KAWAI CA701 BK/RW Digital Piano

Price range: $3,999.00 through $4,099.00

Description

The Sound of a Grand Piano

Widely regarded as ‘the premier piano of Japan’, the flagship SK-EX grand piano graces the stages of concert halls and musical institutions around the globe, receiving universal acclaim for its tonal clarity and exceptional dynamic range.

The magnificent tone of the SK-EX is at the heart of the CA901, with this new model featuring the latest SK-EX Competition Grand, capturing the sound of the latest generation SK-EX instruments that in recent years have achieved success at the Chopin, Hamamatsu and Sydney International piano competitions.

This piano sound possesses a brilliant, clear tonal character, with a distinctive thick attack, and is specifically recorded from the pianist’s position for the ultimate performance experience.

SK-EX Rendering Engine

SK-EX Rendering sound engine
In order to faithfully reproduce the stunning sound of a Shigeru Kawai grand piano digitally, Kawai has developed SK-EX Rendering. This special, piano-only sound engine focusses the Concert Artist’s DSP power, combining multi-channel, 88-key sampling with the latest resonance modelling technology to deliver pure acoustic piano authenticity.

Multi-channel Sampling

Multi-channel sampling image of piano

While digital pianos typically employ single-point stereo sampling, the SK-EX Rendering engine’s multi-channel sampling captures the sound from different points of the Shigeru Kawai concert grand.

This modern technique not only allows a broader range of tonal characteristics to be recorded and reproduced, but also improves the connection felt between the keyboard and piano sound, resulting in a more lively and authentic response to changes in dynamics.

Full Resonance Modelling

Resonance Modelling of a digital piano

This naturally expressive Shigeru Kawai sound is further enriched by newly developed resonance algorithms, which physically model the complex tonal interactions produced by the strings, dampers, and various other parts of an acoustic piano.

Unlike other resonance simulations, SK-EX Rendering generates resonances for the damper pedal and all 88 keys progressively (i.e. in gradual amounts, not simply on or off), allowing the Concert Artist to behave – and therefore be controlled – more like an acoustic piano.

 

The Touch of a Grand Piano

Triple Sensor Key Detection

The three sensor key detection improves responsiveness when playing the same key repeatedly, and unlike conventional two sensor keyboard actions found in many digital pianos, allows the sound of a single note to be gradually ‘layered’ without the previous tone being lost

In addition, Kawai’s action technology also monitors the speed at which each key is lifted, influencing the release character of piano sounds, and providing a greater range of expression between staccato and legato playing

Let-off Simulation

Regarded as the most authentic digital piano action in its class, Grand Feel III even reproduces the ‘let-off’ characteristic of acoustic piano actions.

Balance Pins

The GFIII action preserves the traditional ‘seesaw’ mechanism found in acoustic grand piano actions, along with the long wooden key sticks utilized for all 88 black and white keys. It incorporates an extended key pivot length to the balance pins, resulting in a consistent touch weight when playing towards the back of the keyboard. This essential feature, combined with other acoustic piano-like qualities, guarantees that the CA701 delivers the most authentic playing experience in its category.

Long Wooden Key Stick

With an emphasis on piano-focussed authenticity, the CA701 utilises the superb Grand Feel III wooden-key keyboard action. As its name suggests, the GF III action has been designed by drawing upon our 95+ years of piano building expertise to reproduce the authentic touch weight characteristics of our acoustic grand piano range.

Grand Feel keyboard actions also boast some of the longest key pivot lengths – matching that of a Kawai grand piano.

This extended key pivot length provides a more evenly balanced touch weight from the front to the rear of each key, allowing greater fluency and expressive control, while also minimising the need to readjust one’s technique when playing an acoustic grand piano.

88-key Graded Counterweights

In addition to grade-weighted hammers, the Grand Feel III action also features metal counterweights, attached beneath each key, and graded across the length of the keyboard.

As with an acoustic piano, these additional weights help to balance the touch of the keyboard during pianissimo passages, while providing a feeling of greater substance and solidity when playing with force.

Ivory & Ebony Touch Key Surface

The exceptional CA901 features Kawai’s highly regarded Ivory Touch white key surfaces as standard.  This finely textured material gently assists playing control, and possesses a natural, matte finish that is smooth but not slippery.

To complement these premium white keys, Kawai has also developed Ebony Touch, a special black key material that reproduces the finely-textured grain and rich lustre of real ebony wood.  The result is a keyboard surface that looks and feels as luxurious as some of the world’s finest grand pianos, inspiring musicians of all levels to become better pianists.

 

DIMENSIONS

CA701

 

Product Specifications

Warranty period: 5 years

Keyboard Grand Feel III action

    • 88 wooden keys
    • Grade-weighted hammers
    • Ivory Touch white key surfaces
    • Ebony Touch black key surfaces
    • Let-off simulation
    • Triple sensor key detection
    • 88-key Graded counterweights
Pedal Grand Feel Pedal System

    • Damper (with half-pedal support)
    • Soft (with half-pedal support)
    • Sostenuto
Piano Sound SK-EX Rendering

    • 88-key multi-channel sampling
    • SK-EX Competition Grand Piano recording
  • SK-EX Concert Grand Piano recording

Harmonic Imaging XL (HI-XL)

    • 88-key stereo sampling
    • SK-EX-L, SK-EX, SK-5, EX, K-60 recording
    • 256 note maximum polyphony
Piano Resonance SK-EX Rendering: Resonance Modelling

    • Damper Resonance
    • String Resonance
    • Undamped String Resonance
    • Aliquot Resonance

Harmonic Imaging XL: Acoustic Rendering

    • Damper Resonance
    • String Resonance
    • Undamped String Resonance
    • Cabinet Resonance
Piano Adjustment Virtual Piano Artisan (20 parameters)

    • Touch Curve (incl. User Touch Curve)
    • Voicing (incl. 88-key User Voicing)
    • String Resonances
    • Damper Noise
    • Undamped String Resonance
    • Cabinet Resonance
    • Key-off Effect
    • Fall-back Noise
    • Hammer Noise
    • Hammer Delay
    • Topboard Simulation
    • Decay Time
    • Release Time
    • Minimum Touch
    • Stretch Tuning (incl. 88-key User Tuning)
    • Temperament (incl. User Temperament)
    • Temperament Key
    • Key Volume (incl. 88-key User Key Volume)
    • Half-Pedal Adjust
    • Soft Pedal Depth

Virtual Piano Artisan presets (10 presets)

No of sounds SK-EX Rendering: 5+5 rendering characters
Harmonic Imaging XL: 96 voices
Reverb SK-EX Rendering: Ambience (10 types)
Harmonic Imaging XL: Reverb (6 types)
Brilliance
Other Effects 24 types
Speakers 13 cm x 2 (woofers)
(8 x 12 cm) x2 (top speakers, with diffusers)
5 cm x 2 (tweeters)
Output Power 110 W (55 W + 55 W)
Headphone Enhancements Premium headphone amplifier
Spatial Headphone Sound
Headphone Type
Headphone Amplifier
Display 5″ LCD touchscreen (480 x 800 pixels)
Anti-glare display
Key Cover Sliding type
Music Rest Collapsible type (6 angle adjustability)
Score support pins
Size and Weight Width 145 cm
Depth 49.5 cm
Height 97 cm (music rest flat)
114.5 cm (music rest raised)
Weight 76.5 kg
80 kg [Ebony Polish]
Available Finishes Premium Satin Black (CA701ES)
Premium Rosewood (CA701R)
Ebony Polish (CA701EP)
Basic Functions Dual
Split
Four Hands
Transpose
Tuning
Low Volume Balance
User Sounds
Startup Setting
Internal Songs Sound Demo 39 songs
Piano Music 42 Songs
Concert Magic 176 songs
Lesson Songs Burgmüller 25 (25 Etudes Faciles, Opus 100)
Czerny 30 (Etudes de Mécanisme, Opus 849)
Czerny 100 (Hundert Übungsstücke, Opus 139)
Beyer 106 (Vorschule im Klavierspiel, Opus 101)
J.S. Bach: Inventionen
Sonatinen Album 1
Chopin Walzer (Chopin waltzes series)
Chopin Etudes (Opus 10)
Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Lesson 1A
Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Lesson 1B
Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Lesson Book Level 1A
Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Lesson Book Level 1B
Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course Lesson Book Level 1
Internal Recorder Total Memory approximately 90,000 notes
No of Songs 10 songs
Parts 2 parts
Metronome Time Signatures 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8
Drum Rhythms 100 patterns
Bluetooth MIDI + Audio
USB Audio Recorder Record/Playback MP3
WAV
SMF (playback only)
Other Functions Overdubbing
Line In recording
App Functions PianoRemote (iOS/Android)
PiaBookPlayer (iOS/Android)
Connector Jacks Headphone 1 x 1/4″, 1 x 1/8″ Stereo jacks
MIDI USB-MIDI, Bluetooth MIDI
Line Out 1/4″ L/MONO, R [unbalanced]
Line In 1/8″ Stereo (with volume adjust knob) [unbalanced]
USB to Host
USB to Device
Others USB for Update
Power Consumption 45 W
Power Adaptor Power cable
Bench Fixed-height with lid storage
Headphones Headphone hook