Perhaps, you are perplexed in fathoming which portable digital piano is better, Yamaha P515 vs Kawai ES8.
You are presumably aware that purchasing a piano is not viable in that “fast and furious” way, simply due to the instrument’s highway robbery prices.
Thus, examining some reliable materials before investing your “property” into artistic predilection is surely a must.
| Preview | Product | |
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Yamaha P515 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano, Black | Check Price |
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Kawai ES8 Digital Home Piano | Check Price |
Last update on 2024-04-25 at 01:39 UTC - 4/ Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Yamaha P515 Vs Kawai ES8 - The Similarities
Kawai ES8 vs Yamaha P515 firstly both possess 88 weighted keys.
The keyboard keys bring the most authentic grand piano experience to your fingertips in combination with cutting-edge digital technology.
Secondly, the two models include reverb and chorus effects to produce more echo and create sensibilities of accumulating strings over every note.
And some pianos’ functions, for instance, metronome, transposition or Layer, Dual and Split, deliver varied sentiments to listeners.
Moreover, both connect USB to users’ computers, as MIDI controllers contributing to your music composition and even production program.
Lastly, both Kawai ES8 vs Yamaha P515 have manufacturing outputs convenient for the headphone, stereo, and line connections.
Kawai ES8 Vs Yamaha P515 - The Differences
Piano Sounds
The Yamaha CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial are the two most notable piano samples manufactured in the P515 model, bridging the world’s greatest and most exquisite concert grand pianos to your fingertips.
The Bösendorfer practices a standard sampling method while the binaural sampling used in Yamaha CFX helps it advance to a notch.
The Kawai ES8 exhibits three renowned piano sounds. They are Shigeru Kawai, Kawai EX, and Shigeru Kawai SK-5 Studio Grands.
Hammer Action Keyboard
When it comes to a hammer action badass, the Yamaha Natural Wood X action is truly the most peaceful “serving” of the most sophisticated digital pianos that Yamaha P515 manufacturer worked on.
The company has been attempting to distribute the impeccable instrument to satisfy the growth of customers’ demands.
We are respectfully witnessing Yamaha’s non-stop charisma in the machinery market. On the contrary, the Kawai ES8 accentuates a Responsive Hammer keyboard action.
Though Kawai uses a plastic keyboard here, you impossibly eschew the feelings of playing an expensive ES8. This plastic feature does not defile the actual essence of the ES8 piano’s graded keys.
Yamaha P515 Overview
Design
The portable digital Yamaha P515 piano enters the piano market “showbiz” in a satiny and contemporary look.
The model weighing at 70.6 lbs delivers the most authentic acoustic experiences to players. We highly recommend this portable instrument for gigs, but not for a backpacking trip.
The P-515 sits snugly on a keyboard stand, which requires you some basic assembly. The frames have a white or black color scheme to match the piano.
The piano comes with a sustain pedal that is the Yamaha FC4A, designed as a real piano pedal though it does not offer a half-pedal function.
The anti-slip pedal also helps to anchor a comfortable footing set.
Keyboard
The manufacturer used high-quality wood to design the 88-weighted keyboard with the synthetic ivory and ebony on top of the piano.
The P-515’s weighted NWX action creates the palpable sense of real weighted wooden keys.
Combined with that, the escapement action usually found in grand pianos stimulates a responsive touch, which allows you to choose your preferred resistance.
During the performance, you will feel every single smooth and consistent key while playing.
The P-515 response is extraordinary when you swiftly play some musical pieces because this feature swimmingly enables speed in the complex passages.
Sound
In the previous part, we already mentioned the two piano sounds of P515, which are the Yamaha CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial.
Now, we will go into the detailed features of each piano sample.
The Bösendorfer tone is softer and better at conveying itself through particular genres such as romantic and classical music.
On the other hand, the Yamaha CFX delivers a bit richer and fuller sound. As if it is grabbing all things happening at the time into the musical score.
- Yamaha CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial piano samples bring two of the world's finest and most prominent concert grand pianos to your fingertips
- The Piano Room lets you choose from a variety of pianos and acoustic settings to create your own personal piano environment
Last update on 2024-04-25 at 01:39 UTC - 4/ Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Pros
Cons
Who Should Choose Yamaha P515?
This one will be suitable for those who demand to test on the instrument’s 538 preset tones and play music on the natural wood keyboard made of synthetic ivory and ebony.
However, people usually suffering back pain may not go for the P515 due to its heavy-weight feature. Also, there is no registration memory to save your current work.
So if you prefer the instrument with highly-protected settings that require registering, P515 can not be the right option.
Kawai ES8 Overview
Design
The ES8 possesses a cabinet made of glossy metal and a long speaker grill, which extends to both sides of the piano. And, the plastic side panels do not impair the keyboard’s sturdiness at all.
The piano’s dimensions are 58.75 x 17.75 x 11.15 inches, and it weighs about 65.4 lbs.
The instrument is compact enough for gigging purposes and suitably brought along to different locations to practice or perform.
The Kawai ES8 doesn’t come with a portable stand like its contender, Yamaha P515. However, it consists of a pretty sustain pedal.
The instrument’s control panel has a volume slider and 26 buttons. You can apply these buttons to access the ES8’s sounds and features.
There are also buttons supporting recording function, piano metronome, sound categories, etc.
Keyboard
The ES8 piano emphasizes the Responsive Hammer III action feature and the Let-off mechanism, which reproduces the sensation of a slight click when key travel is going to end.
The RH3 action practices varieties of weighted hammers that duplicate the mechanical flow a real acoustic piano possesses.
Every touch on the RH3 keyboard is sensitive, and based on the degree of softness or hardness; you affect the keyboard; it responds differently.
You can take advantage of the key detection triple-sensor to be able to precisely “trap” each keystroke. This system facilitates fast passages performance and generates the number of quickly repeated high notes.
Therefore, it lets you play a message repeatedly, much as the key hasn’t fully moved back to its resting position.
And lastly, when you select the “Off” setting, the keyboard still offers the same amount of volume no matter how much force you strike over the keys.
Sound
The Kawai ES8 has an advanced sound engine that is the Harmonic Imaging XL.
It’s Kawai’s most state-of-the-art sound chip, which you also find within their exclusive piano block, for example, the CA-78 and CA-98 pianos.
The ES8 piano yields three prominent sounds scrupulously examined from Kawai’s most splendid concert grand pianos:
- Shigeru Kawai SK-EX Concert Grand
- Kawai EX Concert Grand
- SK5 Kawai Chamber Grand
- Keyboard
- Number of keys: 88 Key
Last update on 2024-04-25 at 01:39 UTC - 4/ Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Pros
Cons
Who Should Choose Kawai ES8?
You can choose the ES8 if you love to experience ten piano tones, three of which are from Kawai concert grand pianos. And, if you fancy listening to the natural piano sound, the ES8 will satisfy this preference.
Finally, the piano has many connectors for your versatile usage on any occasion but does not support the Bluetooth connectivity.
Hence, users having a habit of connecting Bluetooth to their device should not purchase this Kawai ES8.
Yamaha P515 Vs Kawai ES8 - Which is Better?
Each piano model has its outstanding features to look at before determining which one you should buy, Yamaha P515 or Kawai ES8.
The Player’s requirements and needs are different. As a consequence, it is pretty difficult to conclude who is the winner in this battle.
The ES8 has incredibly survived in the reproducing music market regarding a real acoustic instrument’s sound and feel.
We suggest that the Kawai manufacturer add Bluetooth connectivity, different tones, and reduce the weight product.
A range of spectacular grand piano tones, as well as the qualified-grade RH3 action is likely to intrigue your excitement at first.
Especially if you haven’t experienced such an expensive chic before.
We also highly appreciate the instrument’s ability to gracefully regulate different parameters, which brings a virtual perfection to either the sound or the touch.
The Yamaha P515 has numerous impressive features that you should go for, especially the two finest grand pianos. And, with the tweaking ability of those high-quality pianos, you have a vast amount of piano sounds to select.
What is more?
The model also has a lot of praiseworthy advantages to consider.
The Binaural sampling is the highlight that competent pianists might consider important when selecting a digital piano.
If you practice or compose with headphones, the Binaural sampling will reinforce the sound quality via headphones.
Some Other Outstanding Digital Pianos
Last update on 2024-04-25 at 07:47 UTC - 4/ Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Save Presets With Yamaha P515?
You do not register while using P515, but you are still able to save all the presets.
You should go to the backup settings. Set “off” for the “presets” back up, and “on” for others, then you fail to save them.
If you switch the “presets” backup to mode on, you can keep all their changes.
How Do I Connect Headphones To My Yamaha P515 Keyboard?
The headphone jacks lie in the front left.
You need a 3.5mm to ¼-inch adapter to use MIDI to USB interface if you are using a standard 3.5mm one.
The adapter is not expensive.
How To Export MIDI With Kawai ES8?
USB connect will assist you in exporting MIDI when you use the Kawai ES8 piano.
The Kawai ES8 has an onboard MIDI recorder, which helps you record and save up to ten songs under the MIDI format.
For each song, you can record two tracks separately, which you can turn on later as one song.
In addition to your work recorded in MIDI format, you can record the piano’s actual sound and store it in the USB flash drive.
In the other words, it is unnecessary to work on any additional equipment to make high-quality audio recordings.
Final Words
Our review on Yamaha P515 vs Kawai ES8 is now available for you to read.
Hopefully, the paper has helped you clear your doubts regarding the two models’ features and their differences.
From that, you can distinguish and select the right piano having functionality matching your needs.
By the way, we thank you for flipping through the end of this post. And we wish you the best experiences with your new “partner”.