Kawai ES920 vs ES520 | Side By Side DEMO & Comparison
Each one of these portable ES Series digital pianos can easily be considered the best in its class. Both options will give you Kawai's latest Progressive Harmonic Imaging sound technologies, with modern Bluetooth® connectivity and a powerful 40W speaker system onboard. Both deliver excellent touch and tone, and a selection of excellent instrument sounds in a portable package suitable for the home, studio, or stage. The big difference between these two is in the keyboard action. The ES520 employs a Responsive Hammer Compact II keyboard action while the ES920 incorporates the highly-regarded Responsive Hammer III keyboard action. Let's take a look at the ES920 and the ES520 side by side.
Keyboard
|
ES920 ・Responsive Hammer III action- 88 keys - Grade-weighted hammers - Ivory Touch white key surfaces - Let-off simulation - Triple sensor key detection - Counterweights |
ES520 ・ Responsive Hammer Compact II action- 88 keys - Grade-weighted hammers - Matte key surfaces - Triple sensor hammer detection |
Pedal
|
ES920 ・ F-10H pedal unit- Damper (with half-pedal support) |
ES520 ・ F-10H pedal unit- Damper (with half-pedal support) |
Sound
Piano Sound
|
ES920 ・ Harmonic Imaging XL (HI-XL)- 88-key stereo sampling - SK-EX, SK-5, EX recording - 256 note maximum polyphony |
ES520 ・ Progressive Harmonic Imaging (PHI)- 88-key stereo sampling - SK-EX, EX recording - 192 note maximum polyphony |
Piano Resonance
|
ES920 ・ Acoustic Rendering- Damper Resonance - String Resonance - Undamped String Resonance - Cabinet Resonance |
ES520 - Damper Resonance- String Resonance |
Piano Adjustment
|
ES920 ・Virtual Technician (21 parameters)- Touch Curve (incl. User Touch Curve) - Voicing (incl. 88-key User Voicing) - Damper Resonance - Damper Noise - String Resonance - Undamped String Resonance - Cabinet Resonance - Key-off Effect - Fall-back Noise - Hammer Noise - Hammer Delay - Topboard Simulation - Decay Time - Release Time - Minimum Touch - Stretch Tuning (incl. 88-key User Tuning) - Temperament (incl. User Temperament) - Temperament Key - Key Volume (incl. 88-key User Key Volume) - Half-Pedal Adjust - Soft Pedal Depth |
ES520 ・Virtual Technician (17 parameters) - Touch Curve (incl. User Touch Curve)- Voicing (incl. 88-key User Voicing) - Damper Resonance - Damper Noise - String Resonance - Key-off Effect - Fall-back Noise - Hammer Delay - Topboard - Decay Time - Minimum Touch - Stretch Tuning (incl. 88-key User Tuning) - Temperament (incl. User Temperament) - Temperament Key - Key Volume (incl. 88-key User Key Volume) - Half-Pedal Adjust - Soft Pedal Depth |
No. of Sounds
|
ES920 38 voices |
ES520 34 voices |
Reverb
|
ES920 6 types |
ES520 6 types |
Other Effects
|
ES920 Brilliance, 16 types + amp simulator (3 types) |
ES520 Brilliance,16 types + amp simulator (3 types) |
Output System
Speakers
|
ES920 (8 x 12) cm x 2 |
ES520 (8 x 12) cm x 2 |
Output Power
|
ES920 40 W (20W X 2) |
ES520 40 W (20W X 2) |
Headphone Enhancements
|
ES920 Spatial Headphone SoundHeadphone Type |
ES520 Spatial Headphone SoundHeadphone Type |
Design
Display
|
ES920 128 x 64 pixel OLED |
ES520 128 x 64 pixel OLED |
Music Rest
|
ES920 Transparent, detachable type (included) |
ES520 Transparent, detachable type (included) |
Dimensions
| Width |
ES920 134 cm (52 3/4") |
ES520 134 cm (52 3/4") |
|---|---|---|
| Depth | 37.5 cm (14 3/4") | 37.5 cm (14 3/4") |
| Height | 14.5 cm (5 3/4 ") [music rest detached] | 14.5 cm (5 3/4 ") [music rest detached] |
Weight
|
ES920 17.0 kg (37 1/2 lbs.) |
ES520 14.5 kg (32 lbs.) |
Available Finishes
|
ES920 Black (ES920B)White (ES920W) |
ES520 Black (ES520B)White (ES520W) |
Functions
Basic Functions
|
ES920 4-band EQ fadersDual Split Four Hands Transpose Tuning Registration Startup Setting |
ES520 DualSplit Four Hands Transpose Tuning Registration Startup Setting |
Sound Demos
|
ES920 25 sound demo songs4 Main demo songs 2 Rhythm Section demo songs |
ES520 23 sound demo songs |
Internal Recorder
| Total Memory |
ES920 approximately 90,000 notes |
ES520 approximately 5,000 notes |
|---|---|---|
| No. of Songs | 10 songs | 3 songs |
| Parts | 2 parts | 1 part |
Time Signatures
|
ES920 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8 |
ES520 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8 |
|
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Drum Rhythms |
ES920 ・ Rhythm Section |
ES520 100 patterns |
External Connectivity
Bluetooth
|
ES920 Bluetooth (Ver. 4.1; GATT compatible)Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI Specification compliant Bluetooth Audio with aptX support |
ES520 Bluetooth (Ver. 4.1; GATT compatible)Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI Specification compliant Bluetooth Audio with aptX support |
USB Audio Recorder
| Record/Playback |
ES920 MP3WAV SMF |
ES520 KSO [Kawai song format]SMF (Playback only) |
|---|---|---|
| Other Functions | Overdubbing Line In recording |
App Functions
|
ES920 PianoRemote (iOS/Android) |
ES520 PianoRemote (iOS/Android) |
External Connectivity
| Headphone |
ES920 2 x 1/4" Stereo jacks |
ES520 2 x 1/4" Stereo jacks |
|---|---|---|
| MIDI | MIDI IN, MIDI OUT | MIDI IN, MIDI OUT |
| Line Out | 1/4" L/MONO, R [unbalanced] | 1/4" L/MONO, R [unbalanced] |
| Line In | 1/8" Stereo [unbalanced] | 1/8" Stereo [unbalanced] |
| USB to Host | ||
|
ES920 Damper (for F-10H)Damper/Soft/Sostenuto (for GFP-3) Pedal (for F-302) Speakers on/off switch |
ES520 Damper (for F-10H)Damper/Soft/Sostenuto (for GFP-3) Pedal (for F-302) Speakers on/off switch |
Power Supply
Power Consumption
|
ES920 18W |
ES520 18W |
Included Accessories
|
ES920 Power cableAC adaptor (PS-154) |
ES520 Power cableAC adaptor (PS-154) |
| Warranty card * Owner's manual Transparent music rest F-10H damper pedal (with half-pedal support) |
Warranty card * Owner's manual Transparent music rest F-10H damper pedal (with half-pedal support) |