The Kawai CA49 is one of the best digital pianos from the CA or concert artist series from Kawai. This piano comes as a perfect replacement for the famous Kawai CA48 digital piano. If you are looking to buy the best digital piano, Kawai has been in the industry of manufacturing pianos for more than 100 years now and their grand digital pianos are popular among piano teachers, pro-musicians, and professional pianists, and even in churches and universities. At its heart, this piano retains its grand feel and features a compact wooden-keyboard action, along with progressive harmonic imaging sound samples. Let us discuss the other features of this piano here.
Kawai CA49 Review 2023
| Features | Rating |
| Performance and sounds | 9.3 |
| Connectivity | 9.1 |
| Build Quality | 9.2 |
| Value for money | 9.3 |
Note: Kawai CA49 features in our list of best digital pianos for classical pianists and best pianos under $5000.
Table of Contents
Features of Kawai CA49 digital piano
The Kawai CA49 features an impressive collection of features that works together, and it also offers the most enjoyable playing experience of any digital piano in its class. As a successor of the popular CA48 piano, it incorporates the best technologies that are developed in collaboration with Onkyo, the premium audio equipment manufacturing company. Its amplification system and motherboard are designed to deliver higher and richer quality sounds. This piano also offers the rich acoustic piano sounds of the Kawai EX concert grand and the Shigeru Kawai SK-EK digital pianos.
The piano also features a new low volume balance function, that helps in enhancing consistency, while playing the piano even at extremely low volume levels. The piano has a cabinet design and features a taller body and rounded edges than large concert artist models. This piano thus offers a premium and impressive experience and it boasts an enhanced block control panel along with a modern OLED graphic display for easy operation and playing experience.
The Kawai concert artist series is one of the award-winning lines of digital pianos from Kawai, available today, that offers piano players of all levels a premium piano playing experience. The key highlights of this piano and other unique features of this model are discussed below.
1. Specifications of the piano
- Grand feel compact wooden-key keyboard action.
- Attractive and a modern cabinet with a cheek block control panel.
- The keys feature ivory and ebony touch surfaces, triple sensor action, counterweights, and let-offs.
- The piano reproduces the sounds of Kawai EX concert grand pianos.
- The audio technologies of this piano are developed in collaboration with Onkyo.
- There is a high-resolution OLED display present in this piano.
- This piano also features built-in classical etudes and Alfred lesson books.
- The piano feels a grand feel pedal system with three-pedal units.
- There is a virtual technician feature in this piano with ten presets and a smart mode function.
- There are also two speakers on this piano with woofers.
- There is a collapsible music rest in this piano with three angle adjustments.
- There are also 19 demo songs on this piano with lesson mode and an internal recorder feature.
2. Keyboard and keys of the piano
The CA49 is the latest and the best digital piano from Kawai that features a Compact wooden-key action and it has been designed to reproduce the authentic touch weight characteristics of grand feel keyboard actions. The 88 black and white keys in this piano feature long wooden key sticks, that feature a seesaw mechanism that is been used in acoustic grand pianos for ages. The keys in the Kawai CA49 have an extended pivot length and help with a consistent touch weight while playing at the rear of the keyboard.
The CA49 delivers a realistic playing experience and incorporates grade-weighted hammers, let-off simulation, and counterweights at the bass region for additional authenticity. Its accurate triple-sensor key action system allows repeated notes to be played smoothly, without unnatural breaks in the music quality. To complement the improved keyboard action, Kawai also adds speed monitoring technology to monitor the speed of the piano, and to enhance the release character of the piano sound.
3. Sound quality in the piano
The rich and expressive sound of the concert grand pianos is the heart of the Kawai CA49 digital piano. The progressive harmonic imaging technologies of this piano reproduce the tonal characters of the acoustic piano, as its tone dynamics improve.
Thus while playing this piano, we can enjoy seamless music expressions, and gentle sound transitions to perform complicated sound pieces, without the notes getting dropped out suddenly.
The realistic sounds of this piano are delivered through its high-performance sound hardware that has been developed in partnership with Onkyo, the leading audio equipment manufacturer from Japan.
The piano reproduces the sounds of the acoustic piano faithfully with crystal clear sound clarity, and with minimal sound distortion. The piano also features a powerful four-speaker delivery system with each of them reproducing the feel of a grand piano.
4. Convenient features
There are several convenient features in this piano, which include integrated Bluetooth, line-in and out connectivity features, built-in lessons, etc. There is an integrated MIDI feature that allows the piano to communicate with supported smart devices and it makes use of the new piano remote iOS and android app to select and adjust the sounds wirelessly.
There is also a built-in lesson function, adjusting metronome, and song recorder feature, which are invaluable lessons for budding pianists. The piano also offers a rich assortment of additional instrumental voices, along with dual and split playing modes. The piano adds a lot of variety to the performance of the players. There is also a dual-mode in this keyboard, that divides it into two independent sections, to allow the teacher and the student to play and practice simultaneously with a single instrument.
5. Other features
The piano is compatible with the PianoRemote app, which connects seamlessly with android and iOS devices. The Kawai CA49 inherits the advanced SHS technology from the CA series instrument from Kawai, escalating the realism and depth of sounds when heard through headphones. This also decreases auditory fatigue, while playing piano for large periods.
The piano features an attractive design with a modern cabinet appearance, along with an OLED display and a discrete control panel. Its high-quality wooden cabinet with raised upper board and flat fascia offer the piano an elegant design. The piano also features elegant leg details and a rounded top board, along with a minimalistic toe block design, that makes this piano look slender and elegant.
Pros
- The motherboard of this digital piano has been developed in partnership with Onkyo for enhanced tone clarity.
- The piano features an updated control panel with an OLED graphical display.
- There is a low volume balance function for enhanced touch consistency, even at a reduced volume.
- The upgraded virtual technician smart mode features make piano learning a delightful experience.
- The cabinet design of this piano is very elegant, and it also features an attractive and upgraded design.
Cons
- Heavy piano that requires assistance for assembling.
- The price of this piano is at the higher end.
Alternatives of Kawai CA49
These are the best alternatives to Kawai CA49 Piano.
Final Verdict
The Kawai CA49 is an authentic successor of the world-famous Kawai CA48 digital piano, that renders the legacy of authentic piano sounds and other premium features. The piano incorporates technologies that are developed in collaboration with premium manufacturers. Its new and improved motherboard and amplification system have been re-designed to deliver high-quality and richer sounds. This is perhaps the best piano for intermediate and advanced pianists.
