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Is the following then a correct understanding?

NV5 and CA98 have the same piano sound engine and the same audio system/speakers/soundboard.

CA98 and MP11SE have the same action.

Correct.



Not quite:

CA98: Grand Feel II keyboard action
MP11SE (and MP11): Grand Feel (I) keyboard action

Kind regards,
James
x

Thanks. What are the differences between the GF and GF2 action?

Please refer to this post from a few years ago.

Kind regards,
James
x

Yes, James, that's probably the case.
But even the addition of an older version of soundboard makes these two models competitive in the range of $2,000 DP. Compared to opponents, only a pair of full-range speakers are used for playback.

Awesome, thanks much.

Does this mean that aside from the cabinet the NV5 is functionally a CA98 with a acoustic upright keyboard?

Yes, that point has been made.

Also, just a small difference is the connectors. The CA98 has 1/4" L/MONO, R Line-out whilst the NV5 has a 1/8" Stereo Line-out. Very miiiinor but still

Layman walking: is there any difference between L/R 1\4” and single stereo 1\8” in terms of ‘sound’ quality?
Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the L/R 1/4”.

I think this is a nice outcome. For those who want an acoustic action, in this case an upright action they can go for the NV5 and for those who prefer a longer pivot point over an acoustic action they can go for the CA98.

I like it that Kawai provides customers with these choices.

Technically they have the same tech, but there is still a difference in the sound production quality. I haven't ordered the NV5 if it sounds like a CA98.

You can't know what's inside just by reading the sales brochures. Two pianos can have the seemingly identical "grand natural acoustic harmonic techno roboto" action ... and still be different as night and day.

The same goes for the sound generation. It used to be common for the low-end model sport the "same" sound tech as the high-end one ... but would differ utterly in that the high-end model had enormously more sample ROM.

Yes, a Cooper Mini has the same tech as the Ferrari ... the internal combustion engine. I think the differences overshadow the similarities.

So I'm loathe to equate anything in the NV5, NV10, CA98, CA78, or CS11 pianos ... marketing-hogwash-speak notwithstanding.

If the stereo 1/8” is a headphone output, then the answer is probably yes. A headphone op-amp output stage generally is noisier than a line level output stage, I.e. signal-to-noise ratio will generally be inferior unless a high quality headphone amp is used in the output stage in the piano.

If you connect the headphone output to sound reinforcement like a PA or keyboard amp, the amplified noise of the output stage typically will become a problem at a significantly lower volume level than if you connect a line level output. If not, your sound source either has an above average headphone output stage or a below average line level output stage.

However, the 1/8" of the NV5 is a normal "line out" output. Not a headphone output.
It has separate headphone sockets.

Kawai brochures are usually pretty honest, if I do say so myself.

Right, the NV5's Line Out output is a 1/8" stereo connector, but it's functionally the same as two separate (L/R) 1/4 mono connectors.

Kind regards,
James
x

I don't disagree. Not at all.It's not what they say. It's what they don't say, especially as it pertains to the detailed tech that rises in these discussions.
So I maintain that you don't get much from the sales literature.

Alas, there’s only so many words that can fit on a page.

So use more pages.


I know, i have a talent for problem solving.