Kawai Novus NV10 Hybrid Piano Review - A Piano Teacher's Perspective

[@KlabeChoi]

Just tried one at the store today and really loved it

[@_511keV]

I am a long time NV10 user in Japan. This is the best digital piano.

[@wyvern132]

Wonderful video, this is the kind of perspective that’s really useful! Much love ❤️

[@ColourfulKeys]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@brickmissing8295]

Nice review. FYI the Yamaha P515 also has Bluetooth audio playback, a sequencer, nice sounds but costs & weighs alot less than the NV10. Plus it has a really nice USB interface that can simultaneously transmit MIDI and receive audio on a single USB cable (works like magic with zero latency - eg. so you can play Garage Band on your iPad from the P515 keyboard, thru the P515 speakers). Whereas the NV10 requires separate MIDI and audio cables. So in some respects the P515 has the edge. But for me the top three reasons for getting an NV10 are key action, key action, key action. It’s just so much easier to play Chopin runs on a silky-smooth grand piano action with full length keysticks. Happy playing!

[@ColourfulKeys]

Exactly. It's all about the touch and feel in the end. That's what makes it worth it to me.

[@johnrichards7360]

For us, the key action and the ability to play almost silently, which allows us to play any time of the day or night without bothering each other or neighbors. The ability to play anytime makes for many more hours of practice each day. Due to cost and size, we opted for the Kawai NV5S, which actually sounds a bit better than the NV10S due to having a soundboard.

[@brickmissing8295]

@@johnrichards7360Yes, the soundboard on the NV5 sounds fantastic - much better than the NV10. The NV5 action is also good - but in the end I preferred the perfectly balanced feel of the NV10 grand action rather than the slightly springy upright action of the NV5.

[@jeannemcmahonpowers5780]

I am in love with that Piano too .

[@csu111]

Great explanation for getting the NV10. Is it a truly satisfying playing experience or a good compromise?

[@ColourfulKeys]

I personally truly enjoy playing it. As with any instrument, I would recommend testing in person to see if it suits you.

[@abz124816]

It really is not a compromise. It really feels like a grand piano. I can easily foresee a day when these hybrids will make a debut on the classical music concert stage. If someone as talented and brazen as Yuja Wang were to play a concert using an NV10, that would set the classical world on fire.

[@scdobserver835]

Now NV10S is released.

[@DiegoDourado]

I have a Casio gp510. I love It.

[@jedok1677]

Oh man I'm soooo jealous! I need one!

[@michaelsmith697]

I agrée that having the grand style piano with the longer keys is great. My problem with uprights in acoustic or digital is that they sound “boxy “. I need DEPTH and SONORITY of sound. I have a Kawai RX6 7 foot grand which is awesome. It has the depth and sonority along with the excellent fantastic Kawai Millennium 111 action. Don’t you just LOVE it! It feels better than Steinway and certainly better than Yamaha. ( though those other brands are excellent too) My question is does this NV10 have a depth of sound? Like a sonorous quality? Thanks.

[@helenwang7884]

May I ask a question regarding choice of which piano to buy? I am in my 30s and have learned piano for about 1-2 years when young. I am at about ABRST grade 4 level. I am now starting to pick up piano again with a piano teacher. I am also considering starting my daughter on piano lessons when she is of age. I have been considering Kawai NV5S, NV10S, and an upright with silent functions. I have been wanting to go with NV5S because it seems to produce better sound than NV10S because of the sound board. But recently, I came to realise the advantage of grand piano actions. It seems pianists at the advanced level all prefer a grand over an upright. My concern is also that if I go with hybrid pianos, my daughter will not be able to practice on an acoustic since the beginning. She may not develop the appreciating for real hammers hitting the strings. What do you think is a better choice for me? Thanks in advance!

[@ColourfulKeys]

They really are all excellent choices. If you do play a bit yourself, I suggest testing them all and going with your preference. You really can’t go wrong there!

[@adriankanis8107]

Just ordered nv10s 😇

[@ColourfulKeys]

I hope you love it too!

[@morecambebaypianogroup9780]

Thanks for your review. Do you have a preferred approach to setting the volume of sound?

[@ColourfulKeys]

I keep the volume dial at about 65%

[@morecambebaypianogroup9780]

Thanks for reply. @@ColourfulKeys

[@kincheungleung7333]

i wish to buy one too. The shop can order for me from Japan but I cannot have a trial in my country. I am using Yamaha clavinova digital and I don’t like the sound at high register and the action cannot satisfy me. I play classical like Beethoven’s sonata, but digital piano is still my first choice because I need the features like silent mode, transposing and the string/PAD sound for preparing jams with church band. Kawai acoustic usually got heavier touching if compare with yamaha. Is this kawai hybird having similar touching as kawai acoustic? How would you compare this one with kawai upright and kawai acoustic? Also, it is a good piano for my daughter to start with?

[@SeeDrachen]

...well done Video. My question is - why not a Hybrid with a soundboard like NV5?

[@ColourfulKeys]

We have a NV5 in the other room. Check out my other videos to see it. ☺️

[@riandarizza3697]

Hi, I have ordered my NV10s, just can't wait until it comes. Mostly I saw that this piano was placed facing the wall: is this something recommended by Kawai or just space constrain at your classroom? Is the back of the piano not looking nice if it was shown to the audience? Regards

[@ColourfulKeys]

It would look fine anywhere! Pianos are almost always against walls in Ireland as we have small houses. If you have the space to put it in the middle of the room, fab!

[@NormanSimonRodriguez]

Hi! Nice review! Would you say the NV10 is louder than a piano from the CA series? And does the action feel heavier?

[@ColourfulKeys]

Yes and yes. We’ll the action can be heavier or lighter depending on your settings. But it doesn’t have that light treble that CAs have. And I have the volume set at 40% to 60% max.

[@NormanSimonRodriguez]

@@ColourfulKeys Makes sense. Thanks a lot for your reply!

[@StefaanHimpe]

I have an NV10 since a few weeks. I really love the feel of it but the built-in sounds sound a little sterile/artificial/bland to me. I'm now using pianist mode - classic with bright voicing, which sounds acceptable to me. I notice that many NV10 owners use other sound sources like PianoTeq or Garritan VST and use the NV10 only as midi controller. I sometimes wonder if digital piano makers keep the sounds a bit artificial on purpose because otherwise they wouldn't sell any acoustic models anymore :) Although the piano models sympathetic string vibrations, I've found it doesn't work if the keys are pressed silently - that was a bit disappointing (it works quite well if they keys are not pressed silently).

[@ColourfulKeys]

It doesn't sound artificial to me. I would recommend playing with all the settings as they offer a lot of nuanced adjustments.

[@Kelimu]

Could you please share your listening experience when playing this instrument? Can you feel any difference with a real acoustic in terms of how long the sounds lasts and how sounds interract with each other? In other words, can you still feel it is inferior to a real acoustic in terms of sounding?

[@ColourfulKeys]

I don’t feel it’s inferior but it is different. I highly recommend going and playing one for yourself if you can.

[@MrKlawUK]

how is it with headphones? we’re looking to get a hybrid but a lot of the time due to family limitations it’d be with headphones, so in that case do we lose benefits of the feel - guessig the vibrations may need the speakers? And what CA model do you have? We’re shortlisting the CA79/CA99/NV5/NV10

[@ColourfulKeys]

Sorry I don't use headphones. I've heard it's a great experience for those that enjoy that, though! My CA is just a 49. If you have the money it's definitely a huge leap up to the NV5 or NV10. The choice between those is really personal preference but I prefer the NV10 by a hair.

[@staccatoglock]

These list for $15999 MSRP ….what’s a good ballpark for out the door price? $10k $12k……..more? Thanks in advance

[@ColourfulKeys]

Sorry I have no idea because I’m in Ireland so prices are quite different here to what you would get in usd.

[@townnet]

Hi. How is going with the piano? Is it easilly to get any failure? I heard that the part replacement cost is very expensive. Just want to do some research before to get it.

[@ColourfulKeys]

No issues so far

[@townnet]

@@ColourfulKeys Nice. Thank you.

[@paulblack5025]

Does the NV hammers hitting still feel real at low volume ? Ive tried a hybrid Casio & the action is nice at medium or high volume but at low volume feels fake / doesn’t match! “The hammers is too hard or have too much swing”

[@ColourfulKeys]

Not really. You need to be at 40% at a minimum I think.

[@paulblack5025]

@@ColourfulKeys thank you 🙏🏻😀

[@enriqueernesto738]

I'm very dissatisfied with the repetition mechanics of digital pianos. Can you tell me something about the repetition mechanics of this piano?

[@jung4399]

If I buy NV10, it may because it's so hard to find nice piano technician in my country( NZ). Without maintaining by great technician, expensive grand piano will be rubbish. The actual life expectancy of the consumer grade acoustic piano will be around 20 years. The hammer , string be worn out and sound will not good as before. The cost for replacing them will be almost same as buying nice brand new upright piano.

[@BFHPET]

have you had any issues in the years u had it

[@ColourfulKeys]

Nope!

[@BFHPET]

@@ColourfulKeys isnt the keys heavy when you at low volume i hear alot say that i only going to play in headphones at low volumes

[@BFHPET]

​@@ColourfulKeys?

[@ColourfulKeys]

@@BFHPET I always keep it at 60% so I can't advise on that

[@liborslany189]

Hello. I would like to know how much different is playing Novus NV10 and some Kawai digital piano from CA series (Concert Artist with Grand Feel action II or III) from the point of technique. Are there any limitations for a person who wants to learn to play piano well? For example... repetition speed etc. I started very late in my life and I am sure Novus NV10 would be an overkill for me :-) So I bought CA78. Thank you for reply :-) BTW: The main reason for digital or hybrid over "real" piano for me is: headphones :-)

[@ColourfulKeys]

I actually happen to have my Kawai CA49 in the same room as this one so I can easily compare. The Novus is a far superior playing experience in terms of resonance and the overall feel. The CA series I find decent in the bass but a little inaccurate in the feel of the treble side. As a teacher, though, I would be delighted for a student to have a CA series as a practice instrument. I think it's perfectly adequate for developing technique up to intermediate level.

[@misstangshan95]

@@ColourfulKeys regarding resonance, the Ca99 has a wooden soundboard which surprisingly the Nv10 is lacking. I would imagine the Ca99 flagship is much closer to the feel of the Nv10 than the ca49?

[@ColourfulKeys]

@@misstangshan95 possibly. I can only speak about ones I've actually tried.

[@ml4119]

@@ColourfulKeys Very glad to hear that. I bought a CA49 and have been playing it for more than a year now (after a 30 year break when I played for two years on an accoustic). Although I can't compare with any other digital pianos, I am pretty happy with it but will definitely upgrade in a couple of years time. I usually play on the 'heavy' touch setting so to get used to the heavier touch of what will hopefully be a baby grand piano (silent or hybrid)!

[@kevinmaestroful]

Would be good to see you actually play it

[@ColourfulKeys]

This is meant to be a teacher’s perspective. There are many great reviews of this piano from people who have a better recording setup than me and can really do it justice.

[@shaunbrown3895]

Out of interest, what is your acoustic piano, and do you now enjoy playing the NV10 more than your acoustic piano?

[@ColourfulKeys]

My acoustic is a Kohler and Campbell. They're different playing experiences but not in the way you might think. The K&C is a brighter piano (of course, I could make the Kawai brighter too if I wanted) which can be nice sometimes but I mostly find myself practising on this one.

[@SeeDrachen]

... My question: Why not a REAL soundboard (nv5) against a REAL GRAND PIANO ACTION? (NV10)?

[@nshiba]

Just one negative feedback. I wish you had spoken more about your impressions. Wonderful video otherwise. I am eyeing on nv10s to upgrade from yamaha u1se.

[@ColourfulKeys]

Let me know if you've any specific questions about it! I was just trying to highlight things that were piano teacher specific and therefore weren't covered in other videos.

[@nshiba]

@@ColourfulKeys Thanks ! 1. Do you still feel any difference between acoustic grand piano and NV10 ? ( in other words, what is the disadvantage of nv10 with respect to acoustic piano from a performer's point of view.) 2. Probably the only complaint I have against Yamaha is that their pianos are very user friendly with light keys. This can be disastrous when you are asked to play on a piano with heavy keys, say during an exam. Is it possible to adjust the heaviness of keys in NV10 ? 3. Do you have the same user interface for the app as the digital screen on the piano ? Can I perform all operations from the app as the digital screen on the piano. (One of my concerns about NV10 is what to do if the screen stops working.)

[@ColourfulKeys]

@@nshiba 1. Yes there's a difference...I think you really need to play it yourself as there's nothing like actually trying it yourself. 2. Yes you can. 3. No the app is quite different. I honestly just use the screen so I can't speak to the full details of the app.

[@nshiba]

@@ColourfulKeys thank you very much !

[@ColourfulKeys]

@@Samuel-vx1jg there's no way to define a feeling that nuanced! I think that the average person probably would not noticed a difference, tbh. But whether you like the feel of any particular piano action is so personal that I have to recommend trying it yourself.

[@LibertyWarrior68]

No electric piano will sound better than a real tuned grand piano.

[@Youtube_deleted_my_favourites]

Mentions husband, I unsubcribe ! Nah not really, good video, lovely girl.

[@Xanadu2025]

Fantastic mouth and teeth!

[@MDIOSILVA]

Só enrolou e não tocou porra nenhuma.