Kawai's Flagship Console Piano - The CA99 

I Like the idea of ATX pianos. But they use ultra progressive harmonic imaging for digutal sound. This is CA95 technology.

It's almost like the bass notes have some kind of boost on them

I would be very interested to hear an honest review of those actions compared.

I was in your boat, but found the extra cash for the polished 99, which is awesome - but I'm sure I would have been happy with the 79 as well

Unlikely, since I doubt I'd find both of them in the same store. New Yamaha and Kawai products are never seen in the same dealership together.

@@ThePianoforever Well, you could review the Yamaha CLP785 by itself. Then you could compare the two pianos based on your videos, memory, notes, etc.

Yeah but the GF 2 felt firmer which many people prefer. GF3 feels lighter

Yes, even the empty box with packing materials is heavy. The ES920 weighs 37 lbs. I'd sure like to hear from someone who has played both side-by-side.

That would be an excellent idea.

Not an easy task. Kawai's GF actions are top notch in terms of realism, dynamics, texture, feeling. They are indeed more complex and sophisticated, therefore more expensive. In addition to that, the units featuring the GF action are heavier and much less portable than its competitors (MP11SE is a good example). By installing the GF into the ES, the unit would be significantly heavier, bigger and much more expensive. The ES920 features the RHIII action, which is simply amazing and outstanding. Nord installed a modified version of the RHIII into their Grand model but Kawai had to make multiple adjustments in order to build the light and compact keybed that Nord urged them to do. The outcome, as far as I'm concerned, was awful and terrible. The Nord Grand action is a joke.

@@mlgl9728 Damn, I'm so curious to play the Nord to see why people don't like it

I've heard the only thing Nord did was remove the escapement.

I am interested in Dexibell products but have almost never seen them in stores, and have never seen the S series for sale in person. Perhaps if I went to Sweetwater's Indiana showroom I might find one, and to buy one would be very costly.

I've never heard of CA33, when was it released?

@@eurovisionist The CA33 is basically a CA49 for China market only and it's produced in Shanghai. It uses the GFC keybed with a price just over 1700 USD.

I like the way you think! Studio monitors with a digital piano is a great setup. I think far more useful than a piano amp, at least for a home system. I have a pair of KRK rokit 8s that I use for my Yamaha P125. I run it through garageband with a Focusrite audio interface. I can use the sounds directly from the instrument or any of the sounds in garageband. It's pretty awesome.

Hi Dax, while I'm just a beginner at the piano I do have expertise in loudspeaker acoustics and I definitely think studio monitors are a great idea, because most piano speakers, well, aren't very good. They tend to be optimized more for fitting the form factor than for actually reproducing sound correctly. However, it's important you get studio monitors with a flat frequency response and good 'dispersion' or 'directivity' for the most accurate sound. Unfortunately the presonus Eris don't have a flat frequency response, with an undue emphasis in the bass and treble in particular, as well as a dip in the upper mids. If you have access to EQ they can be fixed though (Look up Eris 5xt audio science review). In that price range, the Kali LP-6 is a much better option that will give you a more linear response and deeper bass extension as well. The JBL 305P as well. Their main issues is that they might have a little hiss. I'm also a big fan of the iLoud Micro monitors, which have a rather linear response and are super small with good bass. They just can't get very loud. Good luck!

@@napilopez thanks for the info...but I did already purchase them. I understand the importance of flatness and if I had equipment I'm sure I could measure and tweak.. But as I am a novice of the ear.. They sound fine to me for now. I def don't need loud just fuller sound and less rolloff for the low end. So far I very much like them. I smile more when I play so that's good enough for me (as of now)

@@thepocketboy hi Dax! Don't get me wrong, you should definitely enjoy the speakers -- they're still quite good, just thought I'd suggest some tweaks should you want a free 'upgrade' for the Eris's or if you still have the option to return them. Happy playing! Getting decent speakers for my digital piano is definitely one one of the best choices I made and studio monitors are the way to go!

To me, regardless of budget or being acoustic/digital, all Yamaha pianos sound too bright, and Kawai sounds dark and warm, just as I expect from a piano

Kawia???

But how can you dislike ALL Yamahas? Surely there are good and bad which is surely the same with Kawai, depending on the price. I do think that most Yamahas tend to sound brighter whereas most Kawais sound mellower.

He reviewed the NV 5, which has real upright actions.

I hadn’t noticed it until you mentioned it but i get a vibration too. I wouldn’t worry about it, seems normal

I did at least, when evaluating CA-99 vs Nv5. I would have taken Nv5, but the price point is double that of CA-99. Nv5 felt better than CA-99 in terms of action, sound was different and hard to compare. Was tempted but given the $ difference the choice was easy - given my journey in my piano learning. Now it's different and I will upgrade but not to the Nv5.

Being one of Kawai's most expensive keyboards, the feel and sound of the CA99 is excellent. That would make for an interesting comparison though...

@@ThePianoforever that would be a really cool comparison imho.

I'm not too sure what Kawai has changed between the original GrandFeel (the keybed in the MP11SE) and the GrandFeel 3 seen here, but they both feel incredible.

There is a common problem with the GF where the slip tape can come loose. This has been addressed in the GFIII. I found the GFIII is firm at the bottom of its travel whereas the GF is a bit spongey.

I always use Liszt - Feux follets for testing the instrument.

I have noticed no problems with the GF actions and have played them for years.

@@ThePianoforever Specifically comparing this to the MP11/MP11SE, would you say that the CA99 action is much more reactive and capable of these very fast single note trills? Think the "Prelude" to "Angry Young Man" by Billy Joel as an example at the tempo I must play at...the MP11 I have won't do it, but the Grotrian Grand (that, alas, I had to leave behind in a move) would so nicely!

I can, painfully, report that you can play trills without any issues on the GF3. Had a 20 minute session this morning as warmup (probably my 100th on it). It's just like any mechanical. Try it, should be fine to go in to a store and check it out yourself.

Abit below 5 grand. With that said it's the best stereo system I've had as you can connect any bluetooth device to it and it's great system for that.

@@zerksari That's exactly what I think about my Yamaha CVP-809! Before that, I tried buying an expensive receiver and speakers, for $1000, and yuck!

@@mn1233 I am not a salesman, just own one (and soon upgrading). Go play it before deciding, Covid is easing, you should be able to hit a music store and check it out.

@@zerksari what are you upgrading to?

In my opinion it's not simply a matter of sound. In a recording the dynamics are already established by the pianist, whereas on a digital piano the sound is constantly being modulated by how much speed and strength you put into each note, so it's a lot more complex to mimic? Also in my opinion, this piano actually sounds amazing.