The Kawai MP7SE Stagepiano is the renewed version of the Kawai MP7. It has received a number of exciting improvements over its predecessor. This includes a new keyboard, a number of new sounds, a new look and improved connections.
Unlike its predecessor, the Kawai MP7SE has the new Responsive Hammer Action III Tastaur. It contains a number of changes with the Ivory Touch surface, weighted hammering and pressure point simulation.
The Kawai MP7SE contains the grand piano sounds of the Shigeru Kawai EX concert grand and the Shigeru Kawai SK-5 as well as the Kawai EX concert grand. The grand piano sounds are all available in Harmonic Imaging XL quality.
In order to be visually closer to a concert grand, Kawai has given the MP7SE Stagepiano black side panels with a grand piano look.
The connection possibilities of the optional triple pedal GFP-3, expression pedal, footswitches and others have been greatly expanded compared to the Kawai MP7 and are now more flexible.
This is a really great keyboard and I am very happy I bought it.
Piano sounds are great as are electric pianos and organs.
In fact after a couple of weeks of the MP7SE I played an upright piano which I had previously thought very good and missed some of the qualities of the MP7SE...
Layering piano patches gives a quite realistic resonant type sound.
This fills the sound out nicely and controlling the levels of each patch gives an extra acoustic parameter along with the built in EQ.
I am using two Presonus eris 5 powered speakers which are really small and neat for home use. Sound reproduction is very good and probably powerful enough for performance in a restaurant or a small bar. Good quality headphones will give the best sound for personal use, although I believe some of the higher end near field studio monitors would be equal. With the money you save on this keyboard over comparable products this could be a good option for some.
I had some options when purchasing and was very tempted by the Nord Grand, mostly cause it looks cool and the continuous patches being developed by Nord.
The Nord may have the edge on patch availability but it is using the same Kawai key bed action as the MP7SE, doesnt have organ patches and costs over 1K more than the MP7SE, a no brainer really. The Kawai piano sounds brilliant and are endlessly tweakable.
I would say the MP7SE is probably the best value stage/slab piano on the market by a long way, It offers everything that other models over 2K euro do and it has a better key action than any of them..
Thumbs up !!