Can anybody explain Roland DP vs MIDI keyboard limitations? :-)

You can also consider the FP-90 by Roland, should have the same sound engine and action as the HP605 and LX17, but in a much more manageable package + cheaper (costs almost the same as a VPC1). It only weighs around 50 lbs (~22 kg) so moving will be super easy.

We recently had to move our older HP508 up a flight of stairs (~170 lbs or ~80 kg!!) and nearly broke our backs... Totally underestimated how heavy it is.

Oh and the sensitivity levels, 127-128 when paired with Pianoteq is perfectly adequate in my opinion.

Good luck on your search!

Interestingly, consistently getting into the 20 levels is a very difficult task. To fall for example in the values 5-15-30-45-60 .. not real. Perhaps, having devoted training in this direction during a long time you can train yourself. Likely. But consistently falling into one meaning is entirely possible. For example, I can get a value of 3 or 4 or 10 with a 70% probability. It's not so difficult. Catch values in 102 for example, for me it is more difficult .. In the dynamics of forte, the spread increases with me. And those changes in timbre and dynamics with a difference of 1 speed are invisible. 61k probably is too much. Perhaps this allows a more flexible velocity curve to be applied. But there is one "but"! We are dealing with a string (in this case with emulation) and then it matters "WHEN" you hit it. Even if you play at the same speed, you will get a slightly different sound depending on which phases you catch. I have enough 127 speeds. Although to try 61k interesting. Those Roland that had to touch were slightly lightweight in action. For myself, I found a more convenient vpc1 + minimalist design for the soul. Heavy weight only by weight. But if the built-in sounds, then Roland. This, too, can be inspiring.

Thanks a bunch for that input! :-)    I had actually totally ignored the stage pianos, because initially my main focus was primarily to get as close as possible to the sound and feel of a real acustic piano and thought it would need to be a dedicated piano model.....or as I later found, perhaps a VERY good midi keyboard couple with Pianoteq software could work too.

The FP-90 model seems to suggest I can get,nearly(obviously lacks the speaker system simulating the sound enviroment from a bigger acustic piano) the best of both worlds.

This also raises the question in my mind, why in the world wouldn't everybody, with a piano interest, just choose the Roland FP-90 model and get the best all-in-one solution then?  :-)

Is there perhaps something to be said, about the quality/precision of the translation of the digital processing of the keypressing to midi conversion, between the Roland FP-90 and the dedicated midi piano from Kawai VPC1?  :-)

Or is midi just "midi" regardless of piano model used?  :-)

If that is the case, I suddenly percieve the Kawai piano as extremely expensive, considering what you get. I mean, I find it a bit hard to see where the production expenses comes from, for at product consisting mainly of some piano keys connected to a converter that translates the key movements to midi signals...all incapsuled in a big plastic box, shaped like a stage piano??   ;-)   I'm guessing a 150$ production cost?   ;-P

Anyways, I digress, OT....would be really nice to hear from people that had the chance to try and compare the models mentioned.  And also to hear from some technical knowledgable people, that can explain to me what I pay for, in terms of "quality" in a premium midi piano vs a cheap piano.....if we look pass obvious differences like more buttons and onboard displays and speakers......are there more to offer than these differences?  :-)

I want to note that while the VPC1 has longer keys than most MIDI controllers, and it has a good action, the keys are significantly shorter than the Roland PHA50 action, and that can be felt while playing. Between the action of the VPC1 and the FP90, I'd take the latter. Also, there's the HP601 with the same action if you don't care about portability and you appreciate the stand and keycover (personally I prefer this form factor) and in some places it can be had cheaper than the FP90 (around 150-200e cheaper).
In the end it's a matter of preference, but I don't see the VPC1 as being better action-wise. For the GF2 action that may be another matter, but that's more expensive.
And don't worry about the MIDI capabilities. Pretty much any quality digital piano does the same thing over MIDI. The significant differences are in how the keys feel.

If HP/LX models have audio inputs, then yes it should be possible - you disable local control on them (it would still send MIDI out, it just wouldn't trigger internal engine), and then route output from your audio interface to HP/LX.

Latency would solely depend on quality of ASIO drivers used by the interface. Here I absolutely recommend anything by RME.

How about Kawai MP11SE+Pianoteq?
MP11SE's action supposed to be better action and more realistic action than Roland PHA-50, and you go modelling with Pianoteq.

No worries about researching, a couple of years ago everything MIDI and VST related was a complete mystery for me. Little by little, I have become comfortable and understand all I need to about the setup and adjustments.

Yes, as noted by EvilDragon, you can play through the internal speakers, but generally you shouldn't expect it to sound great, because the internal speakers aren't top notch and they're not really optimized for the line-in sound. Maybe top of the line home digital pianos will have a decent enough sound system, but mid-range ones like the HP601/603 won't sound that great when playing VSTs through the internal speakers. But there are external monitors that do sound great and can be had for reasonable sums. Another problem that often occurs when playing through the internal speakers is a ground loop (unwanted noise) that is heard when connecting the piano via USB to the computer and then the sound output back to the piano. This can be mitigated but I'm not sure it's worth it for mid-range pianos.
Personally I have two monitors (Focal Alpha 65) placed on top of my Roland piano on some IsoPads (to avoid the piano case resonating) and the quality is fantastic. Feels as immersive as I could possibly want.

For latency, RME are most likely the best out there, but they are priced accordingly. However, very good results can be achieved with entry-mid priced interfaces such as Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2nd gen or the Steinberg UR22 mkII (which I have). You can use them with virtually unperceivable latency. There's also a generic driver Asio4All which can be installed on any computer and doesn't require an external interface. If the computer is reasonably powerful, you may also get very low latency this way (probably as low as the two interfaces named above).

The thing is, for a small room you won't need or desire the big sound that LX17 and other consoles give out.  The Fp90 may well sound full enough; my DGX pianos always have, even at 6W per channel.
My current FP50 does not, but the 90/60 may well have addressed that.  Maybe.
Theoretically, it should be easy enough with an external amp or system, to adjust the volume and tone levels to correspond to your headphone sound.   Maybe it would be easier to enable a dedicated Pianoteq preset instead to achieve that.
Just a thought or two  . . .

Latency is not solely about CPU, it's mostly about how well the audio chip can handle lower latencies. Some built-in solutions in laptops (and tablets etc.) are better than others and will perform at lower latencies regardless of the CPU (more or less). Perhaps you've been lucky

That's absolutely the truth. Which is why I will always recommend RME. Yes, Babyface might seem expensive for what it is, but if the best possible performance is what's necessary, RME has the best drivers for this, bar none.

Also, do note that the 1.5 ms latency is just what the driver reports. There are other latencies included: latency from MIDI controller to computer, USB bus latency (both on input AND output), digital-to-analog converter latency... when all of this is summed, you will always get a higher number (though at 64 samples ASIO buffer it should still be below 10 ms, overall).

The Steinberg UR22 mkII seems to work quite well, and the Steinberg driver is very serviceable.  ASIO4ALL was terrible, until I learned the trick from a video on the website www.SurfaceProAudio.com of selecting only the top line in the ASIO4ALL control window: Realtek HD Output with SST, then select Out: 2x 44.1-48kHz 32 bits, and make sure that everything else is left unchecked.  This tip reduced my ASIO4ALL latency greatly, such that I don't bother traveling with my Steinberg UR 22 mk II anymore just to play my CME X-Key through my SurfacePro4 into a pair of earphones.  Before this tip, the latency with ASIO4ALL was intolerable.

EvilDragon, you have a SurfacePro4 - how do you set yours up, with and without your external audio card?

- David

Thanks.  I have disabled CPU throttling and run at High Power settings as well.  Disabling of the CPU throttling made a huge difference.