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

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. :-)

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'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?

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...

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?

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.