Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Kawai ES7 vs Yamaha P155

The AZpiano guy has financial interest in this, as he is selling digital pianos. Which probably means that the only purpose of his "reviews" are to sell more pianos through his site. Don't be fooled by websites like that.

The best advice is right here.

Read: ... that *some* Kawai pianos are made in Indonesia. Their more expensive upright and grand piano lines are made in Japan.

It's 4 years newer but it's also a higher-end instrument. The P155 is budget level. Even when it was new it was like a $1000 while the ES7 competes at a different price point. Closest competitor is the Roland FP7F or FP80. On the Yamaha side...dunno. What does a CP5 go for these days?

Having said that, the P155 has the same action as many higher-end models (minus the triple sensor). So on the feel side it's more of a Yamaha vs Kawai preference. This forum has a lot of Kawai followers, but the world is full of Yamaha users.

Some people have been commenting on the Roland PHA3 action. The shop next to me has an FP7F and a P155 right next to each other so I have played them a number of times. The best way I can describe the Roland is that its dynamic weight seems low, so it's easy to push those keys down fast. This makes it very responsive and quick but at the same time it's like there's some emptiness during the travel and then it seems like you hit the bottom abruptly. The static weight (to get the key moving) doesn't seem low at all to me. The Yamaha seems to have more dynamic weight. This can make it more work to play if you are playing fast or loud. It hits a little lighter but I find it more stressful physically. If I had to choose between the two actions at this point I'd probably go with the Roland.

I own a Kawai MP8 so I can also compare that. It has a wooden key action similar to RM3 in the MP10 and VPC1. I'd say the dynamic weight is yet higher than the Yamaha but a small margin but buttery smooth and hits softly and quietly. To play something fast or loud can be a real workout on it. You get a great feeling of control, especially when playing quietly. At the same time if you are playing something vigorous and super fast, it can be physically hard and emotionally frustrating. Part of that might be the two-sensor action, which recent Kawai models don't suffer from. This is after a lot of playing. If I owned the Roland or Yamaha I'd complain about different things, but I'd still complain.

Unfortunately I've never been able to play Kawai's plastic actions. My local Kawai retailer has only acoustics.

All these actions are within the normal range of acoustics, though. In the very same store there are acoustic pianos with greater and less weight per key than any of the digitals. This means any of these digital will get the job done. But you might as well get the one that corresponds to your preferences. I've been trying to upgrade from my MP8 for some time but I've had a hard time finding anything that's sufficiently better. I like the FP7F action, but I'd go so far as to say it's better. And that goes without saying for the Yamaha, which seems to be in between Roland and Kawai actionwise. Actually I'm not really even sure I feel that the AvantGrand's action is unambiguously better.

Yes, I do love the sound of P155 but via a Sennheiser HD598. I'd prefer not to wear headphones when I practice, but the sound through a HD598 makes it worth it.

Yes, beginning to get that idea. :-)

That's very good to know; at least for my own reference.
Thanks a bunch!

I just received my ES7 yesterday. It's white and, to me, it looks gorgeous.

Here are my impressions:

1. ES7's key action is great. But the default is pretty light compared to P155. ES7's Touch Curve feature is very useful. P155 has a similar feature, but the difference it generates on the P155 is very mild. When you change the touch curve for ES7, you can really feel it. But I'm warming up to the ES7's default touch curve after a day of use. ES7's key surfaces feel better than the P155's too. ES7's keys are also very responsive while P155's keys are more substantive and a notch slower. While both have great key actions, I like ES7's better.

2. It's harder to press the ES7's keys when my finger is further away from the edge (that is, close to touching the housing compartment) - the sound seems to be softer compared to striking it at the key's edge with the same force. In P155, I can use almost the same force and get the same sound/effect/feel when my finger strikes at any position of that key.

3. The ES7's quality is great. The one in the showroom has 1 key that wobbles horizontally with a soft clicking sound; made me a bit hesitant to buy one on the spot. But, thankfully, my unit seems fine.

4. The sound samples from ES7 are very good. To me, they are just as good as the P155's. But if I'm using built-in speakers, the sound is noticeably better on the ES7. But with my Sennheiser HD598, my P155 sounds better. Don't get me wrong. ES7 sounds great on the HD598 too. But P155 sounds more refined and enchanting on the HD598.

5. If I use the ES7's speakers and turn the volume low, the sound is still pretty clear. But if I turn the volume soft on my P155, the sound becomes a bit muffled. This forces me to use my HD598 when I play my P155 at night. But with the ES7, I can play softly at night and still hear what I played rather clearly (without disturbing the neighbors).

6. The sustain pedal that comes with the ES7 feels very good and is miles ahead of the P155's.

7. I noticed my ES7 speakers emit a soft hissing sound. It doesn't really affect me, but if I place my ears close to the speakers, I can clearly hear the hiss. The hiss doesn't seem to get louder or softer when I adjust the volume; it just stays constant. I don't hear any hiss from my P155 speakers though.

8. Playing ES7 and P155 back-n-forth in the comfort of my home, using the same set of music scores, makes me realize one thing - P155 can certainly hold its own. Having said that, I really like my ES7 a whole lot.

I hope this helps anyone who is considering either a Kawai ES7 or a Yamaha P155.

note: the stand that was delivered to me is gray instead of white. the shop is kind enough to reply that they will rectify it asap.

yamahap155, thank you for your post!

Great setup too!

The stand appears to be the model intended for a silver ES6, however I'm confident that the store will rectify this error as soon as possible.

Note that you should also receive a matching white + clear perspex music rest with the correct stand.

Kind regards,
James
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Thanks for the heads up, James.

You know, in Singapore, there's only one Kawai representative - Robert Piano. Luckily it's a good one. I wasn't too upset with the stand as my ES7 unit seems to be in perfect condition. However, I did email the company to feedback on the stand.

Then I just went out to grab a bite; without my mobile. When I came back, about 45 mins later, I saw 3 missed calls on my mobile - all of them from Robert Piano. I called back and the founder of that company was on the other line. He told me he was shocked and said he's drafting a letter to Japan as we speak; apparently the box was labeled as 'white', but it actually contained a gray stand. He also thanked me for my patience and followed up with an email to assure me that he'll get in the white stand asap.

The founder is an elderly gentleman named Mr. Robert Chiu. I find his sense of urgency and empathy in resolving issues faced by his customers is so rare among business-men.

yamahap155, thank you for the update.

I'm glad to hear that you're being looked after by Kawai's representative in Singapore.

Please do update the thread (and your photo) when you receive the white stand.

Kind regards,
James
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My ES7 white stand has arrived.




Just a quick note for those who are choosing between P155 and ES7. I've sold off my P155. After getting used to the responsiveness of ES7's key action, I find myself very reluctant to go back to P155. P155's key action is like an on/off switch. ES7, on the other hand, has a certain consistent/progressive feel when its keys are pressed down. It also has this VERY subtle vibration sensation when the keys return; which is very satisfying to me.

Thanks for posting the pictures iceporky, the stand looks great!

Cheers,
James
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"Yes, I just bought my P155 but have since read some reviews on how good ES7 is."

Worst case scenario! You`re infected! We`re all infected! The lucky ones are those who can`t afford to change . . . or who are too darned tight . . . .

Think about the music. There are loads of good demos of good music on the P155. But I must admit, a white ES7 is very tempting. But then so`s Halle Berry . . .

Guess I was too late! I was gonna say how good it looked with the grey stand, but I better not . . .!! Have fun!!

(Your P155 looks stunning)