Kawai and Yamaha have been duking it out in the piano industry for decades at this point, with comparable products positioned against one another at just about every price point, acoustic and digital.
Naturally, both manufacturers are big players in the entry-level 88-note full-size weighted key portable digital piano space, and the battle between Kawai’s ES110 and Yamaha’s P125 raged for years, with each piano offering consumers a lightweight, highly capable option in the sub $1,000 category. Both pianos even became popular gigging options for performers seeking a compact stage piano that was easy to take from gig to gig.
Now, the next saga in the matchup commences with the release of the next-generation Kawai ES120 and Yamaha P125A. We’ve got these two pianos set up side-by-side and are going to do an extensive comparison for you here. Be sure to check out the companion video!
Yamaha P125a vs Kawai ES120 – Background
It would be an understatement to say that the ES110 got a lot of praise during its production run. There were even piano review sites and channels that felt that this was the best value digital piano for under $1,000 on the market. We were certainly big fans of the ES110, as we are of the Kawai ES series as a whole, and were obviously interested to see what Kawai had in store with a potential follow-up.
Kawai went with a very different strategy this time compared to Yamaha’s approach with the new P125A. Whereas Yamaha has stripped the P125A of some functionality to keep the price point from increasing amidst a period of intense inflation, the ES120 has been upgraded in a number of areas from the 110 with the price rising as a result.
While none of the improvements would be considered revolutionary, they are improvements nonetheless, and this is nice because when you’re going to be paying more for the ES120 since it costs Kawai more to build pianos now than it did in 2017, you want to be getting an improved product.
Let’s do a quick rundown of exactly what these improvements are.
Differences between the ES120 vs ES110
The first key improvement over the ES110 is that the ES120 portable digital piano is using a new version of the Responsive Hammer Compact action with redesigned geometry and increased padding to reduce the mechanical noise of the action and improve durability.
Secondly, they’ve added the flagship Shigeru Kawai SK-EX grand piano sound sample set which was not present on the ES110, which is very likely to be the default engine many people use when playing the ES120.
While the ES110 had Bluetooth MIDI, Kawai has now added Bluetooth Audio to the mix and paired with a newer higher powered set of speakers and tone ports, you have a high-quality sound system for streaming music through the 120.
From there they have also improved the reverb signal processing for a higher fidelity tone, and they’ve redesigned the cabinet to feel much more modern and up-to-date.
Now, they did remove the 5-pin MIDI port which is sure to disappoint some users who still prefer this form of connectivity in the studio. Most people however have switched over to USB-MIDI, so this shouldn’t be a big deal.
And there’s one actual downgrade we need to highlight; where the ES110 came standard with a high-quality sustain pedal in the box, the 120 is shipping with a basic switch pedal that most will want to upgrade. In Kawai’s defense, no manufacturers are including a high-quality damper pedal at this price point currently, but it’s still disappointing to see the final holdout fold on that front.
Differences between the P125A vs P125
The P125A is actually not too different from the P125, though Yamaha has actually removed some functionality in their attempt to keep the price point down.
The key thing Yamaha decided to remove was the built-in USB audio interface that the P125 was equipped with. Some people will understandably be disappointed in this choice given that the P125 was the least expensive 88-key digital piano available with that particular functionality, and a huge selling feature of this P-series piano.
Secondly, while Yamaha lists the key action as the same GHS action used in the P125, we personally suspect that they have also improved the cushioning of the action here to quiet the mechanical noise.
Otherwise, things that made the P125 unique such as the upward-facing, 4-speaker system are still present. The Casio PX series, the Roland FP series and Kawai’s generally have downward-facing speakers in this price point and dual speaker systems, so the different approach Yamaha takes here is notable.
Let’s move on to a discussion about everything sound related to these two pianos.
Piano Sound
Kawai ES120
Harmonic Imaging (HI) Sound Technology
The two big sample sets loaded on the ES120 are the SK-EX Concert Grand and the EX Concert Grand piano patches. Both of these patches feature 88-key stereo sampling which is a rarity for the price point.
With headphones engaged we definitely prefer the SKEX (this could be due to the Spatial Headphone Sound effect being optimized for the SKEX), but when playing with the onboard speakers, we’re actually slightly preferring the EX due to its brighter tone and slightly better balance. The Low Volume Balance feature functions as an automatic speaker EQ when playing at lower dynamic ranges.
Both samples are rich and complex, and like the ES110, the sound is sure to be one of the key highlights of the ES120 and a central reason why someone would choose to buy one. There’s also a pretty interesting upright piano sample too which would fit well with certain styles of music.
Other Sounds
Kawai has increased the total number of sounds from 18 on the ES110 to 25 here, resulting in a solid mix of electric pianos, organs and other sounds.
Most of the tones do sound a little bit improved courtesy of the enhanced reverb engine, but the strings patch specifically sounds vastly improved.
Polyphony
Like the ES110, the ES120 is working with 192-note polyphony. This is more than fine for what the ES120 is built for, and generally, about the maximum you’ll find for the price point.
If you’re looking to do serious onboard arranging then of course you might want a higher polyphony count, but in that case, the ES120 or the P125A wouldn’t be the right choice in that case.
Onboard Speakers
Where the ES110 had a dual speaker system with 14 watts of power, the ES120 beefs this up by almost 50% to 20 watts of power.
The stereo speakers are downward facing, but they’ve added tone ports which help provide an extra level of clarity, especially with regard to upper harmonics.
The improved speakers here are going a low way in contributing to the overall improvement in sound we’re hearing from the ES120, which is quite remarkable given how good the 110 already was.
Yamaha P125A
Yamaha Pure CF Sound Engine
Playing this instrument, and it seems like everything is the same in terms of the sound engine from the Yamaha P125 digital piano to the P125A. The Pure CF Sound Engine built around a recording of Yamaha’s CFIIIS Concert Grand Piano with damper resonance synthesis is the sound engine featured here once again, and that’s quite alright given how well-liked this engine happens to be.
Acoustic piano-wise though, especially when playing with headphones, the 120’s SK-EX sample is just on a higher level. It’s not that the P125A doesn’t sound good, but when you have them side by side, the differences in the depth of the tone and overall dynamic range between the two are fairly obvious and not simply a matter of subjective preference.
Now, this shouldn’t be a huge surprise given that Yamaha hasn’t changed the sound engine from the P125 here. The 120 is a brand-new instrument with an upgraded reverb engine and includes an upgraded sample set, so it makes sense that it’s producing a thicker, fuller acoustic piano tone.
The ES120 costs more too, and this is a big reason why. We’d definitely recommend trying to play both though to determine if the superior sound is worth the extra money to you.
Other Sounds
Since the sound selection remains the same as the P125, the P125A is equipped with 24 total sound presets. Like the 120, there’s a good mix of e pianos, organs, strings and other sounds.
Our observations regarding the differences between the acoustic piano patches on the two instruments hold here too with the 120 delivering a higher overall caliber of sound across many of the patches.
The organ sounds are an exception where the quality sounds pretty even across both pianos.
Polyphony
The P125A is also equipped with 192 notes of polyphony which is more than fine for the price range, and should be totally sufficient for the applications you plan on using the 125A for,
Speaker System
As we mentioned above, the P125 was known for its upward-facing, 4-speaker system. As a result, the built-in speakers deliver a very clear tone with lots of upper partials.
On the other hand, the amplifier is still a little bit underpowered at 14 watts of total power. The power difference, especially in the bass register, is quite noticeable between the 125A and 120. The P125A’s Sound Boost feature adds some punch, but not enough to make up for the difference in the rated power output between these two pianos.
Piano Action
Yamaha’s Graded Hammer Standard
Anybody who follows Yamaha knows that while they make a good product, they don’t often disclose very many technical details about specific components, leaving certain things up to consumer speculation. And while the P125A lists the same GHS action as was used in the P125, we really feel like this is an improved version.
To us, this GHS hammer action feels like it’s been slightly reconfigured from a weighting standpoint, and this is likely the result of some improved cushioning that has also reduced the mechanical noise of the action. Now, Yamaha hasn’t disclosed anything publicly in this regard, but this happens to be our strong suspicion.
It’s still using the same high-gloss white key covers, which is unfortunate given that most of the other piano keyboard actions available at this price point are now offering textured keytops for a better combination of grip and glide. Fortunately, they do include a matte finish on the black keys which is very nice.
In terms of repetition speed and response, the GHS feels quite good, but it is overall an older action that is a little bit behind in terms of the sensitivity levels with a wider separation between it and a real piano compared to some other actions in the class.
Kawai’s Improved Responsive Hammer Compact Keyboard Action
As mentioned above, the ES120 is once again equipped with the RHC action, but Kawai makes a point of emphasizing the fact that this is an enhanced version with improved geometry and extra key cushioning.
They’ve done the same thing with other Kawai piano actions like the RHCII and RHIII actions, likely as a result of how many more people found themselves playing piano at home with headphones surrounded by other household members over the past few years,
In terms of the specs, the RHC seems quite similar to the GHS in that both use a dual sensor and neither is outfitted with escapement.
That said, there are some significant differences between these two actions, especially when you get playing them. One key difference is the key surfaces. Kawai uses a textured key surface on both the white and black keys, and this really does improve the tactile playing experience of the action in our opinion.
Some people will feel like this is a non-issue, but there’s no denying that all manufacturers add texture to their keytops once you start moving up in price, so it is universally viewed in the industry as a best practice.
The RHC also offers a little bit of a wider range in terms of touch sensitivity, though the GHS certainly has its vocal supporters.
Features, Connectivity & Other Considerations
Price Difference
So, let’s start with probably the single biggest difference between these two pianos – the price. In Canada, the ES120 is sitting at $200 above the P125A. During the previous generation, the ES110 and P125 were very similar in price, whereas ES120 is now sitting meaningfully more expensive than the P-125A. What exactly is going on here?
For one, there is definitely some shrink-flation going on with the P-125A. Since they’ve actually stripped things away from the previous model, Yamaha has made the conscious decision to offer a slightly downgraded product for the same price as the previous generation model.
Kawai of course went the traditional route by offering an improved product, though they had to increase the price more significantly than normal to do so, to the point that these two products aren’t as parallel as the previous generation’s models were.
Connectivity
From a connectivity specifications standpoint, these two musical instruments are quite similar in a number of ways, except for a pair of notable extras on the ES120.
Both pianos have dual headphone jacks, L/MONO, R Aux outs, USB to host, a sustain pedal input and a port for an optional triple pedal unit. Having line outs makes both of these pianos legit gigging options.
Where they diverge is the fact that the ES120 is offering both Bluetooth MIDI and Bluetooth Audio connectivity (GATT compatible), whereas the P125A doesn’t have any Bluetooth connectivity.
Bluetooth MIDI is also for wireless connectivity to smart devices like iPads to access apps, such as Kawai’s PianoRemote app and PiaBookPlayer apps. Yamaha’s Smart Pianist App for iOS and Android is excellent, though you will need to use a wired connection on the 125A.
Other Features
The P125A has one potentially important feature that the ES120 doesn’t, which is its onboard rhythms and auto accompaniment. The quality of the auto accompaniment is actually quite good and actually in line with what you’ll find on some more expensive instruments. The ES120 does have drum rhythms, but not auto accompaniment.
In terms of standard features like split mode, transpose, metronome, basic onboard recorder and playback option, you’ll find all of the above represented on both pianos.
Appearance
In terms of the aesthetics of the two pianos, the ES120 has received quite an extensive refresher to the point that it’s boasting a very modern and up-to-date appearance.
The P125A still features a user-friendly control panel, but it is looking somewhat dated at this point, especially compared to the ES120 and some other Yamaha pianos.
The P125A is available in Black and White, while the ES120 is available in Black, White and a very slick light Gray.
Accessories
Both pianos ship with footswitch style sustain pedals and music rests in the box, though we would recommend upgrading to a better sustain pedal in each case at some point.
Both pianos are available with matching designer keyboard stands and triple pedal units if you plan on using your piano in a more stationary way.
The Yamaha accessories are the LP1 triple pedal and L125 stand, while the Kawai accessories are the HML-2 stand and F-351 triple pedal.
Closing Thoughts
Both of these instruments are incredibly solid in their own right. Given that Yamaha really hasn’t budged much off its price point, you have to give them kudos for bringing another very high-value product to market. On the other hand, Kawai has been able to take a step forward with the new ES120.
For people focused on having a really lush, complex piano tone, they’re likely to naturally gravitate towards the ES120 between these two due to its very faithful acoustic piano playing experience. In fact, the Roland FP30X is going to be a better comparison for the ES120B.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for something a little bit more budget-friendly and you’re either maxed out at the P125A’s price point or simply can’t hear enough of a difference with the ES120 to justify the price increase, the P125A is going to be a great option.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned veteran, both instruments offer a great experience for their respective price tag.
Thanks for reading!
