the best piano sounds, Yamaha CLP is the best there is! If you want EP’s(electric piano’s) Korg is the clear winner. If you want an organ sound, get a Nord C2D or Crumar Mojo! But Nord wins in that department. Overall, I’m happy with my Korg! Looks wise, it still destroys the competition!!! Even 10-12 years later! It’s the best keyboard you can buy for it’s price point or any point for that matter!

Don't know about the feel and the action. Sound-wise, my preferences: Nord, Korg and Roland . I''m disappointed in the Roland, acoustic pianos sound so digital and full of reverb. EPs lack clarity and sound sterile. The SV1 sounds very good, but I think the Stage 3 has the edge, especially in acoustic pianos.

I have a korg. Raging I didn’t buy a Nord. Pianos are different class

You are doing a great vibrato with your fingers xD

Nord wins on all levels. Those organs suck hard. Nord's organ is light years better, and pretty close to the real thing. That wasn't realistic jazz or rock playing of the organ, so listeners didn't hear what it can really do. Only problem is Nord is a bit over priced. Sv1 organ is an afterthought and definitely a joke 😂. Sv1 piano and EP are pretty good with realistic action. It also has a spectacular JUMP SYNTH that is damn near spot on.

Roland este foarte curat la orice sunet ! Este peste ambele piane !!!

Who is this guy trying to play ?

I think the korg sv1 sounds better it has more powerful advance.

The Roland cost £500 more than the Korg and the Nord costs £1400 more; so yeah they were better..but £500-£1400 better?

That Korg sounds the most SOULFUL. The others sound like toys in comparison.

sv1. no contest. the best in every way.

I go with the Roland RD2000, second is Korg and third is Nord stage 3. I don't know why Nord is overpriced.

Stop tickling the Plastics! Hit them hard like you would in a band playing at 100db. That's a true test