Koichi Kawai designed and built the first complete acoustic piano action in Japan in the early 1900s. In the decades that have followed, Kawai engineers continue to pursue the company founder’s quest for perfection, pioneering the use of state-of-the-art materials and designs that advance the piano art form.

The Millennium III upright piano action found in today’s Kawai ‘K’ series instruments exemplifies Koichi’s philosophy.

This highly-coveted action incorporates components produced using ABS Carbon, an extremely sturdy and rigid composite material that allows these action parts to be stronger, lighter, and faster than their conventional wooden counterparts.

Kawai ‘K’ series upright pianos also utilize extended length key sticks, providing greater control and a more even response from the front to the back of the playing surface.

The touch of an acoustic piano. The Millennium III Hybrid action represents the latest milestone in Kawai’s rich legacy of piano innovation, and serves as the centrepiece of the Novus NV5. It comprises over 6,000 individual parts, each playing a crucial role in allowing the performer’s fingertips to express feeling and emotion through music.

The future of the piano - The future of the piano Based on the ‘K’ series’ proven action design, Millennium III Hybrid retains the composite parts and extended key sticks of its acoustic cousin, while replacing the traditional felt hammers with individually-weighted ABS equivalents.

As a hybrid piano, there are no metal strings inside the Novus for these hammers to physically strike when the keys are played, therefore their precise movements are instead captured using high-resolution optical sensors mounted over the action.

Millennium III Hybrid delivers all of the benefits of a premium Kawai upright piano action within a digital instrument. This feat of engineering allows pianists to enjoy the unmatched feeling of playing an acoustic piano, regardless of the time of day, or the size of their home.

ABS hybrid hammers - The Novus NV5’s precision-engineered ABS hammers have been designed for structural stability and optimum keyboard touch-response.

Each individual hammer is grade-weighted to mirror the heavier bass and lighter treble hammers of an acoustic piano, ensuring that the NV5’s key touch-weight feels the same as a well-regulated acoustic instrument.

Optical hammer sensors - The precise movements of each hammer are measured using high-resolution optical sensors, providing greater accuracy than conventional key-based sensor systems.

This more advanced approach closely reproduces the mechanical flow of an acoustic piano, and allows rapid pianissimo passages with mordents or trills to be performed with greater fluency.