Grand Feel II wooden-key action with Ebony & Ivory Touch key surfaces, counterweights, and ‘Let-Off’ mechanism

The CA98 and CA78 digital pianos utilise Kawai’s latest Grand Feel II wooden-key keyboard action, which draws upon 90 years of acoustic piano craftsmanship to provide an exceptionally realistic playing experience.

As with a grand piano, all eighty-eight black and white keys are crafted entirely from long pieces of wood, pivoting on a central balance pin in a smooth, seesaw-like motion. The Grand Feel II keys are longer than any other digital piano keyboard action, with the pivot point distance matching that of a Kawai grand piano. When the front of a key is pressed down, the rear rises, throwing a hammer which plays the note. These metal hammers have been micro-engineered to optmise their centre of gravity, and are graded in size and weight to replicate the heavier bass and lighter treble notes of an acoustic grand piano. The forward and backward movements of each hammer are precisely measured using triple-sensor technology, providing
faster key repetition, improved responsiveness, and enhanced playing realism.

Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano reproduced with latest SK-EX Rendering sound technology

The magnificent tone of Kawai’s flagship Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano is at the heart of the CA98 and CA78 digital pianos. Widely regarded as the ‘premier pianos of Japan’, Shigeru Kawai instruments grace the stages of concert halls and musical institutions throughout the world, and are prized for their tonal clarity and exceptional dynamic range.

In order to faithfully reproduce the stunning sound of a Shigeru digitally, Kawai has developed SK-EX Rendering – 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, pedals, and various other parts of an acoustic piano, giving
players the impression that they’re sitting at a living, breathing instrument.