Kawai CA95 - (G) Above Middle (C) - Sounds "Tinny"

Folks

First off, I am totally delighted with my CA95. But tonight, while doing Scales, I noticed this key (G) above Middle (C) - the Tone was different. Sounds Tinny.

Volume 1/2
Factory Defaults
Concert Grand

Recording straight to a USB Drive? The MP3 sounds simply wonderful.

http://www.mediafire.com/?csymq1kayqktiq1

Recording to Internal Memory, then Convert to MP3, then Download to USB Drive - the Tinny-ness is there, but hardly noticeable. (Think 5%)

http://www.mediafire.com/?xbazppqsa6wblbb

With Headphones? No problem. Perfect.

Here is a Recording from my iPhone and the disparity is better in this.

http://www.mediafire.com/?e5mstklvaidgpyq

I am not comparing this to the other 2-3 Issues presented here with Raspy or Metallic sound. As, only one key is affected.

For me, this is a Stumper.

Hi Jon,

Many digital piano owners posting on this forum (me included) have gone through similar disappointments when carefully listening to their sample-based hardware digital pianos. The issue you are complaining about is just one of the many limitations that affect the current breed of hardware sample-based digital pianos. Honestly I cannot hear anything jarring in your recordings.

Some people on this forum have reported better experiences with (expensive) modelling-based hardware pianos or with (less immediate to use) software pianos.

In my case, I have decided I can live with the limitations, and enjoy the benefits of my digital piano, though I cannot claim I'm not disturbed by the limitations every single day. For me, current sample-based hardware digital pianos are really useful practice instruments but are still very lacking in terms of sound aestethics.

Ciao,
Paolo

Hey Jon,

The last song I was learning on my Steinway "A" had one note that was slightly different than all the others. This was the first time I had heard an offending note on this piano and it bugged me. But, with this piano I can get a tech out to work on it and solve the problem. About $150 to $250 dollars later...

These beasts we call pianos have minds of their own and they are not perfect and you know that. It is hard sometimes to step back and realize that whether it is a digital or an acoustic piano that all pianos have characters of their own.

I do hear the note on the iPhone recording - barely. I just wonder if when you step back and play a song in real tempo if you will notice this one note? Or for that matter, anyone else in your home?

I had high hopes about the CA95 and I am seeing many negative posts right now and it has me concerned for Kawai. I am just trying to give you some momentum towards trying to stay positive about your piano. It is hard I know.

Note my intro to my post ...

"First off, I am totally delighted with my CA95."

I still am. This is more of a curiosity and not anything close to disappointment.

I bought a used CA63 last winter. In playing my CA95 again this morning, it may be what the CA63 had. The PO called a Tech out and one of the speaker's screws were not totally tightened properly. Today, with all the symptoms, that is where I would head first ...

Yes, I do hear it with songs I play. And, it was not there originally. So, something has changed.

Thanks ...

It is a great dp, i agree.


Absolute pleasure to play. (Even with the odd wrangles we have)

This type and level of uneven sounding keys or even more you will get easily on every real acoustic instrument/environment.

You should decide it for yourself - is it imperfect or just not sterile... Just my opinion - I don't have the CA95 yet.

McBuster,
Could it be room acoustics? - Perhaps the distance from the back of the piano to the wall? Just asking because you dont get the tinniness with headphones (which also disproves the theory that the problem is with the sampling).

No, the source is not from a wall or the back, but it seems to come from within.

Thanks ...

Jon, what does it mean "from within". Do you mean neither from the soundboard nor from the speaker? Some attenuator has to excite this tone. Do not know exactly the design of the resonant volume, but if you agree that no different source causes this effect the speaker or soundboard has to couple to the air and therewith some acoustic resonance can be dominant, tilted or damped out. Are there some typical geometrical elements close to the piano with a dimension about 0.4m or 0.8m, 1.6m ? or is this a dimension of the soundboard ? For my piano I have some strange effects which can be clearly associated to the window which is close to the piano.