Kawai CA48 Digital Piano Review & Demo - Kawai Concert Artist Series

Introduction

Today we're tackling Kawai's CA48, the little sibling of the whole Concert Artist (CA) series, but a piano that absolutely packs a tremendous value. From the action to the sound to the cabinet, not to mention a couple of really cool apps that work with a wireless connection.

Let's dive into why this is one the most value-packed home digital pianos on the market.

Product Discontinued: The Kawai CA48 has been replaced by the Kawai CA49 digital piano on May 15, 2020. You can watch our review on YouTube here.

 

Kawai CA48 Background

The Kawai CA48 Digital Piano is the entry-level model of the CA series, but it's by no means an entry-level digital piano. The remainder of the line consists of the Kawai CA58,  CA78, and CA98.

For people who are familiar with the Kawai lineup, the relationship between the CA48 and CA58 can actually be compared quite accurately to the CN29 and CN39 because the 29 and the 39 have the same piano actions, but the major difference comes down to the tones that they offer, speaker systems, connectivity and some of the features.

The differences between the CA48 and CA58 are essentially the same. For starters, the CA48 interface is very similar to the CN29 interface, and the CA58 interface is virtually identical to what you get on the CN39.

The action is the same between the CA48 and CA58, but the 58 features a more powerful speaker system, a higher fidelity sound engine, more sounds, more connectivity options, and an upgraded cabinet.

Now, these extra features come with a price premium. Some folks don't need any of these extra features, and for the folks, the value that the CA48 offers really starts to shine through.

The fact is, the 48's Grand Feel Compact wooden action is arguably the best piano action available for the price. For folks who need a good practice instrument with a great touch and aren't worried about other features, the CA48 becomes a compelling option. Let's dive into that further.

 

Kawai CA48 Grand Feel Keyboard Action

Kawai's Grand Feel keyboard action has been out for years now and is notable for its full wooden construction and extra-long key-stick resembling a real grand piano.

The new Grand Feel Compact is a version with a shorter key stick, but when we compare the original Grand Feel and the Grand Feel Compact, they actually don't feel all that different, doing a great job of replicating the touch weight and feel of an actual grand piano action.

This wooden-key keyboard action also has Ivory Touch key surfaces on the black and white keys to help with playing for longer periods of time, center rail pivot point just like an acoustic piano, and real felt here to cushion the bottom of the keybed. There's also simulated let off or escapement, bass region counterweights, and of course, a triple sensor key detection for really accurate MIDI technology output.

You can't find this style of action with this good of a physical feel at this price range really anywhere else in the market. If touch is your number one priority and you're working with a budget that would allow for the CA48 and its GF compact action, we think it's probably the best option from an action standpoint.

 

Progressive Harmonic Imaging Sound Engine

Moving on to the sound portion of our discussion; the CA48 is outfitted with Kawai's Progressive Harmonic Imaging sound engine (PHI). This engine features full 88-key sampling to provide the discerning player with high-level digital piano tonal quality, and those samples are coming from their beautiful SK-EX concert grand, as well as the EX concert grand.

The Shigeru Kawai SK-EX is easily one of the top grand pianos on the planet, and this sound engine does a remarkable job of capturing the realism of the instrument. Even the sostenuto pedals of a Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand are faithfully recreated.

The default concert grand piano sounds warm, dynamic, and colorful, and all of this can be manipulated through the Virtual Technician Smart Mode which allows the user to edit ten preset sound-related parameters to further customize the sound to their own liking. Things like damper resonance and touch curve are just two of the editable settings, and you've also got some different reverb and brilliance settings you can play with as well.

Polyphony is strong with 192-notes, but the other sound-related highlight has to do with Kawai's collaboration with Japanese audio maker Onkyo. Onkyo helped design the amplifiers and speakers so that the sound is cleaner and more well managed, meaning no woofyness or distortion in the sound. They also contributed to the CA48's Spatial Headphone Sound feature which creates a more immersive experience when playing with earphones.

The speaker system itself consists of two mains, as well as two small 5-centimeter tweeters at the front that is facing you as the player. We found the tweeters to be slightly brighter than we would normally like, but you can adjust this in the Voicing settings to correct the issue. We didn't notice this issue when using headphones or when plugged into an amplifier.

In terms of the other sounds that are included in the CA48, there are 19 sounds in total. There are several acoustic piano options, including the SKEX and Kawai EX concert grand piano we mentioned, then an upright piano and several studio grands. From there we've got some electric piano and organ sounds.

In fact, the left pedal by default is set up to activate a rotary speaker effect for organ sound, so you can get a pretty authentic organ sound going. Other sounds include church organ, harpsichord, vibraphone, string ensemble, and synth pads.

For people who are looking for a much wider variety and selection of sounds, the CA58 will be a better option as it bumps the sounds up to 42 in total.

 

Features/Connectivity/Miscellaneous

As we've alluded to, the CA48 is outfitted with an excellent integrated triple pedal array with Kawai's Grand Feel Pedal System. The subtle effects of a real acoustic playing experience come through nicely with this pedal system as it recreates the individual weighting of the damper, sostenuto, and soft pedals.

The CA48 features some built-in music lesson books and classical etudes as well, including Alfred Lessons Basic Piano, Beyer, Burgmuller, and Czerny. This lesson function and built-in course books will be very helpful to newer players.

Staples like a metronome, concert magic, and transpose are of course covered as well.

In terms of connectivity, the CA48 is a bit light compared to the CA58 in that it has now discreet line outputs, so if you need a piano for a church or performance stage, you'll be better off with the CA58.

That said, it does have modern Bluetooth connectivity. Wireless technology makes for hassle-free connectivity to Smart Devices for using the Virtual Technician app and of course, fun 3rd party apps as well.

The modern cabinet includes a large music rest and is available in both premium Rosewood and Satin Black finish, and the cheekblock control panel blends in nicely without ruining the classy aesthetic.

 

Closing Thoughts

The CA48 is a value-packed instrument with an excellent action and wonderfully rendered sound technology.

It's primarily aimed at folks who need a convincing piano experience without certain additional features like lots of sounds, top-of-the-line speakers, and discreet line outputs.

If this sounds like what you're after, you'll want to add the CA48 to your wishlist. Shop more digital pianos by Kawai here.

Thank you for reading!

The post Kawai CA48 Digital Piano Review & Demo - Kawai Concert Artist Series first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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Kawai CA99 Digital Piano Review & Demo - LCD Touchscreen, Grand Feel III, Concert Artist Series

Welcome to another digital piano review over here at Merriam Pianos. Today, we'll look at the flagship model of Kawai's Famous Concert Artist series (CA series) as we check out the Kawai CA99 Hybrid Piano.

The Kawai CA99 has 100% wooden keys, a real solid spruce soundboard, and the SK-EX Rendering sound modeling engine. In other words, some very advanced modern digital and acoustic piano technology.

We'll cover everything and more in this review, and also look at who might benefit from making the jump from a good Digital Piano to a true Hybrid instrument.

Kawai CA99 Piano Sounds

One of the main reasons to consider a CA99 is the sound. The Kawai CA79 actually has the same sound engines, but the way the sound is ultimately presented to the player is very different.

Twin Drive Soundboard Speaker System

 The fundamental difference here is the CA99's advanced multi-speaker array, which also includes a real solid spruce soundboard functioning as the main speaker, referred to as the TwinDrive Soundboard Speaker System. Magnets act as transducers to capture the soundboard energy and turn that into sound.

The CA79 certainly sounds great too, but it simply lacks the depth and realism of sound that we're getting from the CA99 courtesy of the soundboard.

In addition to the soundboard, there are 6 other speakers, including 4 top speakers with diffuser panels and 2 dome tweeters, strategically placed around the instrument, all of which are being driven by 135 watts of Onkyo amplifiers.

You can also tweak the speaker settings depending on how close you have the CA99 to a wall or what type of flooring it's resting on, as well as Kawai's Spatial Headphone Sound feature, and new Headphone Type feature, which allows you to adjust the sound according to what type of headphones you're using.

 

Two Sound Engines: SK-EX Rendering Engine and Kawai's Harmonic Imaging XL engine (HIXL)

 Now let's look at the sound engine itself, or in this, engines, as the CA99 actually has two. The first engine activates while in Pianist Mode (the default mode when you power the instrument on), and Kawai calls this engine the SK-EX Rendering sound engine with Resonance Modelling. This engine combines a multi-channel sampling of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand combined with cutting-edge algorithmic modeling.

The SK-EX Rendering engine consists of 10 piano voices and gives us unlimited polyphony. This means, we could play hundreds and hundreds of notes and the instrument is going to continue to be able to render and sustain those tones without ever running out of memory.

The second engine is Kawai's Harmonic Imaging XL engine (HIXL), and this is a stereo sampling-based engine built around 88-key stereo samples of the SK-EX, SK-5, and EX grand pianos.

If we go back and forth between the default tones of each engine, you can really hear that the Rendering engine produces a more detailed sound, especially around the edges of the tone.

 

Personalized Piano Adjustments by Virtual Technician Function

In addition to the greater detail, the other advantage of the Rendering engine is that the user is given direct access to edit the various parameters of the algorithm courtesy of the Virtual Technician function.

Inside the Virtual Technician, you can edit things like the Touch Curve, Voicing, Damper Resonance, Damper Noise, String Resonance, Undamped String Resonance, Cabinet Resonance, Key-Off Effect, Fallback Noise, Hammer Noise, Hammer Delay, Top Board, Decay Time, Release Time, Minimum Touch, and more. You can even get into Key Volume, Half Pedal Adjust, and Temperament. Really, you're given the keys to go in and customize a piano experience to your unique preferences.

You can also control effects like Reverb and Ambience across a variety of settings as well.

 

Harpsichord

The harpsichord patches are very nice as well, and this will be especially appealing to musicians who play a lot of Baroque music.

 

Wrap Up

To circle back on the soundboard - the presence and the warmth that the soundboard brings to the lower half of the EQ range of the piano is something that we've never heard a speaker do on a digital piano. Simply extraordinary.

Navigating the other tones offered by the HIXL engine (90 in total) is much improved on the CA99 from the CA98, and the e pianos are particularly nice. The organs are great too, with a super-rich low-frequency response courtesy of the soundboard that imitates a real air-driven pipe organ.

That about does it for the sound, which as we've said, is seriously impressive. If you primarily play with headphones you won't be missing anything by going with the CA79 since the soundboard only activates when the instrument is played acoustically, but if you do usually play acoustically, the CA99 is definitely delivering a superior musical experience.

 

Kawai CA99 Piano Action

Grand Feel III 88 Wooden Key Keyboard Action

Both the Kawai CA99 and CA79 have incorporated the brand new Grand Feel III 88 Wooden key keyboard action. We can say right away this the GFIII is a wonderful upgrade to the already great GFII. The update between Grand Feel I and Grand Feel II was relatively minor, but the Grand Feel III has totally changed the back of the key stick and how it connects to the hammer and the capstan.

We found that under very heavy use, such as in an institutional setting, the slip tape on the back of the key was wearing out on the GFII actions, and some warranty work was required.

The new Grand Feel III has totally and completely up the engineering on that key to the point where the action is now virtually indestructible. The repetition speed has improved, and with the improved durability, we don't anticipate any issues through 10, or 15 years of ownership on these instruments moving forward.

 

Additional Features

Other features you can expect on the Grand Feel III are let-off simulation (escapement) which replicates the feel of a grand piano action, triple sensor key detection, 88 graded counterweights, and ivory touch and ebony touch key surfaces, which absorb moisture from your fingers.

The repetition speed has improved from what we were getting out of the CA98, and this is likely due to better individual weighting on the keys, as well as the improvement at the back of the key.

The bottom of the key bed is also spongier than the CA98, which is exactly how their acoustic grand pianos feel as well. This will be a huge plus for folks tackling demanding classical repertoire on this action.

We can safely say this is easily one of the very best digital piano actions available, and really, the only thing better is jumping up to the Kawai Novus series and their 100% acoustic piano actions.

 

Features/Connectivity

Display

 As mentioned above, Kawai has really improved the touchscreen display interface here with the CA99. The CA98's screen had some issues in terms of how it responded to commands, but fortunately, that has been totally rectified here.

Many of the most commonly used features rather than being buried in menus or alternate screens now have shortcut keys so they can be reached must faster, such as the Metronome function example.

 

USB Audio

There's a built-in USB Audio recorder that allows you to record and playback MP3, WAV, and SMF files.

 

Music Books

There's also an offer of 200 pre-loaded pieces of music which can be looked up by the Composer. Feel like checking out some Bach? Simply look up his name and you'll find hours of music.

It's also loaded up with well over a dozen different lesson books, which will be quite helpful for beginners.

 

Bluetooth MIDI

The connectivity list is certainly quite extensive as well. For starters, the CA99 has both Bluetooth MIDI and Bluetooth Audio with APTX support, which essentially turns your CA99 into a powerful Bluetooth speaker. Odds are, the CA99's speaker/soundboard system will outperform your stereo unless you have a high-end audiophile setup going on.

From there we've got dual headphone jacks, MIDI In and Out (if you still want a wired connection when accessing apps for iOS and Android), 1/4" L/MONO, R line outputs, an 1/8" stereo line-in, as well as USB to Host and USB to the device.

 

Pedal System

The Kawai CA99 also includes Kawai's Grand Feel Pedal System, which offers damper, sostenuto, and soft pedals, while replicating the weighting of an acoustic grand piano's 3 pedal system.

 

Cabinet and Key Cover

The cabinet design has also been improved with some more substantial carpentry and a contemporary upright piano slow-close fallboard.

 

Finish

 In terms of finishes, the CA99 is available in Premium Rosewood, Satin Black, Satin White, and Ebony Polish.

 

Closing Thoughts

Kawai has done a masterful job once again with the CA99. And despite the fact that the CA98 was already a great instrument, the improvements here are very meaningful, and we're not just talking about the new and improved GFIII action.

The touchscreen issues were actually one of the most frustrating things about the CA98, so the fact that Kawai addressed and cleaned that up is huge.

So, we're left with one of the top hybrid pianos available for under $10,000 CAD. It's an absolute home run in terms of sound, touch, and features.

With a competitive field that also includes Roland's LX models, it's a good time to be shopping for a hybrid Digital Piano.

The post Kawai CA99 Digital Piano Review & Demo - LCD Touchscreen, Grand Feel III, Concert Artist Series first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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