Kawai CA79 Digital Piano

Product Overview

The Concert Artist digital pianos from Kawai are synonymous with innovation and sophistication and are often a vehicle for Kawai to push the envelope of digital piano technology forward for the entire industry.

The Kawai CA79 Digital Piano shares many features with its older brother, the flagship model CA99, but strips a few things away, resulting in a lower price point. Just like the CA99, the CA79 is a top-quality, powerful instrument that combines Kawai’s Harmonic Imaging sound technologies, their brand new GFIII wooden key-action, along with a list of impressive technologies/features easily accessible with the improved, fully embedded full-colour touch screen. Like all of the CA’s from Kawai over the last few years, and added emphasis on cabinet design and finishing quality is obvious, and the CA79 is available in four different finishes; Premium Rosewood, Satin Black, Satin White, and Polished Black.

With arguably the top action available in a digital piano available for under $10,000 and an incredibly authentic piano sound, the CA79 makes a strong case for the highest value, professional-quality digital piano on the market.

Action

Grand Feel III Action

The biggest thing that stands out about the new Kawai CA79 (and new CA99) is Kawai’s upgrade to their award-winning Grand Feel II Action, naturally called the Grand Feel III. Anyone versed with Kawai digital pianos can tell you that one of, if not their biggest contribution to digital piano technology over the past decade or so has been their cutting-edge digital piano actions. Kawai has continued to refine and upgrade these actions with a singular goal in mind; to replicate the feel of an acoustic piano action as closely as possible.

Now to the specifics: this action boasts 88, 100% wood keys, key surfaces of simulated ebony and ivory (ivory touch), extra-long keysticks, grade-weighted hammers, and even counterweights for enhanced control and authenticity, a tri-sensor for the most accurate possible MIDI output, as well as a new and improved let-off simulation feature.

The ‘Grand Feel II’ was a huge game-changer upon its release and really shifted the competitive landscape at the time. The ‘Grand Feel III’ action is a true next step.

Sound/Tone

While the action is perhaps the biggest selling feature of the CA79, it would be meaningless without a good sound engine (unless you were using a VST). Fortunately, the CA79 has one of the best piano sound engines currently available in a digital piano, with their “SK-EX Rendering” tone engine, along with their classic ‘Harmonic-Imaging-XL (HI-XL)” engine. Kawai records every note of the concert grand Shigeru Kawai SK-EX via multi-channel sampling (superior to stereo sampling) which serves as the foundation of their “SK-EX Rendering” tone engine. On top, Resonance Modelling technology is added to further refine the sound with variables such as damper resonance, acoustic rendering, etc. to capture the essence of an acoustic concert grand piano.

The CA79 is equipped with an easily accessible virtual technician function which allows the user control over 21 parameters for a high degree of customization, such as the touch curve and reverb.

Kawai‘s recent collaboration with Onkyo (a premium-audio equipment manufacturer from Japan), also appears here with Onkyo designing circuitry, headphone amplifier and the speaker system.

The CA79 also boasts a robust, 6 speaker system with 100 watts of output power. There are two speakers (woofers) for the bottom frequencies, two top speakers for the mids and two dome tweeters for the highs. A speaker system developed by Onkyo is definitely something to get excited about as this partnership has helped bring maximize the potential of Kawai’s sound engines.

Connectivity, Accessories & Bluetooth

As far as audio connectivity is concerned, the CA79 is loaded with options. For starters, it covers both Bluetooth bases with both Bluetooth Midi and Bluetooth Audio with aptx support. Bluetooth Audio allows you to turn your CA79 into a premium stereo system for listening to or playing along with music.

It also has both USB to device and Host, MIDI In and Out, dual Stereo Jacks, a 1/4: Line Out and finally, a Line in (1/8” stereo with volume knob).

Notable Features

• SK-EX Rendering (Pianist Mode) + Harmonic Imaging HI-XL tone processing (256 note polyphony)
• Grand Feel III Action with Triple Sensor
• Grand Feel Pedal System with Full Sostenuto
• 76 On-board Tones
• Onkyo Developed Speaker System: 4 Top Speakers with speaker diffuser panels, 2 Dome Tweeters; 100W total power
• 55W power consumption
• Spatial Headphone Sound Technology by Onkyo
• 5” LCD Touchscreen
• Key Cover/Upright Piano Type Music Rest
• Basic Functions: Dual, Split, Four Hands, Transpose, Tuning, Favorite
• 286 Internal Songs
• 13 Collections of Lesson Songs, including Burgmüller 25, Czerny 30, Beyer 106, Chopin Etudes, J.S. Bach: Inventionen and various Alfred lesson books
• Metronome
• Internal Recorder: 10 songs, 2 parts, 90,000 notes of total memory
• Bluetooth – Ver 4.1, Bluetooth MIDI, Bluetooth Audio
• MP3/WAV/SMF playback
• Connectivity: USB to device, USB to Host, MIDI In/MIDI Out, 2 Stereo Jacks (one 1/4”, one 1/8”), Line Out (1/4” L/MONO, R) and a Line in (1/8” stereo with volume knob)

Conclusions/Summary/Overall Impressions

The CA79 is a state-of-the-art heavy hitter in the digital piano market, and an excellent solution for those demanding excellence in touch, sound, and overall musical experience.

The Kawai CA79 Digital Piano brings the comfort and authenticity of a real acoustic piano key and extremely accurate action, to the convenience and versatility of a digital piano. The instrument utilizes one of the most advanced piano tone engines in the world and a superbly accurate and durable key action An amazing and hassle-free alternative to an entry-level acoustic.

Kawai CA79 Owner’s Manual

• [English] CA79 Owner’s Manual

Kawai CA79 Related Resources

• [VIDEO] Kawai CA79 Digital Piano Review & Demo
• [VIDEO] Kawai CA79 vs Roland LX705 Digital Piano Review & Demo
• [BLOG] Kawai Digital Pianos Series Overview