Battle of the Hybrid Pianos | Yamaha N3X vs. Kawai NV10S

[@georgeservian9383]

Beautiful playing by both of you to showcase these pianos!

[@sdevisch]

I own an N3X. Liked the video although some of your facts may be worth checking. My family and I mostly love the volume control and the fact that the instrument is always tuned while looking and sounding great.

[@Instrumental-Covers]

I have played the N3 and NV10 in the past, and more recently the N3X. The links you provide in the description, that take us to Alamo Music Center, indicate that the N3X is currently unavailable, and "Condition: Used". You only sell 2 Clavinovas. You do sell the entire line of Kawai instruments, including all their acoustic, digital, and hybrid pianos. I also noticed some mistakes in the specifications that were mentioned in the video. These are some of them: 1) The N3X does not have 15 speakers, it has 12 speakers: 4 midranges on top, 4 tweeters on top, and 4 woofers on the bottom. I have seen both the N3 and NV10S open. They don't look very good inside, actually pretty rudimentary. The N3X has a large MDF box containing all the speakers firing up and down, while the NV10S doesn't have any box for the 4 midrange speakers on top, they are just placed on the top surface, 2 tweeters facing the player, and a single woofer on the bottom. The number 15 might have come from adding the 2 vibration transducers and the soundboard transducer to the 12 speakers. The N3X has two vibration transducers for the TRS (Tactile Response System) and one transducer for the top soundboard. This last transducer does produce audio in a similar way to speakers, but it is not what it is normally called a speaker. 2) The Yamaha does not have 185 watts of amplifier power for the speaker. Actually, the N3X has 45x4 + 35x4 + 25x4 = 180 + 140 + 100 = 420 watts for the speakers. 3) The Kawai NV10S does not have a resonating box. It has a box for the woofer to make bass. The Yamaha has a huge box that contains all 16 speakers. I have seen the box inside the piano, but I haven't seen all the details of it. It is almost sure that the box contains smaller sealed boxes for the midranges, and a larger ported box (or maybe sealed) for the 4 woofers firing down. 4) The Yamaha does contain a sort of soundboard on top. It is called a "Soundboard Resonator", and it is powered by a single 35 watt amplifier (I believe). Yamaha says, "the AvantGrand features a flat-panel Soundboard Resonator located beneath the music rest and spanning the width of the instrument. This component allows for a more subtle reproduction of the buildup of sound that you feel when playing an acoustic grand piano. It works by using an oscillating transducer to transmit vibrations to the flat-panel soundboard, giving a realistic sound response that is especially evident in the upper key range." By the way, Yamaha already developed a hybrid GRAND piano with a real soundboard back in 2008. It was the CGP-1000. The idea of a soundboard and transducers is pretty old.

[@midnight4109]

I would probably still go for the N3X.

[@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12]

👍🎹🎶👋

[@Instrumental-Covers]

@@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12 Thanks!🎵🎵

[@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12]

@@Instrumental-Covers you're welcome. IMO they should do some research on the pianos that they are demoing or at least check the specs before they make a video about them.🎹🎶

[@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12]

@@Instrumental-Covers also just a funny. Over a year ago they keap calling the una corda pedal the damper pedal because it dampens the sound. Haha🎹🎶

[@jacquelinerubin8274]

I believe Yamaha’s Smart Pianist App allows you to easily customize all the settings. I own a Yamaha N1X after trading up from a CLP 745. The N1X has 15 voices which all are very thoughtfully geared towards a serious musician. The Celesta is gorgeous Ted. The touch is the same as the N3X, truly authentic which prepares me to play on any grand piano. This instrument is a true joy to play especially if you play classical music and plan to play on a large acoustic grand. I look forward to my daily practice. The N1X costs considerably less than the N3X but it is a very valuable instrument that will hopefully last for many years to come. Why don’t you review the N1X, more reasonably priced than both the NV10S and the N3X. I’m sure more customers would like to see an instrument that they can afford that still has an authentic acoustic grand action.

[@Instrumental-Covers]

Alamo Music Center does not have any Yamaha hybrid pianos listed in their website. The link provided for the N3X indicates "Condition: Used". They are primarily a Kawai dealer. While they do carry Yamaha digital pianos, they don't sell new acoustic Yamaha pianos or new hybrid Yamaha pianos.

[@midnight4109]

You know I use your videos as conversation starting points. There is so much fascinating info from some of the pianos themselves to the knowledgeable commentaries and interactions. I'm not quite ready for a hybrid due to the size and price but love my Clavinova. One of my favorites was about the electric pianos which debuted around a hundred years ago in Germany before being resurrected by Yamaha. My CLP has several different "EPs" available and I never realized where this came from.

[@midnight4109]

Did I mention that we are moving back to Austin? The NV10S is the first Kawaii that actually matches Yamaha (in my humble opinion).

[@timothyland1391]

Thank you for a great review. Assuming cost is not a factor, and the sound, touch, and playing experience relative to an actual acoustic grand are the primary considerations, which of the 3 top-of-line hybrid digital pianos would be favored? Roland GP-9 Kawai NOVUS NV10S Yamaha AvantGrand N3X Thank you for any and all responses.

[@albertelazar4069]

The Yamaha N3X is the most beautifully designed digital piano ever made, PERIOD! And, it’s also one of the best sounding digital pianos ever made! Anyone, that has the budget to buy one, should not hesitate to buy anything but the Yamaha N3X, if they want the ultimate in digital piano design and technology!

[@mupbelchen010701]

Das Yamaha klingt in meinen Ohren als wenn man die Klaviertöne glatt poliert hätte. Das KAWAI klingt für mich viel mehr wie ein echtes Klavier! Die Töne haben „Ecken und Kanten“! Die „Saiten“ spürt man quasi vibrieren und die Hämmer auf die Saiten treffen! Insgesamt ist das Gefühl vor einem „echten Klavier“ zu sitzen um eine Welt besser!

[@jpdurr]

Great Video, now how about showing some love to some other great makers of Digital Pianos, comparing the flagship upright models of the Casio Celviano GP-510BK up with the Roland LX-9? Maybe they are not "Direct Competitors" of your current two selections but they are very nice actions and represent another big part of the market.

[@RobinDaelman]

I am more interested to hear the real sound that goes through the speakers instead of the recording voices or hear it by headphones, in order to compare these with concert grands.

[@starwaves1993]

I bought the N3X over the NV10 mainly do to the sound coming out of the N3X and also to me if I’m gonna be spending that much money it better be a looker. The body of the N3X is so much better. The action however is where Kawai wins. I think the Kawai is well regulated and almost plays itself. Could be do to the longer keys though there is more bounce and more control. The N3X has the average action found on most grand pianos which is ok but doesn’t feel as well as the action on the NV10. I’ve played an N3 years ago before the N3X came and I do remember it being regulated differently which made the keys very responsive. No idea if some N3(X)s have slightly better regulations coming out of the factory or not depending on who worked on a particular piano. Also that tactile response system on the N3X is indispensable in my opinion. It ads to the realism. Ascetically the thing that I did not like at all about the NV10 how cheap they were with the back side treatment. Not even the N1(X) has a cardboard back cover like that. They should of had a polished back cover for that kind of money.

[@BFHPET]

what you mean whit longer keys? does the yamaha have longer keys than the nv10s?

[@TheRealMagnusCarlsen]

I completely disagree. I think the N3X is the best action I’ve played on out of all electric or hybrid pianos. I’ve been in love with this piano since I’ve played it my freshman year for more college. But to each their own.

[@starwaves1993]

@@BFHPETI believe the NV10 has longer keys like those found on their top of the line concert grand piano. The action on the N3X is just a standard length grand piano action, nothing special. The longer the key the more the keys feel like they play themselves.

[@starwaves1993]

@@TheRealMagnusCarlsenyou may be right. Years ago I do remember playing the original N3 and it felt very good to me. Fast forward now I have the N3X and the keys feel average to me. Like I said it may be that some pianos are regulated differently for some reason or possibly they shortened the key length? Because I remember distinctly liking the N3 key response allot when they first came out. I believe they make the N3x now outside japan in some other asian country i forgot where but that may have to do why i do not like the action so much?

[@Maxime-ho9iv]

Funny enough personally I think the N3X looks atrocious. It looks a bit like a grand piano toy. They wanted it to look like a grand piano, yet they obviously had footprint in mind, so ended up with something in between, which is never good. To me it is so beyond stupid to have a digital « grand » piano with the design of a grand and the strings replaced by speakers. Not only it’s completely befuddling since it’s a digital piano with speakers and it would be known if it was a good speaker arrangement (the shape of a grand piano is directly derived from the different lengths of the strings, it makes literally no sense at all to have that to place speakers in it), but it’s hideous.

[@emilawad7074]

Can you do a nv5s vs nu1x review? It would be important to mention which is better as a replacement of an acustic (sound and action, durability, service, warranty, etc.) and separate that from the added tech.

[@ryugar2221]

TBH the N3X feels like a better option here with both aesthetics and power 😮😮

[@teleted3000]

Sound and feel is important. But for a digital, as a blind user, I need a device that is accessible. There's no reason why either manufacturer cannot make their accompanying app accessible. In 2019, I tested Yamaha's and Kawai's apps, and found one was mostly accessible and the other was not. If Kawai would make an effort, I would consider them when I make my purchase. But as it stands, when I turn on the VoiceOver screen reader as an english speaking person, I do not want to hear Japanese text-to-speech. It's unusable, and thus a major part of the Kawai functionality is inaccessible to me. It's a shame, because a competant app developer would have no trouble making Android or iOS apps accessible if they were directed to do so. I bought a Yamaha N1X over an NV10 because of this. Now it sounds like if I want to upgrade, I should get an N3X over an NV10S. I'd prefer to have more control and samples, but I must have the piano accessible with a screen reader.

[@happyforest558]

Great video. Have been interested in the Kawai NV10S but looking at this video it appears that the name on the piano is simply taped onto the piano. As anyone else noticed this ? Looks odd. Can anyone confirm if the Kawai is actually taped to the piano?

[@jacquelinerubin8274]

I was also wondering about that Kawaii logo. Can anyone out there explain this?

[@michaelgiuntoli6311]

Looks like protective tape over the Kawai logo...

[@zvelekva]

The logo on the fallboard is a silver coloured metal that is inlayed into the wood. I assume some kind of nickel plated brass...it does tarnish with time like all other grand piano logos (which I think are usually made from brass). What you're seeing in the video is the protective sticker applied at the factory and it is left on by the dealers to stop the logo from tarnishing/oxidising. That way if they sell the display model, when the customer gets it and takes the sticker off, underneath is still a brand new, unblemished and perfectly shiny logo. Also if for whatever reason you decide that you want to sell the piano outside the guaranteed returns period, but still fairly soon after purchase (lets say 6 months down the line), you might want to keep the sticker on because (provided you keep the piano in mint condition) it might affect your resale value as it will make the piano feel/appear that little bit more convincingly "used like new".

[@MDIOSILVA]

É apenas um plastico sobre o logotipo para proteger a marca Kawai

[@patrotondo3861]

That’s just a protective film they put over the name - it’s taken off when delivered. I just got one and it’s great.

[@HKLee-dn1fh]

I’d buy Kawai over Yamaha if I afford

[@franciscocalvo1980]

Thanks. Which song is played at 13:08?

[@henrirossi8669]

Hello Ted and Patrick 😁 I hope you are well 😉 thank you for this presentation of the N3x, and Kawai, I wanted to send you this message, to ask you two things, please, the first, I own a Sauter Rhapsody piano, height 122 Peter Maly, it is magnificent! German quality, it is equipped with the Silent AD 2 system, As you know, you can play with headphones, but also connect two speakers to play with more power, than playing only with an acoustic piano. but I like the N3X, it's actually a digital piano, not a real piano? and I fear perhaps I will regret, if I sell my skip bought in January 2024, €25,700, what would you advise me?? I really need to have your opinion, Ted and Patrick 🙏👍😉 for the 2nd thing, I love Ted's interpretation, this classic piece!!👌 but even with Shazam, I can't find the height and therefore the score,,?? I thank you very much for your advice in advance. best regards to both of you 🤗💪 Henry

[@clydebermingham121]

For me … a true Hybrid is an actual fully acoustic piano that can trigger digits … via midi or whatever means Acoustic means SOUND THE GRAND PIANO ACTION IS STILL NOT AN ACOUSTIC PIANO THE SILENT PIANO IS A HYBRID PIANO If it’s not an acoustic piano then it’s a probably superb digital &/or electronic instrument

[@starwaves9917]

The thing is what happens if the lcd display on the NV10S stops working. These pianos are supposed to last years like a real acoustic piano. They are expensive. The N3X doesn’t have an LCD display to break.

[@Maxime-ho9iv]

I will be brutally honest: this review is a bit useless. You’re recording the line out of the piano so you’re not recording how those pianos compare when played how they’re going to be played. You buy a hybrid to have a piano with a volume knob, you don’t want to use headphones most of the time. You play this yourself in the video without headphones. So really the line out recording is just half of the picture. Also I think the NV10S should be compared with the same form factor pianos of the grand series, precisely because the speaker configuration is completely different and not really comparable. If you’re in the market to buy this kind of piano, I’m really not sure you compare those two. I’m actually not even sure you will even consider the N3X since it’s really such an ovni being almost the size of a grand, and almost the price of a used grand..

[@jamesa375]

the YAMAHA is about double the price of the KAWAI

[@starwaves9917]

Yup it is but the N3X looks and sounds wat better in my opinion. independent channel speakers top and bottom of N3X plus beautiful baby grand body. The NV10S has a cardboard cover at the back. Why did they do that? Not even Yamaha did that with the N1. Cheeping out with on us.

[@zackwang9314]

@@starwaves9917 Sound opinion is subjective

[@damienx0x]

​@@zackwang9314 Hence "in my opinion".

[@bsable79]

It feels like it, too. It is the best feeling instrument on the market.

[@BFHPET]

​@@starwaves9917im glad it dont fill like a baby grand its useless. But yea they should have added something else on the back

[@albertelazar4069]

The Yamaha N3X’s huge drawback is that it only has a total of 10 voices, and all the voices are just piano voices that’s all, no other instrument voices are included! For a $20k+ digital piano, that’s just unacceptable!🤦🏻‍♂️

[@serinaobaayaa9898]

😅