Learn which budget-friendly Alesis model is the better pick in this Alesis Recital Pro vs Prestige comparison!
If you’re entering the world of digital pianos, you may have heard of Alesis before. If you’re looking for great pianos on a tight budget, they are the go-to brand for you. And two models that are quintessential Alesis pianos are the Alesis Recital Pro and Alesis Prestige.
These are both high-quality pianos available on a budget. That said, you may be wondering which model is better.
Well, I’ve tried out both models and can confidently say that the Alesis Prestige is better. However, this is solely because of the wider sound library and slightly better voices. In fact, when I compared the Alesis Recital Pro vs the Alesis Prestige, I found it to be a very close battle.
So, if you’re choosing between the two it might all boil down to a matter of preference. This is why I made an in-depth comparison of both pianos where I highlight the good and bad of either model. That way, you can read through this article and easily figure out which piano serves your needs better.
Alesis Recital Pro vs Prestige: Comparison Chart
Last update on 2024-12-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Alesis Recital Pro vs Prestige: A Head-to-Head Comparison
I compared these pianos based on three key features: the feel, tone, and extra piano features. And as you’ll soon see, it was a pretty close fight. At the end of it all, the Alesis Prestige narrowly scraped the win with a score of 3-1.
Keep reading as I discuss the features of both pianos in full detail so you can understand which pianists would benefit the most from either instrument. And by the end, you’ll have a clear choice of a piano that perfectly suits your needs!
Feel & Playability
The winner: Alesis Prestige
To be honest, I could barely tell the difference between these two pianos when I compared the feel. This is because both pianos have decent hammer action systems for the price. But after rigorous testing, I did notice that the Alesis Prestige had subtle weight differences between the keys to mimic a real acoustic piano. So, I ended up giving it the point.
+Hammer Action
The Alesis Recital Pro comes with fully-weighted keys. And in this price range, this is honestly the best you could hope for. Most of the time, pianos that cost as much as the Recital Pro comes with semi or non-weighted keys. And while you can definitely play expressively with these pianos, it’s much easier when the keys have some weight to them.
So, it was great to find that the Alesis Recital Pro had fully weighted keys. However, this piano uses the basic Alesis hammer action system. The Alesis Prestige, on the other hand, uses scaled hammer action, which produces a much more realistic feel.
With scaled hammer action, the keys will slowly get lighter as you play higher up on the piano. This mimics an acoustic piano as the bass keys on an acoustic piano are always heavier than the treble keys. This is a very subtle detail, but it can make a huge difference for the right pianist.
If you’re an experienced pianist, there’s a high chance you’re looking for a digital piano that feels close to an acoustic piano. And since the Alesis Prestige has scaled hammer action, it does a much better job at that compared to the Alesis Recital Pro.
Tone
The winner: Alesis Prestige
The next category for this comparison is the tone. Both of these pianos produce great tones, but I found that the Prestige had a slight edge. The Alesis Prestige was the obvious winner in this category, with a wider sound library and better tone generator.
+Tone Generation
The Alesis Recital Pro uses basic samples to produce its tones. So, whenever you press a key, you trigger a different sample from the piano. This is one of the most common tone-generation methods for digital pianos, and it’s also one of the most reliable.
That’s why it should come as no surprise that the Prestige also uses samples. However, this piano uses dual-layer samples, which means that each sample contains more sonic information than the samples on the Alesis Recital Pro.
When I tried the pianos myself, I found Prestige’s voices to be a bit more realistic. There was a slight digital flavor to the tones on the Alesis Recital. And while it wasn’t a deal-breaker, it’s something that you should note if you plan on buying this for yourself.
+Sound Library
The Alesis Prestige boasts a wider sound library than the Alesis Recital Pro. The Prestige has 16 voices which is much better than the Recital Pro’s 12 voices. But if you aren’t particular about voices and don’t need that much variety, either piano will serve you well.
Both of these instruments have all the basic tones you need from a digital piano. Aside from various acoustic piano and electric piano voices, these instruments also feature strings and organ voices. If you’re a beginner or novice piano, you’ll find this sound library has all the tones to play various musical styles.
So, whether you’re playing classical or pop music, both pianos have you covered. But if you’re looking for a bit more variety in your tones, then the Alesis Prestige has a slight edge.
Piano Features
The winner: Tie
Whenever I test digital pianos, I always look at the piano’s features. These include any extra playing modes, effects, and polyphony. I focused on the playing modes and the polyphony for these two pianos. And as you might expect from two entry-level instruments from the same brand, both have the same playing modes and polyphony.
So, I couldn’t award the point to any piano for this comparison point.
+Playing Modes
These pianos come with split, dual, and lesson modes. And if you’re a beginner or novice pianist, these modes are very useful. For example, you can use split mode to have a different voice on either side of the piano. That way, it seems like you’re playing two instruments at once, which is great if you’re playing alongside a vocalist.
You can also use the dual mode to blend two different voices. A common way pianists use this is by combining strings and piano voices. That way, the piano sounds much fuller, and you can convey more information in your playing.
And lastly, you have lesson mode. This mode divides the piano into two mini pianos with the same voice and tuning. This was originally designed for piano students so both the student and the teacher can use the piano at the same time. However, it’s also commonly used for piano duets if two pianos aren’t available.
+Polyphony
Both pianos have 128-note polyphony. This allows for very expressive playing and crystal clear notes, even if you play dense chords with the sustain pedal on.
Alesis Recital Pro vs Prestige: The Similarities
While these pianos come from different product lines, they are both entry-level options from the same brand. So, you can expect a fair amount of similarities between the two. For example, both of these pianos are portable and easy to use. That’s why these are some of the best budget-friendly options for beginners.
On top of that, both pianos have the same set of effects. This gives you a lot of control over your tone and allows you to shape your sound according to your needs. And while the Prestige has a slight edge, I would gladly recommend either of these pianos to any beginner pianist out there!
Quick Rundown of the Alesis Recital Pro
- A Digital Piano That’s Tailored to You - Feature-packed electric keyboard with 88 premium full-sized weighted hammer action keys with adjustable touch response to suit your preferred playing style
- Premium Sounds - 12 voices (Incl. Acoustic Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Synth, and Bass), built-in FX: Chorus, Modulation, Reverb, and two built in 20W speakers for clear, room-filling sound
- All The Right Connections - ¼” sustain pedal input (pedal not included), ¼” stereo headphone output for private practice and stereo outputs for connection to speakers / amplifiers
- Play the Keyboard Wherever You Go - Power via the included power adapter or 6 D cell batteries (not included) for professional piano performance anywhere
- Powerful Educational Features - Standard, split, layer, record and lesson modes with 128-note max polyphony and Skoove 3 month premium subscription for expert interactive online piano lessons
Last update on 2024-12-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown of the Alesis Prestige
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References:
- Alesis Recital Pro: https://www.alesis.com/products/view/recital-pro
- Alesis Prestige: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Prestige88–alesis-prestige-88-key-digital-piano-with-graded-hammer-action-keys
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