I think it has to do something with speakers. When I was testing CA51, I didn’t care much about the sound, as I intend to use my 4 speakers, each 300W, and later hook it all up to my PC. For me, Kawai’s sound is just a temporary solution. It’s not that I don’t like its patches, it’s just that I think software pianos will always be better for me, easier to upgrade, I buy computers often, etc. And I really don’t want to compare Vienna Instruments Bösendorfer Imperial on 4x300W with Kawai’s patches on 2x40W.

My neighbors do not agree with the solution I prefer.

I started new thread for Kawai CAx1 pianos: Kawai CA51 / CA61 / CA71 / CA91. This one should be left for CA63 and CA93.

And you know more Watts is always better, just look at brands like LG, they have so much more Watts than Cambridge or NAD.

My requirement is a bit different. I want a digital piano that is good enough to stand-alone by itself so that I can use it simply as a musical instrument for learning and playing music. I look for good touch as well as good sound. I hope the CA63 will fit my requirements.

I also want my computer to just work, and therefore I am a mac user

Not LG, of course.

I have QSC Audio amplifier and fine speakers I made with a friend. These speakers don’t have fancy labels for eyes to catch, not unless you open a box and take a look inside.

The point here is that many pianists have computers to browse the web and fine audio equipment they use only to listen to recorded music, even though such equipment could be used to turn living room into concert hall. AWA Grand Pro II is very good. We’ll see about RM3, but I expect it to be the best you can get for less then $3,000.



I understand. A friend of mine is a very good pianist. Although aware of possibilities brought to us by computers, he doesn’t like the idea and stays with you on this.

Hi!

Have you heard when these models will be released in Europe yet?

/Andrée

Yes. I guess the end of January or the beginning of February is the best time to expect these in Sweden. Here’s what Kawai Germany has to say...



I have to apologize to Kawai Germany because my initial inquiry was sent to the acoustic piano division, not the digital piano division. When it was sent to the correct department at Kawai Germany, a reply was sent to me the very same day, yet was incorrectly flagged as spam by GMail’s filter.

Nikola, thank you for clarifying the situation.

I'm not entirely sure why your initial email sent to the acoustic piano department was not immediately forwarded to the digital piano team, however I'm glad to hear that once they did receive the query, the digital guys responded promptly.

Kind regards,
James
x

James, have the CA93 and CA63 been released in Japan yet? Do you know where to get any demos or sound-examples at this time?

/Andrée

No need to thank, really. It’s a normal thing to do.




I’m not sure either. Maybe they didn’t recognize model names. After all, CA63 and CA93 are digital pianos yet to be released.

Andrée, the CA93 and CA63 were officially unveiled to the public at a recent event in Tokyo. I have a Japanese magazine article covering the story that I may be able to post if there is sufficient interest.

In terms of the Japanese launch date, the CA93 is due for release on Friday (23rd October), with the CA63 due for launch on the 13th November.

I do not believe demos/sound samples have been made officially available, however I am confident that they will be accessible via the KAWAI Japan website in the near future, followed by KAWAI's overseas websites in the coming months.

Kind regards,
James
x

Kawai America/Canada indicates that they will be available "early next year" and no pricing information at this time.

James, thanks for your post. I thought both models had been released already but I was wrong. If you have the review it would be very interesting to take part of it.

/Andrée

Andrée, the article in question just covers the recent unveiling event in Tokyo. It discusses the features of the new models, but does not review them in significant detail.

Unfortunately, I do not have permission to reproduce (scan) the article and post it here. My apologies.

Kind regards,
James
x

Do we know if Kawai improved their cabinet style?
When I checked the CA91/71 some months ago, the cabinets were a major put off...
Based on below high res pic it looks better, but I guess it's hard to say until you see it with your own eyes..
http://www.kawai.co.jp/info/material/photo/2009/20090916-1-1L.jpg

altrent, yes the cabinet designs have been completely remodelled. The CA93 and CA63 are similar in appearance to the CA18, with the panel buttons moved to the left cheek block.

I personally prefer the new CA93/CA63 designs to the CA91/CA71/CA51, although that's not to say that the older instruments are necessarily ugly. I'm curious as to what aspect of these model's design you found to be unappealing.

Additional images of the new instrument can be seen on the KAWAI Japan website:

http://www.kawai.co.jp/ep/products/ca93/gallery.html
http://www.kawai.co.jp/ep/products/ca63/gallery.html

Additional images will of course be made available in due.

Indeed, I'd be interested to hear reactions to the appearance of the new models.

Cheers,
James
x

James,

Thanks for the reply.
I recall the cabinet looking, and feeling really 'plastic' like. The key cover also had big gap on either side (> 1/4 inch) which means you could rock it from side to side.
The HP207 that I tried just before had a much more solid look and feel.

Cheers,

I've been searching on reactions to CA93, and found some interesting information from some Japanese blogs/forums. Despite my lack of understanding of Japanese sentence structure, I can pick up some factual information at least ...

http://croakcrawlers.blog7.fc2.com/blog-entry-123.html

The writer compares the lengths between the tip of the key to the pivot point among Kawai, Roland and Yamaha DPs. Kawai=19cm, Yamaha and Roland ~= 21.5cm.

The writer also commented on the position of the pedal, depth wise, relative to the front of the key panel. CA93 = 20.5cm, Yamaha CLPs ~= 25.5cm, Roland HP207 ~= 27cm, Roland RG3 (digital grand) ~= 29cm. This is related to the overall reduced depth of the CA93 compared to the other models. I have very little experience with playing on a piano (digital or acoustic) with a pedal and therefore really do not know how the key/pedal relation of the CA93 is compared to real pianos. Perhaps it's closer to uprights? How much does it affect playing?

The writer (I am guessing) complimented on the new RM3 keyboard in terms of its responsiveness to quick repeated play on the same key when talking about CA63. He (?) also compared the touch between CA63 and CA93. The escapement (available on CA93) does something to the feel of play but I cannot tell if he thought it was a positive or a negative.

I would greatly appreciate if a Japanese speaking member could translate the blog entry to be shared with all who are interested in this topic.

Thanks!

Tony

A translation would be great since the Google translator was quite bad to use

/Andrée

Gee, it's too long. Just a few points.

*RM3 inherits the unique soft (suave) touch of AWA Grand Pro II.
*The ‘let-off-feel’ is more realistic than Roland’s ‘escapement’. However, as the result of this feature, the minimum amount of strength you need to apply in order to make the key ‘sound’ is more than the acoustic piano. It also seems to reduce the capacity of repeating the same key quickly.
*The touch is the heaviest among all the DP.
*Ivory feel is similar to the Yamaha’s. The gaps between the keys have become smaller. The black keys are now indeed easier to play due to the hinder pivot point but the white keys are still shorter comparing to the Yamaha/Roland model.
*Sound is similar to CA12’s but high notes now sound milder and very piano-like.
*It is the smallest and the most stylish DP in its category. However the location of the pedals is sacrificed.
*CA63 comes without the ‘let-off-feel’ and the keys come back more quickly. As a result, the keys follow your fingers’ movement. The author was astonished by the accomplishment of this new RM3 keyboard, which he/she was not quite able to feel while playing the CA93.


By the way, I asked the KAWAI Australia and they said these two models would be available around March/April next year.

James, do you think Kawai will discontinue with the non-ivory wooden keys? If that is the case, I will buy CA18 now although CA63 looks very promising...

Thanks for the translation Gunter. CA 63 looks very promising. It's just a shame that they have only improved the distance to fulcrum for the black keys and not the white.

It's a good thing that they have reduced the gap between the keys and improved the hight notes, and especially, that they improved the key return speed.

Sieg66, the reason why Kawai has improved the distance to the fulcrum just for the black keys, is because the black keys are shorter than the white ones. If they had to increase the distance for the white as well, the keys would have to be longer. Also, the return speed of the key seems to be improved only in the CA93, are you not satisfied with the speed of return in your CA51?

/Andrée

Thanks a lot for the translation.
I have to ask you about the release of the CA93 and CA63 outside Japan, is it true that it will take until March/April?

/Andrée

Thanks Gunter for the translation. That clarifies many points that my poor Japanese could not figure out.

Yes, the CA63 looks promising. Hopefully we'll see more feedback from Japan when it becomes available Nov 13 and we'll do another round of translations

Yes Andrée, I don't know how they could have done, but it would have been nice if they had improved this for the white keys too. It could have been longer keys or not central pivot point, I don't know, but on my ca51 the keys are somewhat hard to play when played in the back.

Gunter, thank you for posting this translation. I was very interested to read the opinions of this blogger - he/she would appear to be rather knowledgeable about digital piano keyboard action and sound technology. However, I believe it's important to remember that this is the personal opinion of just one individual, and as we all know, opinions do vary.



Currently, all models that utilise the new RM3 Grand action (CA93, CA63, CP209, CP179, CP139) are equipped with Ivory Touch key surfaces.

However, it's possible that future lower priced instruments that utilise the RM3 Grand action (a successor to the CA18, for example) may adopt the standard (i.e. non-Ivory Touch) key surfaces.

[quote=Andrée]I have to ask you about the release of the CA93 and CA63 outside Japan, is it true that it will take until March/April?

This is the response from KAWAI Australia. However, given your location, I would suggest the date provided by KAWAI Europe (end of January) would be more the appropriate guide.

Kind regards,
James
x

Almost all other digital pianos use a "folding" hammer action that takes up space underneath the key instead of in front of it.

I am guessing that moving the pivot point further away from the tip of the key can result in the increase in over depth of the piano, which is the opposite of what Kawai (or what Kawai thinks customers) wants. In fact, CA93 at 48cm is slimmer than its natural competitors like CLP-380 (512mm), Roland HP-207 (529mm), despite the inclusion of the soundboard speaker system.

A cm or two seems to matter a lot!

I'm not sure of this but I think the length from the key front to the pivot point is not interesting in this case, since the different brands use different techniques. In the case of Kawai, the length between the front and the pivot point is the same as the leverage for the key. For both Yamaha and Roland the weights are located before the pivot point, which means that the length between the front and the pivot point is not the same as the leverage for the key. I'm not able to give you an answer of how big the leverage is using this technique, but I believe it must be shorter than for Kawai, probably not longer than to the place of where the hammer is connected to the key.

/Andrée

Yes, this is a good point. The pivot point for most - if not all - other manufacturers' keyboard actions is located at the back of the key, resulting in a 'lever' movement.

KAWAI's wooden key action, on the other hand, places the pivot point at the centre of the key, resulting in a more natural 'seesaw' movement - just like that of an acoustic piano.

Cheers,
James
x

A video of the CA93! Unfortunately the video can convey neither the touch nor sound of the instrument :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTIBzaqNOiQ

I think the sound is awesome, but it is very difficult to hear and perhaps the brightness in the treble part is too bright. However, it is still quite a bad recording