Kawai ES110 88-Key Digital Piano with Speakers - Gloss Black

I'm a retiree looking for a decent digital piano / keyboard to self learn piano.Firstly, this is a musical instrument, not a toy. It's made for someone who wants to own a quality instrument that will be enjoyed and appreciated for years to come.The digital piano has a high quality keyboard. Not as stiff and difficult to play than a similar Yamaha, more like on the light side of a piano feel. It feels and plays like a very good quality piano with a light touch, well tuned.The main piano sound is a sampled Kawai grand piano. If you were blindfolded you wouldn't say it plays and sounds exactly like a grand piano, but its as close as you are going to get in a digital piano. It sounds good, and the more your ear gets used to it, the more it just grooves with you.I've owned Kawai many years ago. That instrument was outstanding and this is no different. The build quality is maybe a tad below what I owned thirty years ago (that instrument cost me $2,000) however the technology far supersedes it.The speakers are just loud enough. I plugged in my high fidelity open back headphones to see if I would get a much better sonic experience, and low and behold, not much improvement over the speakers. That's a testament to how well the speakers deliver crisp, defined sound on this model.The main piano sound is great. It doesn't sound like some old creaky grand piano sitting on some dusty stage, it sounds like a brand new Kawai grand. And that's good enough for me. All the other sounds are great, however I'm just going to stick with the one sound thank you very much!I was learning from a book yesterday and I played for one hour and hardly noticed the piano. It doesn't get in the way of what you are doing at all. That's the sign of a great instrument.Who is this instrument intended for? I would say beginners who want to spend a little more and get a quality instrument. Also, intermediate players who just want a great instrument. Heck, even pro's could use this instrument, no problem. it's really that good.I wouldn't say it's super light to lug around. I plan to keep it in once place.I haven't tried the midi yet, or some of the other features. This is a fairly feature packed piano.So, well done Kawai. Not surprising, since they pretty much focus in on real and digital pianos, they know what they are doing, and they are not producing something for a couple hundred dollars less to sell someone a piece of junk, but rather an quality instrument that will be appreciated for years to come.

Very high-quality sounds, good action, fast response, it doesn't have USB port, but you can use the MIDI standard port, line-out it's a very welcome option, the other instruments or voices are superb too, built in speakers are very good, but obviously better through headphones or connected to a external sound system, matte keys add some grip, some minor issues like irregular space between keys and some keys produce a different noise (with sound off) than most, but it is not annoying nor does it affect the piano itself, I guess, the most similar product is the Roland FP30, for some people it's better, in my case I can't try both, Kawai and Roland, indeed Kawai is my first DP, if you have the chance to try both in a store, excellent, but if not, I recommend Kawai, probably the sound of Kawai is more sweet and more classical, not as "metallic" than others and have the new RHC (responsive hammer compact) action, more similar to Grand Pianos, but more lighter than Roland based on people opinions in forums, in conclusion, I'm very happy with my new DP, it's very satisfying to play on it, for practice or playing sweet songs, highly recommended.

Absoutely a "pianist's keyboard". No need for the screen and multiple odd sounds. Has a metronome and plenty of normal keyboard sounds. The every note sampling makes a great sound. Several types of pianos allow customizing for different pieces. the touch is terrific for a keyboard--light sensitive, easy to voice. Harpsichord and organ stops are good and handy. the recording is very easy and a great aid to practice. Earphones disconnect the internal speakers nicely and allow practicing anytime. the front jacks for the earphones make their use very handy. Only two small problems, the pedal slides around with use. Maybe a sticky pad on the bottom or better get the 3-pedal option. and very rarely there is a strange sounding note (softer or more abrasive?). Maybe it is my old ears !

I've been playing this keyboard for about six months now. Here are some thoughts from an "advanced beginner:"Pros:1. Wonderful piano sound. I'm a big fan of the Kawai concert grand sound and it's the main reason I went with it over its competitors. To me, it sounds amazing and I get goosebumps listening to myself play on it. The other sounds are okay to play with occasionally.2. Good key action for price.3. Easy to move around since it doesn't weigh much (unfortunately, this also means that it's easy for it to shake a bit while playing).Cons:1. Key action is a bit noisy compared to more expensive keyboards.2. The matte finish of the keys and keyboard make it look a bit cheap to me. It is a very subdued look.3. The speakers are okay but sound a bit muddy in the low-end. I use headphones most of the time and they work well.Overall, I recommend this keyboard for the price. Is it better than other pianos under $800? Hard to say. I'm satisfied with it for sure though.

This is an outdated model and has been replaced with a more updated model. I returned this one and replaced it with a Yamaha that cost about the same. The Yamaha was a much superior instrument. The keys were more like an acoustic piano and I should was also more like an acoustic piano. The new Kawai models may be better but I did not like this one.