Pros and Cons
The successor to Kawai’s highly successful ES8 portable piano, the new ES-920 is a major step forward in terms of portability: It is significantly lighter than its predecessor. But that’s not all – there are also several other features where the manufacturer obviously turned the right screws.
Great playability and excellent sound in a compact and portable design that looks fantastic both at home and on stage. This concept already won the ES8 many fans, but it was the sturdy metal body that left a lasting impression. However, the built-in speakers and high-quality hammer action keyboard made it quite heavy. Its successor, the ES-920, addresses this issue with a plastic construction that significantly reduces its weight. This design also allows for an upgrade of the playback system.
A lightweight plastic casing has long been the norm for entry-level portable pianos. However, additional corners are often cut in other areas such as speakers, controls, and even design.
This is not the case with the Kawai ES-920 – the stylish, modern design is truly well-made. Slightly raised round buttons, a well-readable OLED display with a discreet black background, and speaker elements on the right and left – it looks really chic. At 17 kg, the device remains lightweight for its class and, despite its plastic construction, it is still robust enough to be transported in a car. Nonetheless, a transport bag or stage piano case is certainly a wise purchase if mobile use is the main focus.
The ES-920 comes with a simple sustain pedal (with half-pedal capability). Kawai also offers a matching stand that you can easily attach to the piano. The stand is also compatible with an additional triple pedal unit to provide the full functionality of a piano.
When I first played the Kawai ES-920, the voluminous sound of the piano through the built-in speakers really surprised me. They create a great stereo image and remain balanced and clear even at higher volumes.
But it’s not only the piano sound of the Kawai ES-920 that sounds great: If you connect a player via the audio inputs or wirelessly via Bluetooth audio, the overall sound is also impressive. This makes practicing and playing with backing tracks, play-alongs, or online lessons twice as much fun. But your personal playlist sounds great through these speakers, too.
Among the 38 sounds, there are many additional sounds such as digital pianos, strings, choir, bass, etc. in good quality. However, the focus is on the acoustic piano sounds, which impress not only with their 88-note sampling.
What is noteworthy about Kawai’s sound generation is the flexibility of the pianos in their playing characteristics. The Shigeru Kawai concert grand and the Kawai EX sound clear and expressive but also allow for subtle gradations in pianissimo. With other digital pianos, one often wishes for a softer piano sound, especially in quiet passages. Not so with the Kawai ES-920, because every grand piano sound has all these expressive possibilities. And then there is the Virtual Technician, which allows you to intonate the piano sound yourself – an often underestimated feature of Kawai digital pianos.
Here, you can customize the sound by adjusting details such as string resonance, key-off, dynamic behavior, and intonation. A softer touch, more attack on the accents, more depth in the resonances – no problem. The PianoRemote app, which Kawai provides free of charge for Android and iOS devices, is the best way to control the piano.
Speaking of playing characteristics: To unlock the sonic potential of piano sounds, you need a good keyboard that allows you to control the dynamics with confidence. The RH III did this very well on Kawai’s ES8. Its slightly roughened keys have a good grip and accurately implement the touch dynamics, with the let-off simulation making a positive difference when playing pianissimo.
The ES-920 looks like a stage piano, but its additional features make it feel more like a classic home piano. Considering this, the inclusion of a 4-band equalizer seems somewhat unusual, as one would expect to find it on a professional-class stage piano instead.
But there’s no question that an EQ also makes sense on a portable piano that’s primarily used at home. Further, it’s handy if you use the ES-920 to listen to music: Simply turn up the bass and treble and the fun begins.
Otherwise, the Kawai ES-920 has everything you need: Transposer, recorder, metronome, layer, split – it’s all there. There’s even an audio recorder/player that lets you record your performance as an MP3 or WAV file. You can then transfer recordings to external USB storage devices via the easy-to-access USB to Device port. Of course, you can also play audio files this way – handy for those who don’t have a mobile device with Bluetooth. The ability to play MIDI files is also important in this context.
If you prefer to practice with drum beats instead of a metronome, the Kawai ES-920 even comes with a full auto accompaniment function. The ES-920 generates grooves with drums, bass, and rhythmic accompaniment chords according to the chords you play on the keyboard. This is very handy for beginners, as the display always shows the chord symbols being played.
The backing arrangements are programmed in a pleasantly restrained way, so that even when jamming with the styles, the focus remains on playing the piano. Typical 8- and 16-beat styles from a variety of genres are included.
It’s easy to do without a high transport weight, but not without good sound and playability. In this respect, Kawai has found a good compromise with the new cabinet design and has created a really great portable piano that sets exactly the right accents. If you are looking for a space-saving portable piano with a chic design and good features, the Kawai ES-920 is the perfect choice.
The new features will also benefit those who want a flexible digital piano for use at home as well as for band rehearsals or gigs. A high-quality digital piano in a compact design with great piano sounds and outstanding sound characteristics.
Available since: 08.2020
Keyboard: RH III Graded Hammer Action, dual sensor system, let-off simulation, Ivory Feel
Polyphony: 256 voices
Piano app: PianoRemote (Android/iOS, free)
Manufacturer/Distributor: Kawai
Pros and Cons
Jörg Sunderkötter
A high-quality, compact digital piano with great piano sounds and excellent sound characteristics.
ES-920 B : 1.299,00 €
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