Kawai ES920 Review

We rated the Kawai ES920 a 9.5/10, because of its lush sounds, light, portable build, and versatility. Our favorite features in the instrument are the key action, stellar sound system, and overall bang for your buck. It also has a gorgeous redesign, which looks more modern with its rounded edges, and narrow depth. We ended up taking just one-half of a point off, because the OLED display is in black and white, and the non-piano sounds could stand to be a bit more polished when compared to the acoustic piano tones. But overall, we think that a wide range of pianists would do very well with this flagship model!

Kawai ES920 Overview

The Kawai ES920 digital piano is an 88-key stage with Bluetooth audio and MIDI, responsive hammer action III, a large amount of polyphony, and an onboard speaker system. 

The ES920 was first released in the fall of 2020 and came on Amazon in February 2021. This model was released alongside the Kawai ES520, a mid-range digital piano that cost  $1,299.99. Both the ES920 and ES520 are considered some of Kawai’s newest and most popular portable models. 

Features 

10 Authentic Piano Tones 

The Kawai ES920 has 3 sections of piano sounds; Piano 1, Piano 2, and E. pianos. Within the first two sections, you will find the following sounds:

• SK ConcertGrand
• EX ConcertGrand
• Jazz Clean
• Warm Grand
• Pop Grand
• SK-5 GrandPiano
• Upright Piano
• Pop Grand 2
• Modern Piano
• Rock Piano 

The acoustic pianos are my favorite kind of sound on the ES920. They can best be described as rich in overtones. The 5 E. pianos and organs are quite good too. I especially like the jazz organ. 

Other Instruments 

The ES920 includes three other non-keyboard sections, including Harpsichord/Mallets, Strings/Choir, and Bass. Of these sounds, the vibraphone is one of the most convincing and lively. Jazz musicians will have a blast with the ES920 model. 

Plexiglass Music Rest

The music rest in Kawai’s redesign is surprising. While most digital instruments have a plastic music rest with a cutout, the ES920 has a hefty plexiglass rest that is solid all the way across. 

Virtual Technician / Realism with VST

Within the virtual technician section, there are about 20 features that can be adjusted, such as touch curve, voicing, and hammer delay, half-pedal adjustment, fall-back noise, and more. These following features especially make the ES920 more realistic: 

• String resonance
• Release time
• Cabinet resonance
• Hammer noise

The above features are considered to be VSTs, also known as virtual studio technology. The VST called hammer noise goes a long way in adding that extra ‘Je ne sais quoi’ to a digital pianos realism. Hammer noise replicates the sound of the piano hammer hitting the string.

Included F-10H Pedal

The F10-H is a damper pedal that can prevent your notes from ringing over. It has half-pedal support and has a value of about $70 new. 

It is worth noting that this instrument can also be connected to a triple pedal. The pedal that matches the model is called a GFP-3 triple pedal, and can be found here.

4-Band Equalizer 

The 4-band equalizer is onboard, to the left of the display screen. The 4 sections you can adjust are low, mid-low, mid-high, and high-frequency. Many included Equalizers on digital pianos/ digital stages are 3-band (bass, mid, treble). It’s nice to have the 4-band because it is more precise. 

Onboard Recording

Up to 10 songs can be recorded, saved, and played back on the Kawai ES920. 

Onboard Stereo Speakers 

The ES920 has a crisp and powerful 40-watt sound system. The two, 20-watt onboard speakers are front-facing, which gives the piano extra range. This speaker system will be more than plenty of power for small performances, even without external amplification. 

Other Features:

• Transpose, split
• Built-in songs
• Overdubbing
• Buttons for amp/effects/reverbs

Kawai ES920 Specifications

• Weight: 37.5 pounds
• Dimensions: 
• Width: 1340 mm.
• Depth: 375 mm.
• Height: 145 mm.
• Piano type: Digital Stage
• Number of FX: 
• Colors: Black, Snow white
• EQ: 4-band
• OLED: 128 x 64

Who is it suitable for?

The Kawai ES920 fits a plethora of players. According to the maker’s website, the instrument is “perfectly suited for home, studio, stage, or school.” This instrument suits both jazz pianists and classical pianists well, because of how many quality acoustic pianos and organs there are. This model may be a bit much for absolute beginners without guidance though, because of how jammed-packed full of features this instrument is. 

The Kawai ES920 In Action 

This “all playing, no talking” video by Yonathan Godjali will give you a good sense of what the Kawai ES920 sounds like. The video is an especially excellent digital reference of the instrument because the artist did not EQ the sounds. He played through many of sounds in the sound bank, including

• SK Concert Grand
• Jazz Clean 
• Warm Grand 
• Upright Piano 
• SK-5 Grand 
• Classic EP 
• Modern EP 
• Jazz Organ
• Vibraphone 
• Clavinet 
• String Ensemble
• Electric Bass 
• Wood Bass 
• SK Concert Grand 

If you only have a minute to check out how this instrument sounds, scrub to the end, and take a listen to the SK Concert Grand- This sound is so full of overtones that it makes the piano sound as rich as a live orchestra. 

Amazon Reviews

The Kawai ES920 was rated 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. 

Positive reviews of the Kawai ES920:

• Many musicians commented on how beautiful the tones are on the ES920. People reported being ‘blown away’, and said that the piano was ‘an absolute joy to use’.

Constructive reviews of the Kawai ES920: 

• One particular musician disliked the action, and stated that something to do with the lack of escapement combined with the RH3 lead to a ‘gummy’ feeling. 
• Another musician had some trouble with the speakers and reported that the sounds felt unclear and ‘garbled’ after receiving a damaged instrument. 

Apart from these two negative reviews, the feedback on the instrument was overwhelmingly positive. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• The piano tones are beautiful and accurate

• The build is equally gorgeous as the sounds are
• It is a higher quality instrument than some of the more expensive stages
• It has simulated ebony and ivory key tops
• The instrument has adjustable touch sensitivity
• It includes a newer action, which has 3 sensors under the keys
• The instrument is compatible with a free-floating triple pedal, or a (triple-pedal) furniture bar 
• The ES920 is highly adjustable, meaning that you can get tons of tones out of it

There are some models that cost $3,000-5,000 that simply don’t compare to the ES920, in terms of sound engine, touch, and aesthetics. 

The touch sensitivity is divided into heavy, light, and normal. What I really like about the touch sensitivity on this model is that there are 4 options for heavy touch, and 4 for light touch. The touch sensitivity has more of a gradient than your average 3-option ‘light, medium, heavy’. 

Lastly, one of the most significant ‘pros’ of the ES920 is that it can be EQ-ed and adjusted to sound like a gradient of different types of pianos. This is where the virtual technician comes into play. 

Cons

• There is no mod or rotary wheel
• More expensive pianos with features like this one (string resonance, damper resonance) can make pedaling more difficult, and your sound can become muddy if you don’t lift all the way 
• The 3-pedal unit is not included
• There is no escapement on the instrument 
• Some of the non-piano sounds aren’t quite as high-quality as the acoustic piano tones
• It does not have a built-in audio interface

Rock and jazz pianists might be disappointed that there is no mod/rotary wheel on this model. Another con that is going to apply to the beginners who use this instrument is something called dirty pedaling. Because the ES920 has so many good VSTs, it rings over a lot. If you aren’t careful, everything can get muddied. This con is more of a learning curve than anything else. The fact that the instrument is resonant is by no means a con; but if you are switching from a piano that doesn’t have these, or are new to the piano, it may take some time to get used to pedaling. 

One con that may be a dealbreaker for composers is that some of the non-piano sounds aren’t as highly polished as the acoustic piano tones. I think that the tones are all still passable, but pro composers usually need voices that are extremely accurate in order to get the creative juices flowing. Some of the string sounds didn’t do it for me, but I was really surprised by the jazzy organ and vibes. 

Some musicians have said that they’d rather have an interface rather than an onboard recorder. Having an onboard recorder would have been more valuable to the stage as a whole, but would have raised the price significantly. 

Comparable Instruments

• Kawai CA79

• Kawai ES520
• Yamaha P515
• Kawai MP7SE
• Kawai ES8. 
• Kawai ES520
• Kawai ES110

While the Kawai CA79 is way above the price range of the ES920 ($5,899.99)  it’s comparable in the sense that it has the same great acoustic piano sound samples. If you can afford the more expensive instrument, you’ll get Kawai’s wooden keys, which I find to be much more realistic and natural feeling. 

As we mentioned earlier, the Kawai ES520 was released alongside this model. The ES520 is more economical. Many of the features of these two new instruments are the same, but the key action is significantly different. The ES520 has RHC II, whereas the ES920 has the newest RHC III.

Others have often compared the ES920 to the Yamaha P515, Kawai MP7SE, and Kawai ES8. The P515 ($1,599.99) is comparable in the sense that both instruments are quite portable, and both have excellent key feels/actions. The Yamaha P515 has high-quality grand-piano sampling on the instrument (The imperial Bosendorfer sound). If you are trying to decide between the two models, I would recommend playing them both, and deciding which grand piano sampling you like best. It is also worth noting that the Kawai ES920 has a lot more parameters. If it’s tonal versatility you’re looking for, this model may be your best best. 

The MP Kawai line is a group of professional stage pianos. The MP7SE ($2,200.00)and ES920 are both stage pianos with great connectivity and overdubbing. Unlike the Es920, the MP7SE has line-in recording and is considered to be a pro-grade instrument. 

The ES8 is another portable Kawai- It has been replaced by the Es920. When it comes to the ES8 vs. the Kawai ES920, you’re not going to get as good of a sound system. The ES8 has many comparable features to its younger sibling. The ES8 was rereleased in 2019 (after the initial creation of the instrument, which was in 2016). It can still be found used on Amazon or Sweetwater.com. 

Another comparable Kawai model that you may be able to find used is the ES110. The ES110 is much older than the ES920, but can still be found in many households. The ES110 isn’t available on Kawai’s website anymore but would be a good option to purchase if you are looking for a more economical, used Kawai. 

Quick View 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the more advanced sibling to the Kawai ES520 is an impressive and flexible instrument. Teachers, students, live performers, and, more specifically, jazz pianists will love the ES920. It’s hard to beat the price when you have a digital stage with as many high-quality features as this model does. Come back soon to learn more about all things piano!

Music quote of the week: 

“Music, of all the arts, stands in a special region, unlit by any star but its own, and utterly without meaning… except its own.”

–          Leonard Bernstein, The Joy of Music

9.5Expert Score

We rated the Kawai ES920 a 9.5/10, because of its lush sounds, light, portable build, and versatility. Our favorite features in the instrument are the key action, stellar sound system, and overall bang for your buck. It also has a gorgeous redesign, which looks more modern with its rounded edges, and narrow depth. We ended up taking just one half of a point off, because the OLED display is in black and white, and the non-piano sounds could stand to be a bit more polished when compared to the acoustic piano tones. But overall, we think that a wide range of pianists would do very well with this flagship model!

PROS

• The piano tones are beautiful and accurate
• The build is equally gorgeous as the sounds are
• It is a higher quality instrument than some of the more expensive stages
• It has simulated ebony and ivory key tops
• The instrument has adjustable touch sensitivity
• It includes a newer action, which has 3 sensors under the keys
• The instrument is compatible with a free-floating triple pedal, or a (triple-pedal) furniture bar
• The ES920 is highly adjustable, meaning that you can get tons of tones out of it

CONS

• There is no mod or rotary wheel
• More expensive pianos with features like this one (string resonance, damper resonance) can make pedaling more difficult, and your sound can become muddy if you don’t lift all the way
• The 3-pedal unit is not included
• There is no escapement on the instrument
• Some of the non-piano sounds aren’t quite as high-quality as the acoustic piano tones
• It does not have a built-in audio interface