🎹Kawai K300 Aures Hybrid Piano Playing Demo & Review - Hybrid Upright🎹

[@Researcher30473]

in the middle right now of choosing a real upright over my digital clavinova and listening to the difference bewtween the digital and acoustic there is a real difference...... UPDATE bought a Willhelm schimmel 114t, what an absolute amazing piano and distinct sound...

[@lilirlandaise]

I've tried this yesterday and I fell in love with it. Aures functionalities are really icing on a cake!!

[@montanhar]

wow, it seems I'm not the only one looking for a K300 Aures x NV5 comparasion...

[@BillXing]

or K200 ATX3 vs NV5! almost the same price and same use cases...

[@Playingbyear]

If you’ve got the money, and don’t mind paying for tuning, the Aures wins hands down. The NV5 is the best digital piano I’ve ever played, it’s head and shoulders above everything else, even pianos with a ‘grand action’, but it’s still not a patch on an acoustic upright. Go to a piano shop and try them yourself, you’ll see what I mean. I’m in the U.K. where the NV5 is about £5.5k, while the K300 Aures is just over £7k. The one I really want is the K500 aures which is £10k. Better start saving up…..

[@alexthompson6529]

That was a really good/clear cut explanation of how these work, I've played a couple and always wondered what was actually going inside, thank you for shedding some light on it!

[@Instrumental-Covers]

Hello Stu, a transducer is not a magnet. A transducer does have a permanent magnet, but it also has a copper coil. It is basically a speaker driver without the cone.

[@bigdreams5554]

Wow very impressive piano. Like you said, this is a very practical piano for people who want acoustic but live with other people/neighbors and dont want to drive them crazy

[@MerriamPianos]

Yup - exactly! It is a niche sector of the market, but, in any case, the technology and performance is incredibly awesome! :)

[@willrobison17]

Can you please do a side by side comparison of the NV5 with a K300 Aures? I'm really curious how the strings/no-strings compare to each other. Thanks! Love the videos.

[@rosatioilportraits3561]

Thanks for the review. I enjoy all your reviews. Super talent player and reviewer.

[@donhunter324]

Wow , thanks for a great review ! I think this might be exactly what I’m looking for ! Thank you !

[@georgeservian9383]

Great review as always!

[@VinayGade]

After hearing the way you explained about the long keys I immediately Subscribed to your channel 👍

[@MerriamPianos]

Awesome, thank you!

[@PianoUniverse]

How's this compare to the Yamaha transacoutic system?

[@claytonroot806]

That was a satisfying review Stu and you mentioned that this instrument actually has the electronic "guts" of the the new CA99. I've been waiting patiently for your review of the actual Kawai Ca99 for a couple months now. Are you about to review that instrument any time soon? Thanks.

[@muthukumaranpk3856]

I was gonna ask that. CA99 please

[@alexpixeli]

It has the electronic guts of CA98 not CA99, it doesn't have the new UI of the CA99, not a dealbreaker but would be nice if it would run on the new platform, but the K300 Aures was released in the 2018. Or is there a "new" version, but don't think so.

[@agoode8008]

@@alexpixeli The new Aures2 (just announced) has CA99 internals.

[@gerrit555]

Great Piano. I own the K300 Aures. You can get out more of it with a individual voicing. Donˋt miss anything...

[@thomasfletcher9277]

I own one what exactly do you mean?

[@cyrw]

K300 ATX3 or Novus NV5? Or save my money and get Nu1x and wait for next generation. I need to decide...

[@Playingbyear]

Having tried all three, the aures gets my vote. You can’t beat a real acoustic instrument. Have you tried each one yourself? If not you HAVE to try before you buy. The acoustics are much better than the digitals. The Aures is two pianos in one, and a Bluetooth speaker to boot!

[@cyrw]

@@Playingbyear only tried the Aures as the NV5 and NV5S are not available for demo in my country. The NV5S also takes up less space and HK has some of the highest rents in the world so every inch here counts (the price of one square foot of real estate where I live can be almost the price of the K300 ATX3!)

[@jamesa375]

thanks ,great video explanation and presentation of basicaly where we are today with digital technology.I just wonder when we are going to see digital grands with soundboards with transducers.THey are in the KAWAI AURES grands but you still have to pay for the acoustic piano which drives the price enormously.These AURES pianos show the way to go in getting the digital sound alot more realistic.This piano actually only becomes what we call today digital with headphones,because when the soundboard engages in the digital mode there are still real strings in there that resonate,which doesnt happen in digital pianos.

[@MerriamPianos]

You're very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to tune in! :) Kawai has released a number of digital pianos that utilize the soundboard/transducer technology, such as the CA901 and NV5S models. There are a multitude of previous generation models that have been using this tech as well. I imagine that we will see more innovations like this from other manufacturers in the coming years. But, the fact that Kawai has been doing this for some time is a testament to their position as one of the leading innovators within the industry.

[@misstangshan95]

Did you have the volume turned down on the electronic sample when you switched to SK-EX? It sounded much quieter than the acoustic, hoping this isn't a speaker limitation as I was opting to get a CA99

[@mnash3]

Not even 24 hours ago, I was convinced that I did not want a hybrid piano... Well.....lol.... Cool vid..... There are a couple of cool things that the Aures is missing. For starters, it would be ideal if they created some way to record the actual acoustic performance. But let's say....Mark is being greedy.... It would be nice if in digital mode there was a way to record. Even better.... Since it is doubling as a digital keyboard, then how about recording 16 tracks of midi instead of just a 2 track stereo file. Annnnnnd let's say none of the above is possible, then how about either an sd card slot or a usb slot to record our performances straight to sd and then we can import the .wav or midi file into our daw of choice. Oh....I have some curious questions ..... We all know instruments get abused... My questions would be.... 1. Can I play the piano in digital mode if the acoustic has not been tuned? My best example of this.... Some companies like HP, well at least back in the day, they will not let u print unless all cartridges had ink. So if u were out of color, but u only needed to print black and u had plenty of black ink, HP still forced u to buy color before u can print. Sooooo....if the instrument goes out of tune and has not been tuned in a while, does that turn off the digital function as well? So hopefully by the time I purchase those features will be available.... So far, I am leaning towards the GL30 Aures 2. Oddly enough.... I did not know that I would like the idea of being able to play in silent mode. I tend to be up late at night so that may be a required feature for me. Thanks again for sharing your experience. Note: I am early in the research. Just saw the connections...looks like there is a place for not only usb recording, but even a connection jack to connect to a laptop/daw to record or even to go midi in/out. Nice! Now the only greedy part is to figure out how to record the acoustic performance.... Might have to mic the piano or just do a video recording... We'll see....

[@MerriamPianos]

We're glad that our video was helpful and has opened you up to the possibility of an acoustic hybrid piano. The Aures 2 technology from Kawai is quite impressive and offers convenience, versatility, and a whole spectrum of new musical possibilities given the ability to utilize both the acoustic and digital portions of the piano simultaneously. To answer your question, the piano does not need to be in tune in order to use the digital system. With that said, if you plan on using the digital system with the acoustic piano simultaneously (which is possible!), you may hear some noticeable tuning issues/phasing between the two different sounds. As you discovered through your research, the piano offers all of the same flexibility that a digital piano does in terms of recording and DAW connectivity. It does not have the option to record the acoustic piano's sonic output. That would be quite difficult to achieve as you would need some type of built-in internal or external microphones to capture the sound, which may not lead to the most enjoyable sonic experience depending on where they are placed. If you plan on recording the acoustic piano, it is ideal to have the flexibility of placing the microphones as you deem fit to yield the desired musical result.

[@mnash3]

@@MerriamPianos - Thank you for your kind and prompt response. I knew I was definitely being greedy by trying to record that acoustic performance. lol... I also see your point about the out of tune acoustic on the digital would not work well so I will keep the acoustic tuned. I will not worry about recording my acoustic at home and just focus on recording that acoustic live at a performance. For now, I will be starting with the Kawai ES920 and staying with the strategy of using the acoustic for practice at home and for practice for the live performance on a grand in public while being able to practice late in the night in silent mode. Thanks again.

[@vietqt]

Can you tell any difference between the acoustic mode and the digital mode using transducers? How closely does the digital mode manage to replicate the live sound produced by strings? I assume there are still reasons you would want to play in the normal acoustic mode sometimes?

[@Yothlan]

Again brilliant video, we can see that you know what you are talking about! Question: Did you feel that the action was "heavy" in digital mode? (Like on digital hybrids such as nv10/nv5). I'm curious to see if Kawai deploys the aures system to its grand piano line - it sound feasible !

[@urd4651]

maybe it is a weird question, but do you have any suggestions between the choice of NV10 and K300 Aures? thank you very much.

[@wblankenfeldt]

Great review as always. Is there any chance you can say something about the Kawai GX2 Aures 2? I saw this grand piano shine in some of your reviews here, but I am wondering what sticking these transducers onto the sound board does to the acoustics. I would also like to know how much sound the bare action still makes - I play through earphones on a Roland LX-17 at home, and even this may make my better half go ballistic three rooms away 🙂

[@MerriamPianos]

Thank you kindly! We appreciate the kind words! A review of the GL30 Aures 2 and/or GX2 Aures 2 is on the list of things to tackle, so, hopefully, we can get one of those out to you sooner rather than later. With that said, in my personal experiences, I have not found the transducers to have much (if any) impact on the acoustic experience. When playing a K300 and K300 Aures 2 or GL30 and GL30 Aures 2 side-by-side, I was able to achieve the same fantastic and rewarding sonic experience out of each version of the instrument. As is typically the case with Kawai, they go through painstaking lengths to optimize the musical experience and ensure that any integration of technology is not detrimental to the playing experience. In terms of the key noise of the action, there is naturally a noticeable amount of some key noise. I would say that it is a little more pronounced than your average digital piano given the fact that you are dealing with a heavier and longer wooden key stick. Thanks and hope this helps! :)

[@FredCacti]

Hi stu, Why would you get the nv5s over the k300 aures?

[@MerriamPianos]

Hi! Brent here! It really depends on the context of use. If there are no budget or volume restrictions, the K300 Aures 2's ability to function as a regular acoustic piano would give it the edge for me.

[@adriandiaz7261]

Hi Stu, thank you very much for the review. Has this piano got rhythms in the digital mode?

[@александрмальцев-к4м]

прошу сделать строчку текста перевода - очень понравилось в виде сравнения u-1 b k-300

[@fmiquel2011]

Hello! Quick question, how does the action compare with the ATX2 because I can get an K300 ATX2 with a substantial discount and I really only need the silent mode not the whole sounds thing but the regulation you talked about scares me, thanks!

[@angeltan3622]

Also anyone knows the length of the keys k300 are the same as the Novus5?Much appreciated.

[@MerriamPianos]

The 'visible' part of the key will be the same, I haven't compared the key-stick length, but if they've done the same with the Novus 5 as they did with the Novus 10, the key action is identical to it's acoustic equivalent. So there's a good chance it's a 'yes'.

[@Playingbyear]

Hi Stu, greetings from England. Thanks for another elucidating review. Tell me, does the addition of the Aures system detract in any way from the base K300? Does a K300 sound better acoustically than a K300 Aures? I would have thought the transducers would mute the soundboard somewhat, but perhaps it’s not perceptible? Is there any difference between the soundboards used in each? Would you have this over something like the NV5? Thanks

[@Researcher30473]

same important question...

[@paxwallacejazz]

OMG news to me. So what happens when the strings go outa tune?

[@JoeLinux2000]

You tune the actual strings to the virtual stings.

[@genedong]

Can you play this piano in a blackout?

[@tempestv8]

The acoustic part isn't powered, so presumably so! :-)

[@desertedvoltron]

What is the difference between this and the K500 Aures?

[@cyrw]

K500 is bigger and longer key length I think. I have played both, but my skill level is not good enough to tell a real difference.

[@Aaron-md2eo]

Kinda weird. I temporarily own a K300 Aures until I get my NV5. I was utterly disappointed with the digital sound. It was lacking power and was quite a bit quieter at max volume than when playing acoustic. To me it also sounds very muddy and just weird. Before I owned an old Roland which to me sounds much clearer and has more power, especially in the base.

[@angeltan3622]

I’m still worry about the regulation issue switching between acoustic and silent bar. Just the paranoia of the more stuff and gadget you add to an already perfect acoustic piano it is asking more and potential problems. Don’t know.

[@DavidConnors]

He specifically called it out as awesome.

[@Playingbyear]

It’s got a 10 year warranty, what’s to worry about?

[@nellyvetterodriguezgarcia3240]

how much is this piano?

[@Dobermanator]

4:08 he says under 10,000.00 US range. I've seen another priced at $9,150.00 US on line so appears correct.

[@nellyvetterodriguezgarcia3240]

@@Dobermanator wow I guess I can't afford it :(

[@nellyvetterodriguezgarcia3240]

I have the yamaha P-125 that I love but I want now something more exotic :) @@Dobermanator

[@nellyvetterodriguezgarcia3240]

@@Dobermanator I was searching and I didn't see any of the hybrid model that he posted ,and they showed the right model at Music center, and other music stores but no prices listed , also I looked on amazon and nothing but no prices .

[@cyberwarfare9118]

@@nellyvetterodriguezgarcia3240 Buy a second hand upright.

[@elizabethvhwong]

Stu, you look tired recently. Take good care.

[@TheTimmmmay86]

His kid was 18month old at the time. If you ain't tired from that you ain't human

[@albertelazar4069]

Soundboard transducer technology has HUGE drawbacks, when it comes reproducing the intricate details of sound, due to the soundboard being a lot heavier, and thicker, than your traditional dynamic speaker cone material. So, it (soundboard) just can't vibrate fast enough. But, ofcourse, marketing videos like these, will never tell you that!

[@canbalcioglu4229]

Does this problem only occurs with these Aures models or is it the same with ATX3 models?? Can you compare k300 Aures with k300 atx3 for this specific issue.

[@ampac]

@@canbalcioglu4229 An AURES is an ATX3 with soundboard transducers. With the ATX3 you can only use headphones. The sound engine is the same, meaning an AURES and ATX3 sound the same through headphones.

[@Kyuuketsuki02]

That's an interesting observation. I would ask, however, how the soundboard on a piano manages to produce a piano tone if it cannot, as you say, vibrate fast enough to reproduce the "intricate details of sound". Does the soundboard behave differently when set vibrating via the hammer-string-bridge mechanism on a traditional piano than it does when set vibrating via transducers?