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https://twitter.com/kawai_global/status/1155749805206802432?s=21

New novus ? Upright ?

Nice find! Seems they were going in a different direction than many of us had anticipated!

Interesting, thanks tblb! KJ has been scooped

Wow! Looks like it's in an upright style. Maybe a competitor with NU1X!

k200 box aures system without string perhaps..

i'm currently hesitating beetwen a k500 aures and novus or n1X

Upright I believe. The piano dealer I spoke with the other day mentioned that Kawai would release a hybrid upright. This must be it.

I am looking into a replacement for a Schimmel grand for my mother (who is older now and will be moving to an apartment) and also hesitating between k(3/5)00 aures or Novus. The N1X is also nice but both my mother (advanced level) and I (beginner, 1.5 yrs) liked the novus touch and sound better.

With wooden soundboard?

Would be interesting to see whether they have finally made binaural samples. It’s currently one of the biggest advantages of Yamaha

so it 'll look like a CS12 .

i'll never make a choice ..... there always will be new piano ....

SPEAK !! :-)

munch, munch, munch...

Off-topic, but how do you write the sound of eating popcorn?

don't know,, enjoy while you can ;-)

but i have a choice to make , so SPEAK !!!

So we have this teaser, which does indeed look like it's for an upright Novus.
And we have what James wrote in another thread, where the OP asked if it still makes sense to buy a CS11:



From this, I'm speculating that Kawai may not come out with a CS12 (i.e. CS version of CA98) at all, but instead fill that gap with an upright Novus. If that is so, then I guess that such an upright Novus would have the CA98 tech (pianist mode, touch screen, soundboard) mated to an acoustic upright action.

KJ hinted at that a month or so ago.

Show the bloody piano

As far as I know, Kawai upright optical sensing system is put on the hammers, rather than on the keys which would solve the Yamaha's loud note issue. Could this be the reason why Yamaha finally made some changes to their algorithms (or who knows what) and supposedly fixed/alleviated the loud note issue? On the other hand, having sensors under the keys allows for key-off velocity/position. Also, if we assume Yamaha implemented some clever algorithm, they will allow for the keys to be repeated even without releasing them fully. Let's see what Kawai has to offer. Competition is good.

I just found it here... seems Kawai went for a very slim design with this one!

Rumours of a new "upright" Novus...?

The thing that makes the Novus great is its full Millennium III hybrid grand piano action. It has a rather deep (645mm) cabinet because of what's inside.
If the NV10 is what constitutes a "baby grand" cabinet size, then I don't see how Kawai could make a new "upright" Novus model any smaller (like a CS11 style "upright" cabinet only 542mm deep) while keeping the same fundamentally great Millennium III hybrid grand action inside, because it wouldn't fit. Any new model worthy of being in the Novus series would have to be at least the same cabinet depth again, otherwise they're sacrificing that magnificent action which is the main selling point of the Novus!

Some people may call the Novus NV10 a "baby grand" cabinet, but it's really an upright / spinet cabinet anyway, because it has a straight flat across the back, and thus will fit flush up against a wall, like an upright piano. Unlike a baby grand cabinet, which is obviously curved wood around the back in the classic piano harp shape. Likewise Novus cabinet doesn't have the classic grand piano style lid, opening diagonal from right side and resting on a 2 foot stick, which is another thing that makes even a "baby grand" look more obviously like a grand piano when the lid is open. "Baby grand" digitals like Roland GP609 or Yamaha N3X Avant or CLP695 all have that grand style diagonal lid.

I think if Kawai are designing a new Novus model, they should style it more in the direction of a grand piano (than NV10 currently is) and less in the direction of an upright piano, because they're already well catered for by their CS and CA lines, all of which offer basically the same Harmonic Imaging XL sound engines inside anyway.

What if Kawai adds a full soundboard to this upright hybrid, wouldn’t that make it better than the NV-10? (At least in the sound department).
I remember liking the modified soundboard system in the CA-95; although, some feel it’s more of a gimmick.
The CA-98 uses an updated version, but a real -high quality- solid spruce board on this upcoming instrument would make me wonder about getting an NV-10 just on the basis of the action being “superior”; which may or may not be the case. Repetition rate is not as important to some, so this perceived ‘advantage’ is relative.
I know that many here (I’m looking at you, CG) love the action on the NU1X; just imagine it paired to a full soundboard!

Simple.
By putting the Millennium III hybrid upright action inside. (Similar to how the NU1X has an upright action vs. the N1X with the grand action.)

Or in other words: The speculation here about a new Novus Upright is not primarily about the form factor of the cabinet, but about the action.
Well, the form factor (as seen a little bit in the teaser) sparked that speculation, but of course, as you said, this form factor only makes sense with an upright action inside.