Casio PX-770 vs Kawai KDP-110: The Best Console Digital Pianos on a Budget?

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Learn the differences and features of both of these pianos in this Casio PX-770 vs Kawai KDP-110 review.

Console digital pianos are a great investment. Not only do they sound great and come with various voices, but they can also replicate the look and feel of an acoustic piano. So, if you want to place an acoustic piano in your home but don’t want to spend that much on one, a console digital piano is a great alternative.

And in this Casio PX-770 vs Kawai KDP-110 comparison, we’re looking at two very popular console digital pianos available today.

Not only do these pianos sound great and feel realistic, but they’re also some of the most affordable options on the market. And while the comparison was very close, I chose the Kawai KDP-110 as the winner.

It had a more realistic feel and more piano features, so it was the clear choice, even if the Casio PX-770 had a slightly more realistic tone. I’ll get into more detail about this comparison below, so keep reading to learn more.

Casio PX-770 vs Kawai KDP-110: Comparison Chart

Image
The Winner (#1)
Kawai KDP110 88-Key Digital Piano, Premium Rosewood
The Runner-up (#2)
Casio PX-770 WH Privia Digital Home Piano, White
Model
Kawai KDP 110
Casio PX-770
Number of keys
88
88
Hammer Action
Responsive Hammer Compact II
Scaled Hammer Action
Split Mode
Polyphony
192
128
Effects
None
4 x Reverb, 4 x Chorus, 3 x Brilliance
Pedal
12 cm x 2
Three-pedal unit
Dual Mode
Number of voices
15
19
Touch Response
Non-Adjustable
3 types
Weight
86lbs
69.4 lbs
Headphone Input
2 x ¼’’ TRS
Lesson Mode
Tone Generation
Harmonic Imaging
AiR (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator)
What I like
Price
Price not available
$899.00
The Winner (#1)
Image
Kawai KDP110 88-Key Digital Piano, Premium Rosewood
Model
Kawai KDP 110
Number of keys
88
Hammer Action
Responsive Hammer Compact II
Split Mode
Polyphony
192
Effects
None
Pedal
12 cm x 2
Dual Mode
Number of voices
15
Touch Response
Non-Adjustable
Weight
86lbs
Headphone Input
Lesson Mode
Tone Generation
Harmonic Imaging
What I like
Price
Price not available
More info
The Runner-up (#2)
Image
Casio PX-770 WH Privia Digital Home Piano, White
Model
Casio PX-770
Number of keys
88
Hammer Action
Scaled Hammer Action
Split Mode
Polyphony
128
Effects
4 x Reverb, 4 x Chorus, 3 x Brilliance
Pedal
Three-pedal unit
Dual Mode
Number of voices
19
Touch Response
3 types
Weight
69.4 lbs
Headphone Input
2 x ¼’’ TRS
Lesson Mode
Tone Generation
AiR (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator)
What I like
Price
$899.00
More info

Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Casio PX-770 vs Kawai KDP-110: A Head-to-Head Comparison

After comparing the tones, feel, and piano features of both instruments, the Kawai KDP-110 was the definite winner. The score at the end of it all was 2-1 in favor of the Kawai, which shows how close of a fight this comparison was.

Both of these pianos are great options, especially when shopping in the sub-$1,000 range. However, while the Casio PX-770’s tone was more realistic and it had a wider sound library, I found the feel and piano features sub-par compared to the KDP-110, which is why it couldn’t win the entire comparison.

Tone

The winner: Casio PX-770

I always check out the tone when I first get my hands on a digital piano. And as expected, both the Casio PX-770 and Kawai KDP-110 offer a premium sound that’s very close to an acoustic piano. However, when compared side by side, I found the Casio’s voices to be much clearer, and since it also has a larger sound library, it beat out the Kawai in this category.

Casio PX-770: Tone
Casio PX-770: Tone

+Tone Generator

The Kawai KDP-110 uses Harmonic Imaging. This is an advanced technology that uses the highest-quality recordings of different instruments to produce a sound. The Casio PX-770, on the other hand, uses a similar technology known as the Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator (AiR). 

I had no problems with either tone generator. In fact, these tone generators can easily compete with many of the options that are in higher price ranges. However, when comparing them side by side, I noticed more clarity and detail in the Casio’s voices, especially in the grand piano sounds.

The difference is very small, but it’s still noticeable. So, if you’re very particular about a piano’s tone, you might be better off with the Casio PX-770.

+Sound Library

On top of having clearer and crisper tones, the Casio PX-770 also features a wider sound library. The Kawai KDP-110 only has 15 tones, which include all the basics, but it’s still limited. On the flip side, the Casio PX-770 has over 19 voices, each of which are high-quality and useful.

The Casio doesn’t have that much more voices as the KDP-110, but as a pianist, it’s always important to have variety. With the Casio, you get more choices when playing the instrument, allowing you to tweak the tone to fit into various musical styles.

While console digital pianos aren’t the most flexible instruments since they aren’t portable, it’s nice that the Casio model has a wide sound library that gives you more flexibility than usual.

That said, remember that tone is a very subjective topic. Every pianist has their own preferences and tastes when it comes to piano tones. This is why it’s always best to find ways to test the instrument and listen to the tone first-hand whenever you buy a digital piano.

Kawai KDP-110 features Responsive Hammer Compact II keyboard technology
Kawai KDP-110 features Responsive Hammer Compact II keyboard technology

Feel

The winner: Kawai KDP-110

The next comparison point was the feel. Most pianists will say that they can instantly tell when they’re playing a digital piano without even looking at it. This is because it’s very hard for a digital piano to capture the exact feel of an acoustic piano.

However, both the Kawai KDP-110 and Casio PX-770 do their best to emulate the feeling of playing a real acoustic piano. Between the two, I found that the Kawai KDP-110 felt a bit more realistic, and below, I’ll explain why.

+Hammer Action

The Casio PX-770 uses the Scaled Hammer Action system. I really enjoyed this as this hammer action feels very close to the weight of an acoustic piano. When you press on the keys, you’ll notice that the bass notes are slightly heavier than the higher notes, which is how most acoustic pianos are set up.

This gives you an additional layer of realism that beats out other models that only have fully-weighted keys. And to my surprise, the Kawai KDP-110’s, Responsive Hammer Action II system was able to do the same thing but even better than the Casio.

This is because, aside from having a slight weight difference on the keys, the piano also has a spring-back system. When you play a premium piano, there is a distinct rebound whenever you press a key which the Casio doesn’t have. The Kawai does have this feature, which is why it easily won the point when I compared the feel and hammer action of both pianos.

Piano Features

The winner: Kawai KDP-110

Lastly, I compared the piano features of the two pianos. And again, the Kawai KDP-110 won the comparison. It had much better polyphony, which is one of the most important extra features to consider with modern digital pianos. So, the Kawai KDP-110 won the tie-breaking point, which is how it ended up winning the entire comparison.

+Polyphony

Polyphony is very important when you want to experiment with different playing modes or if you want to add expression to your playing with the sustain pedal. Ideally, you want to have more than 96-note polyphony with a digital piano. This is why I was very happy to see that the Casio PX-770 came with 128-note maximum polyphony.

While this was already impressive, the Kawai KDP-110 came with 196-note polyphony. This makes a major difference as you can experiment more with different playing modes, combine various tones, and of course, keep the sustain pedal on and expect the notes to ring out for a long time.

Keys of Kawai KDP-110
Keys of Kawai KDP-110

Casio PX-770 vs Kawai KDP-110: The Similarities

The most significant similarity between these two pianos is the fact that they are console pianos. A console piano is meant to stay in one place and replicate the look and sound of a fully acoustic piano. While you lack some of the flexibility you get when you buy a portable digital piano, you make up for it with a better sound and feel, which is why console digital pianos are great investments.

On top of that, both of these pianos fall comfortably in the sub-$1000 price range. This is quite a surprise as most console digital pianos that sound great and last a long time require you to spend a fair amount of money. And in my opinion, these are arguably some of the best console digital pianos available for those that don’t want to bust the bank.

Another similarity is that both of these pianos come with a set of playing modes. Most of the time, budget-friendly digital pianos don’t have different playing modes, and if they do, they are low-quality and aren’t worth using. However, when testing out both of these models, I found the playing modes to be very practical and sound great, which is another bonus of getting these pianos.

Quick Rundown of the Casio PX-770

Casio PX-770 WH Privia Digital Home Piano, White
  • The AiR engine provides highly-accurate grand piano sounds with seamless dynamics for a remarkably expressive and powerful performance
  • The Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II keyboard has an incredible feel and captures the dynamics of a performance with unparalleled speed and accuracy
  • Includes a powerful stereo amplification system offering an optimal listening experience that is crystal-clear across the entire audio spectrum
  • Duet Mode splits the piano into two equal pitch ranges, allowing a student and teacher to sit at the same instrument
  • Concert Play allows you to play along with ten recordings of well-known orchestral pieces

Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Pros
  • A great digital console piano that doesn’t cost a fortune
  • Very realistic and detailed piano tones from the AiR Sound Source
  • Comes with textured keys that feel very realistic
  • Has a 3-pedal footswitch
  • Has a varied tone library for a console piano
Cons
  • Doesn’t have a natural spring back when you press a key

Quick Rundown of the Kawai KDP-110

Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Pros
  • Integrates with various apps
  • Very realistic feel
  • Offers great value for the money
  • One of the best digital pianos in this price range
  • 192-note polyphony
Cons
  • Doesn’t come with any effects
  • The sound library could be better

Product Video

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