Digital Piano Showdown: Yamaha CLP745 vs Kawai CA501 vs Roland LX705 

I own the Kawai CA501 and can give some insight into what I like and dislike after about 6 months of ownership. I chose the Kawai over these other brands for a couple reasons. The first being I liked the sound the best. I also like the Kawai Grand Feel Compact action better than the other two. At first I didn't like the feeling of the texture on the black keys but I got used to it pretty fast. I also love the way it looks! I bought the white satin finish and it looks amazing. Another thing that may seem small, but actually had a sizeable effect on my purchase, was that I hated the Roland music stand. It's chunky and doesn't have grooved supports or pop up tabs to hold music in place. In this regard, I like the Kawai's much better, although I wish the pop up tabs were metal instead of plastic. Feels like a cheaper finish on an otherwise outstanding looking product. The CA501 comes with over 100 built in drum beats to practice over; however, you can't access these drum beats through the Bluetooth midi piano app. They're only available through the keypad on the piano and it's a major PITA to go through them all to find the one you want. Furthermore, it would have been nice to have a few more drum patterns with different time signatures. They are predominantly 4/4. I reached out to Kawai to see if this was a bug they could fix and was basically told they are not going to add this functionality to the app. Another thing I dislike about the piano is that it is difficult to loop things. It would have been awesome to have a button easily accessible to loop samples. It's not impossible to do but it's enough of a hassle that I find I don't do it. I've used both the bluetooth midi and bluetooth audio functions a lot. It's awesome to have your piano double as your home entertainment speaker system. I've used both Skoove and Flowkey piano apps on my tablet and connected the tablet straight to the usb midi port on the CA501. It works great. I've also used the USB audio function to record .WAV and .mp3 files straight onto USB stick while I'm playing. I'm happy to answer any other questions from people if they have any.

On the sound side definitely Kawai as number 1. There is so much more life in the tone and emotions. The bass is powerful, lovely midrange, and the treble also provides a clear but not glassy image. But Roland offers a lot of options for customizing the sound, and their keys are excellent. You CAN'T possibly overlook their warranty. I would personally choose the Kawai, but if it were only between Yamaha and Roland, it would be the Roland. But as always, it's a matter of taste :) Thanks for a good test as always!

I bought the Roland LX 705 a couple of years ago and I love it. I took an experienced piano player with me to buy it as I'm just grade 3. I absolutely love it. The sound and because it looks like an upright. Hope it lasts me for many years.

Just a month ago I got CA501 as an upgrade from a more portable keyboard, I have practiced on different acoustic upright in the last two years, and somehow my fingers picked the GFC action over other models that cost more.

I purchased the Kawai CA501 a couple months ago and I must say I LOVE it! I actually loved the texture on the black keys from day 1, but love the action and way the piano feels when it plays. I wish the top had wood instead of the speakers just being covered in cloth, but that is a minor complaint. I also wish the recording to audio directly on the piano was a little more simple and using the drumming patterns was easier as well. That is a major pain shuffling through all of those. I prefer to record using the app, but if I am just playing for enjoyment and practice without recording the controls on the piano are more than adequate.

Not a fan of the Roland sound. The second sound of the Yamaha fit me best but I enjoy the Kawai very much.

Played the ca 501 and 701 today... probably me, but the 501 had a great feel with the white keys, but a bit stiff with the black keys.... the 701 very light white keys and great black keys..... the roland sounded lighter to me as it goes for the bass....

How about audio interface?

You said the Yamaha 745 has a 2x30w amp, but that’s not right. You’re thinking of the 735 which has a 2x30w amp, but the 745 has a 2x50w amp just like the Kawai. No biggie though. I just wanted to clarify. They all sound amazing. I’ve gathered from watching several of your videos that you seem to really like the Kawai. I was originally leaning towards the Yamaha, but after watching several of your videos I’m taking a closer look at the Kawai. Thx!

Are you sure there’s no Bluetooth midi on the Yamaha? The website says it has it…

Yamaha 745 is on sale by some Costco stores for $3k. Does Kawai offer any price adjustment? I like Kawai more, but with this price difference 745 makes more sense to buy.