Top Kawai Digital Pianos
The Japanese brand Kawai has been active in piano manufacturing since 1927 and those almost 100 years of experience have put them in the spotlight as one of the most important manufacturers in the world of grand, half grand and upright pianos. This experience has also led the company to stand out in the world of digital pianos, where they stand out for their quality.
Kawai manufactures keyboards and pianos of a certain quality. There are ranges in which it does not compete like the 61-key musical keyboards.
It competes more in digital pianos that imitate an upright and portable digital pianos. Range in which it has several top sales.
Let’s check the most popular Kawai pianos:
Kawai ES110 (Old Kawai ES 100)
Kawai’s most popular model, competing with the Yamaha P125 and Roland FP 30 in the €500 to €600 range.
Let’s go with your characteristics:
- 88 Responsive Hammer Compact Action (RH-C) and Harmonic Imaging Sound weighted keys
- 8 piano sounds + 11 other sounds like strings (high quality sounds)
- Bluetooth MIDI technology (to be connected to the computer)
- 192 notes of polyphony that are more than enough to play anything
- 100 accompaniment styles
- Layer mode
- Partition mode
- 10 demo songs
- Transposition
- Metronome
- You can record what you play
- Resonance ‘damper’ to improve the feeling of playing an acoustic piano
- 2 headphone jacks
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Line-out (L/Mono, R) for live play
- MIDI Input/Output
- Power Supply Jack
- 2 x 7W speaker system
- Dimensions: 1,312 x 286 x 145mm (width x depth x height)
- Dimensions with the HML-1 stand (not included): 1.312 x 286 x 820mm (width x depth x height)
- A very portable weight of 12kg
- Includes F10H sustain pedal, lectern and F-350 power supply
Emulates only the resonance of the damper pedal
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The weighted keyboard feeling is famous for the best in its range. Let’s go with a video of this top seller:
You can read our full review of the Kawai ES110.
To buy it you have the following options:
Kawai ES8
It has a hammer action system in all its notes to better emulate the feel of the keys of an acoustic piano.
It is a more powerful version of the Kawai ES 110 which is around 1200 euros although it is not as popular in sales but is very competitive in its range. Let’s go with its features that are obviously better;
- 88 sensitive hammer action keys ‘Hammer III’ (RHIII) with pressure point simulation and triple sensor
- Harmonic Imaging XL’ sound enhancement effect
- 34 very high quality sounds
- Tremendous polyphony 256 notes of polyphony
- 100 styles with variation
- Transposition function
- Intonation
- String response effect to enhance the experience of playing a real piano
- Dual and split mode
- 4-hand mode for two people to touch
- Recording
- Metronome
- 2 headphone jacks
- MIDI Input/Output
- Line input for connecting a microphone or similar
- Line output for live performances
- USB to Host
- USB to device
- Very powerful 15″ 2-speaker system
- Dimensions: 1362 x 361 x 149mm (width x depth x height)
- Weight: 22.5kg, also comes with a good sustain pedal
It should be noted that it emulates the resonance of the damper pedal and the piano strings and has 34 sound banks.
On the other hand, it is quite heavy, although with the amount of features it has, it is not bad.
Let’s go with a video of this piano:
You can read our full review of the Kawai ES8.
To buy it you have the following possibilities:
Kawai CN-29 (Old CN 27)
Now let’s go with the portable piano from the CN line, the ultra-famous CN 29. A perfect piano if you want to study at home and are not as interested in transporting the piano. It usually costs around 1200 euros.
It has a hammer weighted action in all its notes to better emulate the feeling of the keys of an acoustic piano.
It emulates the resonance of two of its factors.
It has 19 sound banks.
Let’s go through its full features:
- 88 sensitive keys with hammer action (hammer III)
- 3 sensors that significantly improve sensitivity
- Ivory touch keys and ‘Let-Off’ simulation (escape effects, are nuances when the hammer hits the string in the piano system, you can configure various effects)
- 19 different high quality piano sounds
- 192 notes of polyphony. The notes that can sound at once on a piano including those that can sound when you play over an accompaniment.
- Midi bluetooth technology. The MIDI is super important to connect to the computer and work with music production programs.
- Lesson function. I personally find these functions useless in any piano.
- High quality effects
- Dual function or layering to play a piano sound + an accompaniment style such as a violin accompaniment (which sounds in the background while you play).
- 4-hand mode to divide the piano in two and play with someone.
- Metronome
- Transposition function
- 19 demo songs
- 1 track sequencer (3 songs, 10,000 notes). For recording.
- Keyboard cover
- 3 pedals with ‘Grand Feel Action’. Including the most important one which is the sustain pedal that allows you to keep the note in time if you stop pressing the key.
- 2 headphone outputs
- USB to Host (USB MIDI)
- MIDI Input/Output
- Bluetooth 4.1
- Two 20-watt Onkyo speaker system powerful enough to play with other instruments without the need for an extra amplifier.
- Dimensions: 1360 x 405 x 860 mm
- Weight: 43 kg
Let’s go with a video demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yfhOBgPD60
It has 2 very good speakers. This is a best seller, don’t miss our full review of the CN29.
You can buy them in the following stores:
Kawai MP-11SE
The Kawai MP 11SE stands out for having 3 independent sections, Piano, Electric Piano and Sub (which groups basses, strings and pads) each one of the parts with its own effects and parameters and allowing this digital piano to create combinations of the 3 motors at the same time to achieve complete and interesting sounds. You can check our Kawai MP-11 review.
We are talking about a very professional digital piano that usually costs around 2300 euros. Although it is bought less than the others in its range, it is also a top seller.
Let’s go with its characteristics
- 88 weighted keys (Weight that the keys of an acoustic piano have and that digital pianos try to imitate to equal the touch of the piano. The keys in the high register are heavier and in the high register less. This is different from the sensitivity on the keyboard which serves to regulate the volume of the note. But a counterbalanced keyboard always has sensitivity in the wooden keys that imitate the ivory touch very well. Keys with touch sensitivity very well achieved.
- Grand Feel piano touch enhancement action with 3 sensors per key. This is actually one of the best acoustic piano simulations ever made. Very successful (that’s why it’s worth what it’s worth)
- Includes the famous Shigeru Kawai SK-EX and SK-5 piano sounds (various piano and other instrument sounds)
- 40 sounds
- Includes 208 configuration memories to further expand your possibilities
- 256 notes of polyphony (Number of notes that can be played at once. This includes accompaniments that also consume notes. So if you play over an accompaniment more notes will be accumulated)
- No speakers, but an amplifier simulator
- DSP (Digital Signal Processing) effects. These are digital effects that modify the sound of the keyboard)
- Recording in midi format (MIDI allows you to do such wonderful things as connecting the keyboard to the computer, recording a sound track and with certain programs passing with a click what you have played to musical notes in a score. MIDI tracks store the information of the musical notes), mp3/WAV.
- It also has USB midi and conventional MIDI output
- 128 x 64 pixel, self-lighted LCD display with good visibility
- Metronome (Basic study element to study and practice the tempo of a piece of music)
- Pitch bend wheel (Functionality that changes the sound wave of what you play and then returns to its original state)
- Modulation wheel
- A weight of 34 kg and dimensions of 1380 x 452 x 190mm (width x depth x height)
- Includes sustain pedal (The sustain pedal on a piano or keyboard is used to keep the note playing even if you stop pressing the key) GFP-30
- Line output in all formats to connect to any amplifier or PA
- XLR outputs
- Helmets
- Input for ‘Damper’/’Soft’ pedal
- Input for Footswitch (configurable)
- Input for Expression pedal (configurable)
- USB input for pendrive and other devices
And now we go to a video of this marvel digital piano:
And you can buy them at the following stores:
Kawai MP-7SE
Although this piano is very similar to the MP-11SE with no separate sections and a slightly more limited sound bank, it has the same acoustic piano sounds and is less popular than the Kawai ES 8 seen before. It is also around 1300 euros.
Let’s go with your characteristics:
- 88 weighted keys (RH3) that imitate the feel of ivory
- Each key the three sensors that Kawai uses
- Includes the famous Shigeru Kawai SK-EX and SK-5 piano sounds
- 256 high quality sounds
- 256 possible configurations for the sounds
- 256 notes of polyphony that’s not bad
- 129 different effects and variations
- It doesn’t have speakers but it has an amplifier simulator
- DSP-type effects
- Mp3/WAV recording possible
- Fairly large LCD screen of 128 x 64 pixels
- Metronome
- Includes ‘Virtual ToneWheel’ Organ
- Weight 22.5 kg and dimensions 1352 x 339 x 172mm (width x depth x height)
- Includes F-10H sustain pedal
- Jack line output (L/Mono, R or 2 Mono) to connect to any amplification equipment
- Line input Jack
- Helmet Entrance
- It has USB MIDI and conventional
- USB input for pendrives and devices
Let’s go with a video of this keyboard:
If you want to know more here’s our review of the Kawai MP 7.
You can buy them at the following stores:
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