Best Digital Piano For Your Home: Yamaha CLP735 vs Kawai CA401

Product(s) reviewed

• Yamaha CLP-735 (Clavinova) vs Kawai CA401 (Concert Artist series)
• Both are positioned as home digital pianos with very similar price/features overall, but there are meaningful differences in action, sound engine/sample sets, and connectivity.

Price / positioning

• Yamaha CLP-735: $2899
• Kawai CA401: $3099
• About a $300 difference; the video frames them as competing options in the same general tier.

Key features compared

1) Keyboard action / key material (biggest practical difference)

• Kawai CA401: wood keys
  • “Grand Feel compact action,” described as longer wood keys and better feel for someone coming from acoustic piano.
  • Presenter preference: Kawai action feels better than Yamaha.
• Yamaha CLP-735: plastic keys
  • “Grand Touch S” slim down the Grand Touch action with plastic keys.

Verdict on feel: Kawai’s wood keys and the feel were repeatedly emphasized as the advantage.

2) Piano sounds / sample sets (CFX vs “Competition Grand”, plus realism)

• Yamaha CLP-735
  • Sound sources include Yamaha CFX and Bösendorfer
  • Binaural sampling (“mic’d like you’re sitting in front” / more “player perspective” vibe)
  • Voice count: ~36 voices
  • Polyphony: 256-note polyphony
• Kawai CA401
  • Highlight: Competition Grand sample (Shigeru Kawai / “9-foot piano” sample), newly released for the 2023 model line.
  • Binaural-like approach described as being set up to listen without needing headphones:
    • The player perspective sample is essentially “ready to go” rather than requiring headphone listening.
  • Voice count: 19 voices
  • Polyphony: 192-note polyphony

Verdict on sound: Both were praised; Yamaha had more voices/polyphony, while Kawai’s Competition Grand sample was described as particularly impressive (“cleans out your ears”).

3) Speakers / loudness

• Yamaha: described as louder in the room.
• Power comparison mentioned:
  • Kawai: “20W x 20W, 40W total”
  • Yamaha: “30W x 30W, 60W total”
• After listening, one presenter concluded Yamaha 735 sounds louder and fills space better.

4) App / editing / “virtual technician”

• Kawai CA401
  • Piano Remote app
  • Includes a “virtual technician” for changing piano parameters/modeling (presented as more straightforward than certain Yamaha workflows).
• Yamaha CLP-735
  • Smart Pianist app for tablet/iPad control and feature access.

5) Bluetooth and multimedia

• Kawai CA401: includes Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth audio (stream phone audio through piano speakers)
  • Bluetooth MIDI (wireless MIDI control)
• Yamaha CLP-735: Bluetooth capability not indicated as present in the subtitles.

6) Recording / extra capabilities

• Yamaha is said to have more recording capability than Kawai in this price comparison.

7) Display / UI look

• Kawai CA401: OLED display (described as nicer)
• Yamaha CLP-735: uses lights/block-style indicators rather than OLED.

Pros and cons (compiled from the video)

Kawai CA401 — Pros

• Wood keys and better action feel (especially for acoustic players)
• Strong standout: Competition Grand / SK-series sample with impressive player perspective
• Bluetooth audio + Bluetooth MIDI
• OLED display looks nicer visually
• App includes virtual technician-style parameter editing

Kawai CA401 — Cons (implied)

• Lower polyphony (192) than Yamaha
• Fewer voices (19) than Yamaha
• No mention of Yamaha’s additional recording advantage

Yamaha CLP-735 — Pros

• More polyphony (256) and more voices (~36)
• Louder / more “boom” in the room (higher wattage speakers)
• More recording capability
• Binaural sampling approach with CFX + Bösendorfer

Yamaha CLP-735 — Cons (implied)

• Plastic keys (less preferred feel vs wood keys)
• Bluetooth capability not featured (per subtitles)

Comparisons and “which should you buy?”

The video frames both as excellent—“no wrong answer”—but suggests the decision depends on what you care about most:

• Prioritize key feel and wood-key realism: Kawai CA401
• Prioritize speaker loudness, polyphony/voices, and recording: Yamaha CLP-735

Next step up comparisons mentioned:

• Kawai CA501 and Yamaha CLP-745 are the next tier; the video suggests you gain more features there, though the focus here stays on the 735 vs 401.

Numerical specs explicitly mentioned

• Price: 2899 (Yamaha CLP-735) vs 3099 (Kawai CA401)
• Voices: Yamaha 36 vs Kawai 19
• Polyphony: Yamaha 256 vs Kawai 192
• Speaker power: Yamaha 60W total vs Kawai 40W total
• No external star ratings were given.

Overall verdict / recommendation

• Choose the Kawai CA401 if you want the more authentic acoustic-style experience with wood keys, a standout Competition Grand sample, and Bluetooth.
• Choose the Yamaha CLP-735 if you want louder performance, more polyphony/voices, and more recording capability.

The presenters conclude both will be “loved and enjoyed”—the “right” pick depends on whether you value feel (Kawai) or headroom/loudness/feature depth (Yamaha) more.

Unique points by speaker (roles)

Ted (Alamo Music Center)

• Emphasized Kawai action/wood keys feel vs Yamaha plastic keys
• Highlighted shared heritage history (Yamaha & Kawai origins)
• Stated Yamaha is a top seller and commonly included in bundles
• Noted both brands are made by companies with deep acoustic piano R&D access
• Discussed Yamaha vs Kawai sample differences, voice/polyphony, Bluetooth presence (Kawai), and general feature tradeoffs

Patrick Marr

• Compared sound character: Kawai sample described as fuller/rounder/bigger
• Noted Yamaha became louder in-room after listening (despite initial assumption about Kawai amp power)
• Praised the Competition Grand sample as particularly strong/“fresh”
• Mentioned action changes vs prior model generation (Kawai smoother)
• Concluded there’s no wrong answer, with buyer choice depending on priorities