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#RolandFP30X #KawaiES120 #DigitalPianos
0:00 - Video Introduction on the Roland FP30X vs Kawai ES120
0:22 - Opening Playing Demo on the Kawai ES120 SK-EX Concert Grand Piano
0:34 - Opening Playing Demo on the Roland FP30x Concert Piano
0:44 - Video Overview and Kawai ES110 Discussion
1:20 - Kawai ES120 Sound Specs
2:02 - Kawai ES120 Sound Demo begins
3:37 - Kawai EX Concert Grand Piano demo and additional piano sound demos
8:03 - Electric Piano and more tone demos on the Kawai ES120
12:42 - Stu Harrison’s Conclusions on the Piano Tones
16:02 - Roland FP30x review begins
16:12 - Roland FP30x Sound Specs
16:50 - Roland FP30x Sound Demo - Concert Piano
18:53 - Comparing Roland FP30x main piano sound to the Kawai ES120
23:52 - More Piano Tones on The Roland FP30x
28:32 - Additional Tones on the Roland FP30x
36:27 - Piano Sound Spec Slide
36:39 - Piano Action Review begins
41:49 - Piano Action Spec Slide
42:00 - Piano Features and Connectivity review begins
46:04 - Final Conclusions
Greetings and welcome to the Merriam Pianos KZfaq channel. Finally, the new Kawai ES120 has arrived to replace the ES110, a massively popular instrument through its 5-year run.
We figured we’d give it an immediate trial by fire as we’re going to match it up with the Roland FP30X - the instrument many consider the best in the class.
Background
Since its release in 2017, the ES110 was seen as one of the best value options for people seeking an instrument with a great combination of sound and touch. Naturally, the ES120 comes with pretty high expectations.
The FP30X is probably the single best comparable for the ES120, as both pianos are ultimately aimed at the same end user.
Piano Sound
The ES120 features 192 notes of polyphony and a 20-watt speaker system. The SKEX sample has been added, and the alternate sounds appear to be upgraded to our ears as well. The reverbs and other digital effects have also been upgraded, so even though it’s seemingly the same Harmonic Imaging engine on paper, this is an upgraded version of the engine.
The fidelity of the sound is much improved over the already great sounding 110, and while there are a number of acoustic piano presets that sound good, the SKEX sample is definitely the highlight, and you can actually edit up to 17 sound parameters via the PianoRemote app.
The electric pianos, organs, harpsichord etc. are quite consistent with most of the sounds being totally usable, whereas this wasn’t the case outside of the acoustic pianos on the 110 for the most part.
Over on the FP30X, we have the new BMC chip driving the SuperNATURAL piano sound engine with 256 notes of polyphony. The speakers are slightly beefier at 22 watts of power. Playing it beside the 120 reveals a very different playing experience.
The 30X has more than double the 120s 25 total sounds with 56. Many here are quite usable as well, so the advantage of the 30X is the larger quantity.
Piano Action
While most agree that the FP30X with its PHA4 was ahead of the ES110 in terms of the action, the ES120 manages to narrow the gap with an improved version of the RHC action with added key cushioning. Not only does the cushioning reduce mechanical noise, but it also greatly improves the feel of the RHC and should help long-term durability.
The PHA4 still has on-paper advantages like a triple sensor (versus a dual sensor on the RHC) and escapement, but feel-wise, there’s no clear winner here.
Features/Connectivity
Both pianos have similar standard features like transpose, metronome, split, layer and a basic onboard recorder.
To access the full complement of features, the 30X does require connecting to the Roland Piano App, whereas with the 120, everything is built-in, though we’d still advise using the PianoRemote app for faster navigation.
The 30X has a built-in USB audio interface so this will be pretty handy for anyone looking to work with DAWs.
Both pianos offer similar connectivity with ¼” line outputs, USB, dual headphone outputs, as well as both Bluetooth MIDI and Audio.
Both instruments are available with matching stands and triple pedals.
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