Video

Highlights

• Grand Feel II wooden-key keyboard action with Ebony & Ivory Touch key surfaces, 3-sensor, let-off, counterweights
• SK-EX Rendering sound engine with multi-channel, 88-key piano sampling and resonance modeling
• Premium audio processing and amplification powered by Onkyo
• Integrated Bluetooth® MIDI and audio
• 5″ LCD touchscreen display cheekblock control
• MP3/WAV/SMF playback, record, and overdub to USB
• Spatial Headphone Sound and Onkyo amplification for enhanced headphone sound depth and realism
• 256 Polyphony (max.)
• Grand Feel Pedal System
• Attractive, modern cabinet with 6-position adjustable music rest

Touch

The touch of a grand piano: Grand Feel II wooden key action - Embracing many of the long-established principles associated with an acoustic piano, the Grand Feel II keyboard action utilised by the CA78 combines realistic materials, motion, and mechanism to recreate the exceptional touch of the finest concert grand pianos.

All eighty-eight black and white keys are crafted entirely from long pieces of wood, with finely textured ivory and ebony-like surfaces applied to absorb moisture and assist control. Each wooden key pivots smoothly on a balance pin – the ends rising and falling to replicate the familiar ‘seesaw’ motion of an acoustic piano action. When pressed, the back of the key lifts, triggering a grade-weighted hammer to strike a pressure switch. The amount of force applied to this switch is then measured, and the corresponding note played with authentic tonal character and volume.

The longest keys, the longest pivot length - In addition to having the longest keys of any digital piano, Grand Feel keyboard actions also boast the longest key pivot length – matching that of a Kawai grand piano.

This improvement ensures a more evenly balanced key touch weight from front to rear, and is particularly beneficial when playing complicated chords with fingers positioned towards the back of the keyboard.

88-key graded counterweights - In addition to grade-weighted hammers, the Grand Feel II action also features graded counterweights attached towards the front of all 88 keys.

As with an acoustic piano, these finely balanced weights help to lighten the touch of the keyboard during pianissimo passages, while adding a feel of greater substance when playing with force.

Triple Sensor Detection - The Grand Feel II keyboard action also features an accurate triple-sensor key detection system for enhanced playing realism.

The added third sensor improves responsiveness when playing the same key repeatedly, and unlike conventional two sensor keyboard actions found in most stage pianos, allows the sound of a single note to be gradually ‘layered’ without the previous tone being lost

In addition, Kawai’s action technology also monitors the speed at which each key is lifted, influencing the release character of piano sounds, and providing a greater range of expression between staccato and legato playing.

Ivory & Ebony Touch key surfaces - The exceptional CA78 features Kawai’s highly regarded Ivory Touch white key surfaces as standard.  This finely textured material gently absorbs fingertip perspiration and oils to assist playing control, and possesses a natural, matte finish that is smooth but not slippery.

To complement these premium white keys, Kawai has also developed Ebony Touch, an all-new black key material that reproduces the finely-textured grain and rich lustre of real ebony wood.  The result is a keyboard surface that looks and feels as luxurious as some of the world’s finest grand pianos, inspiring musicians of all levels to become better pianists.

Let-off simulation - As the most authentic digital piano keyboard action, Grand Feel II even reproduces the ‘let-off’ characteristic of acoustic piano actions.  This subtle ‘notch’ sensation can be felt when playing the keys of a grand piano very gently, and may be used by experienced pianists to aid control when playing pianissimo passages.

In addition, the Grand Feel II action supports playing notes from the let-off point (sometimes referred to as playing ‘off the jack’), allowing the most advanced piano techniques to be performed.

Sound

SK-EX rendering is a brand new piano sound engine that blends multi-channel, 88-key sampling with the latest resonance modelling technology. Multi-channel sampling captures the sound from different points of the Shigeru Kawai concert grand piano, allowing a broader range of tonal characteristics to be reproduced, and providing a more lively, authentic response to changes in dynamics. This naturally expressive sound is further enriched by newly developed resonance algorithms, which physically model the complex tonal interactions produced by the strings, damper, and various other parts of an acoustic piano, giving players the impression that they’re sitting at a living, breathing instrument.

Kawai in partnership with the legendary Onkyo corporation utilizes components designed for high-end audio reproduction. With state of the art technologies such as 1-bit DSD processing, dual DAC signal conversion, and Onkyo’s exclusive DIDRC circuitry, new optimized power amplifiers reproduce a breadth of grand piano sounds with stunning richness and clarity.

Onkyo’s brand new high-performance Discrete SpectraModule™ headphone amplifier combines with Kawai’s existing Spatial Headphone Sound (SHS) technology to ensure the finest quality and most engaging listening experience, even when playing in privacy.

LCD Touch Screen

The CA78 Hybrid Piano is the first instrument of its kind to feature a full-color 5” touchscreen display. Discreetly embedded within the left cheekblock, this high resolution touchscreen allows sounds and settings to be selected from an attractive user interface simply by tapping or swiping the display with a finger.

Virtual Technician

An experienced piano technician is essential to fully realise the potential of a fine acoustic piano. In addition to meticulously tuning each individual note, the technician also performs numerous regulation and voicing adjustments that allow an instrument to truly sing.

Virtual Technician brings exquisite control over the sound in the CA78 to your fingertips via the full-color 5” touchscreen display. Perform touch and voicing adjustments, regulate hammer and key release noises, and fine-tune string, lid, and damper resonances. It is even possible to adjust the precise tuning and volume of individual notes* all in real-time. Then, with the desired refinements complete, save the personally prepared instrument to internal memory or a connected USB device, or exchange favorite settings with other Kawai owners online.

Bluetooth®

In addition to standard USB and MIDI jacks for connecting to computers or other instruments, the CA78 Hybrid Piano also features integrated Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio technology that allows these instruments to communicate with supported smart devices wirelessly. Once connected to a phone, tablet, or laptop, Concert Artist owners can enjoy a wide variety of exciting music-related apps that enhance their learning and playing experience, or stream audio from songs and videos directly through the instruments’ premium amplifier and speaker systems without the need for any cables.

USB Audio and Storage

In addition to standard USB and MIDI jacks for connecting to computers or other instruments, the CA78 Hybrid Piano also features integrated Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio technology that allows these instruments to communicate with supported smart devices wirelessly. Once connected to a phone, tablet, or laptop, Concert Artist owners can enjoy a wide variety of exciting music-related apps that enhance their learning and playing experience, or stream audio from songs and videos directly through the instruments’ premium amplifier and speaker systems without the need for any cables.

Grand Feel Pedal System

The CA78 Hybrid Piano features three pedals – soft, sostenuto, and damper (with half-damper capability). The new Grand Feel Pedal System reproduces the individual weighting of each of the three pedals of the Kawai EX concert grand.

Jacks and Connections

In addition to USB, the CA78 Hybrid Piano has other useful jacks including 2 headphone jacks, MIDI connections and audio input / output jacks for connecting to sound equipment and recording systems.

Related Pianos