The long-awaited update to Kawai's hugely successful ES8 is finally here. With improved touch and tone, not to mention a significant reduction in the weight of the case, the ES920 delivers an extremely authentic piano experience in a super lightweight package. For those seeking a professional quality, all-in-one portable digital piano, don't sleep on the Kawai ES920.
Price range: $1,549.00 through $1,987.00
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Our review
Short version: the ES920 is the portable for acoustic piano players: almost everything it does well, it does in service of the piano sound and the feel of the keys.
The Responsive Hammer III action has let-off and counterweights, which you rarely find in a portable, and the SK-EX samples give it the warm, even Kawai sound that holds up under real practice. Compared with the ES8 it replaced, it’s lighter by about 12 lb, gains Bluetooth audio and MIDI, an OLED display and more speaker power, and adds Kawai’s latest resonance modeling.
Buy it if you want serious piano practice in a portable you can move between home, studio and gig, or a slim piano for a small room on its matching stand.
Think twice if it will never leave the house: the stand and triple pedal are sold separately, and a console such as the Kawai CA401 gives you wooden keys and built-in pedals.
For a pianist who needs to travel light, this is the portable we’d choose.
Stu Harrison, pianist and educator · President, Merriam Music
Kawai’s award-winning portable action, with let-off, triple sensor detection, counterweights and Ivory Touch keys.
Sampled from the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX and SK-5 grands and the Kawai EX, with 256-note polyphony.
Line in and out, MIDI, USB audio recording and Bluetooth audio with aptX.
What changed
If you’re deciding between a new ES920 and a used ES8, here’s what’s different.
| Kawai ES920 | Kawai ES8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Action | Responsive Hammer III | Responsive Hammer III |
| Sound engine | Harmonic Imaging XL | Harmonic Imaging XL |
| Bluetooth | Audio and MIDI | None |
| Display | 128 × 64 OLED | 2 × 16 character LCD |
| Amplifier | 20 W × 2 | 15 W × 2 |
| Sounds | 38 | 34 |
| Virtual Technician | 21 parameters, adds undamped string and cabinet resonance | 17 parameters |
| Headphone jacks | 1/4" and 1/8" | 2 × 1/4" |
| Weight | 37.5 lb (17.0 kg) | 49 lb 11 oz (22.5 kg) |
The bottom line: the action and the core sound engine carried over. What’s new is Bluetooth, more power, more tone control and about 12 lb less to carry.
Compare
Premium portable pianos buyers most often compare, side by side from each maker’s published specifications.
| Kawai ES920 | Yamaha P-525 | Roland FP-90X | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action | Responsive Hammer III, let-off, triple sensor, Ivory Touch | GrandTouch-S, wooden white keys, escapement | PHA-50, wood and plastic hybrid, escapement |
| Piano sound | Harmonic Imaging XL (SK-EX, SK-5, EX, K-60) | Yamaha CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial samples | Pure Acoustic Piano Modeling |
| Polyphony | 256 | 256 | Unlimited (piano); 256 |
| Amplifier total | 40 W | 52 W | 60 W |
| Speakers | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Bluetooth | Audio (aptX) and MIDI | Audio and MIDI (varies by area) | Audio and MIDI |
| Width × depth | 52-3/4 × 14-3/4 in | 52-5/8 × 14-13/16 in | 52-13/16 × 15-3/8 in |
| Weight | 37.5 lb | 48 lb 8 oz | 52 lb 1 oz |
By the numbers: the ES920 is the lightest by more than 10 lb. The Roland FP-90X has the most amplifier power and a modeled piano engine. The Yamaha P-525 has wooden white keys. The Roland FP-90X is also available from Merriam online.
Specifications from Kawai, Yamaha and Roland, October 2026. Dimensions and weights without stand. Amplifier totals add up each maker’s per-channel ratings.
Buying from Merriam
Authorized dealers sell the ES920 at the same advertised price, so here’s what you get when you buy it from us. Questions first? Call (888) 316-0630, 7 days a week.
The ES920 is on display at Merriam Pianos Atlanta, alongside Kawai’s console pianos, so you can compare a portable with a console before you decide.
In-stock orders leave our warehouse within 1–3 business days for delivery anywhere in the lower 48 states, and our team delivers and sets up across metro Atlanta. See shipping and delivery.
Bought from an authorized US dealer, the ES920 carries Kawai America’s 3-year parts-and-labor warranty.
If it isn’t right for you, you have 45 days to return it. See our returns policy.
If an authorized US Kawai dealer advertises it for less, we’ll match it.
Choose Affirm at checkout. Your monthly rate is shown on this page.
What’s in the box: the piano, the F-10H damper pedal with half-pedal support, a detachable music rest, the AC adaptor and power cord. The HM-5 designer stand and the GFP-3 and F-302 triple pedals are sold separately.
The ES920 replaces the ES8 as Kawai’s flagship portable digital piano. It keeps the Responsive Hammer III action and Harmonic Imaging XL sound that made the ES8 a favorite with pianists, then adds Bluetooth audio and MIDI, an OLED display, more amplifier power and Kawai’s newest resonance modeling, in a cabinet about 12 lb lighter.
It’s a lightweight piano built for players who move, from home practice to rehearsals and band gigs: line inputs and outputs, MIDI, USB audio recording and a rhythm section with 100 styles, plus Kawai’s PianoRemote and PiaBookPlayer apps for practice at home.
Kawai’s portable pianos. The ES920 is the flagship; the ES120 is the lighter, simpler choice for beginners.
On the matching HM-5 stand it looks like furniture; off the stand, it’s 37.5 lb and goes where you go.
The Responsive Hammer III keyboard action is Kawai’s most advanced portable action: grade-weighted hammers, let-off simulation for the subtle notch of a grand at pianissimo, triple sensor detection for fast repetition and counterweights for an even, balanced feel. Ivory Touch key surfaces finish the keys.
Harmonic Imaging XL uses 88-key stereo sampling of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX and SK-5 concert grands, the Kawai EX and the K-60 upright, with Jazz, Pop and Modern variations. Kawai’s Virtual Technician gives you 21 parameters on the instrument, including damper, string, undamped string and cabinet resonance, so you can shape the piano the way a technician would. Spatial Headphone Sound makes headphone practice sound natural.
256 notes of polyphony, so sustained and pedaled passages never drop notes.
40 W of amplification through two speakers: plenty for home, with line outputs for a stage.
38 sounds, from ten pianos to electric pianos, organs, strings and bass.
The ES920 has the connections of a stage piano: line in and out, MIDI, USB to host and device, and Bluetooth audio and MIDI.
Stream music through the piano’s speakers, or connect to the PianoRemote and PiaBookPlayer apps.
Record and play back MP3 and WAV straight to a USB flash drive, with overdubbing.
1/4″ outputs for amplifiers and PAs, a line input for other sources, and 5-pin MIDI in and out.
| Specification | Kawai ES920 |
|---|---|
| Keyboard & Action | |
| Keys | 88, weighted |
| Action | Responsive Hammer III (RHIII) with let-off, grade-weighted hammers, triple sensor detection and counterweights |
| Key surface | Ivory Touch |
| Sound | |
| Sound engine | Harmonic Imaging XL (HI-XL), 88-key piano sampling |
| Sampled pianos | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX and SK-5, Kawai EX, K-60 upright |
| Polyphony | 256 notes |
| Sounds | 38 |
| Virtual Technician | 21 parameters: touch curve, voicing, damper resonance, damper noise, string resonance, undamped string resonance, cabinet resonance, key-off effect, fall-back noise, hammer noise, hammer delay, topboard simulation, decay time, release time, minimum touch, stretch tuning, temperament, temperament key, key volume, half-pedal adjust, soft pedal depth |
| Effects | 6 reverb types; 16 effect types; amp simulator |
| Speakers | (8 × 12 cm) × 2 |
| Amplifier | 20 W × 2 |
| Pedals | |
| Included | F-10H damper pedal with half-pedal support |
| Supported | GFP-3 triple pedal; F-302 triple pedal board |
| Connectivity | |
| Bluetooth | MIDI (version 4.1) and audio with aptX |
| USB | USB to Host; USB to Device (MP3/WAV record and play) |
| Audio | Line in (1/8"); line out (1/4" L/Mono and R) |
| MIDI | 5-pin MIDI in and out |
| Headphones | 2 jacks: 1/4" and 1/8" |
| Apps | PianoRemote, PiaBookPlayer |
| Recorder | 10 songs, 2 tracks |
| Rhythm section | 100 styles with 4-part accompaniment |
| Metronome | Time signatures from 1/4 to 12/8, plus drum rhythms |
| Build & Dimensions | |
| Dimensions (W × D × H) | 52-3/4 × 14-3/4 × 5-3/4 in, without music rest (1,340 × 375 × 145 mm) |
| Weight | 37.5 lb (17.0 kg) |
| Finishes | Black, Snow White |
| In the Box | |
| Included | F-10H damper pedal, music rest, AC adaptor, power cord, owner’s manual |
| Sold separately | HM-5 designer stand, GFP-3 triple pedal, F-302 triple pedal board, SC-1 soft case |
Specifications per Kawai’s official ES920 documentation. Contact Merriam with any questions before purchase.
The ES920 keeps the ES8’s Responsive Hammer III action and Harmonic Imaging XL engine, and adds Bluetooth audio and MIDI, an OLED display, 40 W of amplification (against 30 W), more Virtual Technician parameters and about 12 lb less weight.
Both have 40 W of amplification, Bluetooth audio with aptX, line inputs and outputs, MIDI and USB. The ES920 adds the Responsive Hammer III action with let-off and Ivory Touch keys (the ES520 has Responsive Hammer Compact II with matte keys), Harmonic Imaging XL with the SK-5 grand, and 256-note polyphony against 192. The ES520 is lighter, at 32 lb.
The ES920 has Kawai’s Responsive Hammer III action with let-off and Ivory Touch keys, Harmonic Imaging XL, 256-note polyphony, twice the amplifier power, line inputs and outputs, MIDI and USB audio recording. The ES120 is lighter and simpler, built for beginners.
No. The ES920 comes with the F-10H damper pedal. The matching HM-5 designer stand and the GFP-3 and F-302 triple pedals are sold separately.
37.5 lb (17.0 kg) without the stand.
Yes. It has 1/4″ line outputs for an amplifier or PA, a line input, 5-pin MIDI and USB, and a rhythm section with 100 styles.
Kawai America’s 3-year parts-and-labor warranty, when bought from an authorized US Kawai dealer such as Merriam.
Yes. It’s on display at Merriam Pianos Atlanta, alongside Kawai’s console pianos.
Yes. We ship to addresses throughout the lower 48 states.
Yes. If you find the ES920 advertised for less by an authorized US Kawai dealer, send us the link and we’ll match it.
This site is set up for delivery within the US, with pricing, tax and shipping calculated accordingly. We currently ship only to addresses in the contiguous United States.
| Weight | 55.1 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 56.3 × 17.7 × 10.8 in |
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Price range: $1,549.00 through $1,987.00 
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