Donner61 Key Keyboard Piano, Electric Piano Keyboard Kit with 249 Voices, 249 Rhythms - Includes Piano Stand, Stool, Microphone, Gift for Beginners, Black (DEK-610S)

My wife was interested in learning how to play piano, and figured a keyboard would be the perfect learning tool. I had an old Casio (we're talking 20 years old), but wanted her to have something that would be a little more...updated. That's when I stumbled on this keyboard. I've heard the Donner name a few times (own one of their capos, an Alchemy effects pedal, and have heard good things about their ukeleles), and it seemed to have a lot of tools that would encourage her to learn, and at a great price to match. I mean, a full-size keyboard for under $100? There aren't too many of those floating around.This is a great keyboard for beginners, or even some intermediate players looking to hone their skills. It's made of plastic, but doesn't feel cheap, and the buttons also feel sturdy; I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'd feel comfortable taking it gigging, but for home practice it's a good fit. I'd say the build quality is pretty much on par with my old Casio, but at a much lower price point. It's also much lighter and less bulky, which makes moving it around a breeze, even for my short wife. It can be powered using batteries (just 6 AA, much more practical than the 6 "C" batteries required for my old keyboard), or the included AC adapter, and even has an automatic setting that disables draining of the batteries when the AC cord is plugged in.There's a large library of "voices" (500 of them!) that range from standard (piano, guitar) to more exotic, so you should have no troubles finding a sound that will fit your mood (or envisioned musical project). We haven't had time to noodle with them all yet, but ones I've heard are useable, and good for the price point. Personally, I wouldn't use most of them in any serious recordings, but for demos, or singalong practice, or posts to social media, they will fit the bill quite nicely.The electronic display is crisp and, for the most part, easily readable: the only drawback is the finger diagram, as it can be hard to see which fingers are being highlighted when you're playing along. Outside of that, though, it clearly lists all activated settings, and even has cool treble/bass clef staffs that highlight the notes you're playing as you press them (or in the case of learning mode, the notes that you are supposed to press). This can not only help users learn to read music, but also to quickly transcribe cool "riffs" and melodies for later use.Overall, this is an excellent keyboard for the price point, as long as you go in with the right expectations: this isn't something that's going to blow you away with its tonal qualities or versatility. But it has virtually every feature a budding pianist could want, including MIDI connectivity, a headphone jack to practice even in quiet surroundings, dozens of songs to practice along to, and a handy music stand. If you're looking to learn and don't want to waste a lot of money (who does?), there's no need to look any further.

This is a solid beginner to intermediate piano. We originally bought the Moukey MEK-200 and it had speaker issues and a loose wire. The company gave us a full refund. Now we are trying this Donner DEK-610 side by side. I should have bought the DEK-610 right from the start! There's a big difference even though it's the same company. When they are both set at piano 000 the MEK-200 has a tinny sound and the Donner has a very clear crisp tone that is lovely. I grew up with a baby grand and a solid Yamaha electric. This isn't a grand but it is more what an electric should feel and sound like.We tested the keys -- a lot of cheap models will cut out if you push too many, some very cheap won't even let you do left and right hand chords together, only 6 notes -- on this model DEK-610 you can push nearly the whole board and none of the keys cut out.The action (how hard you have to push) is just about right and very natural. The MEK-200 was very stiff. I have sensitive joints and don't want tendonitis or inflamed joints from playing nor would I want my kids to suffer from tendonitis as they learn. So this model gets a thumbs up on their attention to detail there as well.It looks like from other reviews there was no power chord. Ours had one taped in the styrofoam at the side. I'm not sure if that was a covid shortage or glitch but ours came with it included.The microphone looks and feels like a toy but having add ons seems to be the fad currently. It's something to get you started or to goof around with and see if that's your kind of thing.This is a basic keyboard a kid or teen could grow into. It has a lot of options in back like if you want to hook it to your computer and get into mixing music. My teen is going to get a kick out of that. Right now he's still learning his notes.I'm pleased with it. If you're an advanced pianist you know what you need to make your fingers fly and wouldn't be buying a low end set. But for me and my needs I should have picked this model right from the start!