🎹Roland FP-60X vs Kawai ES520 Digital Piano Comparison - Mid-Range Digital Comparison🎹

Playing Demo: 1:00
Intro: 2:53
Sound: 4:05
Actions: 25:13
Features/Connectivity: 31:16
Conclusion: 41:53

🛒 Get the Roland FP-60X▸https://geni.us/Roland-FP-60X
🛒 Get the Kawai ES520▸https://geni.us/Kawai-ES520
🛒 See More Roland Digital Pianos▸https://geni.us/Roland-Digital-Pianos
🛒 See More Kawai Digital Pianos▸https://geni.us/Kawai-Digital-Pianos
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Comparable Alternatives

🛒 Roland FP-90X▸https://geni.us/Roland-FP-90X​
🛒 Kawai ES920▸https://geni.us/Kawai-ES920​
🛒 Yamaha P515▸https://geni.us/Yamaha-P515​
🛒 Casio PX-560▸https://geni.us/Casio-PX-560​
🛒 Roland FP-30X▸https://geni.us/Roland-FP-30X
🛒 Kawai ES110▸https://geni.us/Kawai-ES110

#FP60X #ES520 #DigitalPiano

Welcome to another side-by-side digital piano comparison video at the Merriam Pianos YouTube channel. We’ve got two brand new models to compare today that are essentially positioned directly against one another in the market with the Kawai ES520 and the Roland FP-60X.

Despite the similar price points and the fact that they’re both targeting the same buyer, these instruments are actually very different. We’ll cover all of that and more here.

Product Overview

You can think of this video as showcasing the battle of the middle children. The ES520 fits in between the ES110 and ES920 in Kawai’s portable ES series, while the FP60X falls between the FP30X and FP90X in Roland’s portable FP series. Both instruments can be viewed as coming up just short of their more expensive brethren, or as substantial upgrades over the less expensive models.

Piano Sound

After playing by one after the other, it’s clear that they both have very different tonal characters. That said, both instruments offer a ton of editability when it comes to the piano tones for customization, but the fundamental differences are nonetheless striking.

In terms of editing the sound, the FP60X has some notable advantages over the ES520, such as a 3-band slider equalizer on-board. There’s also Roland's new ‘My Stage’ button which gives you a series of carefully calibrated presets.

The ES520 has essentially the same functionality, but it requires you to dig into the menu or app, so it doesn’t offer the same lighting quick real-time adjustability.

In terms of speakers, the ES520 packs quite a bit more power with the same 40 watt, dual speaker system found in the upgraded ES920, whereas the FP60X uses a 26 watt, dual speaker system. Is there a discernible difference? Absolutely, the ES520 clearly offers more punch.

The ES520 sounds like it has a more open tone with more bloom, while the FP-60X sounds a little bit limited by its speakers, even though it’s using Roland’s new BMC chip with better fidelity than the FP60.

Despite this, the E pianos, synths, and pads sound absolutely incredible on the FP-60X with this new BMC chip. It also has far more on-board tones, and greater general complexity on all non-acoustic piano tones.

Piano Action

The actions in each piano have been available on the market for a few years ago, and both are well regarded.

The FP-60X’s features Roland’s PHA4, which can be found all throughout their lineup up to the $2,500 CAD price point. This action has a triple sensor, escapement and a nice texture on the keys. The lower levels of dynamic expression are way better than on past models, so Roland deserves credit for a big improvement here.

The ES520 uses Kawai’s Responsive Hammer Compact II (RHCII) and can also be found in their massively popular KDP110 home digital piano. It also features a triple sensor, but does not have escapement. The escapement is missed if you’re playing complex classical or jazz, but it’s probably not a deal breaker for most. The texture is more subtle than on the PHA4, but supplies the same level of grip.

Piano Features

The ES520 will likely need a firmware update out of the box, so check Kawai’s website for that, as you’ll need the update for the ES520 to be compatible with Kawai’s new PianoRemote app, which is easily one of the best piano apps on the market.

The FP-60X is also compatible with some apps from Roland, such as Piano Designer and Piano Every Day. The user interfaces are not as well laid out as Kawai’s app, but these are still well executed apps.

The FP60X does in fact function as a USB MIDI interface. Roland doesn’t disclose this, so this function may not always be available. This function is not available on the ES520.

Lastly, the ES520 is about 10 lbs lighter, which make a big difference to some.

Thanks for watching! Two great instruments that you owe it to yourself to try if you’re shopping for a piano in this category.

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