Kawai CA901 Digital Piano

What they say

Combining Kawai’s leading Grand Feel III wooden-key keyboard action, brand new SK-EX Competition Grand sounds with multi-channel sampling and resonance modelling, premium audio processing technologies, and an authentic wooden soundboard, the CA901 delivers one of the finest grand piano experiences available in a digital instrument.

HIGHLIGHTS

■ Industry-leading Grand Feel III wooden-key keyboard action
■ Ebony & Ivory Touch key surfaces, 3-sensor, let-off, counterweights
■ Brand new and exclusive SK-EX Competition Grand piano sounds
■ Premium audio processing and amplification technologies
■ High-performance speaker system with TwinDrive soundboard

■ Latest Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio v5 wireless connectivity
■ Modern 5" LCD touchscreen display embedded within cheekblock
■ MP3/WAV/SMF playback, record, and overdub to USB
■ Spatial Headphone Sound for enhanced depth and realism
■ Contemporary upright cabinet design with SoftFall fallboard

Feel Inspired

A piano that will encourage enthusiastic players to become accomplished pianists, and transform living rooms into grand concert halls. This is the ambitious philosophy behind Kawai’s latest Concert Artist series – premium instruments that capture the essence of playing a magnificent concert grand piano, and inspire musicians to realise their true artistic potential.

The Touch of a Grand Piano: Grand Feel III wooden key action

Embracing many of the long-established principles associated with an acoustic piano, the Grand Feel III keyboard action utilised by the CA901 combines realistic materials, motion, and mechanism to recreate the exceptional touch of the finest concert grand pianos.

All eighty-eight black and white keys are crafted entirely from long pieces of wood, with finely textured ivory and ebony-like surfaces applied to absorb moisture and assist control. Each wooden key pivots smoothly on a balance pin – the ends rising and falling to replicate the familiar ‘seesaw’ motion of an acoustic piano action. When pressed, the back of the key lifts, triggering a grade-weighted hammer to strike a pressure switch. The amount of force applied to this switch is then measured, and the corresponding note played with authentic tonal character and volume.

Extra-long key length, Extra-long pivot length

In addition to featuring extended, fully wooden keys, 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.

Triple sensor key detection

The Grand Feel III keyboard action also features an accurate triple-sensor key detection system for enhanced playing realism.

The added third sensor 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.

Ivory & Ebony Touch key surfaces

The exceptional CA901 features Kawai’s highly regarded Ivory Touch white key surfaces as standard. This finely textured material gently absorbs fingertip perspiration and oils to assist 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.

Let-off Simulation

As the most authentic digital piano keyboard action, Grand Feel III even reproduces the ‘let-off’ characteristic of acoustic piano actions. This subtle ‘notch’ sensation can be felt when playing the keys of a grand piano very gently, and may be used by experienced pianists to aid control when playing pianissimo passages.

In addition, the Grand Feel III action supports playing notes from the let-off point (sometimes referred to as playing ‘off the jack’), allowing the most advanced piano techniques to be performed.

The Sound of a Grand Piano: Shigeru Kawai SK-EX

Eponymously named after the company’s second president, the Shigeru Kawai range of luxury grand pianos were conceived as the next step in evolving the art of the piano. Each world-class instrument is hand-crafted by experienced piano artisans, using the finest available materials to ensure optimum touch, tone, and artistic expression.

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 the latest model featuring two distinctive recreations of this peerless instrument.

SK-EX Competition Grand

The brand new SK-EX Competition Grand captures the sound of the latest generation SK-EX-L instruments, that in recent years have achieved success at the Chopin, Hamamatsu, and Sendai international piano competitions. This piano sound possesses a bright, clear tonal character, with a distinctive thick attack, and is specifically recorded from the pianist’s position.

SK-EX Concert Grand

The SK-EX Concert Grand captures the sound from an earlier SK-EX instrument, and is characterised by a warm, sensitive tone, and wide attack with rich reverberation. The tonal elegance of the SK-EX Concert Grand neatly complements the brilliance of the latest Competition Grand incarnation, allowing performers to enjoy the contrasting qualities of both sounds.

As the flagship model of the Concert Artist series, the CA901 features a powerful hybrid speaker configuration that combines premium driver units with Kawai’s highly-regarded soundboard speaker technology, delivering crystal clear treble frequencies and warm, resonant bass.

Premium speaker drivers

In addition to premium audio processing and amplification hardware, the CA901 also features a high specification speaker system, developed by audio specialists. Premium speaker drivers were selected for their flat frequency response and ultra-low distortion characteristics, ensuring the most accurate reproduction of the original Shigeru Kawai SK-EX grand piano, while diffuser panels help to disperse the sound more evenly.

TwinDrive Soundboard Speaker System

Complementing the premium quality drivers, the CA901 also incorporates the latest version of Kawai’s highly-regarded soundboard speaker system. This unique audio technology embraces the rich, harmonic qualities of wood by using transducers to channel sound energy onto a large soundboard, in order to produce a more natural, organic tone. Long wooden ribs securely attached to the soundboard further broaden the frequency range and volume of the resonating sound, resulting in a remarkably authentic playing experience that immerses the performer, and faithfully reproduces the tonal ambience of an acoustic piano.

The Variety of a Digital Piano: Convenience & Flexibility

Complementing the instrument’s class-leading Grand Feel III keyboard action and stunning SK-EX Rendering piano sound engine, the CA901 also offers a strong selection of digital features that further enhance one’s musical enjoyment.

Full Bluetooth® V5 connectivity and USB audio record/playback allows musicians to extend the functionality of their piano, or play-along with their favourite artists, while the convenient metronome and integrated lesson functions, featuring classical etudes and Alfred course books, ensure that regular practise is both productive and engaging for aspiring pianists.

All functions are accessible from the CA901’s 5" anti-glare touchscreen display, which allows sounds and settings to be selected from an attractive user interface simply by tapping or swiping the display with a finger.

The screen can also be set to fade out automatically while playing, thus preserving the instruments’ acoustic piano-like appearance, and minimising any visual distractions to the performer.

Premium quality upright piano cabinet

The latest Concert Artist instruments are housed within premium quality wooden cabinets, with tapered legs and rounded edge details contributing to the instruments’ light and modern character. As the flagship model of the series, the CA901 adopts a contemporary upright piano-inspired cabinet design, featuring a broad, simulated-leather lined music rest and Kawai’s Soft Fall closing mechanism.

Slimline design, solid construction

Sitting down at the CA901 gives the player the impression that they are sat in front of a small Kawai upright piano.

The compact size also extends to the depth of the instrument, with the CA901 measuring just over 47 cm from front to back. This allows the CA901 to be used in relatively small spaces, and even considered as an alternative to an acoustic upright piano, for players seeking a familiar appearance.

Unlike most digital pianos that consist of separate stand and keyboard pieces joined together, the CA901 is produced as a single-body instrument. This not only provides superior rigidity compared to conventional digital pianos, but also contributes to the CA901’s full-bodied sound, with the unique soundboard speaker creating vibrations that resonate throughout the entire body of the instrument.

Specs

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, SK-5, EX recording

Polyphony: 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 TwinDrive Soundboard Speaker System, (8 x 12) cm x 2 (top speakers, with diffusers), 8 cm x 2 (front speakers), 5 cm x 2 (tweeters)

Output Power 135 W (50 W + 50 W + 35 W)
Headphone Enhancements Premium headphone amplifier
Display 5" LCD touchscreen (480 x 800 pixels), Anti-glare display
Key Cover Upright piano fallboard with Soft Fall system
Music Rest Upright piano type (fixed position)

Width 145.5 cm (57 1/3")
Depth 47.5 cm (18 2/3")
Height 101 cm (39 3/4")
Net Weight 82.5 kg (182 lbs.)
91.5 kg (201 2/3 lbs.) [Ebony Polish]

Available Finishes Premium Satin Black (CA901B), Premium Satin White (CA901W), Premium Rosewood (CA901R), Ebony Polish (CA901EP)
Basic Functions Dual, Split, Four Hands, Transpose, Tuning, Low Volume Balance, Favorite
Internal Songs Sound Demo 39 songs
Piano Music 29/42 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 Bluetooth (Ver. 5.0; GATT compatible), Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI Specification compliant, Bluetooth Audio (Ver. 5.1; A2DP compatible)
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 55 W
Power Power cable