proud owner of a sk2! my apartment is not big, it just about fits, also even if it fits, the sound can get too much for a small space. love the warm, round tones, perfect home piano
Both pianos sound wonderful. SK5 is about 35% pricier than the SK2 by MSRP (~ USD 20K), so for that money, I'll take the SK2; that bass for a 5'11 is beautifully impressive on its own.
SK-5 is my favorite on the ES-8. I've edited it to be a bit brighter. The lower octaves are so woody :) It's perfect for Moonlight Sonata. Edit: As on queue, 12:30 ^_^ Nice playing! I like your interpretation!
I'm going to have to echo the other comments and say that the larger piano sounds much better to my ears. I've played one of their pianos before, but couldn't tell you which model. I can only imagine what these magnificent instruments look like, as I cannot see. It is always a pleasure listening to you test out some amazing pianos like these two.
Would love to have either one, including the required space! First thing to do when the kids move out: buy a grand. Until then, I'll stick with the ES7.
In your first test piece I got the impression that the SK2 had a longer sustain in the treble. It could be a function of the brighter voicing. Both pianos are excellent. The tone of the smaller model can be improved a bit with further voicing but there is a limit due to its size. Longer strings in general will produce a better tone.
An SK-5 and an SK-2 will DEFINITELY be tuned to different stretches! You will never see two different-size pianos used together in a concert setting, because they can't be tuned to match across the keyboard (or if they were, one of them wouldn't sound in tune with itself).
They both sounds fantastic although in the early start of the video there was some extra noise also do I got the impression that there where one or two notes different pitched ( do I even write that right?). But they sound great. I like the 5 a tiny little bit more because of the deep notes on the other side the high notes on the 2 are super bright and almost echoing. So there is only a small difference between them? That’s interesting. In my memory the difference was always huge. Although I can’t remember if I ever played this brand but definitely other big and small ones. Interesting and thank you for sharing and playing.
The Shigeru Kawai SK-5 sells new for roughly $55K. A lot of money but a very reasonable price compared to the Yamaha CF series or the higher end European makers.
Can you do a review on alesis recital begginer semi weighted I'm very curious of what will be your opinion pllsss!! 😊 And which one is better, alesis recital or williams legato 3?
Nice comparison James. The SK-5 is actually 6’7” and the SK-2 is 5’11” which makes the smaller piano even more impressive than you thought. Do also note that you can take 1 inch off those measurements for the actual size of the scale design as both models have the extended key lengths by 1.334 inches.
A great revue as usual James! How about a revue of the Kawai GL 10? I would be interested in your thoughts on that one, as it's on my wish list. Cheers Steve.
Short bass strings turn to mud faster... Still, the "small" Kawai played real bass notes North of the bottom B... pretty impressive. 14:15 James noted voicing could be different... Same piano in center was neat. Bottom line: physics rules... and at 5'11" (vs 6'7"), the SK-2 is not small. Interesting how a little (?) bass gain at this point requires huge size changes.
I cant believe I am first.... started playing one year ago and found your channel. I am shopping for a used old grand. Maybe more reviews on older pianos?
First one to comment..................James I really like the testing piece that you play...............the melody is so soothing and engaging at the same time................would love to see you just play a longer version of that piece on your favorite piano/synthesizer
I wonder if I painted the name Shigeru in front of Kawai on my KG2C it would improve the tone?😉. Seriously, I had a 1979 KG2C for about 25 years that was very hard to control dynamically. I sold it and bought a 1993 KG2C one year ago because it played far better than the 1979. When I played it before I bought it it was in a smaller very acoustically different room (carpet and 8 foot ceiling with many books on shelves) than my large (2 car garage) sized room with no carpet (just a rug) and vaulted ceiling and not much furniture. I put a rug under it to warm it up, but it still has a rather thin tone, a bit too ...not tinny but not bright either...just not warm treble. I wonder what a good voicing would do .... I am a little apprehensive about too much needling because I don’t want it to sound muffled either. It also needs a bit of regulation -it has a few keys that have a very slight “bobble” (my term for that sound on Glen Gould’s recordings😊). What would you recommend to warm up a KG2C?
Really fun comparison. Interesting how similar the instruments are. Upper and mid range are nice and clear. The bass sounds somewhat brassy and lacks character though but seems like a great instrument to learn on. Someone has to take the place of Baldwin in the US market - maybe these instruments?
Like them both but the SK5 has richer mid range and bass. Used my best pair of headphones for this and was mildly surprised at how nice they both sound. My local hospital has a Kawai grand sitting in the lobby that I have played. Do not know the model or age but it sounds like crap and plays like crap.
The SK5 can hold its own againstt any fine European piano. The SK2 sounded like two pianos melded together: the treble of one, icy-cold and the mid-range and bass a bit too reticent (vis-a-vis the treble) for my liking.
I am a huge fan of clear treble and strong base, so kind of combination of these two. But once again it all depends on the type of music. I cannot say which one I like more. My first impression after hearing your treble test song was that I strongly prefer the smaller one - the treble on the bigger one was just bland. Everything changed after the bass test song - this bland treble sounded absolutely amazing with deep bass, and the smaller piano render of the song felt just empty. So, if I was to choose one of them, I'd probably go with the SK5, I love bass too much ;)
When I played the SK-5 in person, I automatically thought how intimate it is. And though I cannot afford the SK5, I went with the Digital ES8.
But at least, you could play it
So Kawai managed to make 2 different size pianos be that similar, that's impressive!
proud owner of a sk2! my apartment is not big, it just about fits, also even if it fits, the sound can get too much for a small space. love the warm, round tones, perfect home piano
Two gorgeous sounding pianos. That SK-5 though, oh my👌🏻🤯 Such a joy to listen to! Thanks James man!!😊
Both pianos sound wonderful. SK5 is about 35% pricier than the SK2 by MSRP (~ USD 20K), so for that money, I'll take the SK2; that bass for a 5'11 is beautifully impressive on its own.
they sound absolutly wonderful. very dreamy, mellow, i really love it
SK-5 is my favorite on the ES-8. I've edited it to be a bit brighter. The lower octaves are so woody :) It's perfect for Moonlight Sonata.
Edit: As on queue, 12:30 ^_^ Nice playing! I like your interpretation!
Thank you, James.
Every time I listen to your comparisons my ear improves .
Cheers,
Rik
I'm going to have to echo the other comments and say that the larger piano sounds much better to my ears. I've played one of their pianos before, but couldn't tell you which model. I can only imagine what these magnificent instruments look like, as I cannot see. It is always a pleasure listening to you test out some amazing pianos like these two.
The Shigerus are as smooth as butter and as clear as water.
UR TREBLE TEST PIECE ALWAYS TOUCHES MY HEART , IT'S AMAZING 💚
Great Performance dear James
Great to hear that you also are playing your own compositions in the video.
Big like.
I really like his "test pieces." Lovely and melodic.
Thanks for this James. So lovely and helpful. We are so lucky.
love your bass test peice, it really has potential to be worked into a longer peice . . .
Would love to have either one, including the required space! First thing to do when the kids move out: buy a grand. Until then, I'll stick with the ES7.
In your first test piece I got the impression that the SK2 had a longer sustain in the treble. It could be a function of the brighter voicing. Both pianos are excellent. The tone of the smaller model can be improved a bit with further voicing but there is a limit due to its size. Longer strings in general will produce a better tone.
Great comparison James! Wonder if SK3 will close the gap somewhat? Or if the SK6 will be a jump from SK5?
I think SK5 is the most successful model of Shigeru Kawai. I like it more than SK6 and SK7 as well. Very well constructed.
An SK-5 and an SK-2 will DEFINITELY be tuned to different stretches!
You will never see two different-size pianos used together in a concert setting, because they can't be tuned to match across the keyboard (or if they were, one of them wouldn't sound in tune with itself).
They both got a good crisp sound
They both sounds fantastic although in the early start of the video there was some extra noise also do I got the impression that there where one or two notes different pitched ( do I even write that right?). But they sound great. I like the 5 a tiny little bit more because of the deep notes on the other side the high notes on the 2 are super bright and almost echoing. So there is only a small difference between them? That’s interesting. In my memory the difference was always huge. Although I can’t remember if I ever played this brand but definitely other big and small ones. Interesting and thank you for sharing and playing.
Wow.. Love the Kawai sound, it's so much soothing than the Yamaha's..
Noticeably thinner tone from the smaller piano!
The Shigeru Kawai SK-5 sells new for roughly $55K. A lot of money but a very reasonable price compared to the Yamaha CF series or the higher end European makers.
What is the largest piano currently in manufacture and what is the largest piano that was ever made?
Check out David Klavins pianos
They sound great ! Nice pianos.
what do you think about upright Schimmel piano?
Like them both.
Can you do a review on alesis recital begginer semi weighted I'm very curious of what will be your opinion pllsss!! 😊 And which one is better, alesis recital or williams legato 3?
Nice comparison James. The SK-5 is actually 6’7” and the SK-2 is 5’11” which makes the smaller piano even more impressive than you thought. Do also note that you can take 1 inch off those measurements for the actual size of the scale design as both models have the extended key lengths by 1.334 inches.
You do some great arpeggios.
what are your thoughts on the Yamaha YDP-144 ?
Wonderful!
A great revue as usual James!
How about a revue of the Kawai GL 10?
I would be interested in your thoughts on that one, as it's on my wish list.
Cheers
Steve.
i got the gl 20 its a good piano i would not take the gl 10 cause it doesnt have duplex scalling
@@BFHPET I've read that grand pianos under 6' are simply too small to benefit from having duplex scaling.
The Larger Kawai edges it out for sure...
what u mean
*?
Short bass strings turn to mud faster... Still, the "small" Kawai played real bass notes North of the bottom B... pretty impressive. 14:15
James noted voicing could be different... Same piano in center was neat.
Bottom line: physics rules... and at 5'11" (vs 6'7"), the SK-2 is not small. Interesting how a little (?) bass gain at this point requires huge size changes.
I do like the test now that it is a song.
I cant believe I am first.... started playing one year ago and found your channel. I am shopping for a used old grand. Maybe more reviews on older pianos?
Hi, wich one would you take on a desert island, the Shigeru SK5L, or the Yamaha S5X ?
BRAVOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Oh now i see the kawai piano is used in every professional recording..
..
Real sweat sound..
I’m curious how much of the difference between these pianos is simply due to how they are voiced, rather than structural differences in the pianos.
Good point
First one to comment..................James I really like the testing piece that you play...............the melody is so soothing and engaging at the same time................would love to see you just play a longer version of that piece on your favorite piano/synthesizer
I wonder if I painted the name Shigeru in front of Kawai on my KG2C it would improve the tone?😉. Seriously, I had a 1979 KG2C for about 25 years that was very hard to control dynamically. I sold it and bought a 1993 KG2C one year ago because it played far better than the 1979. When I played it before I bought it it was in a smaller very acoustically different room (carpet and 8 foot ceiling with many books on shelves) than my large (2 car garage) sized room with no carpet (just a rug) and vaulted ceiling and not much furniture. I put a rug under it to warm it up, but it still has a rather thin tone, a bit too ...not tinny but not bright either...just not warm treble. I wonder what a good voicing would do .... I am a little apprehensive about too much needling because I don’t want it to sound muffled either. It also needs a bit of regulation -it has a few keys that have a very slight “bobble” (my term for that sound on Glen Gould’s recordings😊). What would you recommend to warm up a KG2C?
Can I know the 1st and 3rd piece name, please?? Thank you!
First! Also, beautiful pieces mate
The SK2 is and sounds like the little brother. Plain and simple.
Really fun comparison. Interesting how similar the instruments are. Upper and mid range are nice and clear. The bass sounds somewhat brassy and lacks character though but seems like a great instrument to learn on. Someone has to take the place of Baldwin in the US market - maybe these instruments?
For me these are the best pianos. Sadly they are way too expensive 😞
👍
Like them both but the SK5 has richer mid range and bass. Used my best pair of headphones for this and was mildly surprised at how nice they both sound. My local hospital has a Kawai grand sitting in the lobby that I have played. Do not know the model or age but it sounds like crap and plays like crap.
It may be an RX or earlier and likely not very well maintained. A properly maintained Kawai should not sound like crap or play like crap.
Neither sound too bad, I prefer the SK2 over all.
Loved the CdL
Seems a while since we've heard PotC
Weird how the smaller piano sounds further away
SK-5 Best))) (in comparison with SK-2). Sound SK-2 primitive, simple
😊
The SK5 can hold its own againstt any fine European piano. The SK2 sounded like two pianos melded together: the treble of one, icy-cold and the mid-range and bass a bit too reticent (vis-a-vis the treble) for my liking.
Jps for prez
👍👍👍👍 🙏🙏🙏
I am a huge fan of clear treble and strong base, so kind of combination of these two. But once again it all depends on the type of music. I cannot say which one I like more.
My first impression after hearing your treble test song was that I strongly prefer the smaller one - the treble on the bigger one was just bland. Everything changed after the bass test song - this bland treble sounded absolutely amazing with deep bass, and the smaller piano render of the song felt just empty.
So, if I was to choose one of them, I'd probably go with the SK5, I love bass too much ;)
very cruel for the SK2