🎹Kawai K-800 vs Boston UP-132 Upright Piano Review & Comparison - Boston Built By Kawai🎹
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
- 🛒 Get the Kawai K-800 ▸www.merriammusic.com/product/...
🛒 See More Kawai Pianos ▸ www.merriammusic.com/product-...
💕 Subscribe to Merriam Pianos HERE ▸ bit.ly/SubscribeMerriam
🔔 Click the 🔔 bell to be notified of all videos! ▸ bit.ly/SubscribeMerriam
0:00 - Intro
0:57 - Opening Playing Demos
2:16 - Video Overview
5:00 - Piano Sound/Tone
8:31 - Piano Differences
15:10 - Bass Range Demos
18:21 - Treble Ranges
#Kawai #Boston #UprightPiano
Hi everyone and welcome to Merriam Pianos on RUclips. Today we’ll be comparing two 52” uprights built in the exact same factory as we compare the Kawai K-800 with the Boston UP132.
Despite the fact that they’re the same size and both are built by Kawai in the same factory, the Boston is designed and sold by Steinway, and they actually offer quite different musical experiences.
Please like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell!
Background
The Kawai K-800 and the Boston 132 are the largest upright pianos in each brand's upright lineups. Now, Boston’s are actually built by both Kawai and Samick, with Kawai handling the more expensive Boston uprights and all of the grands, with Samick covering the entry-level Boston upright.
What’s interesting here is that the K-800 and UP132 are literally rolling off the same assembly line and are hand finished by the same craftsmen.
Boston’s however are designed by Steinway, so it’s not fair to simply refer to a Boston as a Kawai with a different badge as some people claim. On the other hand, some folks claim that Boston’s are built by different employees in a sequestered section of the Kawai factory, but that is certainly not true either.
Ultimately though, despite originating in the same factory and being built by different people, these two pianos are quite different musically, and really do have their own distinct characters.
Piano Sound & Design
Let’s start with what’s in common between these two pianos. They both use mahogany core hammers, feature duplex scaling and use the same gauge treble wire.
Now some differences. They use very different back post-construction, a totally different bridging system, and of course, the actions are very different with the K-800 using an extended length keystick for greater control and Kawai’s Millennium III Carbon Fiber action.
The trade-off with the keystick length is greater control and wider dynamic output range but slightly slower repetition speed on the K-800, whereas the UP132 has faster repetition speed but offers less control and a narrower dynamic range.
Now, the tonal differences between these two pianos are apparent, just like they are between Boston GP-178 and the similarly sized Kawai GX-2.
Ironically, the K-800 actually reminds us more of the classic NY Steinway with a ton of mid-range power and warmth. The UP-132 has more high harmonics on each note and less of a direct sound.
Let’s move through the ranges. By the middle of the bass register it gets very resonant on the K-800 and it’s a considerably bigger and clearer bass sound here, while the UP-132 has a more even and warmer bass register.
Moving into the upper octaves, the differences start to disappear and we’re left with two very similar sounding instruments.
The biggest differences are in the mid-sections of the pianos. The UP-132 is brighter, less direct, and beautifully blended, while the K-800 feels more direct and powerful, and is very mid-range heavy in terms of harmonics and warmth.
Other Features
The K-800 comes with an oversized grand piano music rest that would be perfect for composers, while the UP-132 has a more traditional smaller upright music rest.
Both pianos have slow-fall piano covers, and a sostenuto pedal is available on the K-800.
Thank you for watching!
Connect with Merriam Music:
● Website ▸ www.merriammusic.com/
● Contact Us ▸ www.merriammusic.com/contact/
● Instagram ▸ / merriammusic
● Facebook ▸ / merriammusic
● Twitter ▸ / merriammusicinc 
Видеоклипы
Thank you so much, Stu !!! Always love your playing and review !!! Happy New Year!!!
Stu, I would pay VERY good money for an improv course taught by you! Good lord, that Dmaj doodling was *beautiful*.
People keep saying Boston is just a Kawai with a Boston name tag, but whichever reviews that i watched, my humble ears are just so drawn to Bostons and their sounds. They so very different and lively. Cannot wait to when i can get one for my kid.
They are certainly very different pianos musically speaking. While they are built by Kawai, they are quite different in terms of design and specification.
To me, melodies in the mid range to low-treble range sound nicer on the Kawai, (not a huge fan of the bass tone), and harmonies sound wonderful on the Boston. Great review!
Great comparison switching back and forth like that! Thank you!
You're very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it! :)
Excellent comparison! I’m actually looking at both of these pianos and deciding which to purchase next year (along with one or two others). I couldn’t have seen this video at a better time-thank you!
Thank you kindly! We're so glad that you stumbled upon the video and have found it helpful in your decision making process. :)
Very good review, thank you
You're very welcome! :)
Very nice video! Thank you!
You're very welcome! We're glad you enjoyed it! :)
Very useful video. At one point your face of approval when hitting a passage on the K800 spoke for itself! 😊
We're glad you enjoyed it! The K800 is certainly a remarkable instrument. It is hard not to get excited about it. :)
Great video for me to watch. I am thinking of buying my first real piano and am considering a Boston upright. One thing that I a hearing on the Kawai is a hollowness in the sound in the low to mids. The Boston sounds clearer to me.
Thanks so much for the kind words and for tuning in! These are both exceptionally well-made pianos from Kawai's Japan factory. They definitely offer a slightly different musical flavour, so every player will have their own preference between the two.
I've been researching extensively for a piano..... 62 years old professional musician decided to finally get classically trained on the piano. Not sure about upright or grand. I currently have a Kawai VPC-1 midi controller in my studio that is incredible but would love a real piano to practice on. I just want to say that I've watched a bunch of your reviews and they are very well done and appreciate the learning experience and information provided from them.
Congrats on taking the plunge into the oceans of classical piano! That is very exciting. We're glad that you have found our videos helpful through your process. We appreciate the kind words and support immensely. :)
Top review.
Thank you kindly! :)
The Boston definitely seems to have a tighter, more collected sound. More gloss on the Kawai.
Piano gives always different responses in different directions specially in a playing position it sounds totally different and it give more details than other direction. I have played both the pianos they are simply great and as you said it’s totally different sounding pianos. Boston has very heavy back-Post than Kawai to me Kawai K800 sounds little boxy and low end is making very weird noise kind of blurry. Boston is overall all very balanced from top to bottom and key action is also very much like a grand. In my country Kawai K800 is very cheap compared to Boston if I would have to buy I will definitely choose a K800 only because of the price and then will spend money on voicing and I am sure after doing the voicing it will sounds beautiful. Currently I am using a YUS5 and I feel it’s much better sounding piano than this two and I bought for the same price as K800. Nice review. Fantastic review! Thank you so much 🙏
Thanks for tuning in and for the kind words! Tone is a very subjective thing of course, but you are certainly correct that the sound from the playing perspective can be quite different than the sound of the instrument in the room. That is why it is always helpful to play the pianos in person when selecting/purchasing a model. Thanks again and all the best! :)
@@MerriamPianos I have a no formal training or a education background but I keep doing research and that way it help me to improve my knowledge. Your reviews are so helpful to me and I definitely gained a so much knowledge. Actually thanks to you for sharing your knowledge with us. For me you are a best teacher in this Piano world. I love this subject a lot In fact it’s my life. Only thing is in India we don’t have much options to try the different brands. We import Steinway/Samick & Pearl River pianos we also sell Yamaha. Kawai is our competitor but frankly speaking I love Kawai pianos. I am waiting for the replacement of Kawai MP11SE and it’s already a very long wait and I am sure this time they will provide a even better key action and better control facilities. I am a vst user and for me it’s a best option. Thank you again Sir Stu 🙏
Ordered a k800 22 weeks ago.. still waiting
Love the Boston's midrange - the most-utilized range: smooth and integrated. If I was anywhere where I needed to minimize disturbing folks in other rooms, I wouldn't hesitate on the UP-132.
The Boston UP132 is a very nice piano! You really can't go wrong with either of these amazing uprights. :)
One thing is that they left the Boston closed but the Kawai has an open cut-out right behind the music stand. Of course it is going to sound more direct in the midrage. I played the Kwai recently and I was really surprised at how light and softly you can play on it. You really do notice the difference in design there. I didn't like having the cutouts behind the music stand though. I thought that was a clumsy way to do it. Boston is more elegant there, but of course there is more fussing around with the lid. I'm looking forward to trying out the Boston next month. I'm really interested to see what it is like. Another point is that the price is not really a fair comparison, at least on the European market, it might be different for CA. I got a quote for the Kwai K 800 for just under 14K EU but for the Boston 29K EU. The price equiv. on the European market would be the Boston 118.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks for tuning in and sharing your insights. The Kawai K800 is unquestionably and impressive instrument when it comes to its tonal, dynamic, and expressive range! As for the price gap in the European market, unfortunately, there is quite a bit of disparity with pricing from market to market. Thanks again and happy playing! :)
In New Zealand, the price of K800 is $28000NZD, and Boston 132 is $30000NZD
@@samanthay1728 Boston 132 is more expensive in NZ? Interesting. In the US, K800 is $26000, K500 is $16000, and Boston 132 is $18000.
How did you like Boston 132? I'm looking for an upright piano. K500, K800 and Boston 132 have been my top choices. In the US, K800 is more expensive ($26000) than Boston 132 ($18000).
The Boston for me 👌
Thanks for tuning in and sharing your thoughts on these two fantastic uprights! We appreciate it. :)
Would you say the Boston is slightly “brighter” but not as “bright” as the Yamaha… maybe somewhere in between the Kawai and the Yamaha?
I'm house sitting a Mason Hamlin grand with inordinate sustain and noticable bloom I just don't get as busy on this instrument but say more. Sound's like that Kawai has a bit of that
The K800 certainly has tremendous sustain and expressivity. It is always an exciting prospect when you feel like you have to work less to get true musicality out of an instrument. In my opinion, the K800 possesses that quality. Thanks for tuning in! :)
Boston, 100%
The Boston 132 sounds clean, rich and its tone is simply delicious... I'd buy this one 1000 times before many other pianos.
I agree. Kawai sounds like the old Boston pianos. I'm looking for an upright piano right now. I think I'm going to check out Boston 132. I heard that they have made some improvement and 2023 models are different.
I don't know is it a Kawai feature but I notice that Kawai upright or grand all make a guitar string pressing like sound when playing the middle section. I don't know what's a proper way to describe the sound but it is similar sound a guitar makes at the moment when finger presses on the fingerboard (a chirp pitch kind of sound). My k300 has this sound. I can also detect such sound in this video with K800 also another video with GX2. Can this sound be voiced?
I know what u r talking about. It’s especially obvious when he played the bass on the Kawai. My old Kawai k60e also has this sound and it’s not very clean
Can Mr Stu make a video on improvisation please. We love Stu
We have released a tutorial on improvising over the 12 Bar Blues, which you can see here:
ruclips.net/video/8lrqbt9WBKs/видео.html
With that said, it would be exciting to tackle for tutorials with Stu. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
at time 17:17 Stu played a C3 to C4 major scale, first on the Boston then on the K800, Is it? FFT on Audacity shows that in both played C3 the 1st harmonic, C4, stands higher than C3, however from D3 to C4, the dominant in FFT is the actual tone. Is that the transition you mention?
Hi there! I am not sure I really understand the question.
@@MerriamPianos Thanks for your response. I am trying to see spectral fingerprints of piano voices using audacity, and regarding the C3 scale played in both instruments, the first note, C3, shows a higher amplitude in the FFT spectrum of the overtones, while from D3 to C4, this is not the case. Stu mentioned the piano is divided into sections, and this could be a transition zone. It's difficult i a chromatic scale or other scales are played on both, or in this case the same pieces. I've sent a comment in Merriam Music website contact. email, Excuse me for any inconvenience.
Каваи звучит реально лучше. Замечательный ролик . Лучшие обзоры.
Kawai sounds deeper and warmer and more colorful Boston sounds like digital piano in this video
These are two very finely built pianos, but the K800 is a very difficult piano to beat musically. The technology, specs and features packed into this amazing upright piano combine for one heckuva playing and sonic experience. :)
Really like the K-800 as a unique upright experience. Getting the grand piano vibe even through the phone!
The problem with a phone is that it typically does not let you hear frequencies below 300 Hz properly. The Kawai has a more congested sound than the Boston, most likely a buildup of resonances around 180-250 Hz. Your phone will not tell you that. In fact, a phone will lie to you about the true sound. In this case, a phone will remove the problems because it cannot reproduce those frequencies. The Boston has a cleaner sound, closer to a grand piano, because a grand piano has an open case and does not build up resonances around 200 Hz (which is a problematic area for piano sound). Maybe these resonances and boxy sound of the Kawai can be eliminated by removing all its wooden front panels... but then it would look very ugly.
@@Instrumental-Covers I agree. I'm listening with a decent set of Behringer headphones.
@@Instrumental-Covers my old heintmannfrom 1914 had a feature where the front panel tilted back to make the music stand as you open the lid. Looks great and gets around that issue
@@ruthbarratt-peacock8688 My grandmother had a very large upright player piano with an additional rail that could be lowered to produce a sound imitating a mandolin (it had like metal pieces that would get between the hammers and the strings)... and I wonder if it was a Heintzman piano as well... her parents purchased it in New York (I believe). The piano had two doors on top, another door under the keybed (I guess to access the player mechanism), and I believe it had a hinge in the middle that allowed the entire lower panel to be partially opened. As you mention, those features help the sound escape. I have also seen upright pianos that have "speaker grills" on both top and bottom panels. The fact that these old upright pianos were huge also helps create a good sound.
I have a very personal taste in piano.
I llike a little more organ-ish feel and I think Boston has it or at least what can be taken from a video on RUclips!?
I definitely understand! Tonal preference is a very personal thing. Everyone's ears are a little different. :)
I don't know. I'd voice the Kawai differently as it's way too muddy for me. So, I like the Boston somewhat better here. I usually like the Kawai better in comparisons, however, with Bostons. But this one isn't doing it for me.
Kawai K300 or Yamaha B3 new? Which would you take? I currently have four pianos one of them being a 1999 Charles R Walter that’s in PRISTINE condition and a Kawai ES920 that I’ve been impressed with so now I’m considering a Kawai upright
@@gustavopaulette3496 K300 if you have the money. K300 is more comparable with the U1 but at the price between B3 and U1
Benjamin, I'd have to agree with you here. Same initial reaction and I looove Kawai.
K-132 tem som de Piano de cauda!...the same, para Concert 8 Bechstein
Absolutely! The K132 and Concert 8 are two of the best upright pianos in the world as far as I'm concerned! :)
You should have compared Boston 132 with Kawai K500 since they are the same size. Kawai K800 has a bigger soundboard and is $8000 more expensive than Boston 132. Also, Boston's front panel can be opened like Kawai.
The UP132 is slightly taller (2 cm to be exact) than the K500. With that said, the reason why these two models were chosen for the comparison is that they're both the flagship uprights from each company's upright line.
@@MerriamPianos Didn't you say that K500 is 52 in in another video? Is it 51 in, then? I know that the older model of K500 (K5) was 50 in. If K500 is smaller, then the listing price makes more sense. In the US, K500 is $16k, Boston 132 is $18k, and K800 is $26k.
Boston sounds like a flat upright piano. The Kawai sounds like a fuller like classic Grand Piano. Using Sony professional Monitoring Mixing Headphone. Prefer the Boston if I were to mix pop music And the Kawai for solo and Classical ensemble.
Thanks for tuning in and sharing your thoughtful insights! I can certainly understand where you're coming from in terms of preferring different instruments for different styles and genres. With that said, I do have to agree with you that the K800 has a gorgeous, full time that is one of the closest things you'll find to a grand piano sound in an upright form. :)
Great review. The music sheet holder on the Boston UP-132 really sucks. For that reason alone, I would not buy that piano.
I can certainly understand that concern. The Kawai K400 and K800 models have very excellent music desks, which may be of interest to you in that case. :)
wouldnt mind both just like you have them, can alternate, haha
Haha absolutely! Best of both worlds! I like that mentality. :)
I assume this is a used Boston, since Merriam Music is not a Steinway or Yamaha dealer, and Steinway allows only its authorized Steinway dealers to carry new Boston and Essex pianos. I used a pair of Audio-Technica ATH M40X studio monitor headphones with a Tascam audio interface to listen to the video. I also opened the audio file of the video in an audio software to look at the volume levels and frequency plot spectrum of each piano. If you listen to this with consumer grade speakers or headphones, you won't be able to hear a true representation of the sound profile of each piano. The Kawai has a more congested sound, which can typically be fixed in a DAW (digital audio workstation) by cutting some of the mid-bass frequencies (cut around 250 Hz). This is easy if you buy a digital piano with an EQ band, but if you buy a real piano you will be stuck with its congested sound. For this reason, the Boston does a better job of simulating a grand piano acoustics, for which the soundboard is not trapped inside a box. You really don't get deeper bass from the Kawai, according to the frequency plot spectrum of the lowest notes, as both pianos have a peak around 85 Hz, which is hardly great deep bass. This is due to physics: a soundboard is like an open baffle speaker, and there is a formula between bass output and the size of a radiator/membrane. What you probably get in the lower notes is the perception of more bass in the Kawai due to being more brassy. The recordings do not support the claim made at 11:25 that the K800 has a substantial increase volume range. The sound waves look pretty much identical, so maybe this is more of a perception than reality.
So useful. Thanks. Keep these analysis coming.
@@jacquesracine9571 Thank you for the support.
I believe Stu said the Boston was a 2019 and the Kawai 2020. We are not comparing a pre world war piano with a modern one. It's almost impossible for the same dealer to sell Steinway and something else.
@@michelprimeau4531 The Steinway Piano Gallery in Spokane, Washington, has both Steinway and Kawai pianos. The real Steinway upright is the K-52, which is listed at $37,600 for satin ebony or $39,600 for polyester polished ebony. The Kawai K800 is listed as $24,195 and the Boston UP132 at $16,400. But even the Boston discloses the use of Sitka spruce for their soundboard, whereas Kawai is just "spruce soundboard"... probably Japanese spruce (ezo), which is good for bonsai trees. Not the same quality as Alaskan spruce.
@@Instrumental-Covers What do you do brings light to something Most people are that’s really aware. It was my case until a few months ago. Sound on a piano is not produced by “a single element“. It becomes even more clear with the kind of an analysis you did.
Boston più uniforme e preciso, Kawai presenta una strana sorda risonanza nelle note mediobasse, effetto tubo... Poi per quanto riguarda l'azione... Con solo le cuffie sulle orecchie non posso valutare 😂
Kawai's Millennium III action is fantastic! In terms of tone and touch preferences, it will always come down to personal preference and subjectivity. With that said, both of these models are outstanding uprights. :)
What currently produced keyboard comes close to replicating a 1973 Fender Rhodes keyboard.
Does the action on the P-515 bounce when the key reaches the bottom of the keybed?🎹🎶
Woops rong comment🎹🎶sorry
Almost all of them.
Boston pianos are manufactured by Kawai with a sticker of Steinway on it. I'd go for Kawai. If I will buy a Boston piano, I might as well buy a Steinway or a used Steinway.
The fact that Steinway relies on Kawai to manufacture their designs for their Boston lines is certainly a testament to Kawai's impressive manufacturing standards and craftsmanship. The K800 in particular is a stunning upright that has a playing experience that even out competes many grand models in terms of tone and musical potential.
This is for Google algorithms: Kawai K800 and Boston UP-132 Upright Piano Review is here. I'm waiting for the "sound demo" ;-)
£13,855 UK price for the Boston at this time
£11, 110 for the k800.
£2745 price difference.....
I’ve still got my k800 preorder in for £9950. Waiting since September, so just going to wait now the prices have gone up
Boston 100%
The UP132 is unquestionably a gorgeous sounding piano. :)
I’m the UK the Boston is almost £3,000 more than the Kawai. That’s a lot so Canadian dollars and I can’t see why anyone would pay that for a piano that’s certainly no better and probably not as good.
Boston has some bad reputation for stability, especially smaller grand and all upright. Seems like Steinway haven't pay Kawai enough. In the recent auction in London a UP132 (2003) got sold for £4000 hammer price. It already has some issue with the action, though the tone is still decent.
@ambiva Those issues are the old Bostons. Not the new Performance Edition series. Regardless of any brand, pianos will have stability issues if it is not well-maintained in a stable environment. Boston pianos are more expensive because they use more expensive materials (Sitka spruce soundboards, hardrock maple rims, Mapes strings, etc.). You get what you pay for.
The Boston touches me, the Kawai doesn‘t.
Clearly the Kawai outperforms the Boston.
Boston better