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Out of sheer curiosity: is Kawai generally considered a step or two above Yamaha?

No, I would say that they both build excellent pianos of similar quality, but they offer different tonal colours and whichever you prefer is a personal choice.
A main point of differentiation is Kawai's fully synthetic action compared to Yamaha's predominantly wood action.

Both Yamaha and Kawai are very reputable manufacturers that have been in the piano making business for nearly 90 years.

Both companies have affiliations with the European and American piano making tradition. In recent years, Yamaha bought the Austrian company Bösendorfer and Kawai was chosen by Steinway and Sons to make their Boston range of pianos.

Season's greetings!

Robert.

No - they are considered direct rivals.

I liken them to Lexus and Infinity. (I'm an infinity man!)

+1. They are competitors in the high and mid range, neither plays in the low end.

Except you spelled "Infinity" correctly, but Nissan doesn't. (I test drove a G37 sedan a few years ago. Even found one with a manual transmission, but I kept thinking that seeing an intentionally misspelled word every day would irk me. (Otherwise it was pretty nice, although test driving it in a rainstorm while the salesperson complained about his job the whole time probably didn't help).

Sorry for the digression. I don't have anything knowledgable to add to the original question.

I'd say they are probably pretty much equal in terms of quality. Yamaha probably has more name recognition.

I have both and like em' both. If I had to choose between them, I'd chose the Yamaha because it is a bigger piano.

I don't think you'd go wrong with either brand.

Just my 0.02.

Rick

If I was not a Kawai dealer, I would try and be a Yamaha dealer and vice a versa! Two of the easist pianos to sell (and not make a lot of money doing it!)

It's not "wrong" if it's a registered trademark or brand name - I guess! How do you feel about:
- Proactiv,
- Chick-fil-A,
- Froot Loops,
- Krispy Kreme,
- Toys “Я” Us
- Chevrolet Cruze

Regards,

Sorry, Scott, I just don't buy the "not make a lot of money doing it" statement. I know piano dealers have overhead and expenses, but I think most piano dealers do very well.

The last big piano store I visited, there were 4 people in the store, me, the owner, and 2 salespeople. There were 4 vehicles in the parking lot, my 2004 Chevy Silverado pick-up truck, and 3 late model Mercedes Benz sedans, all black.

If piano dealers didn't make a lot of money, they wouldn't be in the business.

Don't get me wrong, I want to see piano dealers flourish and prosper, but they either make money, and a fair amount, or go out of business.

Just my opinion...

Rick

Where I grew up (Taiwan), these two brands are household names when it comes to the general public's awareness of piano makers. For as far as I can remember, at least for the past several decades both companies produced models that were direct competitors. While Kawai's model naming/numbering schemes may at times appear confusing, both have converged onto essentially the same numbering hierarchy regarding grand pianos' sizes. Over there even in professionals' vocabulary, it has become a colloquial custom to refer, say, a 6-foot grand as "#3 piano", or a 200-cm one as "#5 piano".

A notable omission is then "#4". I personally believe it is a cultural decision: "4" sounds same as "death" in Japanese, and with intonation is also identical in Taiwanese as death (a bit different in Mandarin due to intonation). Because of superstition, for example, many hospitals or hotels do not have 4th floor on the elevators' button panel. I think for the same reason, we don't see Yamaha "C4X", Kawai GX-4, or Shigeru SK-4. Yamaha's CF4 was a surprising naming development, although this particular model is very apparently specifically positioned at the competitive slightly-above-6-foot premium piano segment.

It's still an intentionally misspelled word, so it's still wrong, and I feel the same way about all those other brand names. Same with any mechanic that uses "Kar Kare." It's also probably also a good thing I don't care for "nu-metal." Besides the name of the genre about all the band names are misspelled. At least these only mildly irk me; a friend goes into intense rants over them.

I am impressed you either knew or took the time to find a backwards "R."

My aunt used to teach literacy to remedial level children. She used to get annoyed at the fashion for having film credits all in lower case letters.

I love my Kawai K5 more all the time. I was at a store yesterday and played a comparably priced piano from another manufacturer and thought it was just nothing compared to mine.

I wish I could live with a Yamaha for a few years so I could get a real feel for the differences between them. I know people who have Yamaha's seem to like them a lot.

Yamaha has more brand recognition... with motorcycles and hi-fi gear and all. But I'd take a Kawai any day.

As others have said, they are direct equals. From there, it's all about who is a fan of which (Mac vs. PC, for example).

Some like the generally darker voices of Kawai; others like the generally brighter voices of Yamaha. Some prefer the ABS Carbon Mill III action; others argue for all-wood action.

Personally, I have never, ever played a Yamaha that I liked, and I have played 100s. I have only played three Kawai pianos that I didn't like, and I have played 100s. Others will say the exact opposite.

Sigh... I wish people would get out there and update their information once in a while. Yamaha has had its CX series for 3 years now. The CX series is not a "bright" piano. It is still different in character than the Kawai GX, but it is no longer correct to label Kawai as dark and the Yamaha as bright. People are basing their comments on old ideas about old, worn out pianos. Yamaha has changed its philosophy with the CX series. Time to hit the stores and update your information!

Sonatainfsharp, You've played 100's of Yamahas and haven't even liked one?? That's surprising to me. I get being particular but that's REALLY particular. I've played many beautiful C3, C7 and CFIII (also CFX) models over the years that had fantastically even action and an expressive dynamic range.
But in the end I too prefer Kawai. I've had an SK2 for almost ten years now and it's still my favourite piano. The action and tonal depth of these pianos is on par (and IMO often exceeds) with any other esteemed brand out there.

Agreed. Yamahas haven't typically been 'bright' sounding instruments for at least a quarter of a century now in my experience. Yet, I still hear piano salemen saying they are in 2016...

I think it's more than just brands but it comes down to actual series and model. I'll take a C/CX over any RX/GX, but the SKs are better than the CX. Of course you would expect that given they are more expensive, handmade pianos. So if I like a good SK more than a good CX, but generally prefer Yamaha over Kawai, it becomes less clear what my stance on brands is. Talking about brands in general is, in general, too general! I've never played a CF or S series Yamaha so I can't compare their flagship products.

I find the RX and GX models to be very different beasts needing more than a "/ " to distinguish them.
To me the GX models I've tried (although intended as a replacement of the RX series?) bridge the gap
Between the RX and Shigeru models. For my tastes the GX2,3,5 stand clearly above the equivalent Yamahas.
The C7 to me however is a special beast and for me the lines get a bit blurry at that size as far as a preference.