🎹 Yamaha B1 vs Kawai K15 Upright Pianos Comparison & Demo by Merriam Pianos 🎹

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#YamahaB1 #KawaiK15 #UprightPianos
Introduction:
The $3000 - 5000 upright piano price range is the most popular in the world. It is dominated by the sale of used Japanese upright pianos from Yamaha and Kawai, but a good number of new instruments have been produced to offer up alternatives. And depending on your own consumer habits, it might beat the somewhat risky proposition of Craigslist & Kijiji hunting for a product most people know virtually nothing about.
The market (and Google’s search suggests) consistently put the K15 and b1 into the same camp, and certainly the two brands are always major players in most price points. However, the specs of the two pianos differ in many areas, from the soundboard to the action, and even the frame that holds it all together.
So let’s take a look at the similarities, and more importantly, the differences.
Comparing Sound:
Yamaha typically produces pianos with a strong attack and generally biased towards the treble, making them excellent recording pianos and easy instruments to generate lots of tone.
Kawai is known for making pianos of greater tonal range and excellent control, in some cases less powerful than similar Yamaha’s, but with exquisite touch. They’ve also been riding a wave of noticeable momentum since the mid 2000’s, when their K Series uprights, RX grands, Shigeru Kawai CSII series, and CN/CA digital pianos began to be viewed as class leaders in their respective price categories.
What makes the B1 such an unfair piano to compare to the K15 is that it is one of the most “unYamaha” pianos I’ve ever reviewed from Yamaha. As we mention in the video, it’s built around a low-cost strung back which offers up laminated soundboard and no backposts, greatly limiting the instruments potential to produce sympathetic tone and sustain.
The K15 on the other hand uses a solid spruce soundboard with backposts, and a slightly longer bass string. So even on paper, these two instruments are already not in an apples-to-apples comparison except for their impossibly close price points (they have virtually the same MSRP).
The result is that the K15 definitely out-plays the b1, with far better mid-partials, better sustaining treble, and a more powerful bass. But like I said, price is the only thing that really places these two in the same category - comparing solid spruce to laminate boards is a pretty predictable lopsided result.
Comparing Action:
The K15 uses Kawai’s ABS action, not their latest or greatest, but certainly a proven design and something that comes well regulated and nice and fluid straight from the factory. The action feels slightly more shallow than what I get on the newest K series like the K200, but there’s still plenty of control and of course for fast, soft passages, it’s a dream to play.
The Yamaha that we played on was a new example and required some lubrication and regulating to get feeling nice and fluid, but never achieved the same repetition speed and we were still getting some double hits when playing very quietly.
For players brand new to the game, I’m sure that both actions will be great and give many years of enjoyment - for experienced players, I wager the K15 is going to be closer to the professional actions to which they might be accustomed.
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[@frankoptis]

We bought the Kawai K15 last friday on the spot after only listening to a few keys played. The accoustics are extremely different to other pianos. Not everybody likes it, but we love the crisp and clear sound. Update: Our neighbours visited and saw the piano. The wife couldn't stop playing and stayed for more than 2 hours playing on the K15.

[@benjaminsmith2287]

Congrats!

[@marcusvaldes]

Kawai for classical, Yamaha for Jazz. My .02 Although really, let's be honest, they are both great and both could do either.

[@wolfpsx6210]

I've had the Yamaha B1 as my main practice instrument for 13 years and it's served me very well (I practice 1-4 hours EVERY day).

[@KeepingOnTheWatch]

Over the years have you aspired for a bigger and/or better piano? Or are you happy with your B1?

[@mrcneale]

@Censored Censored 40 hours a day! Ling Ling! #TwoSetViolin

[@jgardner605]

I've been a piano dealer in the UK for more than 40 years, I've sold both the B1 and K15 and agree one hundred percent with all you say about them. Really enjoyed listening to a balanced and honest appraisal. Well Done

[@Digibeatle09]

Very informative - these Merriman Pianos posts are amongst the best comparison videos available

[@craigsimmons6328]

I went into my local piano shop and fell in love with a Yamaha B1 after playing digital pianos for years.i like both instruments and with all the variants in individual pianos you just need to play a few and go with which piano makes you feel good.the B1 suited me.

[@MatTZI014]

The Yamaha has a mellower, muffled, softer sound that is good for jazzier pieces. The Kawai has a brighter, crispier, slightly louder sound and the action of the hammers makes each sound on point. I prefer Kawai K15vover the Yamaha B1.

[@frankoptis]

I completely agree with your description of the sound.

[@IrvinMenezes]

@@frankoptis same, that was an excellent description.

[@MrPasqual1]

Honestly to me the K15 sounds more mellow and suited for classical music nuances, the B1 sounds more bright fitting modern music

[@JesyB2023]

You are the Doug Demuro of pianos!

[@gustavopaulette3496]

Indeed . Went with the Kawai ES920 because of him

[@luismartins6642]

Fantastic video! I absolutely love your content. Any possibility of reviewing also the entry level grand pianos from Yamaha and Kawai (yamaha GB1k vs Kawai GL10) ? Keep up the good work Cheers

[@andreovski80]

Thank you for your excellent and very professional comparison

[@elizabethvhwong]

I tried to play acoustic pianos from Yamaha & Kawai in my city, and I still prefer Kawai.

[@benjaminsmith2287]

I slightly prefer the Yamaha. Both sound quite good for entry-level pianos.

[@paulallenMacca]

Is the Yamaha Brighter than the Kawai.

[@benjaminsmith2287]

@@paulallenMacca The articulation and attack are brighter but not the treble tone. Kawai has a brighter treble and warmer mid-tone and bass. I slightly preferred the Yamaha due to its more subtle tone quality and blend.The Kawai is excellent though. I like both brands.

[@patrickm3804]

Thank you very much for this video, very informative and approachable comparison.

[@bennyroy1986]

I played with both . The K15 keys are much lighter. I preferred the b1s. So I ended up buying the B1. I liked the sound from The B1 better .

[@fabiomand]

Prefer the kawai

[@MerriamPianos]

Would have to agree on a personal level - I owned a K15 way back - had a very positive experience with it. Thanks for the comment! - stu

[@KeepingOnTheWatch]

I tried the K15. Very nice instrument! If the Millenium III action on the K200/300 is 100% then the ABS action on the K15 is 97% (for me). It’s still a great action.

[@frankoptis]

We have a fireplace directly by the kawai, and the ABS action saves us. It is more resiliant to temperature changes.

[@timothydewa9096]

I'm from Indonesia. Yamaha is top-selling piano in Indonesia, while Kawai known as premium piano. But to be honest, Yamaha is dedicated for Jazz and Pops while Kawai sounded more classical and enchanting, rich, loud tones.

[@kyrvhy]

Well. Kawai far out shines the Yamaha. No contest in my ear. We had a Yamaha Of the same size in 1973 that was made in Hamamatsu and it is now in the home of my brother. Still playing and still very nice. Would never have and acoustic piano with a laminated soundboard. I'm very disappointed with Yamaha at this level. I guess the CFX was their priority. Love the CFX.

[@benjaminsmith2287]

You can hear the CFX refinement in the CX. I would say the CFX was a priority but the CX is Yamaha's bread and butter, replacing the well-known C series. Also, the U pianos have been tweaked and now offer a different type of tone than they used to. To me, these both sound entry level, but decent. If you want these brand names, you deal with the compromises.

[@AndyCars]

The Kawai has a much harder hammer action with "cross-singing" of the adjacent strings. The Yamaha has a more accurate but also more subdued sound, perhaps better suited to classical music.

[@MrPasqual1]

To be honest i would have said the opposite - looks to me the K15 has more resonance, the sound is more mellow

[@estebanod]

Exactly! That’s why i’m gonna consider the b1

[@RavenARPG]

Yamaha for me. More clean and pure sound. Kawai definitely warmer but not as clean as the Yamaha.

[@madachi55]

He's better than Doug Demuro. He explains the fabrication of the piano, how that affects tonal quality, playability, and maintenance, and for whom the different results are best- suited. Plus no subjective "Doug score." A high quality review. √

[@tanishqqqq]

I have a confusion between buying the yamaha j113t and kawai k15. Which one should I buy?

[@busterdoggy5389]

Is a Kawai K15 much quieter than a kawai K 300? About to get myself a Kawai K 300 ATX4 as an appartment classical pianist. Is the acoustic sound of the Kawai K15 much quieter or isn't there a big difference? If so I'd consider a K15 ATX

[@MerriamPianos]

Hi there! Due to the smaller scale and soundboard of the K15, it is quieter than the K300. The larger soundboard and longer bass strings of the K300 does give it more power and a wider dynamic range. Thanks for writing in and hope this helps! :)

[@busterdoggy5389]

@@MerriamPianos okay but the K15 is not significantly and much much quieter right? Cause I'm about to get myself a k-300 for appartment.

[@secretmission7607]

Ahh... 'On Golden Ponds'. Love it!

[@mrhilma]

To me - the Kawai is more alive and expressive. The Yamaha is more mellow and understated.

[@gerrit555]

Very honest and good comparsion. The Kawai is clear the better piano. But I wouldnt buy one of them. Better take a bit more money in the hand and buy a K200. This could be enough piano for the rest of life, even for very good to professional players.

[@MerriamPianos]

If the K200 was an option buget-wise, I 100% agree. The improvement in the action alone is worth the extra, and still a few thousand less than the K300 or K400. Thanks for the comment, and hope to see you back for some more videos in the future. - Stu

[@frankoptis]

We bought the Kawai K15 and yes you are right. WIth the new edition of the K200, the E200 which goes for around 3500€ in Germany, buying a K15 is hard to justify. We got a used one from 2011 for 2300€, a steal for us. If everything pans out, we will be back to buy a baby grand in a few years.

[@benjaminsmith2287]

I agree about the K200. Start with it with Kawai and B3 or P22 with Yamaha. But, if you want one of these marques, these are the entry level versions.

[@alison2233]

@@benjaminsmith2287 im curious why not the yamaha B2 as a starting point as opposed to B3 that you stated?

[@benjaminsmith2287]

@@alison2233 Hi, just saw your response. So sorry for the lag. I just think the B3 has a stronger bass and is worth the extra bit of money. The B3 is like a "poor man's" U1.

[@jamesquintero4992]

Hi, what do you think about acoustic piano Ritmuller and otto Meister?

[@alphabetasearch624]

10:42 / 10:54 11:06 / 11:25 11:44 / 12:14 12:44 / 12:56 13:17 / 13:37

[@MerriamPianos]

:)

[@rockyboy976]

Great video. Love it. Could u tell me if the front of the piano can be transparent on either of them? I have seen a few videos where the front is transparent....

[@waleedsoliman887]

Not transparent but the board can be removed for a higher sound resonance 😂

[@justsaybobby]

How much are the Kawai?!?

[@zakhshgotlaseth9754]

4500 USD roughly

[@banzarexi]

Alright. The price of kawai k 15 in our country is about 3800 US dollars. The price of Yamaha B 1 is about 5600 US dollars. Do you think it would be right to choose Yamaha B 1?

[@Hk-uw8my]

They should be at the same price....you shouldn't buy a b1 for this price, whatever the state

[@waleedsoliman887]

In my country it's the opposite 😂 k-15 more expensive than the B1 (ju109)

[@gcalvaro]

Between these two (and through my poor mobile phone's speaker), I find the sound from the Kawai to be louder, fuller, clearer, crispier... Better. NOTE: Kawai K15's depth is 590 mm vs 540 mm on the Yamaha B1. The Kawai is 5 cm deeper.

[@bajtucha]

I presume you have a lots of clients comes through your shop, supposingly some of them are jazz musicans, I was wondering towards which pianos they lean? I see a lot of Yamahas in the "official concert" videos but this may be due to Yamaha's investment in sponsoring and marketing. Is it really the best choice for home jazz playing? I don't feel like paying just for the brand. Kawai and Feurich seems to be lot cheaper or maybe I should look for some US brands as the jazz originates from America (are European pianos made with classical music in mind?). Any thoughts would be appreciated. I lack experience with "analog" pianos unfortunately.

[@MerriamPianos]

Hi there! Certainly some of the exposure Yamaha receives within Jazz venues and other settings is because of their marketing efforts to associate the brand with musical society and culture. But Yamaha's also traditionally have a brighter attack which can be helpful in louder settings such band performance. And even on their own, Yamaha's do have good separation of tone, for their price point - and separation of tone is something most jazz players value. Kawai's have a much deeper and warmer bass, and surprisingly a better sustaining treble I've found (compared with Yamaha), with a similar clarity in the mid-range. Between the two I'd say it's personal preference. If you can spend above $10,000, any piano that achieves good clarity without an overly bright or strong attack would be a good candidate for jazz IMHO. I've enjoyed Bechstein's and Hoffmann's for this purpose, as well as Grotrians and the Schimmel Konzert level. One piano in the Bechstein family that has particularly impressed me for touch, clarity of tone, and price has been their Zimmerman S2 model - very similarly priced to Kawai and Yamaha's. Thanks for the question! - stu

[@bajtucha]

@@MerriamPianos thank you. You mean this Hailun made Zimmerman, right?

[@MerriamPianos]

Lewandowski Bartosz Yes, those are the ones I’m referring to! Thanks, stu

[@benjaminsmith2287]

@@MerriamPianos Well put!

[@ccei638]

Yamaha B1 sounds more controlled and tight to me. K15 sounds less controlled, a bit too much resonance.

[@PeaceNinja007]

Can you install the ATX hybrid system on this Kawai k15??

[@johnavila9851]

Yes its possible to install a atx hybrid system in the kawai k15

[@scabbycatcat4202]

A very good ( by internet standards ) of a comparison between two competing pianos . Most viewers would have preferred more piano and less talk . but at least you gave the viewer a good comparison to go by .

[@waleedsoliman887]

Talking is acceptable if it's informative and educational like that not a mere blabbering 😅

[@jimmyhayes9588]

Hi - according to the Yamaha website, the b1 has 4 back posts, and a solid spruce soundboard.. Is the one you are playing an older model? usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/pianos/upright_pianos/b_series/b-series.html

[@MerriamPianos]

HI Jimmy - the piano we were using was a fairly recent one built in 2018, and is clearly marked with a surface tension soundboard, however it may be the case that Yamaha has recently made this change. I'll investigate more and if appropriate pin a comment at the top of the video. THanks!

[@jimmyhayes9588]

@@MerriamPianos Thank you for checking in on this. Interested to find out what you discover!

[@lsgalan]

In this video i liked the yamaha way more than the kawai in terms of sound

[@MerriamPianos]

It all comes down to a matter of personal preference of course. Tone is a very subjective matter! :)

[@michelprimeau4531]

The future might no longer be solid soundboard with the supply challenge and the rarety of huge lumber. Surface tension soundboard might be more eco-friendly... There is even carbon fiber one out there. Who knows what the future old...

[@familiasalvaje4339]

Thankyou!

[@cyrocicco]

Sorry, but doesn't the Yamaha B1 have 4 backposts?

[@MerriamPianos]

Yes, that is correct. The B1 does have 4 backposts. Thanks for clarifying. :)

[@cyrocicco]

@Merriam Music sorry for bothering, but one more question. I'm from Brazil and I have a Casio AP470. I'm planning to upgrade either for a Casio GP510 or an acoustic Yamaha B1. I usually practice on my Casio with the volume lever on half of it. I'm afraid an acoustic piano, even B1 which is very compact, will sound loud. Gosh, what a doubt!

[@zeldaoftime]

kawai k15 its made in japan?

[@ozgurbayramov7008]

Both K15 and B1 are made in Indonesia

[@zeldaoftime]

@@ozgurbayramov7008 THX so much!

[@siswantofahrizal]

Yamaha more dynamic , love it

[@estebanod]

I play romantic and classical, i’m going with the b1, way better for me

[@MerriamPianos]

Tone comes down to a matter of personal tastes. Kawai and Yamaha both make excellent, well-built instruments. The choice between the two is very subjective. I'm glad you found the model that connects with your tastes. :)

[@Gearsandco]

the kawai k15 is better

[@wookyungpark3233]

I even more like yahama after this video weird😂

[@MerriamPianos]

That is certainly fair! The B1 and K15 offer very different things musically. At the end of the day, the choice between the two is a matter of musically preference.

[@kanackbrothers4live135]

*YAHAMA & KAWAI* NEVER DIE

[@MerriamPianos]

Amen. The tanks of the business.

[@aidanchanv5947]

Kawai is better

[@maxpower312]

Yamaha all day long. It's much more pleasant. Where as the Kawai is much sharper. Yamaha is much warmer than Kawai I find. Disappointed that he did not demo the una corda pedal. These demos are essentially useless to me, as I'm an una corda pedal enthusiast and prefer to compose soft music with the aid of the una corda pedal. Piano demos in general never demonstrate the una corda pedal, and that upsets me.

[@Hk-uw8my]

Uprights don't have una corda pedals but soft pedals. You just use them to hit the strings smoother. You in fact don't need the pedal to do that as you can simply use your fingers to reach the desired level

[@kaisfp]

The pedal in the middle you called Una Corda Pedal is actually called Practice Pedal or Celestial Pedal or sometimes even Mute Pedal.

[@kaisfp]

Edit: Celest Pedal (NOT Celestial :))