Anybody has any comments for either of the pianos ? I am intending to get one of them.

I'd rather have a K3 than a U1 so a K5 would be even better. Isn't the sound of the K5 obviously better?

If you are getting one of them, get one that fits your fingers and your ears (and also your wallet) best. You can't go wrong with U1 or K5 but K5 is not a comparable model of U1. So, I may as well agree with asd123321 that K5 is better.

But, go with your ears and fingers.

Both pianos seem fine to me , and i am more inclinced toward k5 . As for the specs and everything , which one will be better ?

The cost of both of the pianos are generally about the same . There is a slight different.

Last year when we went shopping for a piano, my wife had a chance to try out K3/K5 and U1. She thought a K5 sounded better than a U1. At that time a K5 was $1000 more than a U1; therefore we went with a U1. She added that she likes the touch of a Yamaha more than a Kawai, but I was sure that if a K5 same price as a U1 we probably have the K5 in our living room right now.

This is my take on a K5, it is 50" high + better keys and sound better (deeper to me).

Good luck with your decision.

K5 is taller than U1. That's it I believe where K5 will be better than U1 in term of specs.

So you all thinks that k5, in terms of tone and touch and specs is much better than yamaha u1 ?

I have no experience on K5 before. I do not know.

And I check back on Larry Fine's, it seems K5 is only 1" taller than U1, but K5 may take in a scale design of 50" instead of 48". I can be wrong.

Did you try any YUS1? I played a YUS5 before and like it very much.

Touch and tone are very subjective – these 2 are so closely matched that it comes down to personal preferences. Between these and Sauter or IBach uprights, say, there would be real differences, but hardly between Yamaha and Kawai

I find Kawais to be a touch heavier, and the tone is darker (sometimes not as clear). If I can use the analogy – I think of Yamahas as having happy, cheery, if slightly simple personalities, while Kawais are more of a darker and broodier bunch. If you have a young child who is learning, the Yamaha might be better because it takes less effort to play.

The only objective difference would be the height – the Kawai is 4 cm taller, so the sound might be 'bigger", but remember the tone is fairly different, so "bigger" doesn't mean anything if you prefer the Yamaha tone.

Is there only one Kawai dealer? If so, I have serious reservations about their so-called customer service, while I had a couple of truly great buying experiences with my Yamaha saleslady several years ago.

I did not try that piano as it is above my budget .

oh , what other things does larry fine's book says about k5 and u1 ?

His book doesn't mention models specifically. And, I am lazy to grab my The Piano Book upstairs. The annual supplement says about Kawai K series and Yamaha U series in general, just the specs.

I really believe the choices between K5 and U1 is up to individual, about which tone and touch he/she likes more.

Have no worries to choose between them, unless they are used.

Did you consider anything Korean or Chinese or Indonesian?

My teacher has a K5 and I don't find the action heavy, all of this is subjective as has already been mentioned. I do tend toward (prefer) a lighter action.

I played both the same day (new at dealers) a few years back and I really could not see or hear or feel an appreciable difference and I remember walking away telling myself i would buy the one which I could get at the best price.

Both are very nice.

ok, go for the K5
it's simple.

Just play the Mozart K545 opening aberto bass .. right hand :> C E G B CDC...

You will fall in luv with the tone and will makes your eyes cross and hearts melt
Sweet tone, nice for Bach too

U1 is a tough guy, if you play Chopin military, i think U1 could be nicer


Jack, which Korean, Chinese, Indonesian piano do you recommend? Which one do you have experience to recommend ? Have you seen soundboard delamination, crack ribs, sticky flange bushing, warp keyboard, inconsistant key weight ??

just curious

Tried them both and ended up with the K5. The Kawai tone is warmer and just more lyrical to my ear than the Yamaha tone. The engineer in me admires the advanced materials used in the Kawai action almost as much as my fingers liked the touch. On top of that, my dealer (Forshey in Houston) was great as well.

I love my Kawai and will only get rid of it when my addition is done and I can upgrade to a six foot grand.

When I went shopping a few months ago I compared the K3 with the U1. I chose the U1 becasue I liked the sound better even though the K3 would have been less. It was close, though. But now I am very happy with my U1.

I would say, if one has a tight budget in buying a piano, he/she should take a look at them. Even if you are shopping for a better grade piano, there's also no harm to look at them.
IMHO, the Chinese pianos really give a high performance per price ratio than Japanese.

I have tried Hailun products and Indonesian made Yamaha, they are good and can be a good substitute for the higher-priced Japanese.

But, as I say, I may be biased.

come on, jack. whitelies isn't having a tight budget. The question pose was K5 or u1, both around SGD8.5K

you are misleading ppl, Yamaha indo assembled is not a indonesian piano lah. I have tried Hailun, but i don't have to hard evident that it'll last. I can only says the tone is very nice. Until a piano 10 or 15yrs old, when i come across tuning it, if it still sound as good, i then can recommend to others.

You also so like that. in other thread, there is someone in china also looking for a kawai, you also suggest hailun. then you kenna suan by ppl. This buyer is an advance pianist looking for good jp quality products, you ask her to look a china product, haha hehe hoho

no offence meant

But I feel la, they are very close with the Japanese ma. So, if you can save more, why don't you save it, especially now recession leh.

My one also suggestion only, people may not take it de ma.. But really I say the Chinese (W&L) is quite good loh.

Haha, Manglish/Singlish really feel easy to type, no restriction on grammar (glammal?).

Hmmm ... I will side with the Japanese pianos for now (i.e. Yamaha/Kawai), as the long history of reliability attests to their quality.

As mentioned in another place, I found the Hailun very nice pianos, but only time will tell if the piano will remain “that nice” for at least a few decades. I’ll say it’s a good buy if it lasts more than 40 years.

That said, Jin Jack has a point – some Chinese brands had received excellent reviews. Quality-wise, a potential buyer can always get an independent technician to check it out.

Do anyone feel anything bad about the kawai k5 ?

Whitelies,

Both pianos are good; it's difficult to say which is better.

I would go for the brand sold by a good dealer; beware of brand monopoly (hint).

So where are you at? If I were you, I'll choose the brand sold by more than one dealer ... and compare service/prices.

I second Roxane's statement: if you are where I am ...

Alright , noted

I like the K5 hands down. Great action, easy to play and very even. Nice key tops - Neotex which absorbs moisture. The tone is like a piano should sound. The best upright for the price I have ever played. It is not cheap but not too expensive either. Would suit a professional or someone who is particular about good sound. The bass is strong and sturdy. It's not over bright like the Yamahas. I prefer the Kawai, even though I have had a Yamaha for 33 years! I am upgrading hopefully to the K5, or K35 which is only slightly smaller in height, but also slightly different in the bass.

Did you buy one? Which one?

Don't know if the original poster has bought a piano but my thoughts...

K3 - dark, somewhat "muffled" tone. good action.
K5 - a step closer to the Yamaha bright tone, but still dark, better action than K3 but for 1.8K (!)more from what I was quoted.
U1 - bright tone, somewhat sluggish keys when I played really soft and fast.

If money wasn't a issue, I think I would go for a K5.