![[Linked Image]](http://i.imgur.com/3KYZv.jpg)
Sound: While shopping around, I always found the Kawai CA/CS series to have the best sound of all the DPs I tried. Much of that is a matter of taste, of course – I personally prefer clear and smooth sounds to gritty or intricate sounds, and don’t mind sacrificing a bit of richness for more clarity. At home, I am still extremely happy with the sound. The piano arrived about a month ago, but I have been away from home much of that time. Every time I come back, it sounds slightly different to me - perhaps that is my ears, or some psychological effect. (This may be similar to how audio enthusiasts say that new stereo kit needs several hours of ‘burn-in time’. This leaves the engineers scratching their heads in puzzlement, and probably can be explained by the brain adjusting to new perceptions.)
I would characterize the sound as clear and solid – with some lovely highs and authoritative basses and a very good middle. If somebody conducted a blind test with several DPs and (mid-level) APs in a room, and blindfolded participants were asked to identify which were DPs, I suspect the CS9 would be identified as an AP more often than not. Turning on the wall equalizer function helps a small amount in making the sound yet more clear. Otherwise, I have kept the factory settings (but will be very interested in trying the TADutchman suggestions for layered instruments).
Action: Some 30 years ago I was at the level of playing intermediate pieces like Beethoven’s sonata 31, but then life, job, and family intervened and I have been pianistically treading water ever since. I am trying to revive this piece, and certainly the superior action of the CS9 helps a great deal. It gives me much more control compared to my (very) old Clavinova, and compared to most uprights I have tried. Normal touch setting makes the keys feel like butter, but I have changed to the heavy setting for more control. This is especially good for pieces where the left hand plays lots of 16th note broken chord accompaniments while the right hand sings on top. I can finally do it properly! The right hand arpeggios in Beethoven 31 are my problem now. They are on mostly black keys, and I am hitting the keys too far away from the ends, where the keys require more force. The longer lever arms of Kawai’s new GF action might help here, but no excuses: I just have to get my fingers and technique back in shape.
Features: Nice to hide away the controls! Record with just one button press – very good for practising and discovering mistakes. Some very nice choir and guitar sounds – ‘ jazz ensemble’ will put a smile on anybody’s face. I like a few of the alternative pianos. I am enjoying new ways of practising – e.g. learning a 16 bar section by repeating it with different instruments, and only using concert grand when I am hitting most of the right notes at mostly the right times. Excellent speakers, by the way, just for docking my mp3 player when I am not playing the piano.
![[Linked Image]](http://imgur.com/UpBfe.jpg)
