Kawai is a world renowned name in the acoustic piano industry. They produce some of the finest grand pianos and upright pianos. They successfully managed to import all the positive aspects of their acoustic models to digital pianos, producing some of the better products in this category. In this review you’re going to find out if the Kawai KDP-90 is the right choice for you.
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There are advantages and disadvantages on both types of pianos, digital and acoustic, some of which are pretty obvious. The one thing though that counts a lot when deciding on a digital piano like this one is if it sounds and feels to the standards of acoustic models.
Digital piano have a weakness when concerning the entire experience. Sure, they are more practical as in portable, but some digital pianos just lack the proper sound and often feel plastic.
Features of the Kawai KDP-90
The KDP-90 just looks amazing. Kawai did a great job designing this digital piano, both on the outside as on the inside. The sound is in an upper class, even if you don’t plug in external speakers and use the built in ones.
Acoustic piano is not the only sound that this digital piano reproduces exactly. It has different instrument options and each one will trick you into thinking it’s the real thing if you listen to it with your eyes closed.
Quick checklist of the features:
- 88-key piano sampling
- 15 exceptional instrument sounds
- Advanced hammer action IV-F graded hammer action
- 192-note polyphony
- Dual and four hands mode
- Built-in Alfred Piano Lessons
- Sliding key cover
- Grand feel pedal system
- Built-in stereo speaker system
- Audio outputs, MIDI in/out and two headphone jacks
It doesn’t include a bench, but it’s fairly easy to find a great bench at a good value for money ratio.
Sound Quality
When building the KDP-90, engineers at Kawai sampled the sounds from a 9-foot Kawai EX Concert Piano. The result of their effort is that the sound of this digital piano can be easily mistaken for the concert grand piano’s sound. There was put so much attention to detail even on the way the keys feel and play. Nothing that would remind you of certain disadvantages of some digital pianos.
Pedal performance
Like other competing models in this price range, the KDP-90 has built-in pedals, 3 to be more exact. Like on any acoustic models, the pedals have different effects on the the sound. In acoustic pianos, the pedals have a certain action on the chords of the instrument changing the sounds coming from them. They have the same effect in digital pianos, only at a digital level.
The pedals on this model are specially tailored to resemble the way the pedals on the EX Concert Piano behave. They contribute to the entire experience you get from playing the KDP-90, making it even more authentic.
Versatility
Aside from the fact that you can play multiple instruments on this piano, you can also use the 4 hands mode. Essentially, it splits the 88 keys into two identical 44 key sections. This is really helpful when someone is learning to play the piano. Piano students will make faster progress because they will not have to switch places with teachers.
