The Kawai ES8 vs. Yamaha P515 

I look forward to you reviewing the new ES920, recently released by Kawai. And, it was a joy listening to you play both keyboards.

Actually there are effects on the p515. Click function to enter the voice menu, scroll down to voice edit, click it (right arrow button), scroll to effects, that could be set to off but you can choose between a lot including autopan, rotary, phaser and so on. Love the review. Thanks for doing it!

Great comparison. As an owner of the P-515, I love going back and forth between the Yamaha CFX and Bosendorfer samples. Both are amazing. I also think the Rock Grand sample is highly underrated, I've been loving it for Jazz/Blues improv. For those looking to pickup the P-515, I highly recommend the matching Yamaha L-515 stand and Yamaha LP1 pedals. The P-515 when paired with the L-515 and LP1 look amazing and are well worth the value they bring.

You called it as you heard it and as you felt it! Congratulations on not shirking you duty as a critic. I hope other piano critics can leave the world of "it depends on what you prefer" and tell us what they prefer and why; as you have done here. Again congratulations.

After owning an ES8 myself and when comparing to other Yamahas, I always found that the ES8 had such a clear tone and very natural, long decay. The way the notes blend too sounds very natural. The Yamaha sounds like track a that has been mastered. Not bad, but not necessarily natural. I suspect it's the different kinds of microphones they used to record with.

Most reviewers belong to commercial stores so they have brand loyalty.....or they can’t afford to negatively criticise any product or brand. Therefore it’s so refreshing to hear an honest opinion. Hope you continue to stay neutral. It’s good to see your channel quickly receiving so many subscribers. You’re still young and deserve every success. Well done from the UK.

No regrets I bought the 515. It's absolutely fabulous, I love the feel of the keys, and the piano sound is great, either of the CFX or the Bösendorfer, more to my tastes than the ES8 or the FP90. The dark and bell pads as well as the harpsichord are really tasteful.

I’ve tried both and let’s be honest both are excellent....you can’t go wrong with either. I preferred the look of the Kawai..the gloss effect and mimimalisation makes it look classier if you have it in your home.The Yamaha has quite heavy keys (initial inertia) but there’s a strong spring back so you can easily play quick pieces, it’s not sluggish at all and I actually preferred the P 515 keys to the ES8. There are so many piano tones so they are both quite similar sound wise however the Yamaha speakers project the sound more.than on the Kawai. It’s close but my preference is Yamaha P515.. However everyone is different so it’s always best to test them out for yourself so YOU can decide,

I somehow was able to buy a new P515 Bundle with stand, bench and triple pedals from B&H Video while nobody else in the music market has them in stock. The main purpose is to recreate an acoustic grand piano experience in my living room when hooked up to my high end bi-amp stereo system. When playing "Arabesque 1" the result was dynamic full range crystal clear audio. Surprisingly, using just the built-n speakers is really remarkably good in projecting realistic sound much like my audio system, but at lower levels. Impressive.

"Riders on the Demonitization Storm" love your appraisals sprinkled with wit, James! I'm almost done with my adult student1st piano research, ug! For me, choosing among available pianos and keyboards, price ranges, identifying sales speak vs honest advice, the value of line-out jacks and midi connectivity etc. has made this process both confusing and exciting. James, in addition to functionc, voices and connections your focus on sound quality and keyboard action within the various price ranges has helped me very much in understanding important fundamentals of piano purchase and learning to play with enjoyment. I really loved your P515 review and your over-under comparison of the ES110 vs ES8 sounds. From the Kawai comparison I began to learn how to hear music and from your review of the Yamaha - and the big JMS smile when finished playing - I learned the P515 must be a very satisfying piano! I appreciate your generosity, integrity and love of the art. Thank you.

Hi James, hope you're keeping well and safe! Would love to see a detailed review of KAWAI's new ES520 and ES920 series, waiting on your review before I purchase :)

Always wanted this comparison! Thanks for us this!

Thankyou... I bought a P515 two days ago ( yet to arrive)....You just validated again, it as the correct choice for me. I love what you produce bro....and share. Very Real, Thanks

I absolutely love the ES8 but the glossy look is only pretty for the first day, you see the smallest speck of dust on it and any touch shows how sweaty my hands are, I wish they would make a model with a matte finish, would really make it the perfect digital in this price point

I gigged with the ES8 prior to upgrading to the P-515 almost a year and a half ago. At its price point, I don’t believe anything else compares. I love the action and sound. I’m just glad I don’t have to carry it.

Both of these pianos are clearly the best in their class, and the comparisons are very interesting some pros and cons with each as you would expect, slightly better sounds in different categories, which overall seemed to even out. However, where I think the Yamaha edges the comparison is in terms of the quality of the speakers, which the reviewer clearly preferred, and the action, which although heavier did not have the sound and bounce issues of the ES8 on releasing the keys. Further to the above, none of these comparisons mentions that the Yamaha has another 480XG voices and an inbuilt 16track sequencer. Overall, both seem great keyboards and amazing value for the performance available

James, I thought the p515 had a slightly cleaner(brighter ) sound with your test piece. The Es8 sound was fatter. Debussy on the ES8 was brighter than the P515 which was mellower. I really enjoyed the comparisons. Your unbiased, comprehensive evaluation of instruments is excellent and although some feathers get ruffled by some manufacturers, in the long run whether they acknowledge it or not, I bet changes are made. Don't ever be intimidated because you are in a unique position having both Classical and popular training and the knowledge of a wide variety of keyboards and pianos. It keeps them on their toes:) Cheers, Frederick "Rik" Spector

Thanks so much for this review! I used this video and some of your other reviews to settle on the P515 and I am very very happy with that purchase. The action on the keys feels just right to me. The only thing I would add is that it does have quite a lot of other sounds as well, some great - some - not so great. If you press the Function-Other keys simultaneously, you get access to all the 'XG' voices (480 of them and a more extensive drum kit). I had thought I would have to keep my 'for fun' keyboard, the Yamaha YPG-235, for those, but it turned out the P515 had all that too - just not as obviously or quickly accessible (not sure why they decided to make those so hard to find, but oh well - I mostly use the piano, harpsichord, and organ anyway).

Nice face off, now we need you to do, YAMAHA P-515 VS ROLAND FP-90 .

Played both at my store. Sound is a HUGE factor for me and the P515 wins this contest hands down.

I don't think he even mentioned that P515 has wooden keys when he talked about the action. Amazing sound previews. Loved the Minecraft theme song though, Mr. Not Satie! haha

Wow, your treble test piece at 13:48 - 15:10 is truly mesmerizing. Can watch this video repeatedly just for that. It will be great if you make a video on teaching this piece.

And there it is...the ES920. Looks like they improved the sounds and action but I would have liked more power. Anyhow, you know what to do James.

Yamaha P515 it is. Thanks for the videos.

Thanks James, you’ve given me great insights into the quirks and foibles and great strengths of these two pianos. Only thing is, it’s so hard to choose!

really like and enjoy such a comparison video like this... ty for your passion and hard work.

Tanks James very good comparison. Very comprehensive. I can never make the Bösendorfer sound as good on my P515 :_( Otherwise I love those videos. Purchasing the P515 was a hard decision for me and hearing it on your channel always makes me smile.

Thank you for doing this! Sadly I never could try the Kawai since they don't sell digital pianos in my country. Happy to see this comparison. No regrets getting my P515 especially the action which I was really concerned about, being so heavy.

i've been waiting for this season finale!

I feel like the velocity settings are off on the Yamaha as opposed to the Kawai (it doesn't appear to be an issue of volume, per se). The Kawai came off as slightly more powerful, but that isn't my personal experience playing the two. The Bosendorfer sample on the Yamaha P515 is ASTONISHING. Try the theme from Forest Gump with that sample to see what I mean.

I bought a white P-515 and i love it. It’s really awesome to play.

thanks, I already had a slight preference to the P515, and when you showed the key action that did it for me. But they both sound really great. It would be nice if you could compare a Yamaha CVP-809 Grand Piano with the P515, to see if these sounds can compete with the flagship

The Kawai sounds so much better is not even a competition. good test!

James, thanks for the great review. I agreed with your assessment of the weaker DX electric piano sounds on the P-515, until I found the "hidden" electric piano sounds (using the Function + Other key combination). The DXLegend is my favorite DX sound by far but there are some other beautiful electric piano sounds here. Not sure why they didn't put this sound on their main EP section! Also, some of the acoustic guitars and synth pads under this hidden section are just fantastic. Not sure if the ES-8 has something similar

Missing review of the new Kawai ES-520.

James - have you considered comparing the Yamaha P515 to the Fold FP-90? The FP-90 is slightly more expensive, but it would be nice to compare Roland's top gigging piano with Yamaha's. Also, the Roland is a "modeling piano" while the Yamaha is a "sampling piano", so it would be nice to compare the sounds of the two different tone engines.

Great job switching between pianos! It's hard to do, especially with the pedal!!

The KEY noise on the ES8 is NOT your imagination James : ) IN ADDITION to the "rebound" noise that you highlighted, there was a "clicking" noise on many of the keys on my ES8 which I took to a certified Kawai service centre with little effect - the noises may have come from contact with electronic "pickups" as keys are played. The overall construction of the ES8 is really very good but since the keyboard is THE central feature of ANY piano, it kinda spoiled the whole ES8 adventure so I sold it and later replaced it with the Yamaha 515 and never looked back. I'm NOT a good pianist but my friend who IS, was super impressed with the sound and feel of the 515 and compared it favourably to his Yamaha grand acoustic . . . not QUITE as good of course but pretty close : )

An excellent presentation. Details galore. Thank you!

I really like the p515. Overall the sound is good. The kawai is like the se10 really good but this one sounds ,at least for me ,just that little bit less good. Can’t say exactly why. The sound if the p515 is just that little bit bigger I think. By the way in the beginning of the video it seems to me that the p515 had a just that little less sound on the left channel compared to the right. It happened every time you switch between the two. It seems to me that the mixer couldn’t handle the switches but later on it was good. Anyway thank you for sharing and playing. It was again a pleasure to listen to. Oh and maybe it is an idea to put a link to your second channel under the videos. Just a thought 😊

I'm glad a tester gave a different point of view on the ES8's action vs. the P515. In so many other reviews Yamaha's action is unfairly criticized as being so inferior. Yes, it's a heavy action. But it is nowhere near as bad as some say it is. Kawai seems to be a louder, fuller piano in the acoustics only. And it certainly has a more sparkly treble. When it gets to the other voices, then Yamaha is more in your face. But I actually like the more restrained tone of the Yamaha CFX and Bosendorfer samples. There's more single voice clarity in chords as well with the Yamaha samples. I'm not sure, but in the new CLP700 series, the reworked samples seem a bit less restrained (and Bosendorfer is now binaural and improved IMO). And herein lies an issue. Now, both the P515 and the older ES8 have a last-generation action and tone engine than their newest cabinet versions. I'm not sure if the P515 will be updated anytime soon but the ES8 is "old" and it may be. So, an ES9 may happen before a P516 or maybe P520 or P615, not sure what Yamaha will call an updated version of the P515.

The comparison a lot of us have been eagerly waiting for, and you really knocked it out of the park! I find all the comparisons over the many voices and features very interesting. For now, though, my one goal is to resume learning to play the piano after an interruption of more than a decade. With that narrow focus, I have 2 quick questions I hope you can respond to. I think you'd say the P515 is the better choice for this purpose because of its key action, the CFX concert grand and Bösendorfer samples, and the speakers.The other question is: Might it be worth waiting for the ES9? I'm guessing that you'd say No, because the primary piano sample is not likely to be an "improved" SK, and even if the key action is improved, it's not likely to be better than the P515's. I know I'm being a nervous buyer with limited funds, but an affirmative answer to both would be reassuring. Thanks to your videos, I've learned a lot about pianos and keyboards, despite living more than 200 miles from the nearest piano store, and I've been inspired to take action on getting back to playing the piano. EDIT: Just to be clear, I'm not just asking for reassurance. I'm asking for an honest, informed opinion pertaining to my situation. And while the question was addressed to James, I'd be happy to hear from others as well. Ironically, I was just offered a free spinet, tuned 2 years ago and still in tune. I haven't seen or heard it yet, but from the little I know, I'll probably turn it down.

I like the Yamaha pedal, but I Love the much less expensive Yorkville damper pedal and as a bonus it has a polarity switch

I've heard rumours the ES9 is coming in august. I hope it has bigger speakers and a GFC action. If it wont ill def buy the P515 or VPC1

If you use double pedals on ES8, the left pedal turn on and off vibrato on organ sounds just like on Hammond. from slow to normal or backward. Pretty cool!

This was fantastic! Thank you! If I’m only playing classic music, which one would you recommend of the two, please? They honestly sound almost identical.

Thank you! I am in the market for a new DP and your videos are very helpful! Keep up the good work! :*

AWESOME BREAKDOWN CHAMP. BRILLIANT REVIEW!!

Hi can you please do a review of the ES 110 vs Korg D1

First rate review, my friend! On par with your exceptional piano skills.

The ES8 sounds like a record, while the P515 sounds way more natural and organic. Im a bit suspect to say, cause I bought a P515 due to James review 😄 but thats my honest impression, both amazing instruments

James what is the title of this? treble test piece at 13:48 - 15:10 pls reply thanks

The one we've all been waiting for! :D

Great review, I have the ES8 but am now deciding between the Kawai CA79 or CA99, Love the Kawai samples

Nice review, a little bit of Satie always helps to solve a murder.

James, you just have to do a review on the Kawai ES 920 against the Yamaha P 515. Please!

Amazing videos! You're slowly helping me narrow down which dp to get. Save for the Bosendorfer which is my all time favorite piano, I like most of the sounds in the Kawai a lot more. I think Kawai sounds richer and fuller imo, I'm just worried about that key action, Yamaha seems to have the upper hand. I might have missed when you talked about it but which one has more dynamic range? Im mostly going to be playing classical, seconded semi-distantly by jazz and tropical; which one would you recommend? Thanks for all your help!

Which digital piano do you recommend for beginners to advanced? I want something definitive, more long term, something with quality that I don't need to worry about upgrading it.

On the P-515 you can add effects on one voice, and there are additional settings if you are on split mode. Function -> Voice -> Voice edit -> effects.

Thanks for another helpful comparison, James! I think it would be very interesting if you could show us how different digital pianos react to the same gram weight test you’ve used for Casio PX series to highlight its problems with action balance. Maybe even include a real acoustic piano as a reference.

Thank you for the review!

Yes! I want to buy the ES920 when its home bundle becomes available in February 2021, but I need to see what you think of it first. What are the upgrades compared to ES520? Compared to ES8? Especially: is the organ sound OK? How even or uneven is the key pressure back to front compared to other pianos (Yamaha eg.)? What exactly are the Bluetooth capabilities? How agile are the keys (rapid trills and one-key repeats)? Your reviews are the best and your practical judgement is very good. ES920 will be the big digital piano for Kawai this year and if it is a disappointment I want to buy up an ES8 before none can be found anymore.

Nicely done! Many thanks! I like the es8 I think:)

Note When u played riders on the storm I had head phones on and the ES had a distinctive wave from left to right speaker sounds where the yamaha was one sound together it was as if ES was focus on a wave of a sound between bass and treble which was pretty cool sounding

I love YAMAHA P 515 thanks James

The Es-8 Sounds warmer, prettier and just over all better to my ears as well my friends' ears who are professional musicians. The Yamaha is a damn good instrument as well!

Hello James, First of all thank you for your videos, they are perfect. I have the possibility to buy a new es8 but I could read that there were a lot of problems with the keyboard: key that doesn't make sound or that slams,... Have you ever encountered such problems? Thank you in advance.

Could you do a comparison video between ES8 and the new ES920? Thanks!

Very good show, James. But I am curious - you have bought a lot of slabs recently. I don't see how you could use them all in your studio. What are you going to do with all of them?

Hey James, what about a comparison video of mid range stationary home digital piano ie kawai ca 59 vs Yamaha CLB645.. I think it will be interesting and I’m really curious about your thoughts.

To me I can see that your favourite is the Yamaha you played more on the Yamaha than the Kawai.I have just bought the Kawai ES 520 This has many features that the ES 920 has Great sounding piano for Beginners to

I deffinetly like more the ES8 wide and deep delicated sound than the P515 which I find it defined but cold and less rich than the ES8.

Great review!

As per another comment, you can change the effects of the P515. Further to this, the P515 has a sixteen track sequencer, as well as the ability to record in WAV and midi and send via USB, I do not see how this is less than the Kiwi, which can record far less racks and has very similar functionality? These comments aside, a very useful review of two amazing keyboards at any price point in terms of piano sound quality and range of functionality.

Bought an ES-8 in 2015 and never looked back

Awesome review. Thx

Which one would you choose just for house playing?

Isn't the springiness on the Kawai supposed to be a feature, i.e. emulating the escapement? I was under the impression that Yamaha isn't really featuring the escapement as it advertises. Also could you please opine on the closeness to ground truth (since you have had hands on experience with many acoustic grands) in terms of the action weight for both instruments? Yamaha's action on digital pianos tend to be unrealistically heavy (based on forum discussions and my own experience measuring my Yamaha digital piano). I am asking because currently I am considering switching to Kawai precisely to get a more realistic action. Cheers!

I was intrigued by your comments on the noise and bounce of the ES8 action. I tried the same experiment on my acoustic grand whose action is by Renner. I was surprised to find that the Renner action makes quite a bit of noise when you release it, and it also bounces when it returns to the top. I've never noticed either of these characteristics when playing normally. Since I can't easily silence the strings, it is harder to compare the action noise on the down stroke with the return, but it seems to me that the action return makes more noise than the down stroke. Based on your description, the Renner acoustic grand action (at least he one I have) seems to behave more like the ES8's than the P515's. I don't have access to other acoustic pianos, but maybe owners of acoustic pianos with other actions can tell us how theirs behaves. I wonder if perhaps the ES8's action mimics Kawai's acoustic grand action and the P515 mimic's Yamaha's. Or maybe not.

Thank you James for comparing the actions!

Fantastic review thank you. is the piece at 24:00?

Hello! Thank you for your videos. Can you, please, suggest some digital piano to work as master MIDI keyboard for studio recording purpose? Kinda best for the buck

The ES8 appears to be completely out of stock everywhere now. I sure hope Kawai announces the replacement soon (before virtual NAMM 2021). It will be on the short list to replace my ageing Kurzweil.

In this demo, the p515 sounds nicer. I’m just wondering which one has better dynamic range?

I currently own an older Yamaha P140, which has been in storage for years. During Covid social isolation, I’ve recently started taking some lessons to begin learning once again. I’ve been thinking of getting one of these as an upgrade from my P140. I would like the upgraded sampling sounds and also the upgraded USB integration to use with my iPad. What do you think of the P140 in comparison to the P515? An upgrade would certainly be more palatable if I could expect to get decent value for the P140 on the used market.

13:48 the treble testing piece.

I'm looking for a second piano/keyboard for my piano studio. Which one would you recommend?

Strings sound better on kawaii,should’ve shown rhythm feature on both,some of us like that,p515 could have better rhythm feature,hope new es920 has good rhythm feature.

could we get a comparison of console digital pianos such as yamaha s54, roland f140, korg c1 ? thank you very much

Hi James, what do you think about the z stand GDGQJRM? Would you recommend it for Roland FP30?

Is it possible to plug the P515 into an audio interface and record the sound directly into your computer?

Hi James, could you please review Roland FP-60? There were some materials to the comparison between FP-60 and FP-90. But it would be interesting the differences between FP-60 and FP-30, if it´s worth to invest the money to the FP-60 (it´ s clear that´s it´s incomparable to the FP-30 as a gigging instrument). But it would be interesting for me to know your opinion, if there is a difference between the piano samples . I know that the action is the same(PHA 4), but I would like to know if on the FP-60 the sound works better wiht the action or if it´s almost the same as on the FP-30. Thanks a lot for your answer and maybe more detailed review, if it will be possible for you.

ES8 FTW for sure

Wondering if the stacking positions of these units is effecting the quality of these sounds.. I've noticed variances with my P125 depending if I'm in front, back , side.etc. Here you're muffling the Kasai speakers a bit..

could anyone tell me what the piece is at 19:32 ?

I meant What is the piece...

20:28 Oh the nostalgia...

Hey James I can't find your new channel can you send me the link

44:15 this bothers me, since I was looking at some Kawai models with RH3 action and I really don't like springy actions. I guess all models with that specific action would behave like that(?)

Treble test is the best