Kawai CA901 vs. CA701 Digital Piano [Sound Comparison Demo] - Does the Soundboard Really Matter?

[@olinguito40]

The 701 can be moved easily upstairs, as it comes in two parts. Same with some Yamahas (e.g., CLP-745). There are some unboxing videos to show. The 901 comes fully assembled. That would be an important consideration for some people.

[@classicallpvault8251]

84kg is still light enough that 3 men of average strength can get it up a flight of stairs. Probably 2 if using a heavy duty 6-wheeled hand truck - which costs a few tenners to rent at a DIY chain store - the piano just needs to be covered in some cloth and firmly tied to the back railing of the hand truck. One person pulls it up, the other person pushes, while the undercarriage acts like a lever making every extra step MUCH lighter than while lifting it. Only when it's narrow, twisted stairs (which are unlikely to be present in an appartment building) this becomes a problem but worst case scenario, one has to rent a furniture lift and bring it in through the window or balcony door.

[@Aurora-KLPL]

Besides, ca 701 has an objectively better notes stand

[@carlosabundis2746]

I bought the CA701 a month ago and it’s really nice , I love it. I only have been playing for 5 months. I had a basic Roland I loved the sound but no the action. I decided to buy the Roland LX9 but I hated it , The sound was pretty aggressive in every way… some times too high sometimes to low, I had in in my house for 5 days , I moved every possible settings but I could not make it sound in a way that I liked, I returned the Piano and bought the Kawai, I tested both the 701 and 901 at the Piano shop but I honestly could not hear a strong difference in between them. I even compered both to 44 - 46” uprights and they were both very good , much nicer than I thought only the 52” uprights were like noticeably better but it’s more money , more space and less convenience and since the Ca701 and 901 have the same action and electronics I decided for the more affordable option. I also live on a small 3 bed house not really tall the CA901 I think might have been too much. I have to say that the minute I connected the Piano at my house the sound was extremely pleasant and beautiful to me, it pulled out a smile out of me and unlike the Roland I feel pretty confident I took the right decision.

[@John-boy]

I bought the 701. The 901 is much more expensive and can be turned up significantly louder with its bigger amp and sound system. I don’t need that much volume in my small home music room so 901 was going to waste my money paying much more but probably great for a bigger room or venue. And frankly they sound the same through my Sennheiser HD599 open headphones which I took to the store to try them both.

[@familypianoco]

Excellent point! If you're going to be using headphones mostly, there's less benefit to the CA901! Great that you were able to go in to play both for yourself. Really happy to hear you got just what you needed. Hope you're loving your CA701. (:

[@John-boy]

@@familypianoco I am enjoying it. Another small reason I prefer 701 is that with the lid closed my music stays on the stand. The 901 has the music stand inside the lid so you have to remove it to close the lid. Annoying. I close the lid every time after playing to keep the keys dust free. Dust getting into the electronics is a reliability issue imo.

[@JoeLinux2000]

I played them both at the store and preferred the warmth and ambiance of the 701. The 901 is is dryer.

[@khai5555]

​@@John-boyDid the in built speakers of the piano sound good as well?

[@knives6683]

Once you play through some good quality open back Sennheiser headphones all digital pianos sound like garbage with their dedicated speaker system tbh, even the really expensive mini grands.

[@CriollismoPeruano]

I bought a CA98 a few years ago. It has a soundboard and most users agree a firmer touch than the CA99. So if you want to save some money, go for a second hand CA98. Soundboard is great and it feels real. The downside is that the default SK EX sound ( the highest quality the CA98 can produce ) has an uneven range of sonority and responsiveness across the board. That means I've had to tweak the "Voicing" and "Volume" parameters on many individual keys that I felt sounded wrong and did not blend well with the notes around them. For some notes, this meant pushing the voicing to -5 as the sound was WAY too harsh, for others, pushing the voicing to +3 as the sound was WAY too mellow. And don't get me started on the Volume tweaks I've done. +37 for some keys, -35 for others. A total nightmare but in the end you can get it to sound pretty much to an acceptable level. I wonder if the CA901/CA701 exhibit the same problems?

[@_Francis]

After having had acoustic pianos my whole life I'm finally going digital for practical reasons haven't decided yet between the Yamaha CLP 775 and the Kawai CA701. I'm definitely getting one of those, don't know which one yet. Anyone knows both devices I'm interested in what you have to say 🙏🏾

[@_Francis]

@@user-lr6vc3lt6b thx🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 I bought the 775 and I’m awaiting delivery

[@JK-tt8vf]

What did you decide?

[@_Francis]

@@JK-tt8vf Great timing! I got my CLP775 just 2 days ago ang got it assembled yesterday. I’m so effing tired right now I spent the whole night getting to know it. It’s almost impossible to tell whether it’s a digital or not from the action. Yet I need a period of adaptation to master the pianissimo parts, but frankly I’m really happy plus it’s a beautiful object

[@naturalrestingface1884]

I find it to be a tad muddy sounding. The soundboard only comes into affect with the low bass and even then I think it's just ok. Also, the mics used here are either awful or misplaced and what is that background metallic rattling/tambourine noise?

[@familypianoco]

Thanks for sharing your opinion! Have you tried tinkering around in the Virtual Technician tool? There's a lot of customization options in there that can help get you to the sound you want. A lot of the preset piano sounds are great too, for example I prefer the EX-Concert Grand voice with reverb turned off when I want the sharpest, cleanest sound possible. As for the mic situation, in this video I'm afraid it was a bit of both. My next video on a Steinway upright releasing on Wednesday I think has much better audio due to better mic placement and a quieter environment. I plan to upgrade to better mics soon! As for the annoying sound, I noticed it recently after posting... it's from the air ducts. I will find a solution for that for future videos whether it takes sound editing (which I generally try to avoid) or filming in a different area of our store. -Max

[@oosallytomatooo1321]

Thanks a lot for this video. I'm currently thinking of purchasing a CA 901, but when I compared it with the 701 in a shop, I felt the latter to be a little firmer. Is it my imagination, or does somebody else felt the same ?

[@AnotherAnonymousMan]

Delightful playing, man!

[@alexgoriatchenkov]

I like a white piano colors with shiny finish, but unfortunately my finish available in black only for this new series. Anyway, probably in next spring will get 701 in White Satin. This year bought ES920 Kawai keyboard and just love it ! Thank you for nice comparison this two newer models.

[@surayayusaku8291]

100% same here!! I want the polished white with brass pedals. Why did only Roland get that with their 708 series😭the matte looks so. Basic.

[@esimms1889]

As a viewer I, of course, have no way of gauging how the two pianos sound and feel to the player, and how they generally sound in the room. Otherwise, it would have been good to include information on how the pianos were mic’ed(or if we were listening to the line output). Thanks for the demos; you have a nice touch on the piano.

[@familypianoco]

Hi there -thanks for watching! I'll add this into the description but I was recording with a Boya BY-M1 Lav mic (nothing fancy but so far I've been happier with the results than with our theoretically better Rhodes shotgun mic!) So not the internal recorder. If you're interested in hearing the difference between the internal recorder sound and using an external lav mic, this video I made uses both for the Kawai Novus 5S (Same sound technology as the CA701/901) : kzbin.info/www/bejne/gai4daWchq-Zo6M -Max

[@esimms1889]

@@familypianoco Thanks for the info Max, much appreciated!

[@kevinbrownrigg]

Thanks for sharing. I appreciate the back-to-back comparison!

[@fkh3556]

I was about to buy the CA701 but when playing them in store, I liked the CA901 a lot better. I will make a decision on which of them to buy next week. Your videos are amazing and helped me a lot in deciding, which of the two I want to chose. Unfortunately, I am from Germany so I can't visit your store. How tall are you btw? My issue with both of the Kawai digitals is, that they are somewhat small. As I am 6'5 I am afraid playing will get uncomfortable after a while.

[@khai5555]

Did you end up buying one of them?

[@fkh3556]

@@khai5555 no, I have decided that I need and want a real piano :/

[@kaankaral]

"Boston Up "maybe ?@@fkh3556

[@giuseppepaparo8977]

​@@fkh3556non ti è piaciuto il suono del kawai?

[@BFHPET]

can you uploud a video of the ca701 in polished finish cant find any videoes its a new one

[@familypianoco]

I might be able to arrange that for you in the near future :) -Max

[@BFHPET]

@@familypianoco hopefully this week?😄

[@BFHPET]

@@familypianoco nothing yet 😒

[@mupbelchen010701]

Ich finde der Klang beim 901 wie auch schon beim 99, klingt runder, natürlicher und voller als beim 701 wie auch beim 79 schon. Das Gefühl vor einem akustischen Klavier zu sitzen ist beim 901 viel intensiver! Im Vergleich CA99 zu CA901 habe ich festgestellt das lediglich ein paar neue Klänge, wie zum Beispiel der „Competition“ Flügel dazu gekommen sind und die Tastatur ein weniger fester im Anschlag ist als beim CA99. Ansonsten klingen CA99 & 901 absolut identisch finde ich. Was meinst du? Vielen Dank für dieses wunderbare Konzert, dieses Video und das du uns teilhaben lässt an deiner Arbeit🙏👍 Herzliche Grüße aus Deutschland, Roland

[@familypianoco]

Hallo Roland, schön wieder von dir zu hören! Ich stimme deinem Kommentar voll und ganz zu! Ich fand die neue "Competition Grand SK-EX"-Stimme eine schöne Verbesserung gegenüber der Hauptstimme des CA79/99. Die Aktion fühlt sich etwas fester an, aber überhaupt nicht schlecht - besser! Tatsächlich würde ich sagen, dass es eine Verbesserung ist, um sich eher wie ein Flügel zu fühlen. Ich war mir nicht sicher, ob dies an den Verbesserungen der GFIII-Aktion lag oder an den fast 3 Jahren, in denen ich meinen CA79 2-3 ​​Stunden pro Tag benutzte. -Max

[@John-boy]

The real reason imo for the 701/901 replacing the 79/99 models was that Onkyo went bust during Covid and component shortages, Kawai forced to redesign the sound engines and systems. I think they made an improvement over previous models.

[@StefanMilner]

I'm thinking of upgrading from my Yamaha CLP735, do you think the CA901 is worth paying an extra £800-1000 for compared to the 701?

[@familypianoco]

Since you're already coming from a nice piano, I might lean towards saying yes. If you love a hearty bass, the soundboard makes a pretty relevant difference. However, many players would be really happy with the sound of the CA701. As Max mentions, he's still playing the previous-generation CA79 at home. I'd definitely recommend you give them a try in-store if you can! -Drew

[@xchalibur77]

Not bad but I would prefered to see the concert grand sound also as I like it a bit more.

[@familypianoco]

Thanks for watching! A lot of the sheet music recording videos I've been making feature the SK-EX Concert Grand voice instead of the Competition Grand voice - this one is a good example here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qny9aH2gq7R6qdk. Taken from the internal recorder instead of external, this sound is exactly as you would hear it when playing a CA901/701 with headphones on. -Max

[@winterheat]

7:48 for some reason I hear some hissing at 7:48 ... wonder if it is related to 44k vs 48k sampling or something

[@familypianoco]

Interesting! I'm not quite sure myself. In person (I have the very same CA901 about 20 feet away from me) I don't hear hissing in this range. We just ordered a new, higher quality microphone and I'm going to be making more videos on these digital pianos with better audio quality, should give a much clearer idea of how all these pianos sound in our future videos. -Max

[@winterheat]

@@familypianoco that's cool. I wonder if the CA701 or 901 can do this: just plug the USB and connect to iPhone or Android phone, and now treat that as a "microphone". Some low end Roland can already do that. They are doing a demo here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoaxgoaldseLbas They just use the Camera app and take video and treat the USB out as a "virtual microphone" so they can record it and do almost no editing and can post onto KZbin. Alternatively... I think can also use USB or internal recording to save as WAV, or output the analog audio to an audio interface box (like an external sound card), and then let it compress to digital signal and let the computer save it... if I use my piano as a MIDI controller, then I just record directly in Logic Pro as MIDI and have it export as WAV... so some of these ways are purely digital. I recorded two measures yesterday like this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kITSeq2hrLmKf6c

[@familypianoco]

That is a very cool feature! I don't believe the CA901 or 701 have that feature but that's definitely something I would love to see Kawai do in the future! -Max

[@Em_Dee_Aitch]

We’re in a townhouse, and we won’t be playing very loudly at all, so resonance from a soundboard is actually a con in our particular case. And what the heck is that “chirping” sound the microphone is picking up? It’s extremely distracting!

[@verymozart]

Because I didn't have the chance to play it yet, as there is not yet where I can buy it; I have to Keep asking the same question. Is the touch (of the 701) too light, or too lighter than the acoustic grand pianos on where you have to perform advanced level of classical music diploma exams?

[@familypianoco]

I wouldn't say the CA701 is too light. But if I compared it to the Kawai GL-10 5'0 Grand, yes, the GL-10 gives you more control and that kinda feels heavier. Max has a CA79 (CA701's predecessor) at home, and even as the most advanced pianist here, he does still enjoy it, and he doesn't plan to upgrade anytime soon. But he's not studying for an exam. Now, could you study for exams on a CA701 and be okay? Probably yes, it is one of the best actions available in a digital piano right now. Would you be better prepared if you practiced on a nice grand piano instead? Sure, and it would be a more similar playing experience to the piano you'll perform on. If all you can make room for at home is a CA701, that's wonderful. While it's not controversial to say that the CA701 isn't going to have a feel as dynamic or nuanced an action as a good grand piano's, I'm not of the opinion that a pianist is only as good as their piano. Playing your heart out is what's most important, my friend. Hope this answers your question well enough. We do get this kind of question a lot, and this is about as good as we can answer it. At advanced levels, you're going to know what you like/need from a piano. So I hope you're able to find a local store so you can play a bunch of pianos and figure out which is good for you. Good luck on your exam! --Drew, 👪🎹

[@verymozart]

@@familypianoco thank you very much for your detailed reply. You know the first issue for me, is that because of the budget, space and/or neighbours; I can't afford a nice acoustic piano, nor a more expensive digital piano than the CA 701. So it's irrelevant what are my needs. Because I can't afford something more expensive. (I know that the Yamaha CLP 785 might be a good one for example, but it's still expensive for my budget.The Yamaha CLP 775, that has a similar price as the 701, t's not so nice. So I hope that the CA701 has at least enough quality action not to fail the exam. I know it's better than the CA79, as it has counterweights in all the keys, full length of the keys as in the acoustic grand piano, and the important position of the pivot.... All details that in theory can give high control of the performing. The only issue here would be if there is a better digital piano than the Kawai CA701 to pass the advanced level diploma exam, within its the same price. Thank you anyway. 👍

[@familypianoco]

I'd like to add to this that the new CA701/CA901 generation in my experience definitely has a firmer action feel than the CA79/99 and would be more in the direction of what you want. The touch improvements here are definitely notable - the CA79/99 were lighter weight than maybe 80% of acoustic grand pianos out there, I'd say now the CA701/CA901 is pretty close to the average weighting on an acoustic grand which is excellent for practicing for exams and performances, your practice should transfer over pretty effortlessly onto your exam acoustic grand if it's somewhere near average weighting (as a good exam piano should be!). As Drew said, would a very good quality acoustic grand be better for rigorous advanced exam practice? Yes, most likely, in the sense that there will always be better options especially as you go up the price tiers. But if space and cost considerations are pointing you towards a digital, the GFIII on the CA701/901 are going to be among the very best options - I'd say the best you can get within this price range. But please try to find the opportunity to test out in person, I think you'll be quite happy with them and they'll suit your needs but every pianist has their own tastes at the end of the day! -Max

[@verymozart]

​@@familypianocothank you very much for your reply. Certainly it is obvious that I must try the pianos and I will. At my dealer I will try both digital and the acoustic pianos they have at its showroom, in order to compare. But you are the first person to say that the 701/901 have a firmer touch feel. All the others I heard, dealers reviewers state that the touch is identical to the predecessors models. As I said, the issue is: it is not so much if the acoustic is better (we know obviously that it is), as if the CA701 is enough not to fail the advanced level exam. A nice acoustic would make me more prepared it's stated in the above comment, so the issue is if that worse prepared with the CA701 can affect the exam passing. The pianos are those at the Trinity College when you perform exams such as the ACTL and the LCTL Trinity College diplomas exams. They are acoustic baby or grand pianos, in the average for professional performing).. Also you're right about the improvements on the CA701/901. Even the system of the pedals improved. (Also, not for the quality of the touch, but it's improved even a diffuser that with an high quality headphones is much better than the 79). I know people who srudied on the 79/99 advanced exams and passed, buy they were lower levels than the exams I mentioned above. Anyway fingers crossed. Thanks again for your given time and attention to reply. 👍💖

[@verymozart]

​@@familypianocoas I sad above. You are the first person to state that the CA701 is firmer than the predecessor CA79. Everyone, reviewers, dealers, topic commenters stated that the touch of CA79/701 are identical and that is a light touch

[@abrahammulder]

The 901 sounds better! I bought a 901, a fantastic piano❤❤

[@kg0173]

It's interesting that there are no comparison videos of Kawai CA 701 vs. CA 501. Talking about the marketing.

[@familypianoco]

I might have to make a video on these two in the near future then! My initial thoughts are the major differences would be the Grand Feel III Action versus the Grand Feel Compact action - pretty much the longer the key sticks the better the sense of touch will be. Sound wise, they are going to be pretty similar to each other in speaker strength, quality and sound technology but the CA701 will have acoustic rendering for the main piano sounds which adds a noticeable layer of complexity and beauty to the tone. So the CA701 has a notable touch advantage and will sound slightly better for piano sounds. And of course the CA701 has the touch screen display versus the button LED interface of the CA501. -Max

[@kg0173]

@@familypianoco its interesting that the price difference is small

[@knives6683]

@@kg0173 Agreed, the grand feel III in the CA701 feels much nicer making the slightly cheaper 501 feel redundent.

[@makoch95]

I tested both and it only took me 10 seconds to make my decision: even the 701 is not that much more expensive, the sound is much better. it’s not only the speakers, it’s the rendering round that makes every single note so much more brilliant and harmonic. Also the action feels much better. for me there is either a cheaper end, maybe 401 or the 701, the 501 is not worth it paying more money than the 401

[@Instrumental-Covers]

Hi again Max, I don't know what happened, but I posted a second comment to answer your question regarding the soundboard speaker, it stayed on for a moment then disappeared. Too bad, it was pretty long with a lot of details... well, just to summarize it: a soundboard speaker system has its benefits, but the resulting sound will still be digital because the sample used activates the soundboard as a speaker system. Real soundboards are active parts of the sound: strings vibrate, soundboard vibrates and make other strings vibrate, those strings vibrate and send vibrations to the soundboard... there is a loop/feedback and the sound is different from a soundboard acting just as a speaker. I have placed a transducer on a baby grand and guitar and the sound is still digital. My original answer was much more comprehensive, but it got deleted somehow.

[@familypianoco]

Sorry to hear about the original comment. ): 100% though! A soundboard speaker system is an improvement, but it is still a digital tone being used. I love what you said there too, "real soundboards are active parts of the sound." Exactly that. There are tons of vibrations going on that speakers just can't convey. Not sure we'll ever bridget that gap completely, but hey, we're thankful these compromises exist that get digitals closer to acoustics! Thanks for watching!

[@Instrumental-Covers]

@@familypianoco Hi! By the way, the CA99 sounds excellent (I haven't played the CA901 yet), it is one of my favorite digital pianos :) One aspect of the soundboard is the added resonance it can produce... even though in this case it is still sort of a dead sound because it depends on the sample, and I think modelled resonances are still not realistic enough, or at least it doesn't sustain enough the way a real soundboard does. There have been attempts to create speakers with soundboards, such as the Bösendorfer VC 7. I like the way you present the digital pianos, you keep it very realistic!

[@nostgeoffhi-fi]

Does the CA901 allow you to play silently (I.E., turn the transducers off) and use only headphones on it?

[@familypianoco]

Hi there, yes absolutely! In fact, all Kawai digitals let you play silently with headphones. Just plug in and enjoy! :) -Max

[@yasinkibria1363]

What a nice 👌

[@familypianoco]

Thank you!

[@Instrumental-Covers]

Hi Max, a few comments regarding the 2023 Kawai soundboard speaker system in the CA901: 1) Back in 2008, Yamaha already had the CGP-1000, which was a digital baby grand piano with an actual soundboard, two transducers, and 8 additional speakers with 240 watts. This design was 15 years ago, and more advanced than the CA901 soundboard speaker system. 2) The CA901 utilizes the large wooden resonator on the back to produce mainly bass frequencies. Most of the sound actually comes from the top speakers. The wooden resonator (soundboard) is not coming from a real acoustic piano and does not have a crown (needed to project and sustain the sound in real pianos). 3) It is quite achievable to produce high quality piano tones using only regular speakers. An example is the Yamaha AvantGrand N2. 4) Kawai has produced in the past a much more impressive digital piano speaker system than the CA901. Just play a Kawai CP1 (Concert Performer series) with its 9 speaker system and 200 watts, in a beautiful baby grand piano style. More impressive sound from speakers only. No soundboard needed to make bass (the CP1 has a large 10" woofer located underneath the piano with a large port, and makes a ton of bass). The most important aspect is the speaker design, not the speaker element. Whether you use conventional cone speakers or DML speakers (Distributed Mode Loudspeakers, such as a wooden resonator in the CA901), what matters most is the design. In my opinion, Kawai keeps the "soundboard" in the CA901 mostly as a marketing strategy. If they wanted, they could achieve the same sound quality with speakers only, but then the CA901 would lose its edge as being perceived as a "digital piano with a real soundboard".

[@familypianoco]

Hi -I really appreciate the value your expertise in audio brings to the discussion! I typically stick to the experiential attributes of these digitals as I feel that's the most value I can personally add for folks online. You bring up some great points and I have a few comments and perspectives to add: - I haven't had the pleasure of trying the CGP-1000 or CP-1 digital baby grands myself but I absolutely believe the sound is incredible. We had a CP-2 (the upright version of the CP-1, no soundboard) and it was fantastic. I would like to point out for consumer information though that the CP-1 and Yamaha CGP-100 were on a price tier level far beyond the CA901 (The Kawai CP-1 and Yamaha CGP-100 even bought used today are around twice the price of a new CA901 and were around triple the price when new) in addition to being full sized baby grand designs versus the upright CA901. The touch improvements from the Grand Feel I of the CP1 to the latest Grand Feel III is a massive step up in my experience too. So I would argue a totally different ballpark from a buyer's perspective. If we ever get a CP-1 in, I would love to do a video comparing it to the CA901. I'm also curious how improvements to sound technology and speaker design in the last ten plus years would impact the comparison. -The extra bass frequency vibrations that are contributed by the soundboard can be felt at your fingertips while playing more so than on the CA701, this is a small but very nice touch benefit that I and many other wonderful piano players have noticed in store. -Last question is mostly for fun but I would love to hear your perspective: If you had an unlimited budget to design the best possible sound on a digital piano, would you include a soundboard speaker design? -Max

[@Instrumental-Covers]

@@familypianoco Hi Max, thank you so much for your generous and friendly feedback! I haven't played the CGP-1000 or CP-1 either, however I have played the Kawai CP200, which is an older version of the CP1. The CP200 has the same baby grand design of the CP1, and also 9 speakers with 200 watts. It was sitting next to a Yamaha CG1 (I think) and it sounded pretty close in overall tone, which I thought it was impressive. The Kawai CA99 they had in the store did not have that level of sound profile, it sounded more like a Kawai K200. So, if the CP200 sounded so impressive with the older Harmonic Imaging engine (I think the CP200 is from 1999), the newer upgrade (CP1) with its Harmonic Imaging XL must be a significant improvement and can only be better than the CP200. Regarding the speaker system in the CP200 and CP1, they both have 9 speakers, but the CP200 had 2 oval midrange speakers (6"x9") whereas the CP1 has two circular midrange speakers (5"). Both models have a 10" woofer and 3"x2 tweeters, but they are different in that the CP200 has 1"x4 dome tweeters and the CP1 has 3/4"x4 dome tweeters. The piano sample on the CP200 did show its age. However, I am referring to the speaker system performance when pushed hard. That's when the CP200 comes to live. In terms of speaker design, I would say there hasn't been much change in the last 20 years regarding cone speakers. It is still the same basic principle. The changes have been more significant in amplifier design, where now you can have super small class D amplifiers that perform excellent, and cost very little. Older models used bigger amplifiers, consumed more power since they were Class A/B. Regarding your last question of whether I would use a soundboard speaker design or not, let me answer it on a separate comment in this video. I will write a second comment because I think my reply will be too long. 🙂

[@verymozart]

This is my feedback after playing them. I then played in two showrooms the Kawai CA 99/701/901. And Novus 10. The sound is not bad, but I was totally disappointed by the unrealistic lightness of them. They seem like a toy. The successors are even lighter. The 99 is a bit less light than the 901/701. I find this a non sense from the Kawai, to do the successors even lighter. The touch is not firm. The action Grand Feel III is unsubstantial, spongy, not very realistic. Even the Novus10 for its price is quite light, the touch is not very firm. I think for its price and being it a real hybrid digital piano, is not acceptable. (The sound of the Novus10 is nice though). If you want to study seriously advanced classical music, and play it on digital mainly, I would avoid these models. Because you highly likely will experience problems when play the same advanced repertoire on the acoustic grand pianos, unless you regularly practice on acoustic pianos too. It's not the lightness only, but also the key action is too different than the acoustic grand pianos. Too unsubstantial. For serious advanced classical music studies, the key action/touch of a digital and hybrid piano is essential priority. (You can change the sound in a digital piano, but not the action. The action in fact is still the biggest challenge when creating a digital piano nowadays). I didn't buy none of them of course. So far the best , or if you prefer the least worse digital I played within my budget, that has a resemble of an acoustic, firmer touch, and even if it's not a real hybrid, is the CASIO GP510. It's quite nice, and you feel immediately under your fingers that there are real hammers. It has a great speed repetition, a very realistic, firm non light touch. A quite fine response even for the pianissimo. I don't know if it's enough appropriate to prepare an advanced diploma exam, in case it's practiced on it mainly. The speed repetition is faster than in the acoustic, and I'm not sure if that might create a problem when performing in the acoustic. But being a realistic, feel of authentic key action, I suppose you don't need too long time of practice on the acoustic pianos to transitioning nicely to acoustic grand pianos.

[@АндрейЗорин-е7г]

Giulia De Santis, полностью согласен с вашими словами. Изучая классическую музыку, далеко не все цифровые пианино подходят. Слишком легкие клавиши. Мое первое пианино CASIO AP-80R имело слишком легкое нажатие клавиш. И когда я играл на акустическом пианино, у меня возникали проблемы. Сейчас я купил пианино Yamaha CLP-785 . Это отличный цифровой инструмент. И по звуку и по тактильным ощущениям клавиатуры максимально приближен к акустическому инструменту.. Если у вас будет возможно, обязательно протестируйте Yamaha CLP-785 . Но даже этот инструмент не заменяет акустическое фортепиано. Привет вам из России.

[@verymozart]

@@АндрейЗорин-е7г it's not transalated in English, I can't understand a word of your comment

[@АндрейЗорин-е7г]

@@verymozart Can't you translate Russian into English? Strange. Giulia De Santis, I completely agree with your words. When studying classical music, not all digital pianos are suitable. The keys are too light. My first piano, a CASIO AP-80R, had keys that were too light to press. And when I played the acoustic piano, I had problems. Now I bought a Yamaha CLP-785 piano. This is a great digital tool. Both the sound and tactile sensations of the keyboard are as close as possible to an acoustic instrument. If you have the opportunity, be sure to test the Yamaha CLP-785. But even this instrument does not replace the acoustic piano. Greetings from Russia.

[@verymozart]

@@АндрейЗорин-е7г hello thanks for your reply. It's strange, because generally KZbin app translates automatically in the chosed language. Yes the keys of digital Pianos ate generally too lighter than acoustic grand pianos. Yes I played the Yamaha clp 775 and 785 (the 785 is lighter than the 775 It's. And both don't have hammers but just counterweights). As I wrote above the CASIO 510 has a more authentic action. With true hammers that follow the same path motion of the acoustic grand pianos. The key are also the same length and the made with the same Austrian spruce wood of the German Bechstein acoustic grand pianos. My only concern is if the CASIO GP510 is not as well too lighter than acoustic grand pianos. Have you ever played any CASIO 510/310? I don't think that there are digital pianos that can replace acoustic grand pianos. The point is to get the digital one within your budget that is the l least different from the acoustic one, in order not to have problems when you switch to the acoustic ones and you study advanced classical music. Greetings from the UK

[@verymozart]

@@АндрейЗорин-е7г Я перевел с помощью Google на русский и вставил сюда. здравствуйте, спасибо за ваш ответ. Это странно, ведь обычно приложение KZbin автоматически переводит на выбранный язык. Да, клавиши цифровых пианино, как правило, слишком легче, чем у акустических роялей. Да, я играл на Yamaha clp 775 и 785 (785 легче, чем 775 It’s. И у обоих нет молотков, а только противовесы). Как я уже писал выше, у CASIO 510 более аутентичное действие. С настоящими молоточками, которые повторяют движение акустических роялей. Ключи также имеют такую ​​же длину и изготовлены из той же древесины австрийской ели, что и немецкие акустические рояли Bechstein. Меня беспокоит только то, что CASIO GP510 не слишком легче акустических роялей. Вы когда-нибудь играли в CASIO 510/310? Я не думаю, что существуют цифровые фортепиано, способные заменить акустические рояли. Смысл в том, чтобы в рамках вашего бюджета приобрести цифровой, который меньше всего будет отличаться от акустического, чтобы не возникло проблем при переходе на акустические и изучении продвинутой классической музыки. Привет из Великобритании

[@dominic6055]

The 701 has a horrible sound too digital, the 901 is more natural

[@familypianoco]

I disagree that it's horrible, but the CA901 certainly benefits from the soundboard - especially in making the lower range thump! -Drew, 👪🎹

[@AlanThompson-bq1nk]

I have a CA 79 and just feel the sound is underpowered even at full volume. I am looking to upgrade and looked both the 701 and 901 and got a similar feeling compared to Yamaha 785. I just wonder whether I should go to the k300 Aures 2 when hopefully the acoustic piano would give a fuller sound. Any views

[@Philobach]

@@familypianoco Bonjour, d'abord excusez-moi de poser ma question en français, mais j espère que vous avez la traduction... Et j'aurai une question, s'il vous plaît, de non expert , à vous poser : Quand on veut faire les enregistrements par les branchements audio ou USB audio, est-ce que la table d'harmonie dont vous parlez joue encore un rôle dans la qualité du son ?

[@cedmelancon]

@@PhilobachNon, ça ne fais rien dans ce cas.