Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Kawai announces ES110 ultra-portable digital piano

Hello JethroCrabtree, thank you for sharing your initial thoughts about the ES110.

May I ask what kind of amplification/speaker setup you are using with the instrument, please?

Kind regards,
James
x

Hello Kawai James, its kinda dissapointing with you skipping my question, but im still looking forward for your help with it. Im really sorry if its due to my english, or the way i asked wasnt appropriate, please understand that it isnt my first language

Kind regards,
Andi

Hello Andi,

My apologies, I somehow overlooked your message.

To purchase the ES110 in Indonesia, please contact Kawai Indonesia directly:

PT. Kawai Music Indonesia
Menara Top Food Indonesia 4th Floor Unit 02, Jl. Jalur Sutera Barat No. 3, Alam Sutera - Kota Tangerang 15325, Banten, Indonesia
Tel: +62-21-2565-7511/7512

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
James
x

Thank you Kawai James. Really appreciate your help 😊

Hi I am looking at getting the es110 for gigging . what sort of line up do you play with? Is it a band or solo ?Like James said it would be useful to know what speaker you are using. Do you just use the combined line out?

Also did you look at any other keyboards. i am looking at the fp30 and p115 . i like the roland just worried about not having a dedicated line out!

Thanks

Nigel

Hi! I generally play in 2 to 6-piece groups (I try to avoid solo gigs -- too lonely). One of my main goals is to have the lightest, most compact rig possible -- I don't want to be one of the countless "keyboard" players who have way too much stuff on stage. So, to that end, I use a single QSC K8, with a single line out.

The K8 has paired perfectly with my Roland FP4 (I've been playing Roland FP-type electric pianos for 17 years, even though I've always kinda wanted a Kawai). It may be that the K8 just isn't what's best for the ES-110 (the Kawai sounds pretty much perfect through headphones -- which was not the case for Nord pianos, for example). On stage, during a gig, some of the range is way too harsh and electronic-sounding (mostly the higher notes), but other times parts of the range (or even the entire range) seems to get lost, as though it's very far away. The old plan of a cranked K8 on the ground may have to be revisited if I'm going to make the ES-110 sound good to me on stage. My guess is I'll either have to put it much closer to my head (and at lower volumes, as a result -- which will lower my stage volume to the other musicians; which is a problem), or get some sort of larger or more powerful amp (which is also a problem).

I've also noticed that the Kawai's signal is way louder than the Roland's. The inexplicably low output of the Roland FPs I've played has always annoyed soundmen (and required turning up my amp a lot, at smaller gigs, just using stage volume).

Like Nigel, the Roland FP-30 and the Yamaha P-115 were my main alternatives (and my other, and more sensible, alternative was simply sticking with my perfectly good FP4, which is still on a fresh 3rd or 4th new keybed). The P-115 sounded and felt ok, especially for a Yamaha. But, I personally just don't like the sound and feel of Yamaha pianos (electric and real, both). Considering that the P-115 is about the same weight and size as the Kawai (though a bit cheaper), I ruled it out. The FP-30 is probably the logical choice for me. The newer Rolands are sounding and feeling particularly good (at least, for electric pianos -- all of which are hopelessly inferior to any real piano). The feel and sound of the FP-30 is good for me (and the FP-50 is even better -- but it weighs more than the FP4, so it just didn't seem worth it) -- and either the FP-30 or FP-50 is gloriously *not* made in China (it's made in Indonesia, I think). On the other hand, the FP-30 is barely lighter than the FP4, though, which didn't seem like a great leap into the future. Plus, it bizarrely doesn't have proper 1/4" jacks, like a real professional instrument -- suddenly it reminded me of the loathesome Casio I owned for a week.

In many ways, it's the thought process of the Roland company that has made me hope that someone would come out with an electric piano for my needs. I just want a simple, light, compact keyboard with a great action and bearable sound (and 88-keys is hardly necessary -- 76 would be even better) -- Roland keeps adding more and more stupid things to their keyboards and making weird design decisions (the control panel on the LEFT of the 64-key RD64... the lack of 1/4" jacks on the FP-30... the "doot-doot-doot" sound....). For my last 20 years of mostly steady Roland ownership, I've been constantly waiting for Kawai (a real piano company that makes the best pianos, other than Steinway) to come up with a better alternative. Basically I'd be much prouder to show up to gigs around the country with a Kawai than with a Roland; I just don't want the ES-110 to let me down, either in sound, playability or (*shudder*) reliability (I'm still uneasy about its construction, and am fearful of it breaking down on stage for a big gig -- something the Rolands have never yet done, despite constant use and abuse).

That was way too long a response.

Jethro, in my experience, the K8 just isn't so great for piano. The new version (K8.2) is much better, or for less money and less travel weight, the EV ZXa1 sounds better than the K8, though probably not as good as the 8.2.

Besides losing dedicated line outputs on the FP30, Roland also left off the MIDI jack. But you also have to remember, when you look at pricing and the history of the lines (what has replaced what over the years), you can see that the FP30 isn't really the current version of an FP4... the current iteration of the FP4 would be the FP50, which does have those FP4 features. The FP30 is a lower end model in features and price than that series, it's more of an F20 descendent than an FP4 descendent. (And personally, I actually liked the FP2 a bit better than the FP4 that replaced it! Each has some advantages over the other, but I though the FP2 action was a bit better, and the board weighed less overall.)

Have you thought about in ear monitors? It would seem to me that if you like the sound through the headphones, you could probably get a good sound through in ear monitors. Hearing the rest of the band depends on having a competent sound person, of course.

Hi

Thank you for your response.

I have just spent about 2 and half hours playing the 3 you mentioned. ( p155 ,es110 and the fp30). I soon discounted the p115 with both the sound and feel of the keyboard . Playing the Kawai felt good but i was worried about how strongly built it is. When you press the buttons the whole front panel moves it feels if you press hard it will fall in!! But I suppose you do get a 5 year warranty in the UK any way. I like the roland very well built but it does worry me not having a direct output!! But I like the less weight of the kawia!! The speakers sounded very similar to me!!

So still have not really decided!!! Also the roland is £100 less then the kawia!!

I will be gigging in a band so it nice to hear the es110 worked well.

thanks for your thoughts.

FWIW --

There are two different things here -- how it sounds to _you_, and how it sounds _to the audience_. If it sounds good to the audience, and it's playing through the house PA system, either change your expectations about how it should sound to you, or change your monitor setup.

If the K8 is the main speaker for the DP, try putting it behind you, on a pole, above your head. The pole mounting improves the sound into the audience, IMHO. The height of the pole determines where your head sits, in the beam coming from the K8's tweeter. Adjust the height to taste -- but putting the speaker behind your head, at the level of your head, is likely to be really bad for your ears. Putting your head at the edge of the tweeter pattern might work OK.

In-ear monitors are certainly worth trying. They'll block a lot of the ambient sound from the house PA, and other players' monitors, and let you monitor _your_ sound, without cranking up their volume.

I've had my ES110 about 5-6 months now and I don't regret the purchase. The few times I've brought it out, I've used it as a controller rather than for it's onboard sounds because that was more convenient since i needed a decent organ. The ES110 organ is not good, but it's still better than what's in the Yamaha P series, and there's a somewhat useable rotary effect.

Since every note is individually sampled unlike Yamaha gear, I find it sounds more natural when playing solo. Reverb could be more flexible, but the ability to tailor the sound is nice. So far, I've found that using the soft velocity curve while brightening up the sound on Grand Piano 2 gives me a pretty good sound.

All digital pianos are meant to be played in stereo, but the ES110 sounds pretty good to me in mono if I use the left output and put a 1/4" plug in the right jack (not going anywhere) also. Maybe i'm nuts, but this sounds better to me. I've used Nord's and sometimes found that using the right jack alone gives me good results. I think that the way different manufacturers configure their outputs is not a standardized thing, so some experimentation can be worthwhile.

Got mine a few days ago and have mixed feelings about it. If I put it on a heavy solid surface, table etc the sound is great and the key noise which I must say is louder than that of Roland FP-30 is not much of a bother. However, when I put it on my double X-stand the sound becomes hollow and the key noise is totally unbearable just like some low budget casio after several years of bashing the keys. I can hear keys clunking even at full volume and in headphones. It seems that in chase for low weight Kawai made the piano less sturdy and more hollow inside and it resonates now. I'm not sure that original kawai stand will totally resolve the issue. I'd like to ask other owners of Kawai ES-110 whether they have faced with such a problem?
PS Just in case, I have already tried it with all effects off and in different rooms

Well, I have had Kawai Es 110 for two months. I knew going in I would never use inboard speakers and immediately disabled them. Honestly even the expensive ones don't sound good. I'm am a guitarist (60 yrs) so I have lots of gear and use it in w both lines out into one of my amps , pa, or just headphones. I am from New. Orleans and had a beautiful wrought iron stand w beveled glass on top. Very solid and since kawai Es 110 speakers face down they sounded terrible against the glass. No problems ..solid. I have heard the portable square stands are far more secure than x kind. Also this piano deliberately mimics grand with groaning wood noises and such which you can adjust w settings or I use the virtual technician app on Bluetooth to do it.
Amps are heavy. Prefer minimum of 12 inch speaker. I never take piano out of house so I am able to use this stand. I wish there was a digital piano w no speakers, no bells , extra this and that, split dual, and dozens of unnecessary effects and put all effort into making it feel and sound like a concert grand. This Es 110 is closet I've felt. Ain't user friendly but I knew that going in.
I am plugged into a. 1984 vintage Yamaha w electrovoice speakers. Two 12s. And miked w an Opus to a Fender Passport Pa. I am 72 , practice religiously 4 hours a day and it never tires me. I love this piano. Not sure if I was gigging though asif it might be a Lil delicate. Disable all those resonance settings and see if improved. But inboard speakers ? Ugggh

Thank you for sharing your experiences with the ES110, Hostrings!

I would absolutely love to visit New Orleans...one of these days I will try to make it over!

Cheers,
James
x

Continuation of the story: keys now rattle on any surface solid or not and I also have some clicking noise in addition. I'll have to return the keyboard and take something else as I don't want to take a risk again. I had to make a trip of 250 km to buy it and now I'll have to make it again to return it

Could you provide further details? The click occurred when you released the keys? I am having this with my ES8, which is the second unit I get (replacing one with the same issue). The click is low but, first, it was not there and still are not in most of the keys and, second, it is farly disturbing (to me at least) when I play pp or ppp.

No, click occurs on some keys then you press the key down to the bottom, on the release I hear loud rattle - key returns and makes a few rebounces. I'll try to find the time and make a video.
I hate this rattling sound

JoniD, may I kindly recommend that you contact Kawai Indonesia to seek technical support.

I'm afraid I do not understand what is causing your ES110 to behave in this manner, however I'm confident that my colleagues in Indonesia will try to resolve this issue for you.

Kind regards,
James
x

I bought the ES110 2 months ago and I am very happy with it. The speakers are not so good, I will 'fix' this by adding external speakers within 1 or 2 months. Probably JBL SLR 308. Currently there is a huge difference between what I hear with my head phones and with the speakers.
Another thing that is anoying is the sound of the keys itself, you can clearly hear me play when I use the headphones. Is that normal for DP's? Or are the keys of the ES110 a bit louder than other piano's? It would be nice to have a DP that can be played silently for other people in the room, not only silent for the neighbours :-)

Martijn

Every DP makes some kind of noise when pressing the keys. Depending on mechanics some may be louder than others. That is normal. I personally found the rolands to be quite loud when playing with headphones.