Kawai’s award-winning legacy of the CA78 has continued with the introduction of its successor, the CA79 Digital Piano. It features the distinctive “Grand Feel III” wooden-key keyboard action with Ivory & Ebony Touch key surfaces.
Combined with an improved Shigeru Kawai SK-EX Rendering piano sound engine, the CA79 delivers an authentic concert grand piano experience. Innovative Onkyo amplifier technologies and a robust six-speaker configuration work together to create deeply rich and impressive tone.
Feature controls and sound menus are easily and intuitively accessed with an LCD color touchscreen placed neatly in the updated cabinet design. All of these features combined create a stunning instrument for the discerning piano player.
HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Competition Grand SK-EX Rendering sound engine with multi-channel piano sampling. With smoother transitions across the keyboard, more natural bass sounds and a stronger duplex scale presence for unmatched realism.
- IMPROVED: Virtual Piano Artisan function with 20 adjustable parameters allows advanced adjustments in tone, as Kawai’s ‘Master Piano Artisans’ carefully voice the revered Shigeru Kawai grand pianos.
- IMPROVED: Integrated Bluetooth® MIDI v5 and Bluetooth Audio v5 connectivity to ensure ultra-low latency and superior sound quality.
- IMPROVED: Anti-glare LCD touchscreen with updated User Interface is also compatible with Kawai’s Piano Remote control app for iOS/Android
- IMPROVED: Beautiful contemporary upright piano cabinet design with sliding key cover and refined keyboard, pedals and music rest positions.
FEATURES
THE TOUCH OF A GRAND PIANO: GRAND FEEL III WOODEN KEY ACTION
Embracing many of the long-established principles associated with an acoustic piano, the Grand Feel III keyboard action utilized by the CA79 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 SOUND OF A GRAND PIANO: SHIGERU KAWAI SK-EX CONCERT GRAND
The Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano was conceived as the next step in evolving the art of the piano. Earning a reputation as the ‘premier piano of Japan,’ it graces the stages of concert halls and musical institutions around the globe, receiving universal acclaim for its exceptional clarity and dynamic range. The SK-EX has frequently been selected by professional pianists at such prestigious events as the Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Rubinstein international piano competitions. With its magnificent tone and wonderfully responsive touch, the SK-EX can best be described with one word – incomparable.
In order to faithfully reproduce the stunning sound of a Shigeru Kawai concert grand piano digitally, Kawai has developed SK-EX Rendering. This special, piano-only sound engine focuses the Concert Artist’s DSP power, combining multi-channel, 88-key sampling with the latest resonance modelling technology to deliver pure acoustic piano authenticity. When SK-EX Rendering is selected, players can choose ten differently prepared piano characters ranging from Classic and Romantic, to Jazz, and even Boogie.
VIRTUAL TECHNICIAN - PERSONALIZED PIANO ADJUSTMENTS
The knowledge and skill of an experienced piano technician is essential to bring out the best of a fine acoustic piano. In addition to tuning each note, the technician also performs numerous regulation and voicing adjustments that allow the instrument to truly sing.
The CA79’s powerful Virtual Technician function simulates these refinements digitally, allowing discerning musicians to shape aspects of the selected piano’s character to suit their personal preferences.
Perform touch weight and voicing adjustments, regulate hammer and key release noises, and fine-tune string, damper, and cabinet resonances. It is even possible to adjust the precise tuning, volume, and character of individual notes – all in real-time.
PREMIUM AUDIO TECHNOLOGIES
Developed in collaboration with Onkyo, one of Japan’s leading premium audio equipment manufacturers, the CA79 utilizes specialist components designed for high-end audio reproduction. With cutting-edge technologies such as 1-bit processing, dual DAC signal conversion, and DIDRC filtering, the Concert Artist’s optimized power amplifiers reproduce the Shigeru Kawai grand piano sound with stunning clarity, richness, and power, while the high-performance Discrete SpectraModule™ headphone amplifier ensures the finest quality listening experience, even when playing in privacy.
THE VARIETY OF A DIGITAL PIANO: CONVENIENCE & FLEXIBILITY
Complementing the instrument’s class-leading Grand Feel III keyboard action and stunning SK-EX Rendering piano sound engine, the CA79 also offers a strong selection of digital features that further enhance one’s musical enjoyment.
Full Bluetooth® connectivity and USB audio record/playback allows musicians to extend the functionality of their piano, or play-along with their favorite artists, while the convenient metronome and integrated lesson functions, featuring classical etudes and Alfred course books, ensure that regular practice is both productive and engaging for aspiring pianists.
INTEGRATED BLUETOOTH® CONNECTIVITY
In addition to standard USB and MIDI jacks for connecting to computers or other instruments, the CA79 also features integrated Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio technologies that allow the instrument to communicate with supported smart devices wirelessly.
Once paired with 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 to connect additional cables.
PIANOREMOTE APP
The CA79’s redesigned communication standard allows the user-friendly touchscreen interface to also be accessed via the dedicated PianoRemote app for iOS and supported Android devices. The app connects to the piano wirelessly via the Concert Artists’ integrated Bluetooth, providing an effortless way to change sounds, or enjoy the vast array of built-in music content from the comfort of an armchair.
BUILT-IN LESSON & FINGER EXERCISES
The CA79’s convenient lesson function allows aspiring pianists to learn piano with classical Czerny, Burgmüller, Beyer, Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin etudes, or a collection of songs from the popular Alfred’s Basic, Adult, and Premier course books.
With a strong emphasis on acoustic piano realism, the Concert Artist also features traditional finger exercises, scales, and warm-up drills, and includes companion books for all classical scores to further aid one’s piano development.
GRAND FEEL PEDAL SYSTEM
Reinforcing the Concert Artist’s reputation as the most realistic digital piano is Kawai’s Grand Feel Pedal System. This unique feature accurately replicates the position and individual weighting of the damper, soft, and sostenuto pedals of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano to further enhance the CA79’s acoustic piano-like authenticity.
Moreover, it is also possible to adjust the half-pedal sensitivity of the damper pedal, and effectiveness of the soft pedal using dedicated Virtual Technician parameters, allowing experienced pianists to personalize the instrument’s response to match their individual pedalling technique.
SUPERIOR HEADPHONE EXPERIENCE
The CA79’s Spatial Headphone Sound (SHS) technology enhances the depth and realism of the instrument’s sound when listening through headphones or earphones. The player can select one of three different acoustic presets that adjust the spatial positioning of the sound, while also helping to reduce auditory fatigue when using earphones or headphones for extended periods of time.
In addition, the CA79 also allows players to specify the type of headphones connected (Open, Semi-open, Closed, In-Ear, Canal, etc.) to ensure an optimal listening experience.
ADJUSTABLE MUSIC REST
The CA79’s broad music rest is designed to accommodate the most ambitious musical works, with smoothly rounded edges and simulated leather lining the base.
As with a grand piano, the viewing angle of the Concert Artist’s music rest can be adjusted to suit the performer’s height and playing position, or even set to a special ‘composer desk’ angle for greater convenience when notating scores or sketching musical ideas.
SPECIFICATIONS
Keyboard | Grand Feel III Action (GFIII) |
- 88 wooden keys - Grade-weighted hammers - Ivory Touch white key surfaces - Ebony Touch black key surfaces - Let-off simulation - Triple sensor key detection - 88-key Graded counterweights |
Pedal | Grand Feel Pedal System | - Damper (with half-pedal support) - Soft (with half-pedal support) - Sostenuto |
Piano Sound | SK-EX Rendering | -88-key multi-channel piano sampling -SK-EX Competition Grand Piano recording -SK-EX Concert Grand Piano recording |
Harmonic Imaging XL | -88-key stereo sampling SK-EX, SK5, EX recording, K60 Upright |
|
Polyphony | 256 notes maximum polyphony | |
Piano Resonance |
SK-EX Rendering |
88-Key Resonance Modeling - Damper Resonance - String Resonance - Undamped String Resonance - Aliquot Resonance |
Harmonic Imaging XL |
Acoustic Rendering - Damper Resonance - String Resonance - Undamped String Resonance - Cabinet Resonance |
|
Piano Adjustment |
Virtual Piano Artisan (depending on sound) |
- Touch Curve (incl. User Touch Curve) - Voicing (incl. 88-key User Voicing) - String Resonance - Damper Noise - Undamped String Resonance - Cabinet Resonance - Key-off Effect - Fall-back Noise - Hammer Noise - Hammer Delay - Topboard Simulation - Decay Time - Release Time - Minimum Touch - Stretch Tuning (incl. 88-key User Tuning) - Temperament (incl. User Temperament) - Temperament Key - Key Volume (incl. 88-key User Key Volume) - Half-Pedal Adjust - Soft Pedal Depth Virtual Piano Artisan Presets - 10 presets |
Number of Sounds | SK-EX Rendering | 5 + 5 rendering characteristics |
Harmonic Imaging XL | 96 voices | |
Reverb |
SK-EX Rendering |
Ambience (10 types) |
Harmonic Imaging XL | Reverb (6 types) -Room, Lounge, Small Hall, Concert Hall, Live Hall, Cathedral, Off |
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Brilliance | ✔ | |
Other Effects | 24 types | |
Speaker System | Speakers | 13 cm x 2 (woofers) (8 x 12) cm x 2 (top speakers with diffusers) 5 cm x 2 (tweeters) |
Output Power | 110 W (55W + 55W) | |
Enhancements | Low Volume Balance, Tone Control, Speaker Volume, Speaker Character |
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Headphone Enhancements | Premium discrete headphone amplifier Spatial Headphone Sound (SHS) 5 Headphone EQ Types Headphone Hook |
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Display | 5" LCD touchscreen (480 x 800 pixels) Anti-glare treatment |
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Key Cover | Sliding type | |
Music Rest | Collapsible type (6 angles of adjustment) | |
Dimensions | Width | 57" (145.0 cm) |
Depth | 19 1/2” (49.5 cm) | |
Height | 38 1/5” (97.0 cm) | |
Weight | Standard Finish: 168 2/3 lbs (76.5 kg) Ebony Polish Finish: 176 1/2 lbs (80.0 kg) |
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Basic Functions | Dual Split Four Hands Transpose Tuning Low Volume Balance Favorite |
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Metronome | Time Signatures: 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8 | |
Drum Rhythms | 100 patterns | |
Internal Songs | Demo Songs | 39 songs |
Music | 29 or 42 songs (Depending on market) | |
Concert magic | 176 songs | |
Lesson Songs | 578 Lesson Book Songs | Burgmüller 25 (25 Etudes Faciles, Opus 100) Czerny 30 (Etudes de Mécanisme, Opus 849) Czerny 100 (Hundert Übungsstücke, Opus 139) Beyer 106 (Vorschule im Klavierspiel, Opus 101) J.S. Bach: Inventionen Sonatinen Album 1 Chopin Walzer (Chopin waltzes series) Chopin Etudes (Opus 10) Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Lesson 1A Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Lesson 1B Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Lesson Book Level 1A Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Lesson Book Level 1B Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course Lesson Book Level 1 Lesson Books Sold Separately 140 Finger Exercises |
Internal Recorder | 10 song, 2 track recorder Approximately 90,000 note memory capacity |
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USB Recorder | Record | MP3, WAV, Overdub Audio, Line In & Bluetooth audio recording |
Playback | MP3, WAV, SMF, KSO (internal song file) | |
Bluetooth® * | MIDI: Bluetooth (Ver. 5.0 GATT compatible) Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI Specification compliant AUDIO: Bluetooth (Ver. 5.1 A2DP-compatible) |
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App Functions | Compatible iOS/Android Devices |
-PianoRemote -PiaBookPlayer |
Connector Jacks | Headphone | 1 x 1/4", 1 x 1/8" Stereo jacks |
MIDI | USB-MIDI, Bluetooth® MIDI | |
Line In | 1/8" Stereo (volume adjust knob) [unbalanced] | |
Line Out | 1/4" L/MONO, R | |
USB to Host | ✔ | |
USB to Device | ✔ | |
USB for Update | ✔ | |
Power Consumption | 45 W | |
Power | Power cable | |
Bench | Matching Bench | |
Others | Warranty Card Owner's Manual Hymn Player Manual Internal Song List |
WARRANTY
Kawai CP, CA, CS and CN Series products:
5 Years Parts and Labor
Click Here to Register Your New Piano Online (Have the model name and serial number ready).
Click Here To Download an Owner’s Registration Card.
Customers should retain their store receipt or purchase statement as proof of the date of purchase. Please contact Kawai’s Technical Services Division if you have any questions or concerns.