Kawai CA901 Premium Digital Piano – Black (CA901MB)

Grand Feel III action

One of the things Kawai takes extremely seriously is their action. This is why the CA901 has Kawai’s industry leading Grand Feel III action. Unlike many digital pianos, these instruments make use of long wooden keys. The length of the key allows for an accurate reproduction of a grand piano’s key system where the fulcrum of the key is halfway down the key’s length.

Unlike most digital pianos where the fulcrum is placed at the end, a complex system of weights is used to emulate the missing extra length.The ivory touch key surface accurately replicates the feel of real ivory. Even the moisture absorbing characteristics of ivory are included, meaning that your fingers are less likely to slip on the surface of the key.

The keybed includes a triple-sensor system, rather than the standard double sensor system. This means an extra sensor is placed in between the sensors that would normally detect the key being pressed down and released completely. This allows for accurate replication of techniques such as fast repetitive notes where the key may not fully rise before being depressed again, the intermediary sensor can detect this.

Extra pianos

The CA901 comes with a new piano to add to the already impressive complement of piano sounds. The SK-EX Competition Grand. This piano was recorded in a natural and peaceful environment with multiple microphone types and placements used to faithfully capture the sound and character of Kawai’s latest flagship SK-EX grand piano.

The SK-EX Competition Grand has a bright tonal character with fantastic clarity, the attack is distinctive and thick and the recordings were done from the player’s position. This gives you an unparalleled sense of closeness with this instrument that is only surpassed by being in the presence of the physical piano.

Updated Bluetooth

Bluetooth V5 is now included in this instrument. Giving you more reliable and lower latency audio and MIDI without the need for cables. The pairing process is also more intuitive with better functionality with smartphones and other devices.

Improved dual DACS

The CA901 includes two new and improved DACs that vastly improve the quality of sound through the speakers and headphones. This has replaced the former 1-bit processing method and now has a three-stage process of converting the CA701’s internal sounds into physical sound waves.

The result is a more natural and acoustic feeling piano sound and thanks to the two DACs, each channel of audio (left and right) is individually processed by each DAC, providing the highest level of sound quality heard yet on a Kawai piano.

Redesigned speaker system

The CA901 has a redesigned speaker system which greatly improves the natural acoustic sound of the piano. While previously there were two front-facing tweeters and two top speakers for the high and midrange frequencies respectively, an extra two front-facing midrange speakers have been added to reinforce the quality of sound. Improved diffuser panels on the top speakers also expand the projection of sound so that you get a great listening experience wherever you are in the room.

Kawai has made further improvements to their unique TwinDrive soundboard speaker system. The improved transducers transfer vibrations to a wooden soundboard on the back of the instrument. This unique way of producing sound more accurately replicates the timbre of an acoustic piano and creates a truly concert worthy sound

New touch panel and Virtual Piano Artisan

The CA901 features an improved anti-glare display for the 5-inch touch panel. The smooth matte surface is less slippery, allowing for smoother operation. It also has a reduced amount of reflections making the viewing angle wider too. This vastly improves the viewing experience while you’re sitting at the instrument. The panel can also be turned off completely which reduces the amount of distraction when playing.

The Virtual Technician has been improved with the new Virtual Piano Artisan functionality. Now you have a unified list of parameters to edit as well as presets for different modes. For players who experiment with tuning or take part in historically informed performances then the temperament can be altered without diminishing the quality of the piano sounds.

New cabinet design

Throughout the design of this piano there have been subtle refinements designed to improve the playability and similarity to an acoustic piano. The music rest is now placed further back, reducing the overhang over the keys. This means you are less likely to knock your music accidentally when you are performing. The front of the keybed has been bought forward by three centimetres from the front of the pedal making this a more comfortable position to play and more akin to a grand piano.

Specifications

• Keyboard: Grand Feel III (GFIII) action with Let-Off, Triple Sensor, and Counterweights, 88 wooden keys with Ivory and Ebony Touch key surfaces
• Sound source:
  • SK-EX Rendering: 88-key multi-channel piano sampling, 88-key resonance modelling
  • Harmonic Imaging XL: 88-key piano sampling
• Internal sounds:
  • SK-EX Rendering: SK-EX Competition Grand (5 rendering characters), SK-EX Concert Grand (5 rendering characters)
  • Harmonic Imaging XL: 96 sounds
• Keyboard modes: Dual, Split, 4Hands (Volume/Balance adjustable)
• Polyphony: max. 256 notes (depending on selected sound)
• Effects:
  • SK-EX Rendering: Ambience (10 types)
  • Harmonic Imaging XL: Reverb (6 types), Effects (24 types)
    • Chorus x 3
    • Delay x 3
    • Tremolo x 3
    • Auto pan x 2
    • Phaser x 2
    • Rotary x 6
    • Combination x 5
• Virtual Technician (Depending on sound): Touch Curve, Voicing, String Resonances, Damper Noise, Undamped String Resonance, Cabinet Resonance, Key Off Effect, Fallback Noise, Hammer Noise, Hammer Delay, Topboard, Decay Time, Release Time, Minimum Touch, Stretch Tuning, Temperament, Temperament Key, Key Volume, Half-Pedal Adjust, Soft Pedal Depth
• Internal recorder: 10 song, 2 track recorder (approximately 90,000 note memory capacity)
• USB recorder:
  • Playback: MP3, WAV, SMF, KSO (internal song file)
  • Record: MP3, WAV, Overdub audio, Line In & Bluetooth Audio Recording
• Metronome: 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8 + 100 drum rhythms, 10~400 bpm (20~800 bpm for eighth note rhythms)
• Internal songs:
  • Demo songs: 39 songs
  • Music: 205
  • Lesson songs: 578 Songs from Alfred, Burgmüller, Czerny, Beyer, Bach, and Chopin lesson books (sold separately), 140 Finger Exercises
• Transpose: Key Transpose: -12~+12 semi-tones, Song Transpose: -12~+12 semi-tones
• Other Settings & Functions:
  • Speaker / Headphone: Tone Control, Low Volume Balance, Speaker Volume, Speaker Character, Wall EQ (CA901 only), Spatial Headphone Sound, Headphone Type, Headphone Volume
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth On/Off, Bluetooth Audio Pairing, Bluetooth Audio Volume
  • USB Memory Rec.: Recording Format, Recording Level, Formatting USB Memory
  • MIDI: Play MIDI Channel, Send Program Change, Local Control, Multi-timbral Mode
  • User data: Reset Sounds (Favorite/Recent/User), Reset Music (Favorite/Recent/Recorder), Factory Reset
  • System: LCD Brightness, Display Scale, Auto Display Off, Auto Power Off, Startup Screen, Startup Settings, Language, Information
• Display: 5” anti-glare LCD touchscreen (480 x 800 pixels)
• Bluetooth:Bluetooth (Ver. 5.0; GATT compatible), Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI Specification compliant, Bluetooth Audio (Ver. 5.1; A2DP compatible)
• Jacks:
  • Audio: LINE IN (1/8″ STEREO), LINE IN Level, LINE OUT (1/4″ L/MONO, R), Headphones x 2 (1/4″, 1/8″)
  • MIDI / USB: USB to Host, USB to Device, USB for Update
• Pedals: Grand Feel Pedal System, Damper (with half-pedal support), Soft (with half-pedal support), Sostenuto
• Speakers:
  • Drivers:
    • Soundboard Speaker System
    • (8 x 12) cm x 2 (top speakers, with diffusers)
    • 8 cm x 2 (front speakers)
    • 5 cm x 2 (tweeters)
  • Power: 110 W (55 W + 55 W)
• Power consumption: 55W
• Cabinet:
  • Key cover: Upright piano type (with Soft Fall system)
  • Music rest: Upright piano type (fixed position)
• Dimensions (W x D x H): 1455 x 475 x 1010 mm (57 1/3″ x 18 2/3″ x 39 3/4″)
• Weight: 91.5 kg (201 2/3 lbs)