‘Responsive Hammer III’ weighted-key action, with Ivory Touch key surfaces and Let-off simulation

The new Responsive Hammer III (RHIII) action recreates the distinctive touch of an acoustic grand piano, with its realistic movement and accurate 3-sensor technology providing a smooth, natural, and highly responsive piano playing experience. The weight of the keyboard is appropriately graded to mirror the heavier bass hammers and lighter treble hammers of an acoustic piano, while structural reinforcements within the action assembly ensure greater stability during fortissimo and staccato passages. The ES8 digital piano also features Kawai’s Ivory Touch key surfaces that gently absorb finger moisture to assist the player’s performance, while, let-off simulation recreates the subtle ‘notch’ sensation felt when softly playing the keys of a grand piano, satisfying the expectations of the most discerning pianists.

Shigeru Kawai SK-EX, SK-5, and Kawai EX instruments reproduced with Harmonic Imaging XL sound technology

The ES8 digital piano captures the rich, expressive sound of the Kawai SK-EX, SK-5, and EX grand pianos, with all 88 keys of these exceptional instruments meticulously recorded, analysed and faithfully reproduced using Harmonic Imaging™ XL sound technology. This unique process accurately recreates the broad dynamic range of the original grand pianos, affording pianists an extraordinary level of expressiveness ranging from the softest pianissimo to the strongest, boldest fortissimo. The instrument’s built-in Virtual Technician feature allows various characteristics of these acoustic piano sounds to be shaped at the touch of a button, with settings to adjust string and damper resonance, in addition to subtle hammer, damper, and key release noises. This personalised piano sound is further enhanced with atmospheric reverberation effects, delivering a rich, vibrant piano tone with breathtaking realism and authenticity.

Strong selection of additional instrument sounds

Supplementing the realistic acoustic piano voices, the ES8 digital piano also features a strong selection of additional instrument sounds, ranging from electric pianos and drawbar and church organs, to string, choir, and mallet instruments, inviting musicians to add greater variety to their performances. Furthermore, the Dual playing mode also allows two different sounds, such as grand piano and strings, to be layered together, while the Split and Four Hands modes divide the keyboard into two independent sections. The volume balances for each playing mode can also be adjusted quickly and easily using the real-time panel controls.

Professional accompaniment styles

Featuring a variety of styles ranging from pop and rock ballads, to jazz-funk, dance, and latin flavours, the Rhythm Section function of the ES8 digital piano provides solo performers with professionally arranged backing accompaniment at the touch of a button. In addition, the 100 preset chord progressions and One Finger Ad-lib™ solo phrases allow musicians to breathe life into their repertoire, while maintaining control over each performance.

USB to Device functionality, with MP3/WAV file recording and playback

The ES8 digital piano is equipped with USB connectors that not only allow the instrument to be connected to a computer for MIDI use, but also to load and save data to USB memory devices directly. This USB to Device feature allows registration memories and songs recorded and stored in internal memory to be saved to USB for posterity, or standard MIDI files (SMF) downloaded from the internet to be conveniently played back without additional hardware. USB memory devices can also be used to play back MP3 or WAV audio files, allowing musicians to learn the chords or melody for a new piece, or to simply play along with their favourite songs. It is even possible to save performances as MP3 or WAV files for emailing to friends and family, listening to on a smartphone, or for further editing using an audio workstation.

Wide range of connectivity options

The ES8 digital piano features a variety of standard connectivity options, with Line-level output jacks that allow the instrument to be enjoyed in larger settings such as churches and schools. Standard MIDI and USB to Host connectors ensure flexibility when using computers and other electronic instruments, while the Line-in stereo jack provides a convenient method of mixing in audio from a laptop, tablet, or other digital device.

Optional Accessories

The beautiful HM-4 Design Kit makes the ES8 a stylish digital piano. It contains the stand and the acrylic music rack.
In addition this set can be expanded by the 3 pedal unit F-301.

Action	88 keys with Ivory Touch surface, Responsive Hammer III (RHIII) action with Let-Off simulation and 3 Sensors per key
Piano Sounds	Shigeru Kawai EX, Kawai EX, Shigeru Kawai SK-5, Jazz Clean, Warm Grand, Pop Grand, Upright Piano, Pop Grand 2, Modern Piano, Rock Piano
Other Sounds	E-Piano x 4, Organ x 4, Harpsichord/Mallets x 4, Strings/Choir x 8, Bass x 4
Sound Source	Harmonic Imaging™ XL (HI-XL) with 88 key sampling
Polyphony	max. 256 notes
Virtual Technician	Voicing per key, Damper Resonance, Damper Noise, String Resonance, Key-off Effect, Fall-back Noise, Hammer Delay, Topboard, Decay Time, Soft Pedal Depth, Minimum Touch, Tuning, Volume and Tune of each key
Reverb	Room, Lounge, Small Hall, Concert Hall, Live Hall, Cathedral - each with Depth and Time
Effects	Stereo Delay, Ping Delay, Triple Delay, Chorus, Classic Chorus, Tremolo, Classic Tremolo, Auto Pan, Classic Auto Pan, Phaser, Rotary and 4 combination effects - each with Dry/Wet, Time, Speed, Feedback, High Damp, Depth (Parameters depend on Effect type.)
Amp Simulator	S.Case I, S.Case II, L.Cabinet - each with Drive, Level, EQ Low, EQ High
Dual-Mode	yes, with Balance
Split-Mode	yes, with Balance and free Split point
Accompaniment	100 Rhythms with Variation (Drums, Bass, Backing), Auto Fill-In, One Finger Ad-Lib Phrasen, Auto Chord Progression, Full Keyboard and One-Finger-Mode
Touch Curve	Light 1/2, Normal, Heavy 1/2, USER 1/2, off
Other Functions	28 registration memories, Keybopard/Song Transpose, Equaliser (incl. User EQ), Wall EQ, Speaker Volume, Phones Volume, Line Out Volume, Audio Recording Level, Tuning, Damper Pedal, 4-Hand Mode, Saving of custom settings, Factory Reset, Left Hand Octave, Left Hand Pedal, Split Balance, Layer Octave, Layer Dynamics, Dual Balance, MIDI chanel, Program change send, Local Control Mode, Multi Timbre Mode, Chanel Mute, Automatic Power On/Off, Speaker On/Off
Recorder	USB Memory: MP3/WAV Recording and Playback, A-B Loop; Internal: MIDI 10 Songs, 2 Tracks – max. 90,000 notes
USB Functions	Playback: MP3, WAV, SMF ; Recording: MP3, WAV ; Functions: Audio Overdub, Song to Audio Convertion, Load internal Songs, Save internal Songs, Save SMF Songs, Load Registration, Save Registration, Delete File, Format USB Memory
Metronome	Beats: 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8 Tempo: 10-400 BPM
Demo Songs	27
Pedals	F10H Sustain Pedal with Half-Damper function included. Optional: Double Pedal F-20 or F301 3-pedal unit (only in combination with the HM-4 stand)
Display	16 x 2 Character (LCD)
Jacks	USB to Host, USB to Device, MIDI (IN/OUT), LINE IN STEREO, LINE OUT (L/MONO, R), DAMPER (for F-10H), DAMPER/SOFT (for F-20), PEDAL (for F-301), Phones x 2, AC-adapter PS-154
Speaker	2 x (8x12)cm with Bass-Reflex-System, can be turned off
Amplification	2 x 15 Watts
Size in cm	136,2 x 36,1 x 14,9
Finishes	Glossy Black or Snow White
Weight in kg	22,5
Accessories incl.	Metall music rack, AC-adapter PS154, Manual
Options	Designkit: HM-4 stand with acrylic music rack; F-301 3-pedal unit to be mounted at the HM-4 stand
Price