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Introduction
The Roland LX-9 and the Kawai Novus 5S (NV5S) are two of the most impressive digital pianos that money can buy. Having played both instruments for numerous hours, and loving them both, made it difficult to come up with a useful dialogue until they were placed side by side, revealing the differences.
We’ll discuss the major differences between the actions, the sonic experience, the user interface, and some final musical thoughts.
The Action
Kawai NV5S
Even though the mechanics inside the piano resemble that of an upright piano, the action in the NV5S feels neither like an upright piano nor a grand piano. The configuration of the geometry, the key weight, and the damper simulation pressure give a hybrid sense to the key; the weight of a grand with the behaviour of an upright. The dynamic resistance of the key feels just right.
Roland LX-9
When first played, the Roland action feels lighter; however, there is very little difference between them when played simultaneously. The Kawai has a full upright action so while the pressure required to start the key in motion is similar, the dynamic resistance is greater in Kawai. The Roland feels more natural in the lower half of the dynamic range while the Kawai is more natural in the upper half.
Mechanical Comparison
Because Kawai has two mechanical bodies stopping simultaneously, the key stick hitting the bottom of the key bed and the full action being stopped by the stop rail, there is a stronger and louder mechanical thump, which provides more haptic feedback.
Roland LX-9
Roland uses modelling, real-time synthesis based on a computer model, called Piano Reality Modelling engine. This sounds quite different from the PureAcoustic modelling that came before, or the SuperNATURAL modelling that came before that.
It is incredibly warm, very natural, and has a ton of nuance
Kawai NV5S
The sound generation in the Kawai is akin to stuffing a Vienna Symphonic Libraries VST into a digital piano. It consists of multiple samples at close range, the player’s perspective, and far distances of an SK-EX nine-foot grand piano.
The performer can choose various combinations using the virtual technician, with the ability to add additional sonic artifacts such as hammer noise, key noise, and resonance engines.
Speaker Systems
Roland LX-9
The LX-9 has eight speakers; two subs in the lower half, two centre channels, two tweeters up front, and two tweeters near the keyboard. Each set of speakers is fed discreet audio from the tone generator so there is no crossover or additional digital processing or filtering. It has a very clean sound.
If you enjoy a close connection to an instrument with a sound that surrounds you and has a nice warm mid-range tone, then Roland is the right choice.
The warmth of the Roland is a better presentation of the mid and upper mid-range.
Kawai NV5S
The entire sonic experience of the Kawai is dictated and dominated by the presence of the soundboard. You both hear and feel the bass. You hear the projection when you start to push the instrument and feel it come back to you both directly and indirectly because it projects into the room or off the wall.
Regardless of the settings, the Kawai feels like a bigger instrument compared to the Roland.
User Interfaces
Roland LX-9
The LX-9 has a buttonless touchscreen display with a small central visual display to review and change settings. Although ambience and brilliance can be adjusted, most settings are piano-specific.
Kawai NV5S
The speaker control settings are more technical and specific because, depending on the space the instrument is situated in, carpet versus tile versus hardwood or right up against a wall, the soundboard will behave differently.
Final Thoughts
In a lot of ways, the differences between these two instruments are as much about the pianos they are trying to emulate as the technical delivery. The warm mid and upper-mid-range tone is a prominent feature of a New York Steinway, which the Roland piano tone is based on; whereas the Kawai is based on an SK-EX which is known for a rich brassy bass, a lush lower mid-range tone, and a prominent treble.
Since both instruments are delivering these characteristics digitally, it may come down to which acoustic piano experience you like the most and how these pianos emulate that the best.
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