It’s every pianist’s dream to own an acoustic piano that they can practice on and play whenever they want. And while that’s a nice dream to work towards, these instruments can be very expensive, which makes it pretty impractical for beginners and budding musicians to get.
But one option that is very accessible to musicians is a digital piano. In this day and age, digital pianos have great tones and voices that have a similar feel and sound to acoustic ones and can offer you a wide variety of sounds that you can use in your own performance and musical journey.
And one of the best brands out there for digital pianos is Kawai. They are a company that have been around for over a century and have spent their time dedicated to providing musicians with high-quality instruments with great tones and playability.
While the brand has some great products in all price ranges, our top-pick for the best Kawai digital piano is the Kawai MP6, a fully-digital stage piano that comes packed with great musical features. It has over 256 sounds, realistic hammer action, and is one of the best pianos out there for performing and recording.
But that being said, this is also a fairly expensive option, which makes it pretty tough if you’re on a budget. But don’t worry! In this article, we’re taking a look at four of the best Kawai digital pianos on the market today, and we’ve even included a quick buying guide at the end to make picking the right option much easier.
Read on to learn more!
See also:
- Top 6 Best Arranger Keyboards
- Top 6 Best Digital Piano Under 1000$
- Top 6 Best Digital Pianos Under 500$
Quick Summary
Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Top 4 Best Kawai Digital Piano
#1. Kawai MP6 Stage Piano – The Best Overall Option
Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The first option on our list also happens to be our top pick. It is a full-on stage piano that’s ideal for professional pianists who might find themselves playing a lot of gigs and needs a high-quality portable instrument.
It has a full 88-key keyboard with Responsive Hammer action. This means that the keys are weighted and also sensitive to how hard you’re playing the keys. So if you press harder and faster, it will produce a louder sound as compared to if you play softly, just like an acoustic piano. It’s also fully-weighted, so you will really be getting the feel of an acoustic piano.
On top of that, the key surfaces are designed to simulate the feel of ebony and ivory keys, which is why it’s a very respected instrument in the music community. It comes packed with 256 different voices, which gives you an incredibly wide range of sounds that you can use in your playing or practice routines.
On top of that, it has USB connectivity so you can play either MP3 or WAV files on the keyboard, which could be a great practice tool for any musician. It also has a very user-friendly interface that allows you to change and adjust your sounds at the press of a button, which is very valuable when you’re performing on stage and need to make quick adjustments.
So if you’re willing to invest in a top-tier instrument, the Kawai MP6 could be the right one for you.
#2. Kawai ES520 – The Best Option For Music Students
- 88-key Digital Stage Piano with Responsive Hammer Compact II Action
- 40-watt Onkyo Stereo Speaker System
- Bluetooth MIDI pts
- 192-note Polyphony
- Dual Split Modes
Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
If you’re a serious music student, you will need an instrument that’s relatively affordable, but can be used as a quality performance and practice instrument, and this Kawai model is exactly that.
It has a full 88-key keyboard, so you have the full-range of notes available for you with an acoustic piano, and it also has Responsive Hammer action, to give you a more realistic playing feel. It also has 192 maximum polyphony, so you will be getting a very crisp and clear tone with this instrument. It also has one of the best grand piano sounds on the market today, making a very great practice and performance instrument for students.
It also comes with Dual Split Mode, which allows you to have a different voice on each hand. Not only is this a fun tool to play around with, it can give musicians a lot of sonic variety on stage, making it great for those who perform a lot. On top of that, it also has a 40-watt speaker system built-in. The speakers are designed to throw sound the same way an upright piano would, which makes it a huge joy to play with this instrument.
While it may be pretty tough to move this instrument around, it’s still a great pick for any music student because of the quality of tones, and the amazing feel of the instrument.
#3. Kawai ES100 – The Best Budget Option
Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
If you’re looking for a high-quality Kawai option for less than $1000, this might be the best pick for you.
While it is a budget-friendly option, it comes with Kawai’s famous Harmonic Imaging Sound Technology. While that may sound complicated, it’s basically a very sophisticated blend of technology that is designed to emulate the signature sounds of a 9-foot grand piano. It has a full 88-key keyboard and graded hammer action, so you’ll be getting a great feel similar to what you’ll get with an acoustic or upright piano.
It has 192-maximum polyphony and comes with 19 premium voices which includes eight great piano sounds. This will make for a very crisp overall tone, and since it has Split Dual Mode as well, it will be very easy to come up with unique sound combinations that you can use when practicing or performing.
On top of all of that, it also has a built-in stereo speaker system that allows you to use the instrument without plugging in to an amp or sound system. So for those looking for instruments on a budget, the ES100 could be the right one for you, so make sure to give it a look.
#4. Kawai ES110 – The Best Portable Option
- 88-key Digital Stage Piano with Responsive Hammer Compact Action
- Built-in Stereo Speaker System
- Bluetooth MIDI pts
- 192-note Polyphony
- Dual Split Modes
Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Our last option is a simple and compact instrument, which would be a great pick for musicians who move around a lot.
It has Kawai’s famous Harmonic Imaging Sounds Technology, so you can expect top-tier grand piano and piano sounds from this instrument. It’s a full 88-key keyboard with Responsive Hammer Action, so you’ll be getting great feel from this instrument as well. It comes with 19 different voices and split mode, which will be great features to have when playing live. It also has built-in lessons which are great for beginner or even seasoned musicians looking to refresh some of their skills.
It’s a very portable instrument, weighing less than 12 kilos, so moving it around will not be hard at all. It also has Integrated Bluetooth Technology, which allows you to connect your phone to the piano and play music from the speakers. This can make practicing with a backing track very easily, and you can evens stream piano lessons and practice the techniques in real time.
So if you’re looking for an instrument with great tones, and a very realistic feel that you can easily bring around with you to gigs and rehearsals, the ES110 might just be the right model for you.
What To Consider When Buying A Digital Piano
Type Of piano
When looking at digital instruments, there are a couple of types of pianos you would need to choose from. But to make things easier and simpler, we’ve categorized them into two categories: the keyboard type digital piano and the console-type digital piano.
Keyboard-style pianos are pretty straightforward. They look like your standard keyboard with no built-in stand and cabinet, but they sometimes come with speakers. These options are great for performers who move around a lot since they are portable, and if you get the right model, they will come with a bunch of settings and sounds that you can use in your performances. On top of that, a lot of the models out there even have sophisticated weighted key systems that give you a very accurate feel.
This is also the category that the stage piano falls under, which is one of the best types of digital piano out there.
Console-type models, on the other hand, are large and bulky, and usually come with a built-in stand and cabinet to simulate an acoustic piano. They also have weighted keys, which makes them look and feel like a real acoustic piano, especially since they also come with three expression pedals that you can use to add more dynamics to your playing.
If you want the closest thing you can get to an acoustic instrument, console-type pianos might be the right one for you. But that being said, they are expensive and can’t really be moved around, so they are best used as an in-house instrument for performance venues or as a home piano that is mainly used for practice.
Tone
The next thing to consider is the tone of the instrument and the voices it comes with. Tone basically refers to an instrument’s timbre, and is a very subjective area in the music world. Everyone has their own tastes and preferences when it comes to tone, so the best way to figure out if a piano has the right tone for you is to hear it and try the instrument out yourself.
On top of that, you also need to consider the voices that the piano comes with. Typically, a digital piano will only come with 5-20 different voices, but they are all very high-quality and very useful for pianists, unless you’re getting a stage piano that comes with hundreds of them.
If all you need are piano sounds, then there’s no real reason for you to head out and get a model loaded with different voices. However, if you need more sonic versatility because of the styles of music you play, it might be best to get an option that comes with a lot of voices.
Hammer action
This refers to the weight of the keys. When it comes to digital pianos, you can either get an option that is fully-weighted, semi-weighted, or not weighted at all.
If you’re looking for an instrument that feels like a real acoustic piano, then we highly recommend investing in a fully-weighted keyboard. This is because they do a great job of emulating real piano keys, and you can even get more sophisticated options where the lower keys are heavier than the lighter keys.
That being said, fully-weighted keyboards are relatively expensive. This is because a lot of work is put in to make sure that it has that certain hammer action. So if you’re on a tight budget, we recommend going for semi-weighted or non-weighted instrument since they are usually much more affordable than fully-weighted options.
Portability
One of the main pros of a digital piano is that it’s portable. Unlike large acoustic and upright pianos, digital ones can come in light and compact sizes that are easy to move around.
So if you’re a musician who finds themselves moving around a lot, we recommend making sure that your digital piano is light and can easily fit in a carrying case.
While console-type options usually have a more authentic sound and feel than normal keyboards, they aren’t portable and require a lot of work to move around. That’s why these instruments are more recommended for people who plan to keep the piano at home or at a performance venue.
Price
Lastly, you will have to consider the price range you’re shopping in. This will greatly help you narrow your options down, especially if you already know what kind of piano you want.
For performance-ready and professional-level instruments, expect to pay upwards of $1500. This is because the instruments are very high-quality, so don’t be surprised if premium products come with premium price tags. That being said, you can also find some great-sounding and feeling instruments in lower price ranges, but expect to sacrifice some of the premium features.
And if all you’re looking for is a basic practice instrument on a budget, you will easily be able to find one in the sub $700 price range. There are great pianos in just about any price range you can think of, which is why it’s important to select a specific range to shop from so it will be much easier to select the right product for you.
FAQ’s
Are Kawai digital pianos good?
Yes, they are. The brand is well-known in the music world for being one of the top piano brands in the market today. And on top of that, they have products available in a lot of different price ranges, designed for different types of musicians. So whether you’re a beginner student or a seasoned pianist, you’ll be able to find the right instrument for you in the Kawai catalog.
How long do Kawai digital pianos last?
Generally, you can expect a Kawai digital piano to last you 15-20 years. This is because there are no strings and hammers that need regular maintenance, making it much easier to take care of. And if you really make sure to maintain the piano right and not damage the electronics, it can even last you much longer than that.
Which is better Kawai or Yamaha?
This will depend on your musical tastes. Generally, Kawai tones are warmer than Yamaha ones, according to a lot of musicians. This makes Kawai the better option if you’re playing classical music and other piano-centered songs. However, Yamaha pianos offer more versatility in their tone, which would make them a great pick for musicians who play a variety of styles such as jazz, pop, rock, and blues.
How much should I spend on a digital piano?
This depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re on the hunt for performance-grade stage instruments, expect to spend anywhere between $1500-$2000, but if all you need is a basic instrument to practice and perform with, the sub-$1000 range would serve you very well.
But if you’re on a really tight budget, there are viable options out there that can cost even less than that in the sub-$500 range. That being said, you might have to make a couple of compromises when it comes to the tones, voices, feel, and features of the instrument.
Are digital pianos worth it?
Yes, they are. These instruments are cheaper than a lot of acoustic pianos, offer musicians a wide range of sounds and controls, and are also very portable. On top of that, they require less maintenance than an upright or acoustic, which is why they are a favorite choice for a lot of modern pianists.
Conclusion
So there you have it, some of the best digital pianos that Kawai has to offer. The instruments we featured in this list are fairly different from each other because each pianist and musician has their own set of tastes and preferences. So what might be the perfect instrument for one musician may not be ideal for another.
But as long as you’re comfortable with the piano you have and enjoying playing it, then you have the best instrument for you and no one can tell you otherwise. And if you think you found the option for you in this list, then all that’s left to do is head out and get one yourself!
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