This is an opening post to continue the discussion about the CN34 that was bought by DBill in Colorado. I was originally planning to buy a Casio Celviano AP 650 but bought a Kawai CN34 instead. Since the subject has changed, I am starting a new thread. This new thread will provide a better location to continue talking about my experience with and an evaluation of the CN34.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but in some thread someone said something about CN34 and ES7 having the same sound engine. So you could (if I were true) take advantage of those threads talking about ES7.

They differ in a few places and i think the cn34 is underrepresented here and deserves a bit more publicity :-)

It's just dumb luck that you happened to live somewhat close to a Kawai dealer. As many people will attest to, their dealer network is as non-existent as Casio's is and even some who live near one have been met by uncooperative dealers.

My dealer is about a 20 minute drive out of the city and seemingly has very little on the floor to try.

Shame that Kawai America thinks no one would buy a white piano. Every other manufacturer seems to think otherwise.

There is a thread here about a white Kawai CN34: http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1983281/New_Kawai_CN34_Photos.html

Make sure to post pictures when the piano arrives.

The closest Kawai dealer to me is the Colorado Springs Kawai dealer. The photo above shows this dealer’s “store”. Photo via Google Earth street view. (Photo is actually a composite of two photos.)

To verify that this ????? is actually a Kawai dealer, go to http://www.kawaius.com/locator2012.html and fill in:
Colorado Springs, CO

Then click on “website”
Finally, compare the peeling paint above the “PI” of Piano Warehouse with the above photo.

I thought that the Denver dealer might be worth calling instead as it is a well-established large music store. I had no problems ordering the CN34 through the Denver dealer via telephone calls.

Both Colorado Springs and Denver are over 300 miles from where I live with Denver the more distant of the two.

That's pretty funny, DBill. It's probably a great hole-in-the-wall, mom and pop music shop but who knows. One thing you could do is call one of the music instruction businesses in the area and see where they refer people for purchasing pianos. With regards to the photo splice, I think that's how the Google van takes the pictures. They take a billion pictures for their street view and splice them together.

If it's any consolation, I live almost 100 miles from 2 different Kawai dealerships and I'm in a very populated part of California. It makes me wonder if the number of authorized dealers for some of these piano companies is increasing or decreasing.

I can't help but think (sadly) the number of piano stores and authorized dealers is decreasing due to the rise of online purchases. If that's the case, are they losing sales or increasing the perceived value of the product because they are more difficult to get?

Did you get to try the CN34 before you bought it or was it a blind purchased based on internet research?

I have found that if I call a piano store and they don't carry the brand of the pianos I am looking for I ask them where I can turn to in order to find them and they usually would give you a list of other stores to call.

In the south Bay Area, I think there's only two places to see Kawai products, and they are both antiquated acoustic piano dealers primarily. Both of their online web sites are fairly information free.

To poggler

For the CN34 and everything else that I considered, I had to depend on reviews, watch/listen to videos, etc. since it would take a full day's travel just to get to something that you could try. The only local dealer for anything is a small Yamaha dealer, and I don't think they have anything useful in-house. Thus I had to go with a blind purchase.

As you get higher up in the digital piano line, the instruments have multiple piano sounds plus multiple ways of modifying each of the piano sounds. If you start with a product that has pretty good reviews, and add in all of the piano variations, I think you can buy blindly and still end up with something that can be enjoyed.

Kawai CN34 update

While I had a friend pick up the CN34 in Denver over the weekend and drive it back to Durango, he didn’t have a chance to deliver it until late this afternoon. (It saved me the shipping cost so who’s going to quibble.)

The box is quite heavy 74kg (163 lbs.). Neither my wife nor I can lift much weight (We’ve both had disk fusion operations.), so we just shoved the box into the garage and started unpacking it from there. After carrying the console pieces to the room where it was assembled, we skidded the box into the same room. (With the keyboard section still in it instead of immediately lifting it. )

The console part (furniture frame) went together fairly easily. Then we simply cut the box apart to get at the keyboard. (Easier than trying to lift it out of the box.) After bracing the console against a wall, (It tips easily), we could lift up the keyboard and slide it into place. It’s a lot easier for two people to do this than it is for one person. (Plan ahead.) It slid in easily and then was bolted into place.

There was also a matching bench in the box. I haven’t put it together yet, or hooked up the wires to the CN34, but that should be easily taken care of tomorrow.

Finally, the dealer threw in a set of Samson HP10 Headphones. In terms of headphone quality, you get what you pay for. (And these were free.) I won’t be using headphones much, but I can always get something a little better from Amazon if needed.

The piano itself looks pretty “sharp”. It’s a rosewood color and looks just like the advertised pictures. (For example http://store.kawaius.com/p/cn34-rosewood-digital-piano?pp=8&pp=8 ) The 3 pedals are a brass color. (Similar to acoustic pianos.)

It’s going to look good in my “Great” room. So far, it’s been a good purchase.

Rick @ Piano Warehouse is by far the BEST Kawai Dealer in the 4 state area! Rick has the best prices and the best services by far!!! Piano Warehouse has got the best reputation and the Owner, Rick has such a passion for music and wants to promote such. His prices are BY FAR better than the prices in the Denver area. That picture was taken of the Warehouse and Rick's store was on Tejon Street. However, RIck has now moved his business to the Warehouse and it is by far one of the coolest piano stores you can go to.

Here is his site: Piano Warehouse in Colorado Springs

DBill, I hope you got a fair deal and the service will be worth it, however you missed out on a fantastic deal and an opportunity to build a rapport with one of the best Kawai dealers in the area.

It’s possible that I did miss something. (Who knows?) The Google Earth photo of the Piano Warehouse in Colorado Springs was an instant turn off.

In any case, I paid $2180 for the Kawai CN34 that I bought from Schmitt Music. (Included bench and headphones.) This included an instant pick-up out of inventory. Until I see evidence of a better deal, I’m convinced I got a good price.

I do have a very old connection with Schmitt Music in Denver. Schmitt Music bought out Wells Music a dozen years ago (+/-). Wells Music had been a well-established music company in Denver since the late 1800s.

“Many moons ago” I learned to play the piano on an old Steck baby grand piano that my mom’s family bought for her when she was living in Denver. They bought it in the 1920s - from Wells Music in Denver.

That looks like a fun place. I ended up going the "acoustic" route with my piano needs and the place I bought it from (while fine enough) didn't have as much character.

Kawai CN34 Update

As of mid-day Tue. Feb. 19, 2013 all parts had been assembled, wires connected, plugged into an electric outlet, etc. The moment for the “return to the piano” had arrived. The first tentative one-fingered “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” actually made music.

The first two pieces that I tried were “Theme from Victory at Sea” (a pay download from the Internet) and Rimsky Korsakov’s “Song of India” (page 298 in “The Library of Piano Classics” vol. 1). Needless to say that after 35 years of not playing the piano, these first trials were slow and hesitant, but everything worked.

The keys initially felt somewhat harder to play than what I remembered from a baby grand some 35 years ago. However, it only took about 30 seconds to get used to them. Other than that, the finger sensation/action involved seemed the same as the baby grand.

The tones from individual notes also seemed a little different. Again, it only took about 30 seconds before everything sounded normal.

The volume level of the music seemed less than what I remembered from the baby grand. However the CN34 is in a larger room with the ceiling varying from 20 to 25 feet high. If you set the volume control to around 7/8 of maximum for this large room, it sounds OK. Full volume will definitely not blow the windows out.

I didn’t detect any sound distortions at this level. Both low notes and high notes sound OK so I don’t think I’ll have any need for external speakers. If the room were any larger, then additional speakers would be a consideration.

Overall, I’m quite impressed with these first trials.

Seriously? You ruled out a possible supplier because of a Google Earth photo? Your loss it would seem.

You have to admit, it does not look real inviting/professional.

It may not look professional, but it looks exceedingly inviting to me; a treat for the eyes....worth a trip to Colorado Springs if Rynair had flights going there.

I'm also a little surprised that DBill ruled-out the closer dealer on the strength of a Google Maps 'Streetview' photo, rather than calling or sending an email.

However, I'm obviously glad that he was able to agree terms with another dealer and purchase the piano.

Cheers,
James
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Hi James,

I’m used to buying things via the Internet where geography doesn’t count. I was completely thrown for a loop with Casio which is why I ended up buying the Kawai CN34. If I had it to do over again I probably would try the Colorado Springs Kawai dealer, but for my first try with Kawai, I went for the large Denver dealer.

I had talked to the Denver dealer in early January, and they gave me a price quote on the CN34 at that time. A week and a half ago when I decided to take a serious look at the CN34, I called them again, and they said they would honor the earlier price quote. At that point it was virtually a done deal.

If you have easy access to a local dealer, I can see why a company would like to protect the dealer network from the extreme competiveness of Internet quotes. However, other people (such as “yours truly”) live a long way from any dealer. If you live a long distance from a dealer, the Internet and/or telephone calls are the only way to get a deal done.

In any case, things are going well with the CN34. In an earlier post I mentioned that I was setting the CN34’s volume to 7/8 for a large 20x20 x 20 to 25 feet high room. Now that I’ve gotten a little more playing confidence back, I’m finding a 5/8 volume setting is good.

In terms of what I’m working on now, after 35 years without playing I’m already back to pieces such as Schubert’s Marche Militaire. (Page 331, Vol. 1, “The Library of Piano Classics”) It will be awhile before I get it up to speed and I’m still occasionally get fingering a little tangled up, but it sounds great on the CN34.

Hi DBill,

Thank you for your additional explanation. I can appreciate that for many, internet/phone sales will be preferable to driving long distances to visit a store. Again, I'm happy that you were able to find a dealer willing to cooperate and offer a good price.

It sounds like you're rapidly getting back up to speed with your piano repertoire too!

Kind regards,
James
x

@DBill,

Looks like I also did the negotiation over the phone (plus a few e-mails) to buy the Kawai CA95. Never had to set foot in the store which made it convenient and easy to do.

Sounds like you are enjoying the new CN34.

My Kawai Dealer is 50 meters from my office, that made it very easy to drop by now and then. I also order most things online but i don't think i would have ordered the DP without playing it.
In hindsight i could have, as the CN34 turned out to be exactly as expected and in germany we have a nice 14 days return policy for online ordered goods, but still. And the expierience that after testing almost all models of the major brands and still thinking it was the right thing gives me the confidence that i can stop looking for a while :-)

From here on I’ll have to spend a lot more time practicing one piece at a time as opposed to trying to play everything. There’s a “slight” difference between playing something properly as opposed to my initial attempts at playing that produce frequent winces in anyone who might be listening.

The major problems that are showing up after 35 years of not playing are timing and coordination between my left and right hands. Right now, I tend to play notes with whatever fingers are available without realizing that a couple of notes latter I’m going to need some of those “available” fingers for the sequential notes. Basically, I’ve been rushing into things that require more time and patience.

The CN34 is living up to everything that I was hoping for. Initially, I had to turn the volume control up to about 7/8 of maximum, but my initial playing was somewhat on the timid side. After I got a little more confidence (i.e. play something properly without worrying that the CN34 will fight back), I’m finding that a 5/8 volume setting is good.

So far I don’t think I’ll need extra speakers. The CN34’s speakers sound pretty good across the full note range. (Then again, my hearing range is not what it used to be.)

I’ve mentioned before that the CN34 is in a large room. This is probably a good test of the CN34’s speaker system. Here’s an old real estate video that will give some idea of the size of the room that it is in. http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/tour.asp?t=664278

The CN34 is in “the fireplace” room, but next to the opposite wall. There are a couple of shots in the video that show an irregularly shaped tan object on the wall. (It’s actually a horse sculpture.) The CN34 is below and to the right of this sculpture - just out from the rightmost of the large windows that are between the great room (fireplace room) and the sunroom. The CN34 is low enough so that it doesn’t obstruct the view.

That's a very impressive house, DBill.

Perhaps you can post some photographs of your CN34 in its new home?

Kind regards,
James
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To James & pv88

I’ll take a couple of pictures of the CN34 tomorrow (Thurs.) and hopefully will get them posted late in the day.

I practiced a little today on Rachmaninoff’s C# Minor Prelude just to see how it would sound on the CN34.



The CN34 performed like a charm. Those first 3 chords came through like rolling thunder and that was with the volume set at just 5/8. The subsequent “ppp” was also easy. You can get all the sound range you could want right off the keyboard.

I agree. I'd give my two-line octave to have a deck with those views.

Here are some pictures of the CN34 in its new home. Note: The bench was included with the piano although I’ve just ordered an adjustable height bench from Amazon.com as I need another inch or two of height. (I’ve been using a small cushion.) Also my foot tends to slide off the sustain pedal, and the extra height should help that.



For a large picture, click here:
http://www.durangobill.com/TempPictures/CN34Nbr1.jpg





For a large picture, click here:
http://www.durangobill.com/TempPictures/CN34Nbr2.jpg





For a large picture, click here:
http://www.durangobill.com/TempPictures/CN34Nbr3.jpg





For a large picture, click here:
http://www.durangobill.com/TempPictures/CN34Nbr4.jpg

Looks great! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the pictures Bill - your new piano looks great!

I see what you mean about the high ceilings too!

Cheers,
James
x

EDIT: This image reminds me a little of the shot used in the CNx4 brochure - although it's rather more difficult finding large houses for location photography here in Japan.