Kawai MP6 Review

The Kawai MP6 is simply the best digital piano for $1500. If you can afford it or if you have been looking for a digital piano that feels like an acoustic piano, this is the one to get. Lets just say that this digital piano sounds equal to or is on par with digital pianos that cost well over $2000.

Normally, I try to break down each digital piano as objectively as possible. I give my own personal thoughts but also include what I hear from other people. For example, I gave a breakdown of the beautiful $1000 Yamaha P155 not too long ago. I try not to say that one digital piano is much better than another because a lot of it comes down to what you’re looking for and personal preferences.

Well, not this time. The Kawai MP6 is the best digital piano under $2000.

The Kawai MP6 is for:

• Piano players of all levels (ranging from beginners to pros)
• People in the music industry (recording, producing, etc.)
• People who simply like to play the piano as a hobby
• Lovers of the acoustic piano that either can’t afford an acoustic or fit one in

The Kawai MP6 includes:

• Kawai MP6
• F-10H single pedal
• Music rack
• Power cable
• Manual

Pros	Cons
Simply beautiful sound with an amazingly realistic action	Does not come with certain accessories

 

Kawai MP6 Video Sample:

Click this for more information on the Kawai MP6

Kawai MP6: Feel and Sound

There is no other way to describe this than to say that it feels and sounds like an expensive acoustic piano. Even professionals can come to appreciate the beauty of this piano. Yes, it’s THAT good. The gaps between the keys are uniform unlike some other models. The keys are actually silent when pressing it so that you will not notice. Many digital pianos “click” or sputter when you press them. It’s especially annoying during low volumes, but the Kawai MP6 does not have that issue. Some other expensive digital pianos might have slightly more features, but Kawai did something right and different. They wanted to create the most realistic-sounding digital piano at a cheap price. The sole purpose was to recreate an incredible piano.

Whether you’re a pro or a beginner, if you’re looking for the most realistic piano experience for under $2000, you must get this. Actually, even up to $2500, the Kawai MP6 is the one of the most pure piano experience for any digital pianos.

First, to understand this, you’ll have to know that Kawai is one of the most well-respected piano companies in the acoustic piano world. Even the well-renowned Steinway has asked Kawai to produce one of their acoustic pianos.

Then, they decided to get their best grand pianos and replicate the sound/feel into a digital piano. The result is the Kawai MP6. Unlike other companies that prefer to use terms like layers or velocity layers to give concrete numbers, Kawai opted against that. Why did they do this? Well, many people aren’t able to tell the difference between 3 or 4 layers anyway. As a result, instead of using these numerical comparisons, Kawai would rather just use more abstract terms and say that this digital piano allows you to be “more expressive”. The technology used for this is called PHI (Progressive Harmonic Imaging).

Also, Kawai MP6 does not just have one grand piano. It can even replicate the great Yamaha or Steinway grand pianos. Awesome.

Kawai MP6: Features

The Kawai MP6 has a lot of features and power to back it up.

First, it can duplicate some of the most well-known grand pianos like the Yamaha and Steinway…and yes, it duplicates them beautifully. In addition to the variety of acoustic piano sounds, the MP6 also supports many famous electric pianos like the Wurlitzers and Yamaha DX7.

Second, it features an incredible 192-note polyphony. This will usually be more than enough for the most complex compositions whether they are layered, split, or not. The 192-note polyphony is also the most powerful of all that I have reviewed so far.

Third, it supports the use of all 3 pedals like the traditional acoustic piano. This only further emphasizes the control you will have over your piano. Only one pedal (damper/sustain pedal) is included when purchasing the MP6 though.

Fourth, in addition to its very responsive and expressive feel, it emulates the “let-off” sensation. It’s a very subtle feeling that you notice when playing the note very slowly. A lot of experts believe that this touch allows more expressiveness in their performances.

Fifth, the Kawai MP6 has a whopping 256 sounds (aka instruments). I won’t list them all here, but I already listed some of the amazing electric pianos and grand pianos. From bass guitars to pipe organs, the Kawai MP6 has a variety of instruments that also sound very real.

Sixth, you’re still here and not getting this?! Ok, well, you can also customize the piano sounds to create your personal “ultimate” piano. Yes, it’ll suit your own preferences! Many more expensive pianos include this piano editing software. You can adjust things like decay time, string resonance, etc. However, the Kawai MP6 includes this powerful feature at a much cheaper price. It’s easy to use so you can create your own custom piano. In addition, you can do this to all of the other 256 sounds.

Seventh, it includes 100 drum patterns to help get a sense of the rhtyhm when playing the piano.

Eighth, an awesome LCD display screen to make things more user-friendly.

Ninth, you have the ability to combine a grand piano sound with pipe organs, bass guitars, and whatever else you have in that crazy imagination of yours and play them all together while adjusting volume, reverb, etc. on each sound individually. AND it sounds beautiful. Then, you can even save it as a preset so that you can recall it in the future. Does that not display power and flexibility to its fullest extent?

Finally, you can record yourself on the MP6. The recording won’t lose any sound quality at all. Instead, when you replay it, it’ll sound exactly as you heard it the first time. It can be recorded as a MIDI,  MP3, or WAVE file so you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues.

Where can I find it?

Price	Buy Now	Other
$1499.00
$1499.00

Tagged as: Digital Piano, digital piano reviews, Kawai MP6, Kawai MP6 review