The Kawai ES line of digital pianos are entry- to mid-level instruments with a decent set of features, a good keyboard feel and high quality sound.
Currently four models are in the lineup offered by Kawai: the ES920, ES520, ES120 and ES60. The higher numbered models tend to have better quality key beds and sounds, but all are very acceptable choices especially for beginning and amateur pianists.
Here we take a look at the most important factors most people consider when purchasing a digital piano. At the end is a specification chart with details for all four models.
There are three discontinued models in the ES series — the ES8, ES110 and ES100. These are no longer sold new by Kawai, but could be picked up second-hand. They are older and so will not have the most up-to-date technology and specifications as the current models. We will not cover those here.
Keyboard
One of the most important aspects of any digital piano is its action. All Kawai ES series instruments feature some variant of the Responsive Hammer action, which has a grade-weighted hammer action (heavier touch in the lower notes, lighter touch in the higher notes).
The ES920 has the most advanced version 3 hammer action. The ES520 and ES120 have versions 2 and 1 (respectively) of a compact action, meaning the mechanism is not as bulky so may feel very slightly different. The ES60, which emphasises portability, has a “Lite” version of the hammer action, which will still offer a good degree of realism but with less weight in the mechanism.
All have the full 88 key range, with matte key surfaces (the ES920 has ivory touch white key surfaces). The ES920 and ES520 have triple sensor hammer/key detection, which can be used for simulating the effect and sound of different playing techniques. The ES920 also has let-off simulation and counterweights in the key mechanism.
Piano Sound
Sample System
All ES series digital pianos feature some version of Kawai’s Harmonic Imaging (HI) sound sampling system, which provides a high level of realism emulating that of an acoustic piano. Some variant of HI is used across many of Kawai’s current lineup of digital pianos.
The ES920 has the most advanced HI system — HI-XL — while the ES520 has Progressive HI and the ES120 and ES60 have the standard HI. There will be subtle differences in the sound quality and representation of the acoustic pianos being modelled.
The ES60 takes samples from the Shigeru Kawai acoustic piano; the ES120 and ES520 from the SK-EX and EX concert grands, and the ES920 from the SK-EX, SK-5 and Kawai EX grands.
Polyphony
Polyphony — the number of notes able to be played at once — is another important factor. The ES920 has an impressive 256 notes of maximum polyphony, while the other models have 192. All would be wholly adequate for all but the most demanding pieces of music.
Virtual Technician
The virtual technician is Kawai’s onboard method of adjusting various aspects of the piano sounds. Each more advanced model has progressively more options, which may or may not be desirable to have.
The ES60 simply allows alteration of the touch curve — how the keyboard and sounds respond to a player’s touch.
The other models have a wide range of parameters which can be altered, including voicing, damper resonance and noise, string resonance, hammer delay, tuning, and more. See the specification table below for more information.
Pedals
Virtually all digital pianos can utilise at least one pedal, used for sustain (damper), while more advanced instruments can use two or three pedals to introduce soft and sostenuto pedals.
The ES60 comes with a simple switch sustain pedal, though it can also be used with a continuous pedal version that allows for half-pedalling.
The ES120 has the same sustain pedal options as the ES60 and can also be used with various compatible triple pedal units.
The ES520 and ES920 both come with the half-pedal compatible damper pedal and can be used with triple pedals also.
Other Sounds
Not vital to many pianists, having additional sounds can be a nice feature, particularly when simulating other keyboard instruments.
The ES60 has 17 additional voices; the ES120 has 25; the ES520 has 34; the ES920 has 38.
Speakers
All models in the ES range have built-in speakers. This does add to the instruments’ weight but has the advantage of not requiring a separate sound system connection.
The ES60 and ES120 have two 12cm 20W full range speakers; the ES520 and ES920 feature two 8x12cm 40W speakers.
Dimensions
All pianos in the range have very similar physical dimensions, varying only by a few centimetres/inches. The key mechanism and speakers contribute the most to the weight difference, with the ES60 coming in at around 11kg (24lbs) while the ES920 weighs in at 17kg (37.5lbs).
Stands
All models can use a designer stand which custom fits to the instrument, and can be purchased separately.
Other Features
All pianos feature nine books comprising 377 pieces of music which can be used as learning material, although these require the PiaBookPlayer app and a suitable tablet.
All but the ES60 feature some kind of audio recorder, with the higher models allowing for more songs and more notes in each song. The ES920 can record two parts, the ES520 and ES120 one part.
A built in metronome can count in various time signatures, while a rhythm section is present on all models. The ES920 features a full accompaniment section including 100 preset chord sequences.
The ES920 and ES520 have small displays which are used to show basic information. They all come with music stands.
All but the ES60 can connect use Bluetooth MIDI. Other differences are shown in the specification table below.
Specifications
ES920 | ES520 | ES120 | ES60 | ||
Keyboard | Responsive Hammer III action
| Responsive Hammer Compact II action
| Responsive Hammer Compact action
| Responsive Hammer Lite action
| |
Pedal | F-10H pedal unit
| F-10H pedal unit
| F-1SP switch pedal
| F-1SP switch pedal
| |
Sound | |||||
Piano Sound | Harmonic Imaging XL (HI-XL)
| Progressive Harmonic Imaging (PHI)
| Harmonic Imaging (HI)
| Harmonic Imaging (HI)
| |
Piano Resonance | Acoustic Rendering
| – | |||
Piano Adjustment | Virtual Technician (21 parameters)
| Virtual Technician (17 parameters)
| Virtual Technician (17 parameters, via PianoRemote app)
| Virtual Technician (1 parameters)
| |
No. of Sounds | 38 voices | 34 voices | 25 voices | 17 voices | |
Reverb | 6 types | 6 types | 6 types | 3 types | |
Brilliance | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | |
Other Effects | 16 types + amp simulator (3 types) | 16 types + amp simulator (3 types) | Preset (can be disabled) | Preset | |
Output System | |||||
Speakers | (8 x 12) cm x 2 (full range speakers) | (8 x 12) cm x 2 (full range speakers) | 12 cm x 2 (full range speakers) | 12 cm x 2 (full range speakers) | |
Output Power | 40 W (20 W × 2) | 40 W (20 W × 2) | 20 W (10 W × 2) | 20 W (10 W x 2) | |
Headphone Enhancements | Spatial Headphone Sound Headphone Type | Spatial Headphone Sound Headphone Type | Spatial Headphone Sound Headphone Type | – | |
Design | |||||
Display | 128 x 64 pixel OLED | 128 x 64 pixel OLED | – | – | |
Key Cover | – | – | – | – | |
Music Rest | Transparent, detachable type (included) | Transparent, detachable type (included) | Detachable type (included) | Detachable type (included) | |
Product Size & Weight | Width | 134 cm (52 3/4″) | 134 cm (52 3/4″) | 130.5 cm (51 1/3″) | 129.5 cm (51″) |
Depth | 37.5 cm (14 3/4″) [music rest detached] 43 cm (17″) [music rest attached] | 37.5 cm (14 3/4″) [music rest detached] 43 cm (17″) [music rest attached] | 28 cm (11″) [music rest detached] 35 cm (13 3/4″) [music rest attached] | 26 cm (10 1/4″) [music rest detached] 32.5 cm (12 3/4″) [music rest attached] | |
Height | 14.5 cm (5 3/4″) [music rest detached] 35 cm (13 3/4″) [music rest attached] | 14.5 cm (5 3/4″) [music rest detached] 35 cm (13 3/4″) [music rest attached] | 15 cm (6″) [music rest detached] 34 cm (13 1/3″) [music rest attached] | 15 cm (6″) [music rest detached] 33 cm (13″) [music rest attached] | |
Net Weight | 17.0 kg (37 1/2 lbs.) [music rest detached] 17.5 kg (38 1/2 lbs.) [music rest attached] | 14.5 kg (32 lbs.) [music rest detached] 15 kg (33 lbs.) [music rest attached] | 12 kg (26 1/2 lbs.) [music rest detached] 12.5 kg (27 1/2 lbs.) [music rest attached] | 11 kg (24 1/4 lbs.) [music rest detached] 11.5 kg (25 1/2 lbs.) [music rest attached] | |
Packing Size & Weight | Dimensions | 143 (W) x 45 (D) x 27.5 (H) cm | 143 (W) x 45 (D) x 27.5 (H) cm | 145 (W) x 37 (D) x 26.5 (H) cm | 140 (W) x 35 (D) x 26 (H) cm |
Gross Weight | 25 kg | 23 kg | 18 kg | 18 kg | |
Available Finishes | Black (ES920B) White (ES920W) | Black (ES520B) White (ES520W) | Black (ES120B) White (ES120W) Light Grey (ES120LG) * | Black (ES60B) | |
Functions | |||||
Basic Functions | 4-band EQ faders Dual Split Four Hands Transpose Tuning Registration (28 memories) Startup Setting | Dual Split Four Hands Transpose Tuning Registration (28 memories) Startup Setting | Dual Split Transpose Tuning Registration (4 memories) Startup Setting Speakers On/Off | Dual Split Transpose Tuning Speaker EQ Speakers On/Off | |
Internal Songs | Sound Demo | 25 sound demo songs 5 Main demo songs 2 Rhythm Section demo songs | 23 sound demo songs | 16 sound demo songs | 15 sound demo songs |
Piano Music | – | – | – | – | |
Concert Magic | – | – | – | – | |
Lesson Songs | 9 books, 377 pieces (via PiaBookPlayer app) | 9 books, 377 pieces (via PiaBookPlayer app) | 9 books, 377 pieces (via PiaBookPlayer app) | 9 books, 377 pieces (via PiaBookPlayer app) | |
Internal Recorder | Total Memory | approximately 90,000 notes | approximately 5,000 notes | approximately 15,000 notes | – |
No. of Songs | 10 songs | 3 songs | 3 songs | – | |
Parts | 2 parts | 1 part | 1 part | – | |
Metronome | Time Signatures | 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8 | 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8 | 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8 | 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8 |
Drum Rhythms | Rhythm Section
| 100 patterns | 100 patterns | 30 patterns | |
External Connectivity | |||||
Bluetooth * | Bluetooth (Ver. 4.1; GATT compatible) Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI Specification compliant Bluetooth Audio with aptX support | Bluetooth (Ver. 4.1; GATT compatible) Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI Specification compliant Bluetooth Audio with aptX support | Bluetooth (Ver. 5.0; GATT compatible) Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI Specification compliant Bluetooth Audio (Ver. 5.1; A2DP compatible) | – | |
USB Audio Recorder | Record/Playback | MP3 WAV SMF KSO | KSO [Kawai song format] SMF (Playback only) | – | – |
Other Functions | Overdubbing Bluetooth Audio recording | – | – | – | |
App Functions | PianoRemote (iOS/Android) PiaBookPlayer (iOS/Android) | PianoRemote (iOS/Android) PiaBookPlayer (iOS/Android) | PianoRemote (iOS/Android) PiaBookPlayer (iOS/Android) | PianoRemote (iOS/Android) PiaBookPlayer (iOS/Android) | |
External Connectivity | Headphone | 1 x 1/4″, 1 x 1/8″ Stereo jacks | 1 x 1/4″, 1 x 1/8″ Stereo jacks | 1 x 1/4″, 1 x 1/8″ Stereo jacks | 1 x 1/4″ stereo jack (front) |
MIDI | USB-MIDI, MIDI IN, MIDI OUT, Bluetooth MIDI * | USB-MIDI, MIDI IN, MIDI OUT, Bluetooth MIDI * | USB-MIDI, Bluetooth MIDI * | USB-MIDI | |
Line Out | 1/4″ L/MONO, R [unbalanced] | 1/4″ L/MONO, R [unbalanced] | 1/4″ L/MONO, R [unbalanced] | 1/4″ L/MONO, R [unbalanced] | |
Line In | 1/8″ Stereo [unbalanced] | 1/8″ Stereo [unbalanced] | – | – | |
USB to Host | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
USB to Device | Yes | Yes | – | – | |
Others | Damper (for F-10H) Damper/Soft/Sostenuto (for GFP-3, F-302) Speakers on/off switch | Damper (for F-10H) Damper/Soft/Sostenuto (for GFP-3, F-302) Speakers on/off switch | Damper (for F-1SP, F-10H) Pedal (for GFP-3, F-351) | Damper (for F-1SP, F-10H) | |
Power Supply | |||||
Power Consumption | 18 W | 18 W (Power off state: 0.13 W) | 9 W | 7 W | |
Included Accessories | |||||
Power | Power cable AC adaptor (PS-154) | Power cable AC adaptor (PS-154) | Power cable AC adaptor (PS-129) | Power cable AC adaptor (PS-129) | |
Bench | – | – | – | – | |
Headphones | – | – | – | – | |
Sheet Music | – | – | – | – | |
Others | Warranty card * Owner’s manual Transparent music rest F-10H damper pedal (with half-pedal support) | Warranty card * Owner’s manual Transparent music rest F-10H damper pedal (with half-pedal support) | Warranty Card * Owner’s Manual Music Rest F-1SP switch pedal | Warranty Card * Owner’s Manual Music Rest F-1SP switch pedal | |
