Kawai ES-520 White

A modern portable piano, positioned at the heart of the ES series

Designed as a versatile portable digital piano, the Kawai ES520 stands as a balanced choice within the ES range: it emphasizes a credible touch, a coherent sound palette, and features suited to current uses (headphone playing, built-in amplification, wireless connection). It is suitable both for students who want to progress on an inspiring instrument and for musicians seeking a reliable keyboard for practicing, recording, and amplified playing without unnecessary complexity.

Keyboard design

The Kawai ES520 adopts the Responsive Hammer Compact II (RHC II) action, designed to replicate the feel of an acoustic piano in a portable format. The plastic keys with a matte surface improve grip and control, especially during long sessions. The presence of 3 sensors provides fine detection of playing and consistent response, useful for note repetitions, dynamics, and fast articulations. The behavior can be customized via several velocity curves (Light, Normal, Heavy, Off) to adapt the keyboard to your touch and repertoire. Note: escapement simulation is not available on this model.

Sound quality

The sound section is based on Progressive Harmonic Imaging (PHI), with full sampling of all 88 keys for nuanced and musical reproduction. The ES520 offers 34 sounds covering essentials for piano: grand pianos (including Shigeru Kawai EX, Kawai EX), electric pianos, organs, strings, choirs, and basses. The polyphony of up to 192 notes limits note dropouts when layering sounds or using the sustain pedal in dense passages. To go beyond simple tone selection, the Virtual Technician allows refining the instrument's character (string resonance, pedal noise, tuning stretch, and related parameters). On the sound projection side, the 2 x 12 x 8 cm speaker system with bass reflex, combined with a 2 x 20 W output power, delivers dynamic direct sound, pleasant for playing without an external amplifier.

Built-in effects

• Effects: chorus, delay, tremolo, rotary, etc., with adjustable parameters.
• Reverbs: 6 types (Room, Concert Hall, Cathedral, etc.) to adapt the space and depth of the sound.

Technical specifications

Effects	Tremolo, Reverb, Delay, EQ, Chorus, Phaser	Touch	Heavy
Arpeggiator	No	Split & layer	Partner mode, layer, split
Bluetooth	Yes	Max polyphony	192
Speaker diameter	3"	USB to Host port	Yes
Number of speakers	2	Inputs	Line in, USB Midi
Velocity sensitive	Yes	Outputs	Mono & stereo audio, 3.5 mm headphone, 6.5 mm headphone, Pedal output
MIDI DIN I/O	Yes	Color	White
Number of keys	88	Finishing	Matt