Yamaha P-525 vs Kawai ES920

Two Flagship Portables

Both are the tops of their makers' portable ranges with 256-note polyphony, Bluetooth audio and MIDI, USB audio, line outputs and full-depth actions. The Yamaha weighs 48.5 pounds and the Kawai 37.5. The Yamaha costs more at the listings we checked. Everything that follows is a comparison of two excellent instruments with different priorities: Yamaha's keys and engine against Kawai's balance of action, speakers and display.

Action

GrandTouch-S uses wooden white keys with synthetic ivory tops, escapement and counterweights, and it is the heavier, more grand-like keyboard, closer to an acoustic than any other portable we have reviewed except the Yamaha CP88. RHIII has three sensors, let-off and counterweights on a long pivot with Ivory Touch surfaces, and it is a console-grade action that is only a step behind in mass and leverage. Pianists who practice on acoustic grands tend to prefer the Yamaha; players who find heavy actions tiring prefer the Kawai.

Sound

The Yamaha runs the CFX and Bosendorfer Imperial through full Virtual Resonance Modeling and Grand Expression Modeling, with binaural sampling of the CFX that makes headphone practice three-dimensional. The Kawai samples the SK-EX and EX on all 88 keys with Harmonic Imaging XL resonance and the Virtual Technician for voicing. The Yamaha's engine is the deeper of the two in modeling; the Kawai's grands are warmer and many listeners prefer them. Both have 256-note polyphony.

On headphones the Yamaha's binaural sampling is a genuine advantage. Through speakers the Kawai's 2 x 20 W system is stronger than the Yamaha's two-way pair.

Display, Panel and Apps

The Kawai has an OLED display on the panel that shows sounds, settings and the Virtual Technician; the Yamaha has a button panel and relies on the Smart Pianist app over Bluetooth MIDI for its Piano Room. Both apps are good; the Kawai is the easier instrument to operate without a tablet.

Connectivity

Both have Bluetooth audio and MIDI, USB audio and MIDI, quarter-inch line outputs, two headphone jacks and a port for a three-pedal unit. The Kawai adds a USB port for flash-drive audio recording. Neither lacks anything a home or performing pianist needs.

Weight, Stands and Pedals

The Yamaha's 48.5 pounds against the Kawai's 37.5 is the practical difference: the Kawai is a one-person lift onto a stand and travels in a standard case; the Yamaha is a piano you place. Both include a basic pedal; Yamaha's L-515 stand with the LP-1 unit and Kawai's HM-5 stand with the GFP-3 unit convert either into a console.

Value

The Kawai is cheaper, lighter, louder and has a display, with an action only a step behind the Yamaha's. The Yamaha's premium buys wooden keys, the two-grand VRM engine and binaural sampling. For a pianist who will practice on headphones and values touch above all, the Yamaha justifies its price; for everyone else the Kawai is the more sensible flagship.

What a Complete Setup Costs

Neither flagship is complete out of the box for a home pianist. The Yamaha ships with a footswitch and the Kawai with a basic pedal, so a half-damper pedal or a three-pedal unit is the first purchase on either. Yamaha's L-515 stand with the LP-1 unit and Kawai's HM-5 stand with the GFP-3 unit each add soft and sostenuto pedals and turn the portable into a slim console. Priced together, the complete Yamaha setup stays more expensive than the complete Kawai setup by roughly the same margin as the pianos alone, so the accessories do not change the value picture.

Headphones matter more here than on any other pair we compare. The Yamaha's binaural CFX sampling was designed for them and sounds flat through cheap closed-back pairs; the Kawai's SK-EX rewards an open-back pair too. Budget for a good set before the stand.

Practice Tools and Learning

Both pianos connect to lesson apps over Bluetooth MIDI without a cable. The Yamaha's Smart Pianist app puts a full on-screen panel, the Piano Room and Audio to Score chord charts on a tablet; the Kawai's PianoRemote app adds the Virtual Technician and a lesson library with Alfred, Burgmuller and Czerny pieces built into the piano. Both have Duo or Four Hands modes that split the keyboard into two equal ranges for teacher and student, and both have two headphone jacks so the lesson can be silent. The Kawai's onboard recorder writes audio to a USB flash drive, which the Yamaha cannot do without a computer.

Long-Term Ownership

Both are instruments owners keep for a decade. The Yamaha's GrandTouch-S action does not become a limit for any player short of a conservatory pianist, and the usual reason an owner moves on is the wish for a full cabinet and the larger speaker systems of the Clavinova CLP range, which share its engine. The Kawai's RHIII action and SK-EX sampling likewise hold up at advanced level, and the step up within Kawai is the CA series with wooden Grand Feel keys. Both hold resale value well because they are the reference portables of their makers. If you expect to move house or gig, the Kawai's lighter weight is the practical long-term advantage; if the piano will sit in one room on headphones, the Yamaha's binaural engine is the one you will still appreciate in year ten.

The Deciding Question

Ask where the piano will be played most. If the answer is on headphones at night in a flat, the Yamaha's binaural sampling and wooden action make it the instrument you will reach for every evening, and its weight stops mattering once it sits on a stand. If the answer is through speakers in a living room, carried to a rehearsal once a month, or set up on a stage, the Kawai's lighter weight, stronger speakers, display and flash-drive recording make daily life easier and the price saved buys a good stand and pedal unit. Pianists who audition both usually come away preferring the Yamaha's keys and the Kawai's convenience, which is why this pairing has no wrong answer.

Who Should Buy Which

Buy the Yamaha P-525 if wooden keys and the deepest piano engine matter more than weight and price. Buy the Kawai ES920 if you want a flagship portable that is lighter, louder, cheaper and easier to operate, with an action that pianists respect. Audition both if you can; the choice is between two of the best portables made.