Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Casio Privia PX850 vs Kawai ES100 vs KDP90

Which of these digital pianos are better: Casio Privia PX850, Kawai ES100, Kawai KDP90, or any other one you may suggest? I'm mostly concerned about key action (I want the heaviest key weight in about the $1000 price range). I'm not planning to transport it so weight isn't an issue. I'm a newbie so it's very difficult for me to compare between all the actions (RH, AHAIV-F, etc) without feeling them (we have no stores that carry digital pianos nearby). Thank you!

Heaviest action is not necessarily best, nor most authentic (depending, in part, on what acoustic piano you are comparing to), but if you like a heavy action, in the $1k price range, I'd probably say Yamaha P155 or maybe Korg SP250. Both are being phased out, but you can probably still find them around.

Hi, I cannot comment on those particular Kawai models, though did try a few, I tried the both the Casio Privia 850 and Casio Celviano AP-450 when I bought mine recently.

If you got the room, seeing you mentioned you are not moving it anyway and the slightly larger cabinet size is not an issue for you I would consider the Celviano 450 over the Privia 850.

In the UK at least they cost the same often take or leave 50 pounds depending on where you buy it. The Celviano does have a fuller sound though because of the larger cabinet. I could easily hear the difference in the store, its not miles apart, but it is there for sure.

Apart from the cabinet the two pianos are identical feature wise and share the same action.

If you are using headphones most of the time it will not matter of course since they'll sound the same I would think, though did not test them with headphones in the store at the time.

Good luck

Thank you, anotherscott, for new suggestions. For some reason I didn't think Yamaha p155 would have a heavier key action. So you think the two that you mentioned would be better?

The main reason why I want a heavy key action is because the grand piano that my son gets lessons from is pretty heavy and he has trouble adjusting to it (I have an older Casio keyboard at home). He tends to play very lightly. His teacher says that he needs to work his fingers too.

Alexander Borro, I haven't heard of the one you mentioned. I'll check it out. Btw, I live is US.

Alexander Borro, I'm confused. Celviano 450 costs twice as much as Casio PX 850 in US! Well, if the key action is the same, I'm not sure if it's worth overpaying for it. Did you confuse it with Celviano 250? That's more like it in price.

Anotherscott, I've never played a Korg before but the one you mentioned seems pretty good (and within my price range). Have you tried any of the Kawais I mentioned or Casio PX 850 for a comparison?

Hi,

Yes, that is how it is in the UK for sure. The model names are written as in my post. I don't see why they would sell the Celviano 450 for almost twice as much in the US over the Privia 850, it would make no sense, since it only a slightly larger cabinet that sets them apart.

Seems to me the price difference as it in the UK reflects what you get more or less, but as said, I did think that 50 pounds price difference, and in some stores no price difference was well worth it though for that little extra fullness in sound you get for it.

As you say, if that is how it is in the US I would definitely stick with the Privia 850, it is certainly not worth double the price tag

The Celviano 250 is somewhat cheaper here by 200-250 pounds over both the PX 850 and Celviano AP-450.

And how does Kawai MP6 keboard compare to the ones we mentioned above? The more I research, the more I get confused... I'd like the best bang for my buck. If I don't have to overpay to get a decent key action, I'd rather not.

The ES100 has an adjustment for light, normal (default) and heavy. I haven't tried these yet as my replacement (speakers were DOA) hasn't arrived yet.

Mike

If you have a Casio "keyboard" with non-piano action keys, then it's worth noting that the difference between playing that kind of action and even the *lightest* weighted piano action is much more noticeable than the difference between the lightest and heaviest piano style weighted actions.


Kawai MP6 is on the heavier side, similar to the Yamaha P155. Kawai ES100 is noticeably lighter.


Most boards have a feature like that. Although the setting changes the responsiveness of the action, it does not actually change the weight in any way.

The action is common throughout all the current Privia and Celvianos.

The Celviano AP-450 and Privia PX-850 are equivalent models - accounting for them being sold at very similar prices in the UK - the only difference is the type of stand / cabinet - they are functionally the same unit.

The Celviano AP-250 shares the same action, but isn't as powerful or feature rich as the AP-450 / PX-850 (it has 128 note polyphony, as opposed to 256 note polyphony of the AP-450 and PX-850, and they have other enhancements to the sound engine).

The Celviano AP-250 equivalent in the Privia range is the PX-750.

"AnotherScott" caught the same train of thought that I did. _Any_ "weighted" or "hammer-action" keyboard will be better than a synth-action keyboard (which is probably what you have now).

I would _not_ recommend the Yamaha "GHS" action, which is in the P105 (and some other Yamaha models) -- it's pretty light (even though it's a "graded hammer-action keyboard").

But the Casio PX-x50 action, or the Yamaha P155 ("GH" action), or ES100, should all be fine.

There's a substantial difference in _how you play_ a synth action, versus a weighted action. It's not just the pressure on the keys; the whole "feel" is different.

. Charles

PS -- I have a PX-350 at home, and play on my teacher's upright for lessons. It doesn't take me long to adjust to the difference.

Thank you so much! That has been very helpful! Now I'll cross the Kawais off my list. Now I'm between Yamaha p155 & Casio PX 850. Any clue how these two compare?

I've read other threads on this forum and looks like a lot of you think Yamaha p155 key action is heavier.

Is there an identical P155 keyboard but in a console type? Looks like the L140 stand is no longer sold anywhere.
Is the YDP162 and YDPS51 basically the same Graded Hammer Action as P155 so the keys would be just as heavy? I've read somewhere that these 2 cabinet type I've mentioned have a better sound than P155. Is that true?

And is the only difference between YDP162 and YDPS51 is that YDP162 has ivory feel keys and YDPS51 has a more sleek design? Same sound, key action, etc?

I purchased YDP-162
Hope it works for us well.

Btw, I tested a Clavinova with GH3 and it sounded so much better and the key action on the heavy setting felt better. Oh well, it was above my budget.

You should be happy enough with that. My bro in law has the 161 and it`s a good powerful sound. The 162 may be more dynamic. Have fun!

Congrats! It's a good instrument.

May I ask why you eventually opted for the YDP-162 over the other instruments you were considering?

Cheers,
James
x

Given the OP's preferences I'd guess action played a crucial role...?
For working toward a real piano action and for developing finger strength Yamaha's GH action is still unsurpassed in the 1k price range IMHO. The alternatives would be Kawai's RM3 or an even better action by Y and K - at a higher price.