Product Description
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° 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.
HIGHLIGHTS
- ■ Class-leading Grand Feel Compact wooden-key keyboard action
■ Ivory Touch key surfaces, triple sensor, let-off, counterweights
■ Harmonic Imaging XL sound engine with 88-key sampling
■ Brand new SK-EX Competition Grand piano sounds
■ Powerful 100W, high-fidelity 4-speaker+diffuser delivery system
■ Latest Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio v5 wireless connectivity
■ MP3/WAV/SMF playback, record, and overdub to USB
■ Built-in classical etudes and Alfred lesson books
■ Spatial Headphone Sound for enhanced depth and realism
■ Premium cabinet with cheekblock control panel and OLED display
- 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 realise their true artistic potential.
TOUCH
- The CA501 is the latest Kawai digital piano to utilise 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 utilises 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 analysed, 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.
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° 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° Speaker Diffusers
- In addition to utilising 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° sound field around the instrument, ensuring a natural piano sound for both the player, and those listening elsewhere in the room.
- Impressive speaker system
(with Low Volume Balance feature) - The CA501’s stereo speaker system delivers an impressive 100W of output, providing more than enough power to fill a medium-sized room with it’s beautiful Shigeru Kawai grand piano sounds. Moreover, when playing through speakers at a reduced volume setting (so as not to disturb family members), the CA501’s Low Volume Balance feature intelligently adjusts keyboard touch and piano tone characteristics, allowing pianissimo passages to be played smoothly and more naturally.
- Superior headphone experience
- The CA501’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 CA501 also allows players to select a variety of headphone types (Open, Semi-open, Closed, In-Ear, Canal, etc.) for an optimised listening experience.
FEATURES
- The Variety of a Digital Piano: Convenience & Flexibility
- Complementing the instrument’s class-leading Grand Feel Compact wooden-key keyboard action and Harmonic Imaging XL piano sounds, the CA501 also offers a strong selection of digital piano features that further enhance one’s musical enjoyment. Wireless Bluetooth® connectivity, USB audio record/playback, Dual, Split, and Four Hands keyboard modes, and a rich assortment of instrumental voices add greater variety to players’ performances, while the convenient metronome function and integrated lessons ensure that regular practise is both productive and engaging for aspiring pianists.
DESIGN
- Grand performance within a modern, attractive cabinet
- 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 CA501’s fallboard, its metallic finish glimmers in the light, capturing the graceful movements of the player’s hands below.
