Description
CA78 – Concert Grand authenticity for ambitious pianists.
Combining Kawai’s industry-leading Grand Feel II wooden-key keyboard action, stunning SK-EX Rendering piano sound engine with multi-channel sampling and resonance modelling, premium audio processing and amplification technologies powered by Onkyo, and a powerful 6-speaker output system, the CA78 delivers grand piano playing authenticity at a competitive price.
Features
- Industry-leading Grand Feel II wooden-key keyboard action
- Ebony & Ivory Touch key surfaces, 3-sensor, let-off, counterweights
- SK-EX Rendering piano sound engine with multi-channel sampling
- Premium audio processing and amplification powered by Onkyo
- Powerful, high-fidelity 6-speaker output system
- Integrated Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio wireless technology
- 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
- Attractive, modern cabinet with 6-position adjustable music rest
The Concert Grand piano experience in the comfort of your home
A digital piano that will transform enthusiastic players into accomplished pianists, and modest rooms into grand concert halls. This is the ambitious philosophy behind Concert Artist digital pianos – 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 II wooden key action
Embracing many of the long-established principles associated with an acoustic piano, the Grand Feel II keyboard action utilised by the CA78 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 II keyboard action also features graded counterweights attached towards the front of all 88 black and white keys.
As with an acoustic piano, these finely balanced weights help to lighten the touch of the keyboard during pianissimo passages, while adding a feel of greater substance when playing with force.
Triple sensor key detection
The Grand Feel II 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 CA78 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, an all-new 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 II 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 II 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 concert grand
The magnificent tone of Kawai’s flagship Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano is at the heart of the Concert Artist CA78. Widely regarded as the ‘premier pianos of Japan’, Shigeru Kawai instruments grace the stages of concert halls and musical institutions throughout the world, and are prized for their tonal clarity and exceptional dynamic range.
Pianist Mode: SK-EX Rendering sound engine
In order to faithfully reproduce the stunning sound of a Shigeru Kawai concert grand piano digitally, Kawai has developed SK-EX Rendering. This brand new 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. SK-EX Rendering is enabled by selecting the dedicated Pianist Mode, which features ten differently prepared piano characters ranging from Classic and Romantic, to Pop, Jazz, and even Boogie.
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.
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.
Sound Mode: Harmonic Imaging XL sound engine
Accompanying the dedicated Pianist Mode, the CA78 also features the flexible Sound Mode, which offers a broader selection of instrument voices, and the ability to combine sounds. Sound Mode utilises Kawai’s highly regarded Harmonic Imaging XL sound engine to showcase a selection of alternative acoustic pianos captured with full 88-key stereo sampling.
The Kawai EX full concert grand piano has frequently been selected by professional pianists in such prestigious events as the Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Rubinstein international piano competitions, while the Shigeru Kawai SK-5 chamber grand and Kawai K-60 upright allow performers to enjoy the contrasting tonal characteristics of various different piano sizes and voicing configurations.
Personalised piano adjustments
The knowledge and skill of an experienced piano technician is essential to bring out the best of a fine acoustic piano. In addition to tuning each note, the technician also performs numerous regulation and voicing adjustments that allow the instrument to truly sing.
The CA78’s powerful Virtual Technician function simulates these refinements 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.
Rich sound selection
Supplementing the beautiful acoustic piano voices, the CA78’s Sound Mode also features an excellent selection of additional instruments, ranging from electric pianos and drawbar or church organs, to strings, human choirs, and synth pads, inviting musicians to add greater variety to their performances.
Furthermore, the Dual playing mode also allows two different sounds, such as grand piano and strings, to be layered together for a richer, more luscious tone, while the Split and Four Hands modes divide the keyboard into two independent sections with separate sounds for each. The volume balances and other settings for each playing mode can also be easily adjusted using the instrument’s intuitive touchscreen interface.
Premium audio technologies, Powered by Onkyo
Developed in collaboration with Onkyo, one of Japan’s leading premium audio equipment manufacturers, the CA78 is one of the first Kawai musical instruments to utilise specialist components designed for high-end audio reproduction. With cutting-edge technologies such as 1-bit processing, dual DAC signal conversion, and Onkyo’s DIDRC filtering, the Concert Artist’s optimised power amplifiers reproduce the Shigeru Kawai grand piano sound with stunning clarity, richness, and power, while the high-performance Discrete SpectraModule™ headphone amplifier ensures the finest quality listening experience, even when playing in privacy.
Powerful 6-speaker output system
The latest Concert Artist instruments feature high fidelity speaker systems that have been specially designed to deliver deep bass and crisp treble frequencies.
The high specification CA78 boasts an improved 6-speaker output system, with lower range frequencies delivered through the underside of the instrument, and mid and high frequencies projected outward via top-mounted and front-facing speakers. The result is a broad, resonating tone that closely mirrors the immersive sound field of an acoustic grand piano.
The Variety of a Digital Piano: Convenience & Flexibility
Complementing the instrument’s class-leading Grand Feel II keyboard action and stunning SK-EX Rendering piano sound engine, the CA78 also offers a strong selection of digital features that further enhance one’s musical enjoyment.
Full Bluetooth® 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 CA78’s 5″ 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 turn off automatically while playing, thus preserving the instruments’ acoustic piano-like appearance, and minimising any visual distractions to the performer.
Integrated Bluetooth® connectivity
In addition to standard USB and MIDI jacks for connecting to computers or other instruments, the CA78 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.
Flexible USB connectivity
In addition to wireless functionality, the Concert Artist is also equipped with USB ports that allow the instrument to be connected directly to a computer for MIDI use, or to load and save data to USB memory devices.
This latter USB to Device functionality allows recorder songs stored within internal memory to be safely preserved on USB flash drives, or for standard MIDI files (SMF) downloaded from the internet to be played back and enjoyed using the instrument’s exquisite Harmonic Imaging XL sounds without additional hardware or cables.
MP3/WAV Playback & Record
USB memory devices can also be used to play back MP3 or WAV audio files, allowing musicians to learn the chords or melody for a new piece, or simply enjoy playing along with their favourite songs. It is even possible to record entire performances (including external Line In and Bluetooth sources) as MP3 or WAV audio files for emailing to family and friends, or casual listening away from the piano.
Built-in lesson & finger exercises
The CA78’s convenient lesson function allows aspiring pianists to learn piano with classical Czerny, Burgmüller, Beyer, Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin etudes, or a collection of songs from the popular Alfred’s Basic, Adult, and Premier course books.
With a strong emphasis on acoustic piano realism, the Concert Artist also features traditional finger exercises, scales, and warm-up drills, and includes companion books for all classical scores to further aid one’s piano development.
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 CA78’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 Technician parameters, allowing experienced pianists to personalise the instrument’s response to match their individual pedalling technique.
Superior headphone experience
The CA78’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 CA78 also allows players to specify the type of headphones connected (Open, Semi-open, Closed, In-Ear, Canal, etc.) to ensure an optimal listening experience.
Grand Feel Design: Character & Purpose
Sitting down at the Concert Artist, the first thing that strikes the player is the instrument’s flat fascia and tall upper board, giving the impression of a traditional grand piano and immediately elevating the musical aspirations of the performer. The distinctive KAWAI logo – representing over 90 years of acoustic piano crafting excellence – adorns the CA78’s fallboard, its metallic finish glimmers in the light, capturing the graceful movements of the player’s hands below.
