Kawai CA401

A digital piano with an incredible action

Characteristics of the piano

• Grand Feel wooden-key keyboard, a category leader
• Ivory Touch key surfaces, triple sensor, let-off, counterweights
• Progressive harmonic imaging sound with 88-key sampling
• New SK-EX competition grand piano sounds
• High-quality audio processing and amplification equipment
• Latest v5 Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio wireless connectivity
• Integrated classical studies and Alfred lesson books
• Spatial Headphone Sound for increased depth and realism
• Cheekblock control panel with high-quality OLED display.
• High-quality OLED
• Attractive cabinet with 3-position music rack and sheet music support pins

The Touch of a Grand Piano: Grand Feel Compact Wooden-Key Keyboard Action.

With an emphasis on piano-centric authenticity, the CA401 uses the superb Grand Feel Compact wooden keyboard action. As its name suggests, the GF Compact action has been designed to reproduce the authentic weight-of-feel characteristics of leading Grand Feel keyboard actions, but in a more compact format.

New SK-EX competition grand piano sounds.

The brand-new SK-EX Competition grand piano captures the sound of the latest instruments from the SK-EX-L series, which have achieved great success in prestigious international piano competitions such as Chopin, Hamamatsu, and Sendai in recent years.

This piano sound has a bright and clear tonal character, with a distinctive and powerful attack, specifically recorded from the pianist's perspective for the ultimate performance experience.

Technological aspects :

A selection of different instrument voices, built-in course songs and the ability to record and play back performances are just some of the features accessible from the cheek block control panel, while built-in Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio capabilities enable wireless connection to smart devices for running applications or streaming music.

Cutting-Edge Audio Innovations:

Developed by Kawai R&D's team of experienced audio engineers, the CA401 features a redesigned motherboard and speaker system, as well as an all-new high-quality power adapter. These components combine to deliver best-in-class audio quality, producing extremely rich, clear sound with minimal distortion.

Available finishes

The CA401 is available in three attractive cabinet finishes: Premium Rosewood, Premium Satin Black and Premium Satin White, enabling musicians to harmonize their piano with a variety of modern interiors.

Weight & dimensions

Comparison between the CA401 and CA501

A maximum performance in a minimal size

The GL-20 delivers maximum performance with minimal footprint. With its advanced features from the GL series, it will undoubtedly exceed all expectations for a piano of its size.

Touch

Millennium III Upright Action

The Millennium III Upright's action features components made from ABS-Carbon, a composite material created by infusing carbon fiber into our famous ABS Styran. ABS-Carbon is incredibly strong and rigid, enabling the creation of lighter action parts without compromising strength. The result is a more powerful, faster action offering greater control and stability than conventional all-wood actions. 

Extended Key Length

Longer keys make the game easier to play and offer a more uniform response from the front to the back of the playing surface. The benefits for the player are better control and more power with less effort.

Duplex ladders

The instrument's duplex scale system provides harmonics in the midrange and treble, adding depth and breadth to the overall sound.

Staples

The staples ensure precision in string alignment, spacing and angles to produce a more uniform tone and consistent vibratory length of each note.

Tone

Solid spruce conical soundboard

The soundboard is the heart of a piano. Its role is to transform the vibrations of the piano strings into a rich, resonant sound. Kawai uses only solid quarter-grain spruce for the K series soundboards. Each soundboard is strategically tapered to maximize its tonal capacity. Only those that meet or exceed our strict quality standards are selected for use in our professional upright pianos.

SOLID' (Stretcher Over-Lap Integrated Design)

The "SOLID" construction creates an exceptionally rigid foundation to support the tension of the strings. First, the windchest is mounted on the frame. Then, the windchest and yoke bar are integrated into a single structure, firmly anchored to the waistband. The extraordinary thickness of the yoke bar illustrates the structural integrity of this sturdy frame, designed to ensure stable tuning and powerful sound.

Specifications

Weight & dimensions

The MP7SE digital piano is enhanced by redesigned side arms, new Shigeru Kawai SK-EX and SK-5 grand piano sounds, improved Responsive Hammer III key action and the ability to use the optional Kawai GFP-3 triple pedal. The MP7SE digital piano was introduced as the successor to the successful MP7, now considered a Kawai "Heritage Product".

SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Responsive Hammer III keyboard action, a category leader
• Stunning acoustic grand piano sounds from SK-EX, SK-5, and EX
• Extensive selection of electric piano, organ, synth, brass and other sounds.
• Genuine Tonewheel organ simulation with drawbars, percussion, C/V
• Wide variety of virtual technicians and sound editing parameters
• Intuitive panel with four independent zones, assignable effects
• Powerful features of the 4-channel MIDI master controller.
• 1/4" unbalanced outputs, 1/4" inputs with Line In level slider
• High-quality Kawai-manufactured F-10H single pedal
• Sturdy metal chassis with polished black wooden side arms

Weight & dimensions

Touch

Millennium III Upright Action

The Millennium III Upright's action features components made from ABS-Carbon, a composite material created by infusing carbon fiber into our famous ABS Styran. ABS-Carbon is incredibly strong and rigid, enabling the creation of lighter action parts without compromising strength. The result is a more powerful, faster action offering greater control and stability than conventional all-wood actions. 

Elongated fingerboards made of fir

Fir is the ideal key material - light, yet extremely strong for its weight. It responds with minimal bending and exceptional consistency, conveying every subtle nuance of the pianist's interpretation while remaining stable through years of intensive use. The length of each key has been extended to facilitate playing and offer a more uniform response from the front to the back of the playing surface. The key shanks are also designed with a slightly higher profile for maximum rigidity and increased power.

Tone

NEOTEX key surfaces

Our exclusive NEOTEX key surface, made from cellulose fibers, offers a smooth, unobtrusive texture similar to natural ivory and ebony, as well as a semi-porous silica-filled surface to absorb natural oils and hand perspiration. Because NEOTEX is used for both black and white keys, key feel is consistent across the entire keyboard. NEOTEX resists cracking and fading over years of use, and is also resistant to static electricity, helping to prevent the build-up of unwanted dust. The result is a beautiful, durable key surface offering exceptional playability.

Rigid foundation for key travel

The hammer rail is the "backbone" of the piano's action. GX Series hammer rails are made of durable extruded aluminum with our exclusive double-beam design for added strength and stability. Both the hammer rail and wippens rail are permanently locked in place to preserve the careful tolerances of the action design and ensure consistent touch response throughout the life of the piano.

The entire surface of the hammer rail is finely notched to hold each hammer flange securely in place, ensuring optimum hammer alignment. The surface-mounted hammer flanges are made of PBT resin, allowing the action screws to remain tight without shrinking or swelling. All these meticulous design features form the rigid foundation of the GX series, guaranteeing precise key travel over time.

Solid spruce conical soundboard

The soundboard is the heart of a piano. Its role is to transform the vibrations of the piano strings into a rich, resonant sound. Kawai uses only solid quarter-grain spruce for the K series soundboards. Each soundboard is strategically tapered to maximize its tonal capacity. Only those that meet or exceed our strict quality standards are selected for use in our professional upright pianos.

Hybrid inner border (Rim Konsei Katagi)

The exclusive Konsei Katagi rim leverages different hardwoods to achieve the ideal sonic balance. For the inner rim, finely porous hardwoods are used to provide superior brilliance and projection of the high-frequency range of the sound spectrum. These are layered with wider-pore hardwoods that offer warmth and fullness to the sound. The synergy of structurally divergent hardwoods produces a powerful and pleasingly rounded sound, which is the hallmark of Shigeru Kawai grand pianos.

Vertically laminated bridge

The bridge performs the essential task of transferring the vibrations from the strings to the soundboard. GX series bass bridges are made from the highest quality hard maple or beech. Treble bridges are vertically laminated with 13 layers of maple and mogno for maximum strength and optimal sound energy transfer.

Specifications

Weight & dimensions

Characteristics of the piano

• Improved Responsive Hammer III keyboard action
• Ivory Touch key surfaces, triple sensor, let-off, counterweights
• Harmonic Imaging XL sound engine with 88-key sampling
• Concert grand piano sounds Shigeru Kawai SK-EX & Kawai EX.
• High-quality audio processing and amplification equipment
• Built-in Bluetooth® technology for wireless MIDI and audio connectivity
• Integrated classical studies and Alfred lesson books
• Spatial Headphone Sound for increased depth and realism
• Cheekblock control panel with high-resolution OLED screen
• Modern and attractive cabinet available in three wood finishes

Grand piano touch: Responsive Hammer III keyboard mechanism

The CN201's Responsive Hammer III keyboard action has been developed to recreate the feel of a Kawai grand piano. Each key is authentically weighed using "graduated" metal hammers (i.e. slightly heavier in the bass and lighter in the treble), just like on an acoustic piano. These weights also allow the released keys to return to their original position without the aid of springs, resulting in a smooth, natural playing experience.

The action mechanism's chassis is made from reinforced materials that guarantee the keyboard's rigidity and stability when played with force. In addition, a series of felt-lined rubber cushions absorb the energy of key and hammer movements, helping to reduce unwanted noise and earning the RHIII the reputation of being one of the quietest digital piano keyboards on the market.

The sounds of grand pianos:
Shigeru Kawai & Kawai EX

Renowned as "Japan's first pianos", Shigeru Kawai instruments grace the stages of concert halls and musical institutions around the world, and are appreciated for their exceptional tonal clarity and dynamic range.

The ES120 reproduces the magnificent sound of Shigeru Kawai's SK-EX concert grand piano. This incomparable instrument is handcrafted by the master craftsmen of Shigeru Kawai's piano research laboratory in Ryuyo, Japan, and is widely regarded as one of the finest instruments in its class.

In addition, the ES120 also offers the distinctive sound of Kawai's highly acclaimed EX concert grand piano, which has been selected by professional pianists at such prestigious events as the Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Rubinstein International Piano Competitions, among others.

Both the SK-EX and EX are faithfully reproduced with full 88-key sampling using advanced Harmonic Imaging™ sound technology, to set a new standard in digital piano tonal quality and enable musicians to appreciate the contrasting properties of each.

Technical characteristics of the CN201

The variety of a digital piano: Convenience and flexibility

In addition to the Responsive Hammer III keyboard and Progressive Harmonic Imaging piano sounds, the CN201 also offers a variety of convenient digital functions that further enhance the musical enjoyment.

A selection of different instrument voices, built-in lesson tracks and the ability to record and replay performances are just some of the features accessible from the cheek block control panel, while built-in MIDI and Bluetooth® audio capabilities enable wireless connection to smart devices for running apps or streaming music.

Integrated Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio wireless connectivity
In addition to a standard USB-MIDI port for connection to computers, the CN201 also features integrated Bluetooth® MIDI and audio technologies, enabling the instrument to communicate wirelessly with supported smart devices.

Once the instrument is paired with a phone, tablet or laptop, CN201 owners can enjoy a wide variety of exciting music apps that enhance their learning and playing experience, or stream the sound of songs and videos directly through the instrument's impressive speaker system, without the need to connect additional cables.

PianoRemote app
The CN201 is compatible with Kawai's latest PianoRemote control app for iOS and supported Android devices. This app connects to the piano wirelessly via the instrument's built-in Bluetooth function, offering an easy way to change sounds or adjust settings from an attractive user interface.

Comparison between the CN201 and CN301

Weight & dimensions