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.
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SK-EX Rendering 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.
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Multi-channel Sampling
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.
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Full Resonance Modelling
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: 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.
Extra-long key & 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.
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.
TwinDrive Soundboard Speaker System
Complementing the 6x 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.
360° Speaker Diffusers
In addition to utilising premium driver units, the CA901’s top-mounted speakers also feature custom-engineered diffuser panels, which help to expand the pianos’ tonal projection in all directions.
These additional components create a 360° sound field around the instrument, ensuring a natural piano sound for both the player, and those listening elsewhere in the room.
5" Colour Touchscreen
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 and turn off automatically while playing, thus preserving the instrument’s acoustic piano-like appearance, and minimising any visual distractions to the performer.
Integrated Bluetooth® connectivity
In addition to a standard USB port for connecting to computers, the CA901 also features integrated Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio technologies that allow the instrument to communicate with supported smart devices wirelessly.
Once paired with a phone, tablet, or laptop, Concert Artist owners can enjoy a wide variety of exciting music-related apps that enhance their learning and playing experience, or stream audio from songs and videos directly through the instruments’ premium amplifier and speaker systems without the need to connect additional cables.
PianoRemote app
The latest CA901 is compatible with Kawai’s latest PianoRemote control app for iOS and supported Android devices. This app connects to the piano wirelessly via the Concert Artists’ integrated Bluetooth feature, providing an effortless way to change sounds, adjust settings, or enjoy the vast array of built-in music content from the comfort of an armchair.
Superior Headphone Experience
The CA901’s Spatial Headphone Sound (SHS) technology enhances the depth and realism of the instrument’s sound when listening through headphones or earphones. The player can select one of three different acoustic presets that adjust the spatial positioning of the sound, while also helping to reduce auditory fatigue when using earphones or headphones for extended periods of time.
In addition, the CA901 also allows players to select a variety of headphone types (Open, Semi-open, Closed, In-Ear, Canal, etc.) for an optimised listening experience.
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Virtual Piano Artisan
The CA901’s powerful Virtual Piano Artisan function simulates refinements usually carried out by a piano technician - digitally, allowing discerning musicians to shape aspects of the selected piano’s character to suit their personal preferences.
Perform touch weight and voicing adjustments, regulate hammer and key release noises, and fine-tune string, damper, and cabinet resonances. It is even possible to adjust the precise tuning, volume, and character of individual notes – all in real-time.
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Grand Feel Pedal System
Reinforcing the Concert Artist’s reputation as the most realistic digital piano is Kawai’s Grand Feel Pedal System. This unique feature accurately replicates the position and individual weighting of the damper, soft, and sostenuto pedals of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano to further enhance the CA901’s acoustic piano-like authenticity.
Moreover, it is also possible to adjust the half-pedal sensitivity of the damper pedal, and effectiveness of the soft pedal using dedicated Virtual Piano Artisan parameters, allowing experienced pianists to personalise the instrument’s response to match their individual pedalling technique.
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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.
The CA901’s premium quality cabinet adopts many of the modern design cues of Kawai’s ‘K’ series professional upright piano instruments, including Kawai's Soft Fall fallboard.
