Kawai ES920 Portable Digital Piano

The ES920 is the latest flagship model in Kawai's lineup of portable digital pianos with built-in speakers. It is designed for pianists who need an instrument which offers the very best sound quality and keyboard feel in an instrument that is light enough to carry around to different locations. The ES920 has some features which put it in a league above other portable pianos in the same price category such as 4 Band Graphic EQ, 40watts amplification/speaker system designed in collaboration with Onkyo, and Bluetooth MIDI and Audio functionality with aptX support for wireless communication and audio playback.

The ES920 is equipped with Kawai's Responsive Hammer III keyboard action. This key action has grade-weighted keys (heavier in the bass registers and slightly lighter in the treble), counterweights for faster key return, and every nuance of your performance is captured using a triple-sensor system. The RH3 key action also features let-off simulation for an authentic grand piano experience.

Kawai has included their Harmonic Imaging XL piano voice technology in the ES920. Additional memory allocated to the onboard piano voices allows for the use of extra-long samples (recordings of individual acoustic piano notes) - in some cases, these are double the length of the samples found in non-XL based instruments. The result is a more refined piano voice, with apparently less sample looping noticeable when holding sustained notes. When combined with the RH3 keyboard action, the piano sound of the ES920 offers an exquisite piano experience from a portable instrument.

In addition to the ten on-board acoustic piano voices, the ES920 offers an additional 28 voices covering various instrument types as follows: E.PIANO x 6, ORGAN x 5, HARPSI/MALLETS x 4, STRINGS/CHOIR x 8, BASS x 5.

The total polyphony (the total number of notes which can be played simultaneously) is 256 notes. This means that even when playing sustained arpeggios in Dual Mode, you're unlikely to have notes cut-off mid-performance, which is something which results from instruments that offer lower polyphony count.

Two voices can be split into the upper / lower sections of the keyboard and there's even a four-hands mode so two people can play the piano but hear the same octave registers in both upper and lower areas of the keyboard. The volume and balance between layered or split keyboard sounds are adjustable via the bright OLED display screen.

It's quite amazing that Kawai has managed to pack in all these great features to an instrument that weighs just 17kg. This makes it ideal for use at home, on the road, or even for students studying at college/university where a portable instrument is more appropriate for their accommodation.

Kawai is renowned for including a wide range of digital effects in it's ES series models. These are often overlooked by potential purchasers of portable instruments but they can be used to make such a difference to the overall sound. The effects section of the ES920 is divided into three parts as follows - all three effects sections can be active simultaneously which results in some really professional-sounding results:

Use the reverb effect to add ambience to your sound. Six types of reverb effect are available to simulate the sound of different playing environments: Room, Lounge, Small Hall, Concert Hall, Live Hall, Cathedral. We would urge you to experiment with these as they sound superb.

In studios, producers and musicians add effects to the sound of their instrument to give a more professional, creative or 'authentic' sound. The ES920 has 16 digital multi-effects to enhance or change the sound of the voices you're playing. Here's the full list of multi-effects found in the Kawai ES920: Mono Delay, Ping Delay, Triple Delay, Chorus, Classic Chorus, Ensemble, Tremolo, Classic Tremolo, Vibrato Tremolo, Auto Pan, Classic Auto Pan, Phaser, Classic Phaser, Compressor, Rotary 1, Rotary2

Back in the '60s and '70s, studio and stage musicians used different types of combo amplifiers to change the character and tone of their instrument's sound - especially when playing E.Piano, Clav and Tonewheel Organ voices. The ES920 simulates the sound of three types of amplifiers (S.Case I, S.Case II, L.Cabinet) and offers parameters to manipulate the Drive, Level, EQ Low, EQ High of each amplifier model.

Kawai's Virtual Technician feature gives you the tools of a piano technician to manipulate and create your own individual piano voice in line with your own tastes. Want to change the tuning? - no problem! Add some open string resonance? - no problem! You can change a huge range of parameters which affect the overall sound and performance of the piano - and you can even use the Kawai Piano Remote app to do this via Bluetooth if you prefer.

Here's a list of the basic parameters available for editing within the Virtual Technician feature: Touch Curve, Voicing (mellow, bright etc), Resonance (Damper, string, cabinet and other resonance generators), Noise & Effects, Temperament & Tuning, Others (Hammer Delay, Minimum Touch, User Key Volume, Half-Pedal Adjust, Soft Pedal Depth).

The ES920 has an onboard 2-track MIDI song recorder which can record up to 10 songs – approximately 90,000 note memory capacity. In addition to the MIDI recorder, the onboard USB Audio recorder (USB stick not included) can record your performance in .MP3 or .WAV formats - ideal for sharing on the internet or with friends.

Use the built-in metronome to aid practice - the time signature and tempo is fully adjustable. Take your practice and performances to new levels by using the built-in drum rhythms - and add the four-part bass/chord auto-accompaniment too! There are 100 drum rhythms from which to choose, covering many styles of music from ballads & Latin, to jazz and funk. Each rhythm style has two variations.

Other Features Worth Mentioning

• Registration Memory Function to save your favourite 24 settings for instant recall
• 128 x 64 pixel OLED Display
• 4-Band EQ sliders for ultimate control overtone
• Supplied with high-quality metal F-10H damper pedal (with half-pedal support)
• Bluetooth AUDIO + MIDI support
• Connectors: LINE IN (1/8" STEREO), LINE OUT (1/4" L/MONO, R [unbalanced]), Headphones x 2 (1/4”, 1/8”), MIDI (IN/OUT), USB to Host, USB to Device, DAMPER (for F-10H), DAMPER/SOFT/SOSTENUTO (for GFP-3/F-302)
• Speakers: 8cm x 2 - output power 20w x 2
• Available in BLACK or WHITE

3 Year Manufacturer Warranty
Every brand new Kawai ES920 piano purchased from Bonners is sold with a 3-year manufacturer-backed UK warranty for complete peace of mind.

Kawai ES920 Dimensions & Weight:

• Width 1340 / Depth 375 / Height 145 mm
• Weight 17.0 Kg

Up to Three Months Free Piano App Access*

Upgrade your Kawai Piano Experience with free trials of three popular music-making apps for your smart device. To qualify for the free trial of the apps listed below, simply register your Kawai piano at the manufacturer's online registration portal after delivery.

Tomplay; Interactive sheet music with backing tracks
Tomplay is an interactive piano app that offers a diverse library of sheet music across many genres, allowing users to play along with accompaniments, adjust settings, and receive dynamic feedback for an engaging and educational musical experience.

Skoove; Piano Learning App
Skoove is a comprehensive piano learning app that caters to players of all levels, providing interactive lessons with real-time feedback, a diverse repertoire, and adaptability to individual learning styles.

Zapiano: Learn to play the piano from scratch
The Zapiano® method is based on logical, brain-friendly learning steps that anyone can quickly understand and that can be adapted to any level of play.

Apps free trial offer only applies to purchases of brand-new Kawai pianos from 6th January 2024. Kawai reserves the right to change or withdraw this offer at any time without notice.