I tried the Kawai ES-920 at the piano store today and will probably buy it for my bday. When I buy a condo, I will look for an acoustic piano and have both the keyboard and acoustic piano in the living room.
I bought a roland fp10 after watching your review and after comparing to privia pxs1100 and yamaha s p145. So i went in store and could immediately tell that the privia px s 1100 was harder to play at the top of the keys and roland's fp 10 felt much more distributed in terms of weight. Coming from an unweighted keyboard, i could feel the weight difference pretty much easily. Roland keys are heavier (which i didnt immediately liked but adapted to as Ive heard they are the most close to a actual piano) while the casio keys were lighter but hard to play at the top of the keys. Best way to compare the two is to try them in person. So far, i love the roland fp10! Midi out works great in fl studio with the sustain pedal and piano;s speakers can be used with headphones attached (search an online tutorial).
We're glad to hear that Stu's reviews/comparisons were helpful and that you have been enjoying your Roland FP10! They're very solid pianos - that is for sure. And they double as an excellent MIDI controller too as you've discovered.
@@PPP-on3vl Hi, I certainly couldn't test this particular model, however i could test the celvanio ap270 or somthing and they keys were, in my opinion, a bit harder to play than the roland. However, bare in mind that i came from an unweighted keyboard so that contributes more towards me feeling the heavy weight. The top keys of the ap270 were just as soft to press as the bottom of the saame keys so the action was kind of similar in terms of weight differences. For gp310 i would highly recommend to test yourself in the stores :)
Great video. I bought a brand new Kawai GL40 (traded in my GL10 for it) a few months and suddenly one neighbor has complained (even though I only play half hour a day at most). They never complained when I had the Kawai GL10 baby grand. None the other neighbors have said a word. The one neighbor that complained would stomp over my apartment within a few minutes of playing my Kawai GL40 Grand. So I decided to buy a Kawai ES920 digital. Although the ES920 is decent it’s not even close to playing my Kawai GL40 Grand. So in the future I may want to upgrade to a Kawai GX2 Aures 3. Would you take a near brand new GL40 as a trade for a brand new GX2 Aures? I do love my Kawai GL40 as I cross shopped it between a GX1, a GL30 and a K800 and chose the GL40 over them. A GX2 Aures sounds like a good move.
Thanks so much! I'm sorry to hear you are having some troubles with neighbours. With that said, a GL30 Aures 2 or GX2 Aures 2 would certainly solve that problem given your ability to play with headphones or have volume control to play at lower levels. I don't know about other dealers, but - if you are located in Canada - we would certainly take a GL40 in on trade towards a GX2 Aures 2.
I have a Kawai k300 in a condo apartment and I try to play in the afternoon or before the condo cutoff time of 10 pm. Sometimes I can hear my upstairs neighbour dropping marbles whenever I play but I try to ignore that else I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the playing as much. So far nobody has directly complained as I close the windows and doors whenever I play. Wish I can afford the k300 Aures in the future.
There are a number of excellent aftermarket silent systems (Adsilent 2 is one that comes to mind), which may be a possible solution. Having a silent system onboard is quite empowering in terms of being able to practice at any time of day of course.
As someone who had to put the piano in 30cm max depth space, I think it is worth mentioning some stage pianos as they were basicly the only thing that could fit. I went with FP30x but Kawai ES120 was also a solid choice. Ofc they lack volume and some other capabilities but for a smaller space FP30x gives more then enough volume and the key mechanics is in all honesty very similar to upright pianos.
@@MerriamPianos I accompanied my student to DC Pianos in Berkeley. She and I quality controlled about 12 K-200s.. ONE stood out as properly voiced and regulated. It is the dealer's job to invest in voicing and regulation.. I don't believe these come out of the box with the work done in most cases. I found this to be true at various dealerships on East and West Coasts.
If you can't afford new, try a Kawai Ce7N. I had one for several years living in a cottage and it was brilliant. Made entirely in Japan, they're compact with a wonderful sound and touch, great bass for such a small instrument, and they've got a center practice pedal to keep the neighbours and family happy. As said, they're not a new model but there are some lovely Ce7N's out there. I've recently moved to a larger space again and exchanged mine for a Kawai K500.
Absolutely! The older Japanese-made Kawai console pianos (CX4, CX5, CE7, etc.) are excellent. They are some of very few console designs that offer a lot of warmth and tonal depth. Thanks for writing in! :)
Sir, off topic......Watching many players of acoustic pianos, it is rare to see them using the left and center pedals as oppose to many players using predominantly the right pedals for reverb/sustain effects. What does the left and center pedals produce? Why are they not often used like the right pedal? Aloha from Hawaii.
the left makes the piano more silent. on a grand it switches to the una corda pedal (only 1 string is played) on an upright it moves the hammers nearer to the string. the middle (if not activating a silent mode, or removing the dampers) is a little bit special. The sostenuto pedal only removes the dampers from the keys currently played, i think it needs a lot of experience to use that one. the right pedal is the most important. the left food is most times used to keep the balance while moving your body back and forward while playing... as far as i do it myself.
Hello from Canada! Thanks for the question! The right pedal is a sustain/damper pedal, which lifts the dampers off the strings allowing thing to ring freely. The left and middle pedals differ between grands and uprights. On an upright, the left pedal is called the soft pedal, which moves the hammers closer to the strings producing a softer sound. The middle pedal is a practice pedal, which engages a layer of felt between the hammer and strings to significantly dampen the sound and reduce the volume. On a grand, the left pedal is called the una corda pedal, which shifts the hammers/action over to strike one less string in order to produce a softer sound. The middle pedal is a sostenuto pedal, which allows players to sustain the notes that were being held down at the time the pedal was engaged, but still have the freedom to articulate other notes as they please without sustain. Thanks and hope this helps! :)
Yamaha is notorious for offering less for more. I'm not knocking their quality (they are very high quality) it's just that they have so few features, and often at higher prices. It may work for them but I want to get more for my money, and Kawai does just that.
I do agree with the sentiment that - generally speaking - Kawai offers incredible cost-to-value ratios that most manufacturers struggle to compete with.
so true.. I have a student who spent near 20K on a Yamaha acoustic vertical.. in a year it has gone tinny. Part of the problem is the added option that rigs the action so she can put earphones on and hear a digital produced sound.
You would be surprised! When a new generation comes out and there is a surplus of previous generation models, they usually get bought up quite quickly once they're discounted. There are a lot of savvy consumers out there looking for a great deal.
I would disagree that Bechstein's Vario system does not affect playability. I bought Academy 124 a year ago without the Vario system planning to add it later as all Bechsteins are now wired for Bluetooth at the factory making them Vario ready. The technician who came to tune the piano advised me that installation of the Midi strip below the keyboard would reduce the travel distance of the keys and affect the feel of the keyboard and playability. If you are a beginner player, you would not care but if you are an advanced player buying a premium instrument like Bechstein you don't want to compromise. I ended up just keeping my Roland HP-508 for evening practice by me and my daughter - an amazing instrument I bought new 11 years ago which is still going strong. I realise having two instruments side by side is a luxury if you don't have the space. If you don't have the space and need a silent option - I would advise against getting a mechanical instrument and modifying it with the silent system but instead would recommend getting the top spec'd digital Roland (or Kawai) like LX-9 or similar. You would save a ton of money, but get a very good instrument, in my biased opinion :)
There may be some very subtle differences in feel, but that could also be attributed to the fact that even two specimens of the same model will play a little differently based on how the action is regulated. We have done some blind testing at our showrooms between K300 and K300 Aures 2 units for instance, and it is very rare for a player (even high-level players) to discern the difference between the two.
We have had a few Wendl & Lung pianos come through our showrooms on trade. I have always been impressed with them aesthetically, but find that they need quite a bit of prep/technician work to extract the most out of them musically. With that work completed, they can be solid pianos.
For sure! Because the width and depth are fairly standard dimensions, taller uprights are usually no more difficult to fit. Whether or not the taller piano has too much power/volume output for the room is the bigger concern really.
I don't really understand the space issue when we talk about upright piano. The difference between a console vs studio vs professional is the height. Rarely people lives where the room is lower than 5ft. I understand that there is some compact digital piano that have shorter. Most of the time the action is meh.
That is true. I think people assume there are massive size differences in terms of the other dimensions of an upright piano, but it is primarily just the height that changes. There are some exceptions though. There were a number of a sub-88 key console acoustic piano models that were meaningfully narrower.
@@MerriamPianos Continental design (ex. K15) without front legs have indeed a "smaller footprint" but it's not like your are going to stack some stuff there anyway...
I would love to have an acoustic at home but because I live in a condo, I purchased the Roland Kiyola in 2019. It's so beautiful and it served the purpose as a practice piano for my late beginner/early intermediate level. However, I understand that in order to advance it would be better to practice on an acoustic. I thought the taller pianos produce louder sound which can overwhelm a smaller space. That has been one of my concerns along with disturbing my neighbours.
The Kawai K500 Auris 2 does not have the latest Kawai Ca901 sound of the new SK EX competition grand it is the sound from previous generation Kawai CA99
Roland should mimic what Kawai is doing with the piano controls on their highest end Digital Pianos> An Android cell phone screen and interface on the left side of the keyboard. Enough with the buttons across the top of the keyboard. It isn't classy. Yes I know they dim out but the Kawai implementation is superior.
It all comes down to taste. I am also a big fan of the touch screens, but there are a lot of pianists that prefer to have a more traditional button/knob based control interface.
I disagree here. I prefer Roland’s button layout over Kawai’s touch screen. It’s a lot more classy to me than a touchscreen. Also easier and faster to make changes.
The GP6 uses a composite plastic/wood key. It is a very good design though as it gives you the rigidity of plastic, but the weighting/feel of a wood key.
I bought a GL-10 in my rented 1 room apartment 🤣🤣 and now I am buying a 3bhk house just for it🫨 so my answer to this question is buy what you love in your budget and think of the rest later! Also did I mention my neighbours are not happy at all🤭
Hi there, that is not true. The Kiyola uses the PHA50 action and SuperNATURAL Piano Modelling engine, whereas the F107 and F701 models use the PHA4 action and SuperNATURAL Piano (sample-based) engine. The DP603 is essentially the same core piano experience as the Kiyola KF10 though. So, that is an option that will give a similar look and musical experience but still save a few dollars if the Kiyola is out-of-budget.
I tried the Kawai ES-920 at the piano store today and will probably buy it for my bday. When I buy a condo, I will look for an acoustic piano and have both the keyboard and acoustic piano in the living room.
I love my kawai ES920!
@ , cool. I was impressed by the internal speakers. I k is it’s 37.5 lbs. Does it feel really heavy?
The ES920 is amazing! It greatly outperforms its price tag in my opinion. I think you would be quite happy with it!
@ , thanks!
The ES920 is amazing. I bought one as my retirement present
Great Video! I have just ordered a Kawai K 500 Aures 2 for my mid-sized living room and I can't wait for it to arrive 😁
Thanks so much! Congratulations on your K500 Aures 2! The K500 is a wonderful piano to begin with, but the Aures 2 technology is really quite cool!
Hope you are aware that the action is very different between the AURES and the standard versions
I bought a roland fp10 after watching your review and after comparing to privia pxs1100 and yamaha s p145. So i went in store and could immediately tell that the privia px s 1100 was harder to play at the top of the keys and roland's fp 10 felt much more distributed in terms of weight. Coming from an unweighted keyboard, i could feel the weight difference pretty much easily. Roland keys are heavier (which i didnt immediately liked but adapted to as Ive heard they are the most close to a actual piano) while the casio keys were lighter but hard to play at the top of the keys. Best way to compare the two is to try them in person. So far, i love the roland fp10! Midi out works great in fl studio with the sustain pedal and piano;s speakers can be used with headphones attached (search an online tutorial).
We're glad to hear that Stu's reviews/comparisons were helpful and that you have been enjoying your Roland FP10! They're very solid pianos - that is for sure. And they double as an excellent MIDI controller too as you've discovered.
@MerriamPianos how about casio gp 310 ?!!!
@@PPP-on3vl Hi, I certainly couldn't test this particular model, however i could test the celvanio ap270 or somthing and they keys were, in my opinion, a bit harder to play than the roland. However, bare in mind that i came from an unweighted keyboard so that contributes more towards me feeling the heavy weight. The top keys of the ap270 were just as soft to press as the bottom of the saame keys so the action was kind of similar in terms of weight differences. For gp310 i would highly recommend to test yourself in the stores :)
Great video. I bought a brand new Kawai GL40 (traded in my GL10 for it) a few months and suddenly one neighbor has complained (even though I only play half hour a day at most). They never complained when I had the Kawai GL10 baby grand. None the other neighbors have said a word. The one neighbor that complained would stomp over my apartment within a few minutes of playing my Kawai GL40 Grand. So I decided to buy a Kawai ES920 digital. Although the ES920 is decent it’s not even close to playing my Kawai GL40 Grand. So in the future I may want to upgrade to a Kawai GX2 Aures 3. Would you take a near brand new GL40 as a trade for a brand new GX2 Aures? I do love my Kawai GL40 as I cross shopped it between a GX1, a GL30 and a K800 and chose the GL40 over them. A GX2 Aures sounds like a good move.
Thanks so much! I'm sorry to hear you are having some troubles with neighbours. With that said, a GL30 Aures 2 or GX2 Aures 2 would certainly solve that problem given your ability to play with headphones or have volume control to play at lower levels. I don't know about other dealers, but - if you are located in Canada - we would certainly take a GL40 in on trade towards a GX2 Aures 2.
I have a Kawai k300 in a condo apartment and I try to play in the afternoon or before the condo cutoff time of 10 pm. Sometimes I can hear my upstairs neighbour dropping marbles whenever I play but I try to ignore that else I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the playing as much. So far nobody has directly complained as I close the windows and doors whenever I play. Wish I can afford the k300 Aures in the future.
There are a number of excellent aftermarket silent systems (Adsilent 2 is one that comes to mind), which may be a possible solution. Having a silent system onboard is quite empowering in terms of being able to practice at any time of day of course.
Drill some Hanon in retaliation for the marble dropping.
@RoachFace, oh, no, not the Hanon exercises. 😂😂😂
As someone who had to put the piano in 30cm max depth space, I think it is worth mentioning some stage pianos as they were basicly the only thing that could fit. I went with FP30x but Kawai ES120 was also a solid choice. Ofc they lack volume and some other capabilities but for a smaller space FP30x gives more then enough volume and the key mechanics is in all honesty very similar to upright pianos.
Absolutely! There are many amazing portable digital pianos on the market right now, which sound excellent and have a very small footprint.
Made in Indonesia, some K-200's are great.. Among a whole row, you can pick one that is nicely voiced and properly regulated.
The K200s are excellent pianos that greatly outperform their price tag in my opinion (especially when well-prepped as you've mentioned)! :)
@@MerriamPianos I accompanied my student to DC Pianos in Berkeley. She and I quality controlled about 12 K-200s.. ONE stood out as properly voiced and regulated. It is the dealer's job to invest in voicing and regulation.. I don't believe these come out of the box with the work done in most cases. I found this to be true at various dealerships on East and West Coasts.
I believe that a stage piano like the rd2000 or the fp90x is also a best alternative
If you're looking to optimize the action of a digital piano, portable and stage pianos are certainly a good bet. :)
@MerriamPianos the Lx9 has same action
RD2000 is overbloated, especially on the left side.
If you can't afford new, try a Kawai Ce7N. I had one for several years living in a cottage and it was brilliant. Made entirely in Japan, they're compact with a wonderful sound and touch, great bass for such a small instrument, and they've got a center practice pedal to keep the neighbours and family happy. As said, they're not a new model but there are some lovely Ce7N's out there. I've recently moved to a larger space again and exchanged mine for a Kawai K500.
Absolutely! The older Japanese-made Kawai console pianos (CX4, CX5, CE7, etc.) are excellent. They are some of very few console designs that offer a lot of warmth and tonal depth. Thanks for writing in! :)
@@MerriamPianos ☺
My favourite in the Hybrid category is the NU1XA.
The NU1XA is a very solid instrument - especially considering its price point.
Very nice overview. I think the Steinway K132 could be added to the list.
Thank you so much! It would certainly be worthy of the list. :)
Sir, off topic......Watching many players of acoustic pianos, it is rare to see them using the left and center pedals as oppose to many players using predominantly the right pedals for reverb/sustain effects. What does the left and center pedals produce? Why are they not often used like the right pedal? Aloha from Hawaii.
the left makes the piano more silent. on a grand it switches to the una corda pedal (only 1 string is played) on an upright it moves the hammers nearer to the string. the middle (if not activating a silent mode, or removing the dampers) is a little bit special. The sostenuto pedal only removes the dampers from the keys currently played, i think it needs a lot of experience to use that one. the right pedal is the most important. the left food is most times used to keep the balance while moving your body back and forward while playing... as far as i do it myself.
Hello from Canada! Thanks for the question! The right pedal is a sustain/damper pedal, which lifts the dampers off the strings allowing thing to ring freely. The left and middle pedals differ between grands and uprights. On an upright, the left pedal is called the soft pedal, which moves the hammers closer to the strings producing a softer sound. The middle pedal is a practice pedal, which engages a layer of felt between the hammer and strings to significantly dampen the sound and reduce the volume. On a grand, the left pedal is called the una corda pedal, which shifts the hammers/action over to strike one less string in order to produce a softer sound. The middle pedal is a sostenuto pedal, which allows players to sustain the notes that were being held down at the time the pedal was engaged, but still have the freedom to articulate other notes as they please without sustain. Thanks and hope this helps! :)
Yamaha is notorious for offering less for more. I'm not knocking their quality (they are very high quality) it's just that they have so few features, and often at higher prices. It may work for them but I want to get more for my money, and Kawai does just that.
I do agree with the sentiment that - generally speaking - Kawai offers incredible cost-to-value ratios that most manufacturers struggle to compete with.
so true.. I have a student who spent near 20K on a Yamaha acoustic vertical.. in a year it has gone tinny. Part of the problem is the added option that rigs the action so she can put earphones on and hear a digital produced sound.
I am curious as to what happens to all the models that go unsold from one year to the next; There have to be hundreds still in boxes...
You would be surprised! When a new generation comes out and there is a surplus of previous generation models, they usually get bought up quite quickly once they're discounted. There are a lot of savvy consumers out there looking for a great deal.
I would disagree that Bechstein's Vario system does not affect playability. I bought Academy 124 a year ago without the Vario system planning to add it later as all Bechsteins are now wired for Bluetooth at the factory making them Vario ready. The technician who came to tune the piano advised me that installation of the Midi strip below the keyboard would reduce the travel distance of the keys and affect the feel of the keyboard and playability. If you are a beginner player, you would not care but if you are an advanced player buying a premium instrument like Bechstein you don't want to compromise. I ended up just keeping my Roland HP-508 for evening practice by me and my daughter - an amazing instrument I bought new 11 years ago which is still going strong. I realise having two instruments side by side is a luxury if you don't have the space. If you don't have the space and need a silent option - I would advise against getting a mechanical instrument and modifying it with the silent system but instead would recommend getting the top spec'd digital Roland (or Kawai) like LX-9 or similar. You would save a ton of money, but get a very good instrument, in my biased opinion :)
There may be some very subtle differences in feel, but that could also be attributed to the fact that even two specimens of the same model will play a little differently based on how the action is regulated. We have done some blind testing at our showrooms between K300 and K300 Aures 2 units for instance, and it is very rare for a player (even high-level players) to discern the difference between the two.
thanks but,what do you think about the upright piano WENDL&LUNG W120 ?
We have had a few Wendl & Lung pianos come through our showrooms on trade. I have always been impressed with them aesthetically, but find that they need quite a bit of prep/technician work to extract the most out of them musically. With that work completed, they can be solid pianos.
Good acoustic in a small space? Try the Charles Walter (American made) 43” console.
Thanks so much for the suggestion! :)
OMFG Bechstein if you have the budget!
Bechstein make magical pianos. There are certainly no doubts about that! ;)
I would have thought that for acoustic piano, you could go very big since it’s mostly get higher.
For sure! Because the width and depth are fairly standard dimensions, taller uprights are usually no more difficult to fit. Whether or not the taller piano has too much power/volume output for the room is the bigger concern really.
@ oh I understand thanks
I don't really understand the space issue when we talk about upright piano. The difference between a console vs studio vs professional is the height. Rarely people lives where the room is lower than 5ft. I understand that there is some compact digital piano that have shorter. Most of the time the action is meh.
That is true. I think people assume there are massive size differences in terms of the other dimensions of an upright piano, but it is primarily just the height that changes. There are some exceptions though. There were a number of a sub-88 key console acoustic piano models that were meaningfully narrower.
@@MerriamPianos Continental design (ex. K15) without front legs have indeed a "smaller footprint" but it's not like your are going to stack some stuff there anyway...
I would love to have an acoustic at home but because I live in a condo, I purchased the Roland Kiyola in 2019. It's so beautiful and it served the purpose as a practice piano for my late beginner/early intermediate level. However, I understand that in order to advance it would be better to practice on an acoustic. I thought the taller pianos produce louder sound which can overwhelm a smaller space. That has been one of my concerns along with disturbing my neighbours.
The Kawai K500 Auris 2 does not have the latest Kawai Ca901 sound of the new SK EX competition grand it is the sound from previous generation Kawai CA99
That is correct. The Novus and Aures 2 models do not have the new SK-EX Competition Grand sounds at this time.
Can’t afford any of them 😂 but enjoyed the vid ❤
Thanks so much! We appreciate you watching. :)
Roland should mimic what Kawai is doing with the piano controls on their highest end Digital Pianos> An Android cell phone screen and interface on the left side of the keyboard. Enough with the buttons across the top of the keyboard. It isn't classy. Yes I know they dim out but the Kawai implementation is superior.
It all comes down to taste. I am also a big fan of the touch screens, but there are a lot of pianists that prefer to have a more traditional button/knob based control interface.
I disagree here. I prefer Roland’s button layout over Kawai’s touch screen. It’s a lot more classy to me than a touchscreen. Also easier and faster to make changes.
The best solution is to fix the housing crisis!
There is certainly a correlation between having sufficient space and the purchase of larger acoustic pianos.
Such a shame GP-6 doesn't have wood keys.. would've been an instant buy otherwise
The GP6 uses a composite plastic/wood key. It is a very good design though as it gives you the rigidity of plastic, but the weighting/feel of a wood key.
I bought a GL-10 in my rented 1 room apartment 🤣🤣 and now I am buying a 3bhk house just for it🫨 so my answer to this question is buy what you love in your budget and think of the rest later! Also did I mention my neighbours are not happy at all🤭
Haha I like this strategy and philosophy! Totally worth a few annoyed neighbours in my opinion! ;)
Thanks so much for tuning in and sharing!
Roland F107 instead of the Kiyola... Easier to find and probably a bit cheaper with the same touch and sound engine
Hi there, that is not true. The Kiyola uses the PHA50 action and SuperNATURAL Piano Modelling engine, whereas the F107 and F701 models use the PHA4 action and SuperNATURAL Piano (sample-based) engine. The DP603 is essentially the same core piano experience as the Kiyola KF10 though. So, that is an option that will give a similar look and musical experience but still save a few dollars if the Kiyola is out-of-budget.