Among the numerous brands offering lines of digital pianos, one of the most promising and well-recognized names is the Kawai. It is known well for numerous reasons and has an incredible history in the music industry.
It is indeed one of the most innovative piano brands that has been producing the outclass products since 1927. The years of experience, skills and high-quality combine to deliver the best digital pianos. Kawai has always been trying to try out various different technologies and materials to improve the performance level, the tone, and durability of the instruments.
Related: Sustain Pedals
What are the Best Kawai Digital Pianos To Buy?
2) Kawai MP6 Professional Stage Piano
- Professional
- Enhanced Playability
- Great for Recording
- 256 Instrument Sounds
1) Kawai MP11 Professional Stage Piano
- Professional
- High Quality
- Touch-Sensitive Keys
- Touch-Sensitive Keys
- Great Sound
3) Kawai ES100 88-key Digital Piano
- Affordable
- Popular Choice
- Harmonic Imaging
- Dual and Split Modes
Kawai manufactured the industry’s very first digital piano with wooden keys. It was the first digital piano that had a real wood soundboard, built-in CD recorders, and incredible action design that resembled the motion of traditional acoustic pianos. Since then, it has been trying to further improve the craftsmanship of the instrument and is truly called the future of digital pianos.
The Kawai digital pianos are among the best sellers and usually, the mentors and teachers recommend this brand. Their pianos exhibit a remarkable combination of state of the art technology and traditional craftsmanship and deliver a wonderful experience.
Digital pianos by Kawai are considered to be a preferable choice for modern musicians. These are usually constructed with good quality plastic and composite materials. These are available in numerous styles and the tone, efficiency level and performance all depend on the material used. These are designed to deliver deep and soft notes of low tension and the tones are flat.
The action design of Kawai digital pianos generates soft tones and features improved clarity. The increased keystroke resistance, quick return and easy to play design makes it more popular and desirable. The attention to detail, precision, and solid construction are some other plus points of these digital pianos.
There are numerous other useful features that make Kawai among the top brands. It offers a vast line of digital pianos. There are different models each with different features that are specifically designed to cater the needs of different levels of musicians. Some are simple offering easy to play functions and improved performance while some are more advanced with a high-class and commendable output.
9 Best Kawai Digital Piano Reviews
If you are also fond of playing the piano and want to buy a digital one, Kawai has a lot to present. It is a daunting task to choose the most suitable one from such a vast variety. In order to make things easier for you and to save your time, we have come up with brief reviews of some of the best-selling and top models of Kawai digital pianos.
1) Kawai MP11 Professional Stage Piano
The Kawai MP11 gives the feel of a real grand piano. With praiseworthy action, touch-sensitive keys, user-friendly operation and amazing audio, it is one of the most appropriate choices for stage pianos.
The sounds are categorized into three different sections including Piano, EPiano, and Sub. Each of these sections has separate volume fader, reverb controls, effects and 4 voice categories with variation in tones for all these types. Thus, each section can be adjusted and played independently. This unique setting makes the key ranges, splits and layer creation simpler and does not allow the changes made in one section disturb the other.
Among all the Kawai digital pianos, the MP11 has the largest sample size and extended memory of sound. It has improved organic tonal quality and features enhanced clarity of notes. Moreover, it has an amp simulator that fattens the sound.
The five distinctive types of speaker cabinets, greater control over the volume levels and drive of an amplifier, and handy tone adjustments makes it a smart choice.
The product specifications include 40 voices, harmonic imaging with 88-key sampling, Grand feel the wooden key action, a polyphony of maximum 256 notes, customizable 129 effects and 6 reverbs, a USB recorder, and virtual technician that virtually customizes all elements of the piano. It has four keyboard modes including upper split, lower split, zone and full keyboard.
2) Kawai MP6 Professional Stage Piano
This remarkable instrument is one of the best digital pianos and delivers world-class performance. It has a very appreciable sounds selection and a reliable and solid action with enhanced playability and improved tonal qualities. It is designed to give excellent stage performance and it can serve well as a master keyboard.
Additionally, the Kawai MP6 gives the mixing option to the pianist and is a great choice for recording. The audio functionality of USB enables the players to play and record the WAV and MP3 audio files by the use of Any USB device.
A responsive and quick hammer action provide a realistic experience. This instrument has a very solid construction and is more durable. The characteristic features include 88 weighted keys, a responsive hammer action, total 256 sounds, progressive harmonic imaging and a polyphony of 192 notes. The size dimensions are 13.8 X 7.3 X 53.5 inches and it this piano weighs 47.4 pounds.
3) Kawai ES100 88-key Digital Piano with Speakers
The ES100 is designed to provide a soft touch and incredible acoustic piano experience. It features 88 keys, Damper pedal of F10H piano style, 3 metal paddles,19 beautiful sounds, power switch, volume slider and graded hammer action.
Moreover, it includes harmonic imaging technology adjusts the tones for each note in numerous kinds of voiced including strings, organs, pianos and more. The 12 preset songs are also available. The classy finish and attractive outlook makes are more amazing.
Kawai ES100 works in both the dual and split modes in which you can easily adjust the balance. You can either play two voices simultaneously or enjoy playing them on the 2 halves of a keyboard. Damper pedal, headphone jacks and midi input and output ports are also available.
The action includes heavier weights on the light end and lighter weights on the heavy side and makes the play easy for the learners and generate authentic feel. This digital piano comes complete with a fabulous metronome(built-in) that features many different time signatures and adjustable tempos that improves the practice to manifolds.
4) Kawai VPC1 Virtual Piano Controller
The Kawai VPC1 is a masterpiece that features marvelous design, out-class keyboard action and is known to be the best MIDI Controller available on the market. It uses RM3II keyboard that has 88 wooden keys, ivory touch finish which absorbs the oil and moisture from the surface, and the admirable triple-sensor technology that makes it more responsive when the keys are repeatedly played.
This piano has an extraordinarily soft touch. The wooden keys with counterweights and grade-weighted hammers provide a pleasing experience with enhanced ease of playability. The adjustable curves for velocity help to manage the softs and louds and provides greater control.
The keyboard is designed to minimize the distractions and there are no knobs, menus, and faders. This screen-less design keeps the players focused and makes the play more comfortable.
This piano can be connected to various devices by using the USB port and 5-pin DIN midi in and out ports. Both the ports (USB and DIN) can be used at the same time. The robust casing in matte black and wonderful wooden action combine to give an admirable acoustic piano experience.
5) Kawai ES110 88-key Digital Piano with Speakers
The Kawai ES 110 is one of the most amazing instruments and delivers a fantastic feel of acoustic pianos, superb sound quality, great ease, compact hammer action and 19 beautiful sounds. It is a perfect home piano with added lessons, split and dual modes and Bluetooth connectivity for connection with small devices.
Some other specifications include 88 key sampling, stereo speaker system(built-in) polyphony of 192 notes, damper pedal featuring half-damper support, MIDI ports, jacks, graded hammer action and 8 excellent piano sounds.
The improved settings include voicing, fallback noise, brilliance, damper noise and damper resonance. Its unique spring-less design features consistent and smooth motion that delivers a flawless and phenomenal experience. The graded action is designed with greater attention to details and gives you more control and stability while playing.
Like in other top-quality models, it also uses harmonic imaging technology and recreates the feel of traditional acoustic pianos. As mentioned, it offers 19 sounds including vibes, organs, choir, orchestral strings, electric pianos and more. It is a very wise selection for your development as a player. You can easily record the performances in the internal memory with a 3-song recorder.
6) Kawai CE220 Digital Piano
The beautiful design and top-class quality make it a true Kawai instruments. Playing it gives the lovely feel of the acoustic grand piano and an impressive tonal quality.
The exquisite look and flawless satin black finishing make this instrument more appealing and it is one of the most beautiful designs among the entire line of Kawai Pianos. The letters of ‘Kawai’ present on the console center and the pedal, both are gold plated and add to the attractive outlook of the piano.
Kawai CE220 has a very simple interface that attracts more customers. It comprises of a small LED display of three characters in the middle and many buttons for the selection of numerous features including the tones, rhythm, and voice.
This piano features a unique three pedal system (soft, sustain and sostenuto) and a readily available half damper action. Additionally, it has a very decent selection of tones and voices.
Other specifications include 88 keys, dual and split keyboard mode, virtual voicing, tuning several effects including reverbs, chorus, delay, 2 rotary functions, and tremolo. The Kawai CE220 weighs 126 pounds.
7) Kawai KDP90 Digital Piano
The beautiful Kawai KDP90 greatly mimics the playing experience of acoustic pianos and offers a pleasurable feel. The built-in speakers give a great sound quality and not only the sounds a number of other advanced features makes it look like a high-end model. This is perfect for those who want to get great quality, increased functionality and efficient performance at the moderate price.
The product specifications include 88 KEY piano sampling, 15 phenomenal instrument sounds, harmonic imaging, advanced hammer action, and more. Using the four hands mode, you can split the keyboard into two similar sections, each having 44 notes, which is perfect for private learning sessions.
It features three pedal system including the one string soft pedal on the left side, sostenuto pedal in middle, and on the right, there is the sustain pedal. The additional feature of damper resonance allows the players to adjust and control the resonance according to their taste and comfort.
8) Kawai ES8 Digital Piano – Black
The Kawai ES8 successfully recreates the excellent feel of an acoustic piano. The three-sensor technology makes it extremely responsive and delivers a wonderful experience. Interestingly, the addition of virtual technician aids the players to perform as per their requirements, as it allows them to alter and adjust the setting just by pressing some keys.
Using this feature, you can easily fix the key release noises, hammer, damper, damper resonance, and string. Thus, it makes this instrument more convenient to play. You can also increase the richness of the vibrant tones by using the reverberation effects.
To make your performance better, it offers a very amazing selection of instruments and total 34 sounds. The function of rhythm selection allows the solo performers to arrange the backing accompaniment more professionally and easily.
With this piano, you can easily perform any style of music. The USB connectors are added so that you can connect your ES8 to the computer and the data can also be loaded and saved directly to USB memory devices.
The additional features that make it a better digital piano are additional sounds, MIDI files of songs, Upgraded sound chip, memory slots, and graded hammer action. Some mentors suggest that it is an appropriate choice for school bands and churches.
9) Kawai MP7 88-key Stage Piano and Master Controller
This wonderful instrument has a remarkable master keyboard for the MIDI rig and is known to be ideal for that. It features the admirable sound of a grand piano because of the integration harmonic imaging. Easy to play, very responsive and wonderful adjustable features make it a great choice.
The specific features of Kawai MP7 include responsive hammer II weighted action, 88-key piano sampling, harmonic imaging, expression pedal input, classic EP sounds with amp simulations, 9 reverbs and total 129 effects and USB recorder.
Additionally, greater ease and comfortable playing are provided by the virtual technician that assists the players to easily adjust and control all the elements virtually. The Kawai MP7 includes total 256 voices that are arranged in 8 different groups. Moreover, it supports the polyphony of 256 notes. The USB port offers multiple connectivity options and you can connect your piano to your PC or MAC.
It is an excellent stage piano with numerous mesmerizing sounds, an enhanced control, and class-leading the action. The admirable 129 effects are all adjustable and you can manage to create pitch as per your requirements. Thus, this instrument provides great versatility, top notch quality, and commendable performance.
Choosing the Best Kawai Digital Piano
These were the basic features and some details about the performance capabilities of the most common and widely used digital pianos by Kawai. It is a reliable name and everyone knows that each of its instruments is matchless in terms of playability and quality.
2) Kawai MP6 Professional Stage Piano
- Professional
- Enhanced Playability
- Great for Recording
- 256 Instrument Sounds
1) Kawai MP11 Professional Stage Piano
- Professional
- High Quality
- Touch-Sensitive Keys
- Touch-Sensitive Keys
- Great Sound
3) Kawai ES100 88-key Digital Piano
- Affordable
- Popular Choice
- Harmonic Imaging
- Dual and Split Modes
Both these factors should be kept in mind while making the buying decision. Not every piano is meant for you. Some are easier to play and some are complicated with more advanced features. You should not consider the most expensive one as the suitable one for you. The best digital piano for you is the one that helps you to practice conveniently and polish you as a player.
Thus, if you are a new one in this field, you should go for simpler versions so that you can practice more and learn in a better way. However, if you have been playing for some time, you can go for stage pianos and enjoy a more professional performance.