Kawai vs Yamaha Digital Piano
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This is the age of technology and everything has changed. The world has become digitalized and this change can be seen in everything. The digital versions of musical instruments have become very popular and the one that we are going to discuss today is pianos.
The electronic version has gained much popularity and its fame is increasing day by day. It is easier to play and deliver good sound quality and tone. Some of the digital pianos are designed in a way that they look just like the traditional pianos. To recreate the feel of the acoustic piano, the weighted keys are used. These are lighter in weight and cost less as compared to the acoustic pianos. Several other advantages are also offered by the digital pianos and these are becoming widely popular among the public.
These are easier to operate and interestingly, you don’t have to tune them manually. In order to match its tuning with other instruments, it can conveniently be modified. The sound is produced electronically and can be made softer or louder as per your requirement using the volume control feature. Sound can be amplified to a great extent for the large venue settings. Additionally, many models can be played with headphones and allow you to freely practice in your room or apartment.
The two famous brands that we are comparing today are the Well-reputed Yamaha and a famous Kawai brand.
Yamaha
Yamaha Corporation is among the top manufacturers of both the electronic and acoustic instruments and has been serving the industry for many years. Among its diverse range of instruments, the one that gained the most fame is digital piano. Yamaha offers a very interesting range and different models for different levels of musicians and each product has precision and attention to detail which makes them more desirable.
Kawai
On the other hand, Kawai musical instruments manufacturing Co., Ltd is an old and well-established company that has won several international awards for excellence. It was established in 1927 and its experience of 90 years makes it one of the leading names that are selling pianos. Kawai digital pianos are among the best sellers and are often recommended by the mentors. These present perfect combination of traditional craftsmanship of piano and advanced technology to deliver a phenomenal experience.
Both are exceptionally well and offer remarkable features. Therefore people often debate on which one they should choose. Particularly the newbies who don’t have enough knowledge and experience about this amazing instrument, it is difficult to decide which one to buy.
In order to decide which one is better for you, you have to have some basic knowledge about the features and characteristics of both.
Yamaha VS Kawai Digital Piano
Both are known for out-class quality and commendable professional efficiency and both present wonderful models of digital pianos. You cannot call any of these better than the other in terms of quality. The major difference lies in their approach to digital piano construction.
Construction
The Yamaha has a more conventional approach and makes special efforts to best imitate the acoustic pianos. Therefore, it uses natural material and high-class wood. It can be clearly observed when you look at the high-end pianos. You can say that the traditional musicians who are in search of more authenticity would like to pick Yamaha.
On the other hand, Kawai is more of a modern musician’s choice and its many designs include high-class plastic and some other composite materials. It doesn’t include detailed mimicking of the acoustic ones and offers various different styles. The performance level, efficiency, and tone also depend on the material used.
Tone
Considering the tone, Yamaha is the one that delivers warmth and brightness in the tones. Its sound is well-rounded and full Kawai is engineered to give flatter tones more organically and features softer and deeper notes because of low tension design.
Action
Both the pianos also vary in action. Kawai’s action features enhanced clarity and wonderful soft tones. Its structure provides improved resistance in the keystroke and a quicker return. Thus its fast moving features and easy playability is amazing. Yamaha imitates the action of traditional acoustic pianos very closely. Hence, Yamaha also has appreciable sustain and action.
Head to head comparison
The best way to highlight the difference between Yamaha and Kawai is comparing the top models of both. We have selected two popular model from each brand - Kawai ES100 88-key Digital Piano and Yamaha DGX650B Digital Piano for head to head comparison.
Note: Kawai ES100 88-key Digital Piano and Yamaha DGX650B Digital Piano are having a close price tag
Kawai ES100 88-key Digital Piano
Kawai, a popular Japanese company has been producing top-notch digital pianos for years and the model under consideration is one of its masterpieces.
Its sound quality is amazing and equal to some of the expensive models. This 88-key piano has all the characteristics that are required for a realistic and admirable experience.
Kawai ES100 88-key Digital Piano
The weighted keyboard featuring advanced hammer action (IV-F) delivers a heavy-touch at low tones and a pleasantly light touch at the high notes. The graded hammer action allows the players to have a more authentic feel.
To replicate the acoustic sound in a more efficient way, the sound mechanism is based on harmonic imaging. It also helps to maintain the tone for each note in different voices including strings, bass, organ and some others.
This Kawai Piano has a dual and Split mode. As the name suggests, the dual enables two voices to be played simultaneously. And in split mode, two voices can be played on two sides of the keyboard. This makes it an excellent choice for one to one instructions and group lessons.
The ES100 has a fantastic built-in metronome that presents a broad range of tempos that can be easily adjusted. Additionally the time signatures aid in enhanced practice and better performance.
It has MIDI in and out jacks through which you can connect it to other digital instruments and computer. Moreover, the jacks for headphones are also available that allow the pianist to have a more quiet, calm and private play.
The Three song recorder of Kawai ES100 is made for capturing the compositions and ideas more quickly. It also enhances the user experience by allowing the pianist to keep track of the play and compositions during practice.
Furthermore, the maximum polyphony comprises 192 notes and maintains the efficient and smooth performance even during the complicated passages. It has several advanced features that let the experts rock the performance and for the starters, it provides more ease. A special built-in piano lessons collection is added to make it more convenient for the new players.
The size measurements of this beautiful Piano include 51.6 X 11.2 X 5.7 inches and the total weight is 33 pounds. It is not heavy and can be very easily transported from one place to the other.
Yamaha DGX650 Digital Piano
This exquisite digital piano is a new addition to the DGX line and is specifically engineered for the starters. Its exclusive features provide greater ease and improved comfort level for the new players to have a convenient start.
It is an affordable choice that delivers a fantastic and clear sound of the digital grand piano. Thus the students don’t have to spend huge money on buying costly and higher-end models. The valuable educational features make it more desirable and preferable to the piano teachers and students.
Yamaha DGX650B Digital Piano
Like the high-end Yamaha models, the DGX 650 keyboard has a graded hammer standard weighted system that provides a more acoustic feeling with all the 88 keys having heavier and lighter touch on the opposite ends. The GHS action helps the newbies to get hold of proper finger technique.
This piano doesn’t allow much control over the sound manipulation but gives an excellent experience with a great feel of the acoustic piano. It comes complete with very useful educational suite software of Yamaha. This suite allows the new players to master various aspects of the song including pitch and rhythm by isolating them. Once the players have gained the grip, they can come back to combine all the aspects together.
This remarkable instrument gives a contemporary experience and classic touch. The waiting and tempo modes make it more user-friendly. In waiting mode, you can pause the tracks, keep them on hold until you play the notes according to the score list. The tempo mode enables you to monitor and track the accuracy of play and alters the tempo.
Yamaha DGX 650 uses the smart chord technology for the assistance of novice users. With this technology, they can play a single note of the chord while the remaining notes are filled by the keyboard.
It comes complete with a songbook that has a marvelous compilation of songs from the known artists. Speaking of the sound features, this piano has more than 500 presets including brass instruments, percussions, woodwind and many more.
The DGX 650 can be connected to a vast variety of devices including a computer, mobile, and other keyboards as well. You can connect these with your Kawai DGX 650 and listen to it via internal speaker. There is a USB slot for flash drive insertion. The headphone jack is also there which is best for private practice and you can use it for connecting external speaker as well.
For better learning, the display screen is made more readable and bigger in size. The students can efficiently learn by playing from start to end with the simultaneous grading of their play. The special 128 note polyphony makes it more appropriate and it provides a matchless learning experience.The size measurements are 58.9 X 21.5 X 12.8 inches and the weight is 48.5 pounds.
Which digital piano brand is better?
Well, this highly debatable question actually has a very simple answer.
Each one is best in its own way.
We know that you are not going to like this answer.
Both make use of state of the art technology and pay special attention to strong construction and precision. The answer to this question depends on your personal choice.
Yes, that’s right. It depends on individual’s preferences. Some like a more conservational style and bright tones, on the other hand, some like to experience something new and want to play softer tones.
Some want to go for a user-friendly instrument that exhibits fast response while some like traditional design and durable construction. So the answer to which is better is very subjective and varies from person to person.
Thus, the one that suits your style more is your pick.
The best way for you to decide most suitable one is to try out both the brands. Play various models of Yamaha and Kawai and then decide which one you like the most and which is more comfortable for you. The musical experience is something that can ever be accurately described in words. You have to try that yourself.
All the best!