Thinking about learning piano for the first time? Choosing the right keyboard can be tough. You don’t want to spend too much upfront in case you lose interest—believe me, that happens more often than you'd think. But at the same time, you don’t want to go too cheap and end up with a keyboard that’s basically a toy. A lot of budget options sound terrible, have bad key action, and just don’t last.
That’s where the Kawai ES60 comes in. It’s Kawai’s most affordable keyboard, built specifically with beginners in mind. It’s got great sound, solid key action, and the right features—all without sacrificing quality. Honestly, it’s so well-built that I wouldn’t be surprised if Kawai intentionally kept it simple just to protect the market for their more advanced but significantly more expensive models, like the ES120 and ES520.
If you want to see the full specs and the best deals for the ES60, ES120, and ES520, check them out here. I’ve also included my list of recommended digital pianos, keyboards, and music-learning app right here.
Sound
Sound is everything when it comes to a keyboard, and the ES60 delivers. It comes with 17 high-quality tones, all sampled with Kawai’s famous Harmonic Imaging technology. The default piano tone—the one you’ll use most—is sampled from a Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand, a $250,000, 9-foot piano found in recital halls and conservatories worldwide.
The sound is just beautiful. The treble notes are clear and woody—no harsh overtones—while the bass notes are deep and powerful. A lot of budget keyboards can handle mid-range sounds okay but fall apart in the highs and lows. The ES60 doesn’t have that problem. It’s expressive, dynamic, and responds beautifully from soft pianissimo to powerful fortissimo.
It even supports half-pedaling—a feature usually reserved for higher-end models—when paired with the optional F-10H sustain pedal. That’s a great bonus at this price point. Beyond the main grand piano sound, Kawai gives you a few variations, like a mellow tone for ballads and a brighter sound for jazz trios. Instead of stuffing in hundreds of low-quality, gimmicky sounds like many budget keyboards, Kawai focused on essential voices that keyboardists actually use: four electric pianos, jazz and church organs, a clav, harpsichord, vibraphone, strings, and a wood bass.
And the sound quality? Ridiculously good. This is the cheapest keyboard in Kawai’s lineup, but you wouldn’t guess that from how it sounds. You can layer sounds together for a fuller tone or split them across the keyboard for more flexibility. Volume mixing for these voices is available through Kawai’s Piano Remote app.
The ES60 also includes three reverb effects that simulate different acoustic spaces, from a small recital room to a full concert hall.
For built-in speakers, you’re getting serious power—dual 12cm speakers with 20 watts of total output. That’s enough to fill my entire apartment with clear, distortion-free sound, even at full volume. The speakers are upward-facing, so the sound projects directly toward the player, and if you’re using a stand, the grilles under the keyboard help enhance resonance and projection.
Another huge plus? 192-note polyphony. A lot of keyboards in this price range cap out at 64 notes, meaning notes can cut off when you play more complex passages. Not here. The ES60 ensures smooth, sustained sounds without dropouts.
If you need more than 17 sounds and are willing to spend a little more, check my recommended digital pianos and keyboards —I’ve listed some great digital pianos with a wider range of onboard tones.
Key Action
Sound is important, but key action matters just as much. If you’re serious about learning piano, you need a keyboard that feels like an acoustic piano.
The ES60 uses Kawai’s Responsive Hammer Lite (RHL) action, which mimics the feel of a real piano by using heavier hammer weights for bass notes and lighter ones for treble—just like on an acoustic grand. This is essential for developing proper finger strength and technique.
The RHL action is based on the key-sensing and cushioning technology from Kawai’s more expensive ES120 and ES520 models, making it one of the smoothest and quietest key actions in this price range. Unlike many entry-level keyboards, the keys respond consistently from the key edge to the pivot, so you’re getting great control no matter where you press the key.
There are three adjustable velocity curves, so you can tweak the key response to match your playing style.
Another detail I love? The matte key surfaces—on both the black and white keys. If you’ve ever played on glossy plastic keys, you know how slippery they can get, especially in humid weather. The ES60’s keys give you better grip, which is really helpful for long practice sessions.
I’ve tested a lot of digital pianos in this price range, and the ES60’s key action is one of the best. In fact, it has replaced my longtime favorite in this category, the Roland FP-10.
That said, I do wish it had a felt liner at the key pivots to keep dust out and further reduce key noise—but honestly, even without it, this is one of the quietest and most reliable actions you’ll find at this price.
If you’re looking for other great fully weighted 88-key digital pianos, I’ve linked my recommended digital pianos and keyboards right here.
Features
If you need to practice silently, you’ll love the player-facing ¼” headphone jack — it lets you plug in your favorite pair of headphones.
There’s also a USB MIDI port, so you can connect to music-learning apps. I’ve listed the apps my students have had great success with right here.
For live performances, the ES60 has a pair of ¼” stereo outputs, so you can hook up to external amplifiers or mixing boards. And here’s something I really appreciate — unlike many cheaper keyboards that automatically disable the onboard speakers when you connect to external amplification, Kawai gives you the option to keep them on or turn them off.
To help students stay on beat and develop a solid sense of rhythm, the ES60 comes with a full-featured metronome and 30 built-in rhythms covering a wide range of musical styles. And I have to say — unlike the hundreds of terrible, unusable rhythms I’ve come across on budget keyboards, these are actually really good.
The key transpose function is essential if you need to play in a different key — especially useful when accompanying a singer.
Now, let’s talk about portability. At just 11 kg, or 24 lbs, the ES60 is easy to take with you — whether it’s for road trips, camping, or gigs. If you prefer a more permanent setup, there’s also a dedicated wooden stand available. And the best part? If you ever need to take your keyboard with you, it only takes four screws to detach it from the stand.
Another feature I love is the sturdy, spacious music rest — perfect for supporting thick, heavy "fake books" that gigging musicians often use.
And if you enjoy recording your performances, the Kawai Piano Remote app for iOS and Android comes with an intuitive multitrack song recorder. Plus, if you ever just want to sit back and listen, the app has a huge library of classical demo songs to enjoy.
Final Thoughts on the Kawai ES60
So, here’s my take on the Kawai ES60. This is going to be a hugely popular, affordable, and lightweight keyboard for casual musicians and piano students. For the price, I was honestly shocked at how good the sound and key action are. The addition of stereo ¼-inch outputs, a well-placed headphone jack, and an excellent Android and iOS app is just the cherry on top.
That said, there are a few things Kawai could improve in their next model. First, they should print the full instrument names on the panel. Also, for a learner-friendly keyboard, two headphone jacks should be standard. The USB port only supports MIDI and doesn’t transmit digital audio, which many entry-level keyboards can now do. There’s also no wireless Bluetooth for streaming backing tracks or connecting to my iPad without cables. And finally, selecting rhythms is a hassle — I had to scroll through all 30 rhythms in sequence just to get to the one I wanted, and there’s no quick selection option via the app.
You can find out the full specifications and the best price for the keyboards mentioned above together with my recommended digital pianos, keyboards, and music-learning app right here.