I've been looking to replace my native kontrol s88 mk1. Partly because the keybed makes a lot of noise, partly because native instruments ceased to support it and partly because the action is not that great compared to grands I have access to (Kawai at my teacher, yamaha disklavier at a friend).

So I've been looking at different digital pianos. After testing, the best I found in term of both feeling and sound is the Kawai CA701 and CA901. There's only about 700 euros difference where I am between both so I'm leaning towards the CA901. I do have a few questions:

1. I won't be able to have a big gap from the wall. It'll be around 5-10cm maximum. I know that this will impact the soundboard but I'm wondering how much. I read that Kawai says 3.5 cm minium is needed with Wall EQ. I just want to confirm if a CA901 that's 5 or 10cm from the wall will sound much better than the CA701

2. I plan to also use VSTs and output the sound back to the speakers. I've read that using usb midi with audio sent to the line causes ground loop. Any effective way to mitigate that?

3. I live in a place with a very humid climate sometimes reaching 85-90% inside the house. Will that be problematic for the instrument?

4. It seems that where I live (HK) the warranty is only 3 years compared to 5 years in other countries. How often do problem appear between year 3 and year 5?

Hey everyone,

I've been playing piano for about a year now and absolutely love it! I currently have a 15-year-old Yamaha digital piano, but I know I need to upgrade to something with fully weighted keys to keep improving. After doing some research, I’ve decided I want to invest in a Kawai.

I recently visited a store and tested a few models. They had the CA401 and CA901 in stock. The CA401 feels like a natural upgrade from what I have now, but when I played the CA901, it was on a whole different level—the sound and feel were just incredible. Even my partner, who isn't a pianist, was blown away and said, "Wow, get the 901!"

Obviously, the CA901 is a bigger investment, but I’m wondering if it makes more sense to buy it now rather than upgrading to the 401 and then wanting another upgrade in a few years. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Would you recommend just going for the 901 upfront to avoid future upgrades, or is the 401 still a great choice for someone at my level

Edit: I went for it- and purchased the CA901 and got a great deal on it! I got it in the Walnut coloring- hard color to find! Excited to get home and start playing on it.

I just got a CA901 from Alamo Music center in San Antonio.

First off, this sucker is heavy lol. I wasn't expecting that. My wife and I got it moved ok but had to take a couple of breaks carrying it.

Secondly, I'm extremely impressed with it so far. I am upgrading from a Korg LP 380. While I absolutely love the korg it was time for an upgrade. The number of voices and customizations is staggering. It's going to take some time to get used to.

If you ever need an instrument alamo treated us well and shipped it to our house which is one state over. We worked with Patrick but I bet all of them are helpful. We paid around 5200 for it which is what I saw someone say they got it for on a piano forum prices paid thread.

the CA901 is newer gland theoretically has the better newer sk ex concert grand piano, when only using good headphones, does the CA901 sound better? or does the NV5s has advanced techniques so that it sounds even better? and how is the latency for the piano samples? I only use a cheap midi keyboard Axiom 61 with Cubase + Kontakt player / piano library Ivory, it sounds extremely good, but I hate the latency (reduced with audio interface scarlet 2i2 to about 7 ms, but it's still too much and nearly unplayable for me, I am very sensitive). is a normal piano from kawai better? lower latency? more direct? I never played an original acoustic piano, I have no comparison, but I think they are very direct...

Hey piano community👋 I’m in the market for a new piano and would love some feedback to help me form my decision. I’ve narrowed it down to two contenders, but I’m open to considering others in my price range.

I’ve been playing on a Yamaha p-115 on and off for about 5 years. Late last year I started taking lessons and going to piano meetups in the area. I’ve come to realize the drastic difference between how the keys feel on digital piano and real acoustic uprights/grands.

I know acoustic keys are preferred to accelerate my progression. The only problem is I would have limited access to play time if I got an acoustic. Will digital keys will hinder my progress much compared to acoustic?

Are there any Pros or Cons I’ve overlooked?Any I should elaborate on? Any intrinsic properties I haven’t considered?

Kawai K200 - $7,200

PROS
Better hammer action
Rich acoustic sound
Will retain its value better

CONS
Have to keep it at my parent's, can only play ~3 times a week
Moving cost & yearly tuning/maintenance fees
Cannot capture audio/midi
Manufactured in Indonesia instead of Japan

Kawai CA901 - $6,400

PROS
Can keep at apartment and play daily
Easily capture audio/midi
$800 cheaper, no extra costs
New model#, in the beginning of its lifecycle. Better access to repair parts

CONS
Inferior replicated hammer action
Digital sound
Will not retain its value very well

Hey guys, incredible enough there are almost no reviews comparing these 3 models. I'm about to buy one. Can you please give me your honest opinions on these?

I actually liked CA-901 but It sounded a bit quite; they told me It was because the room was so large and the positioning of the piano wasn't great. I could already discern that the quality of sound was great but what I'm looking for in a piano is to feel the vibration, the bass like It's hitting a chord inside me.

Hi all! Professional pianist here who's been looking to upgrade their studio piano for a while. I'd settled on the Kawai CA99 a while ago but after months of waiting just as I was about to purchase it I notice that low and behold Kawai have realised a new model the CA901 which seems to be an upgrade as far as I can tell from a prelimenary glance.

That being said it seems to mostly be fine tunings upgradewise (new sampled voices, speaker systems etc.) rather than a fully redesigned and improved model. I know it's early day so this is unlikely but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the CA901 yet who can speak to the differences between it and the CA99 and whether the added price tag is a worthwhile investment.

Thanks in advance!

After 25 years I restart playing piano and am currently undecided between these two. I played both at a store and basically settled on the 701, even when I felt the 901 provided a even more realistic feeling, because the difference was 1000€. Now I have the option to buy the 901 with a 650€ difference to the 701.

And I wonder: Is it worth it? Is it wise?

Help me to come to a decision. :-)

I am considering getting a CA901, as I used to have the CA99 and loved it (but had to sell it) ☹️

1. Will the CA901 work as a loudspeaker for playing music from for example an iPhone? I think I read somewhere that you can, but apt sure.

2. Are there any other comparable digital pianos that I should consider, at a similar or lower price? I want something that looks like a piano, and will look good in my living room. Not a “keyboard” or stage piano, if that makes sense.

Although I'm still a beginner, I'm really enjoying playing the piano, which is why I started thinking about upgrading my Kawai KDP 120. Today, I visited a piano store specifically to try out the Yamaha CLP 885. With how much I'm into playing right now, I could see myself spending over 5000 Euros on a new piano. However, I was surprised to find that the CLP 885 felt heavy and clunky, leaving me a bit disappointed.

I also tried a few others: the Kawai CA-901 felt the most familiar in terms of sound and touch, while the Roland LX-9 had a lighter action that I liked, though its sound felt a bit off to me.

Now, back home at my KDP 120, I’m realizing it holds up quite well, even compared to models that cost 5-6 times as much. Sure, the action and sound could be improved, but I was expecting more from those high-end pianos. Grand-Touch definitely feels different, but does it truly justify spending over 5000 Euros?

I can’t help but wonder if I'm missing something, or if I'm just that accustomed to my KDP 120. I really didn’t get that "wow" moment from the high-end models.

Have you ever upgraded your digital piano? What did you switch from and to, and how did it feel for you?

Hi all! We're getting our kids into music and need to pick up a piano. We live in a condo so want to go with a digital. My wife and I both grew up with Yamaha uprights so that is our primary experience. From the reviews it appears the Kawai CA701 is great for budget/performance. I tried it in the store and liked it and I probably would have just gone for that if it was just up to me but my wife tried a hybrid (Casio GP-510) and preferred the action there. My research into hybrids has lead me to the Kawai NV5S. It's almost twice the price, but since we're planning to have it basically forever that's not the biggest deal? Though of course I would rather pay less if I could get away with it. I was hoping to get the opinions of the fine people here.

Do you think the realistic action of the NV5S is worth the price difference from the CA901? Also, since the impetus for this purchase is so our kids can learn the piano, do you think growing up playing a CA701 or 901 could negativily affect a child's ability to switch to a real piano in the future?

So after much reading and watching every review and playing all the different DPs in the Kawai lineup, I finally settled on the CN301 and I love it. Note that my use case is: apartment (quietness is important), this is going to be used as a practice piano for classical music.

Compared to the CN201, it's about 700$ more which is a significant price increase, but the top diffusers make a significant difference in the listening experience. The highs and subtleties of the beautiful SK-EX sample set really come out and surround you in a more natural way. If you don't care that much about that or you're gonna run your own monitors, then get the 201.

Now the real tricky comparison is with the CA401, which costs the same. The CA401 has the much improved SK-EX Competition sample; there's no question that it's a significant step-up on the sound quality. It's not as big a difference as between the EX and the SK-EX, but it's quite obvious especially in the treble. It's just a more pleasing, rounded, complex sound. So sound-wise the CA401 wins, but I just didn't like the Grand Feel Compact action as much. Compared to the RH3, it felt lighter, more bouncy, and did not give me the same sense of control and connection with the instrument. I tested this on 4 different occasions with different repertoire, across the 201, 301, 401 and 501. Moreover, the RH3 got so quiet on this generation that it's actually now the quietest action of the whole lineup; much quieter than the RHC and slightly quieter than GFC/GF3. For those concerned with noise (e.g. in apartments), the RH3 also produced the least amount of vibration (tested with a seismograph app on my phone). This is going to be controversial, but Stu of Merriam Pianos does mention that some people prefer the RH3 over the wooden key actions so I'm not the only one thinking this. If however you like the GFC action, the CA401 is the better DP for sure for the same amount of money.

I didn't spend much time on the CA501 as it's also the GFC.

The next significant step-up is the CA701 but it was outside my price range for a DP. Compared to the CN301, the speaker system is more powerful and refined; it also features the SK-EX Competition sample which is absolutely gorgeous. The GF3 action is pretty nice, not as light as the GFC. I still prefer the RH3 over it, but it has its merits. It definitely feels more acoustic-like. However, I don't know if this was a defect of the particular unit I had, but some notes were much brighter than others, like on a poorly regulated piano. This is weird. It's nothing to do with the sample, the CA501 and 401 have the same sample and didn't have this issue. Maybe the velocity curves are all over the place, in the firmware, or the action is mechanically uneven, I don't know. Hopefully this does not affect most units.

The CA901 is a very different beast as it has a real soundboard. I heard it comes assembled instead of in a box. It won't be very quiet in an apartment I would wager, because that soundboard causes a lot of vibration which is kind of the whole point. The CA901 would be good if you need a DP that can get very loud and gives you that mechanical feeling of the whole cabinet vibrating. You can feel it in the pedals, it's pretty amazing.

The KDPs use the simpler GFC action, which is ok to play on but feels cheap compared to the others. I didn't have very good control with it like I did on the RH3. When you press the key it feels hollow and you can feel the mechanism inside moving which is kinda distracting. However, it would make for a great beginner instrument. They are still fully weighted keys and allow for a wide range of expression.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Hi everyone,

I have been playing the Roland FP-30 for 4 years now. Attend music school and definitely want to continue next year.

Time for something new :-) .
In music school I always play on an acoustic upright piano and this is always different in terms of feel, keys and pedals than the Roland FP-30.

I would rather not have a purely acoustic piano because headphones are also useful.
A silent piano is too expensive.

So look for a better digital one :-)

I have now tried the Kawai CA901 in a store and it has a really nice sound, but also a very good key feel.

However, I saw that Roland also has a similar model, with slightly longer built-in keys and comparable in price. However, I can't find a comparison anywhere with the pros and cons of both pianos.

Can anyone provide more information about the difference, pros and cons between the Kawai CA901 and the Roland LX-6?

Or an additional question... should I perhaps compare the Kawai CA901 with another piano? If so, which one and why this?

I'm currently debating this since I'm not sure the differences between the 2 will be relevant enough for me to justify the extra cost. The Kawai KDP 120 is £850 and the CN201 is £1100

I will test them both later this week but as a beginner, I'm concerned I might be missing something due to my lack of experience.

From my perspective, the most relevant difference is the action (RHCII vs RHCIII) since I don't care that much for the screen and the bluetooth audio although I guess it would be nice to have.

Has anyone played these 2 models?

Edit: ended up buying the cn201 and I love it so far

I would love to hear some opinions, especially if you played either one. I played both but i dont want to spoil the conversation, so i keep my opinion for me. Im not 100% sure, so i need some input from other people. :)

About to pull the trigger on a CA901. Is £2839 a good price for it in Satin Black ($3597 for our friends across the pond). Really like the action on both the CA701 and 901 and was originally going to go for the 701 however recently they seem to be priced closer and closer. If anyone has either, would be glad to hear your views. Thanks again and happy playing!