Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Kawai announces ES920 and ES520 portable digital pianos

Lack of internal speakers and weight and size and bluetooth.

And .... the early accolades on the ES920 activated my natural tendency to want the next "best" thing. LOL ....

I owned the ES7 and the ES8 and for both of those I found the keybed to be exceptional and the internal speaker system was very good on both.

I like the sound coming from the instrument and not from someplace away from the instrument.

If I use a VST, I can also pipe it back into my ES920 and out the internal speakers AND I can blend the internal sound with the VST sound and hear it from my instrument.

I can also add some external speakers and blend that sound into the one coming from the ES920.

So ... a lot of factors came into the decision.

The MP11SE is a great instrument ... but been there ... done that.

Thanks, dmd (Don), for taking the time to explain your reasoning behind this move – a move that, to me, seemed like a downgrade at first, but they way you're describing it, it really is more of a lateral move. What you're writing absolutely makes sense.

I hope you'll get your ES920 soon, and I wish you lots of fun with it!

+1, thanks Don!

Cheers,
James
x

And you have the es110, right? So comparative reviews are called for!!!!

No, I do not have the ES110.

I have it on order but product is back-ordered.

I wanted to get it while I wait for the ES920.

If I do not get the ES110 soon, I probably will cancel that order for the ES110.

Only now I watched the official Kawai videos and smiled because they are so "musically" edited. 😀

DMD, please, may you explain us how is it possibile to hear n external VST from internal speaker? I'm very interested to this chance. Do you use a PC?
Luca

Well, you need an AUDIO IN jack on your instrument.

I use a PC connected to my external audio interface and the output from the audio interface is sent to the AUDIO IN on my instrument.

The piano technician at WD Greenhill working on behalf of Kawai to fix the slightly rubbing B key on my ES920.

After Humpty Dumpty was put together again, it's now working perfectly.

The root cause was expected to be a little missing grease from the key guide, but was actually due to a slightly misshapen key. It was a straightforward swap.

Very happy with the ES920. Someone mentioned earlier about the Bluetooth audio being useful for learning - I can confirm that works really well. I often learn with headphones on, and to seamlessly play and listen to a guide track is a really useful feature. It's easy to pause, play, and move on, all with the headphones in play too.

Hmmmm... don't know if I've seen dedicated boxes to enclose the speakers of a board before. And I guessing, being that the single speaker of each side is facing upwards, that the hole we see facing downwards would be for a passive sub. Do you hear an increase in bass if you put the board on a desk vs putting it on an open stand?

Yes, I think you're right.

Built in speaker boxes are part of several console-style pianos, so they're not all that unusual. I'm guessing the hole is a bass-reflex port.

It is basically the same as in ES8. I agree with you about the port.

Why would you do that? I own the MP11. What does the 920 have that is better than the flagship?

Ah, now I see. It's all about the internal speakers for you. For me, it's about the keybed and not much else. Most professional stage pianos don't have internal speakers. Useless except for monitors unless only for a really small gig. Different strokes....

Here we go:

https://www.kawai-global.com/news/ca49_ca59_es520_es920_software_update_v110/

Kind regards,
James
x

Quick demo since fixing the key. Just a line out via Roland Go to my phone. No DAW or PC etc. Will try to do a proper video in the next couple of weeks.

Sorry that I did not respond to your question. Just missed it, I guess.

But .... yes, you are right. It is internal speakers AND BlueTooth audio AND (this may seem odd) even though the key action is considered very high quality (and it is) .... I find it a bit slow on the up-stroke. Mind you, I have no scientific data to back that up ...,. It is just a sense I have as I play. It may not be true at all.

AND .... the weight is also something that I have grown weary of ... even though I seldom move it .... I know .... seems silly .... but there it is.

Hey, no problem! I can't have a heavy piano here. I have to move it outside to play each day. My 80 pound Kawai MP11 is 3000 miles away, I don't move it at all. 25 pound ES-110 is doable.

Which is slow on the upstroke for you? I play fast be bop, no problem, MP11 and ES-110. 110 can't do fast repeated notes like Chick, though..... Not triple sensor.

Another Unboxing and Review video for the ES920, including matching stand.

The reviewer says he took up playing the piano just nine months ago, so his approach certainly differs from that of an advanced player or a sales professional. The video is in German.



(No, that's not a lamp. That's his dog. :-))