The Best Kawais for the Money

“What's the best Kawai?” is the question I get asked most, and it's the wrong question — there's no single best Kawai, only the best one for what you're actually doing. So let's go through it by player type instead, honestly, without pretending one model wins at everything.

Best for a First Instrument at Home

For a first digital piano, the entry CX and home KDP-style models are the sensible starting point. The KDP120, for instance, pairs Responsive Hammer Compact II action with SK-EX sampled sound, Bluetooth and app support through PianoRemote and PiaBookPlayer — genuinely useful for a family working through early grades without needing anything more elaborate. You get a proper weighted action and a piano sound that won't put anyone off the instrument, at a level of complexity that doesn't overwhelm a first-time player.

Best for Serious, Long-Term Practice

Once you're committed and progressing steadily, the Kawai CN range earns its keep. The CN301 is a good example of what that step up buys you: Responsive Hammer III action with triple sensors, let-off simulation and counterweights, 256-note polyphony and 88-key sampling. It's a noticeably more refined feel under the fingers than an entry model, without the size, weight or cost of the premium wooden-key range. For a student sitting exams or simply practising daily for years, this is where the money is well spent.

Best for Portability and Gigging

If the instrument needs to leave the house — teaching visits, rehearsal rooms, small gigs — the Kawai ES range is built for exactly that. The ES520 uses Responsive Hammer Compact II action with triple-sensor detection and 88-key sampling, plus Bluetooth, USB memory support and a 40-watt speaker system built in, so it can genuinely stand alone without an amp for smaller rooms. It won't replace a stage rig for a professional tour, but for a working musician moving between venues, it's a sensible, well-specified choice.

Best for Professional Stage Work

For performers who need direct outputs, splits, layers and a control layout built around live performance rather than a furniture-style cabinet, the Kawai MP series is the category to look at. It's designed around the assumptions of a working stage rig — external amplification, reliable connections, controls you can find in the dark — rather than being a home instrument someone occasionally takes out.

Best for the Most Authentic Feel at Home

If budget genuinely isn't the deciding factor and you want the closest experience to an acoustic grand that a digital instrument can offer, the Kawai Concert Artist range, and the CA901 in particular, is where that ambition lives. It combines Grand Feel III wooden-key action with SK-EX Competition Grand sampling, multi-channel sampling and resonance modelling, alongside a proper wooden soundboard. The CA701 sits just below it with similar action technology and its own diffuser speaker system. Neither is a casual purchase, but both are aimed squarely at a player who has outgrown compromise.

Best for Producers and Virtual Instruments

If you already have piano software you love and simply want a controller that feels right under the fingers, the Kawai VPC series is built specifically for that job — a genuine weighted action without the built-in sounds and speakers you don't need at a desk. It's an easy category to overlook if you're focused on “pianos” rather than “controllers,” but it's exactly the right tool for that particular job.

How to Use This List Properly

None of these categories are ranked against each other — a CN301 isn't a “worse” instrument than a CA901, it's a different tool for a different budget and a different goal. Work out which of the six situations above actually describes you, then read our full buyer's guide for exactly what to check on the shortlist that leaves you with. If you're still getting your bearings with the range as a whole, the full explainer is a good place to start, and total beginners should read our beginner's guide first. Before you buy anything, it's also worth a quick look at common mistakes people make at this stage.

The right choice was never about finding the single best model — it's about being honest with yourself about which of these six players you actually are.

Frequently Asked Questions