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We are looking for a digital piano for my father and we are currently considering the Kawai KDP90. We are looking for a piano that is maximum $1300 and probably more like $1000, with the emphasis on good piano sound and feel. Extra bells and whistles like additional sounds, USB ports, etc, are not necessary. The KDP90 caught my eye based upon a few reviews online that praised its qualities along those lines, but I'm wondering if I'm basing my opinion too much upon just a few reviews. I searched the forum and it seems like most threads that discuss this model quickly diverge into discussions about other models and brands.

The other two options we are considering are the Korg LP380, which I'm not convinced has as good a sound, and the Yamaha YDP162, which I think is not worth the higher price.

We can't find a place nearby, though, to actually try the KDP90. One store about 30 minutes away has an ES100. I can't tell whether that is a very similar model and whether it would be worthwhile taking the drive to try it out. They also have a couple higher end Kawai models in the upper $1000s, but those are out of our price range.

Any advice would be welcomed, thanks.

Hello, i'm just evaluating the Kawai lineup for myself, and test-played the kdp90 along with the new cn25.

In my opinion, for the price, touch and tone are very good. The main "problem" i found was general volume, hence amplification: to have a volume similar to an acoustic ( which is quite loooud ) i had to crank the volume slider all the way up.

On the cn25 i tried out the same day, a similar volume could be obtained keeping the slider around 2/3 from maximum, and then i had yet a bit of "power reserve".

Now, one could think about the "volume" thing as a merely "quantitative" problem, such as: "i'm gonna play it in a silent house so i don't care". But this is not the actual point. Pianos ( acoustics ) have a certain preset volume, which you cannot lower, and digital's action have a dynamic envelope which is developed having that average volume as a reference. If you lower it too much, you won't hear the dynamic variations, and you'll begin banging upon the keys, distorting all your playing habits and expression nuances.

Hence, from my point of view ( classical music ) i would willingly spend the 300 euros more for a cn25, which in turn also has a better action, tone and looks.

But for casual playing, the kdp could be nonetheless ok, and by the way, among the best pieces i tried around that price. With volume all the way up in a not too huge room, or with headphones.

@mnh:
As far as I have read reviews, forums, Kawai KDP90 (or CN14) is a must check in the in the $1000 budget range....

I have extended my budget to cca... $1300, and after checking specs and reviews I am more curious about Casio PX-860/AP-460 and Roland F-130R than about Yamaha YDP-162. I especially fancy the idea of seamless damper pedal operation, going to check it out...

However I am planning to give Kawai KDP90 / CN14 and Yamaha YDP-162 a chance (by trying out) to convince me before my final decision.

CN-25 (or the older version CN-24) could be a better and more expensive alternative from Kawai. Prices may vary among locations, here it is more around $1400-$1500 which is a little too much for me.

There are really interesting information in the similar other topics, look around, search the forum

Since yesterday I have learnt that prices differ among geographical locations, and the price gap between KDP90 and CN24 is much higher here in Europe.

CN24 might worth a check overseas (Google simply provides European stores only when searching for "Kawai CN24 price USD"... congrats Google)