Kawai CA501 88-Key Grand Feel Compact Digital Piano, 45 Voices, Premium Rosewood

Concert Artist performance at an affordable price
Combining the latest Grand Feel Compact wooden-key keyboard action and brand new SK-EX Competition Grand piano sounds, with powerful 360 Degree speaker output, convenient USB audio features, Bluetooth MIDI and Audio connectivity, and a strong selection of other sounds, the CA501 delivers best-in-class touch, tone, and features at an outstanding price.

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 of all ages and abilities to realize their true artistic potential.

Touch

The Touch of a Grand Piano: Grand Feel Compact wooden key action
The CA501 is the latest Kawai digital piano to utilize the superb Grand Feel Compact wooden-key keyboard action. As its name suggest, the GF Compact action has been designed to reproduce the authentic touch weight characteristics of the industry-leading Grand Feel keyboard actions, within a smaller form factor.

This action retains the long wooden keysticks used for all 88 black and white keys, and the familiar 'seesaw' mechanism employed by acoustic grand piano actions for centuries. However, despite its smaller unit size, GF Compact features an extended key pivot length, providing a more consistent touch weight when playing towards the rear of the keyboard. This crucial detail, along with various other acoustic piano-like characteristics, ensures the CA501 delivers the most realistic playing experience in its class.

Bass key Counterweights
In addition to grade-weighted hammers, the Grand Feel Compact keyboard action also features counterweights attached towards the front of the bass 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 Compact keyboard action utilizes 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 Touch key surfaces
The impressive CA501 features Kawai's highly regarded Ivory Touch 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.

Furthermore, this moisture is absorbed without dirt or grease permeating the surface, allowing the keytops to be wiped clean easily using just a damp cloth.

Let-off Simulation
As the most authentic digital piano keyboard action in its class, Grand Feel Compact 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.

Sound

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 CA501, with this new model featuring the latest SK-EX Competition Grand recreation of this peerless instrument.

SK-EX Competition Grand sound
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 brilliant, clear tonal character, with a distinctive thick attack, and is specifically recorded from the pianist's position for the ultimate performance experience.

Full 88-key stereo piano sampling
The rich, expressive sound of the SK-EX concert grand piano is at the heart of the CA501, with all eighty-eight keys of this world-class instrument painstakingly recorded, meticulously analyzed, and accurately reproduced as high-fidelity digital waveforms.

Recording each key individually in this way - as opposed to stretching the same tone over several different notes - preserves the grand pianos' unique harmonic character, and guarantees that the sound heard when playing any one of the CA501's wooden keys is a faithful representation of the original acoustic source.

Variety beneath your fingertips
In addition to the latest SK-EX Competition Grand sound, the CA501 also features reproductions of the SK-5 mid-size studio and original EX concert grand pianos, showcasing a selection of Jazz, Pop, and Modern sound variations suitable for a range of musical genres. A traditional Kawai upright piano sound is also included, for pieces that suggest a feeling of nostalgia, or call for a slightly more intimate tonal character.

Harmonic Imaging technology
When playing a fine piano, the amount of pressure applied to the keyboard affects not only the volume of the sound produced, but also the unique tonal character of each note. Therefore, in order to construct a realistic acoustic portrait of each grand piano, not only is each key recorded individually, but also at a wide variety of different volumes, ranging from gentle pianissimo to thunderous fortissimo.

The CA501 offers a highly detailed acoustic portrait, employing Kawai's proprietary Harmonic Imaging XL sampling technology to ensure smooth tonal transitions across the keyboard and throughout the entire dynamic range.

Extra Long sampling (HI-XL)
Taking full advantage of its expanded sample memory, the CA501's Harmonic Imaging XL standard extends the important attack portion of the piano sound by up to 120%, articulating the natural detail and resonance characteristics of each note more clearly, and improving the instrument's organic tonal quality.

Personalized 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 CA501'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.

Powerful Effects & Reverb
The CA501's powerful digital effects engine enhances the instrument's superior core sounds, applying additional layers of detail and realism that bring performances to life.

Studio-quality reverb allows pianists to position themselves within one of six acoustic environments, ranging from a small practice room to an inspirational grand cathedral.

Delivery

Premium audio technologies
Developed by Kawai R&D's highly experienced audio engineering team, the CA501 features a redesigned motherboard and speaker system that incorporates unique 360 Degree diffuser panels. These components combine to deliver best-in-class audio quality, producing an extremely rich, clear sound with minimal distortion.

High quality sound hardware
The CA501 motherboard and sound hardware is engineered for precise signal conversion and optimum sound quality. Advanced low-noise circuit designs and premium audio components combine to ensure crystal clear, high-fidelity sound with minimal distortion.

Powerful 4-speaker output system
The CA501 boasts a powerful 100W, 4-speaker output system that closely mirrors the sound projection of a grand piano, with lower-range frequencies delivered through the underside of the instrument, and mid to high-range frequencies projected outward via top-mounted speakers.

360 Degree Speaker Diffusers
In addition to utilizing high quality driver units, the CA501 top-mounted speakers also feature custom-engineered diffuser panels, which help to expand the piano's tonal projection in all directions.

These additional components create a 360 Degree sound field around the instrument, ensuring a natural piano sound for both the player, and those listening elsewhere in the room