Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Upgrade from Yamaha YDP-140 to Kawai CA15?

Hey all, it's been awhile since I've posted here. I've currently got a Yamaha YDP-140 which is a fairly basic, low end DP that does the job. However I'm wanting something more. Awhile ago I played a whole bunch of DP's at a music store just for fun and when I got to the Kawai CN24 (actually might have been the CN23, this was quite a long time ago) I was blown away, I really liked it.

So now that I'm thinking of upgrading my YDP-140, I think I'll be going for the CA15... Is this a decent upgrade? No where near me stocks the CA15 so I can't try it out. But I really liked the CN, and the CA is going to be more of the same, just with better action, correct?

However if the general opinion is that it's not much of a upgrade, I think I'll hold off.

The YDP-140 has GHS action, which is the low-end action of the Yamahas. The Kawai CA-15 has the RM3-II action. Kawai is definitely the better of the two and quite an upgrade. The CN I believe has the RH-II action. I have not played it, but the CA15 is very different from the CN24 or 23 you played. I really like the RM3-II action, but if you need a light action I don't recommend it. I prefer heavier, personally.

I'm more than a little biased, however I believe the CA15 would be a significant upgrade over your YDP-140. Much better action, piano sounds, speakers etc.

Perhaps the only downside to the CA15 is that it's a little lacking on additional features and sounds. However as a piano-oriented DP, it's a very nice instrument.

Kind regards,
James
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I have a GHS DP at home and when trying in store found the RM3 II action on the CA15 to be far superior. I think it's about as significant an upgrade as your likely to get between DP's

Will you be able to try the CA15 yourself though?

That's what I was thinking, it does seem like everything about the Kawai is far superior. I'm not too fussed about additional features and sounds, I'll only be playing with the piano sound and stuff anyway so that doesn't seem like a negative considering what I'll be using it for

I would stretch for the CA65 but unfortunately the CA65 is slightly larger and I just do not have the space, it physically wouldn't fit where it needs to go. However the CA15 seems like it'd just about squeeze in as it's slightly smaller.



Ah that's good to know it's generally considered to be superior. Unfortunately there is no way for me to try it out, but I am a massive fan of Kawai so I'm sure I'll be happy

Check out the Kawai CN34 too, if you can. It doesn't have wooden keys but the action is still really great and (to me) feels pretty close to an acoustic, even playing side-by-side.

I have a Yamaha with a GH keyboard - definitely better than the GHS but it still feels like an electronic instrument.

Kawai has a different tone, but the sampling sounds a lot better to me.

I think it's a pity that the CA15 doesn't have an audio input. So no nice software Piano over the onboard speakers

This isn't done via audio input, but via MIDI. So it can run software pianos.

Yeah but you can't run the sound through the CA15's own speakers.

So then you have to use external speakers

Oh ok, I missed your point about using the onboard speakers. Yes, you'd need to use headphones or separate speakers in this case.

Yep.

Are you home yet ??

Haven't tried the CA15, but I went straight from a CA65 to a CN24 and still thought the latter felt very good.

It seems a non sequitur when you say you tried the CN24, therefore you're thinking of getting a CA15. If you can't try a model, it's not an option - just forget it exists. I'm dubious that it would be worth the extra £350 anyway, but would certainly not fork out the extra untested!

BTW, the main effect of wood keys is to make a piano bigger, heavier, and more expensive. Some say it also smells nicer. The actual action, which is not made of wood (thank goodness), is not necessarily any better or more authentic. It could be better or worse, but feel is largely subjective so you'd have to try it yourself.

"Haven't tried the CA15, but I went straight from a CA65 to a CN24 and still thought the latter felt very good."

THAT is one heck of a statement, assuming a slip of the fingers didn`t happen . . you`ll get banned for this stuff! (seriously, food for further investigation . . .) Very interesting . .

Heh, heh. Doing my best! The CN24 is nice, although the UI is quite pathetic... I guess the CN34 is there in the range to provide a better UI, but they could at least have a 3-digit LED display and some +/- buttons... selecting functions using piano keys from a chart in the manual also needs to die ASAP.

Those were amongst my thoughts when examining those pianos. The CN34 would`ve been nice. All things considered, I settled for the devil I knew. DGX 650 . . .Everything`s fine except the keyboard . . .it gets the job done and is a lot o` fun!

Well, I haven't spent much time on the CA15 but IMHO there's a hugh difference between this and CN24. First, the key weight and overall feeling is night and day. CN24 is very light compared to CA, which is more demanding. If you had to switch between DP and upright frequently, CA15 would be a better option in my oppinion.
Secondly, the sustain of single notes is, if I recall well, about a second longer on CA15 (maybe some reverb was involved here).
Things I didn't like of CA15:
-The speakers/sound projection. I found it to be poor, given the price (+- 1700€)
-It has no USB to device port.
-So-called furniture is terrible. Chip board panels, ugly as can be.
So to me, is one of those `almost great´ kawais: it could have been a killer but it's not.

Hi,
I have tried a CN34 and a CA15 some month ago. As I remember, the sound over internal speakers is much better in CN34 (CN24 should be idem), actually I didn't like the CA15 sound.

I strongly believe that, don't buy what you can't try, is good advice.

BR

...and closer to the touch of an acoustic piano.

Cheers,
James
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James, that is quite a claim; is there any actual evidence that key material affects the touch? How is this measured, to make the claim that it's "closer"?

Measured evidence, no.

However, as explained on the Kawai MP website:



Please understand that Kawai pioneered the use of ABS and later ABS Carbon composite materials in the keyboard actions of acoustic pianos almost 40 years ago. Our engineers continue to improve the response speed and expressive quality of instruments, yet have stuck with wood as the primary material for the keyboard. Why is this? Because they like the smell? No, because it remains the best material for the job.

This notion is also supported by the vast majority of musicians who play-test and subsequently purchase a Kawai DP that features 100% real wooden keys. They do so because they understand that wooden keys offer the closest touch of an acoustic piano.

Kind regards,
James
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