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May I ask where you are based?

The NV5 retail price may vary depending on your location, therefore please contact the subsidiary/distributor in your country for the most accurate pricing/availability information.

https://www.kawai-global.com/distribution/

Kind regards,
James
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Hi guys,

a couple of weeks ago I got a Novus NV5 and I have to say it is quite amazing. I went to the piano store to buy a real upright and ended up with the NV5. The sound quality is so incredible, the reproduction is very spatial and it feels really alive when playing. I absolutely love it.

However, I have a problem with the pedals. Actually a couple of problems. The left and middle pedal emit a click - it sounds like a micro switch used in industrial machines. It is always audible when playing due to its high frequencies. Very annoyingly, it is especially audible when using the una corda and playing pianissimo. I noticed the I started using the pedal less because of that, which is not good at all. The other problem is the right pedal, which is creaking. It is also too heavy. I made a short clip to demonstrate the noises: https://vimeo.com/393148575

I had a technician coming by and he checked it. He confirmed that is a micro switch and also found it much too loud. He called Kawai Germany but they could not say much, as apparently this was not an issue yet. My question to the other NV5 owners - do you experience the same pedal noises? Does anybody know if there are silent micro switches on the market that could be exchanged? Thanks.

@ aprileon, I can see how that would be annoying. It will be interesting to hear from other NV5 owners. There should be a fix for the sustain pedal (both the noise and the weight). What did the technician say about that?

God Bless,
David

Congrats aprileon! This is definitely not normal and definitely solvable by Kawai. The NV10 doesn't behave like this although it does ship with a hard sustain pedal, which Kawai ought to have addressed in the factory by now.

That definitely doesn't sound normal. I don't know of any Kawai pedal that sounds as loud. Hope you can get it resolved.

Regarding the damper pedal ... Is the "whoosh" or "whoomp" noise coming from the pedal or from the speakers?

@aprileon

My left and middle pedals click as well, and my right pedal is very quiet. Did you adjust the little extra support foot underneath the right pedal?

About the micro switches, the way they sound suggests that the mechanical activity is amplified by the surrounding structures (PCB, support, etc). Maybe a foam or rubber pad in the right place can fix it without having to resort to the soldering iron?

@aprileon

How long do you have your NV5? Did this suddenly occur or did you have these "sounds" from the first day owning the piano ?

aprileon: regarding the creak on the right pedal: This pedal has a mechanical component that other DPs don't have (except the NV10). It mechanically moves the damper weights. I don't know how this is done on the NV5, but if it is similar to the NV10, then it is some sort of rod, that moves through felt bushings. This can creak (metal on felt), especially when still new. It can be lubricated to get rid of the creak (graphite powder works for this). Pedal mechanism creaks are also common on acoustics, so a piano tech should be able to help.

Thanks for all the feedback - gosh, this forum really works. I will answer your questions:

@lovelovemale: Because the Novus NV5 was not deliverable in December I got a showroom model. I had been on display (and was played) for a few weeks only. The noises where there when I got it. I did not notice them in the shop, but the shop was noisy, so probably they were there.

@David B, JoBert: The technician did not fix the right pedal because he said that it would require quite some work to dismantle the rod system and powder it and so on (the system is kind of covered by the electronics). He would do it when a solution to the more general problem of the clicks was found as maybe the piano would get exchanged. Actually I forgot to ask him about the heaviness because I was so focused on the noises.

@MacMacMac: Regarding the "whomp" noise - if guess you mean this dark muffled sound of the right pedal. It is normal - I know it from my old (real) upright. I believe it's caused by metal rods rubbing on felt. Yet, I find it louder than in my old upright, but the technician said it was normal, I guess he is right, although to be frank I also does bother me a little bit.

@pppianomarc: Yes I adjusted the support. The technician suggested to have it as firm as possible - which it is using bare hands. About the quick fix you suggested: I asked a similar question but apparently it is not possible because the sound of the switch comes from the inside of the switch. So, does the clicking actually bother you?

Do the NV10 pedals click? I still cannot get around the fact that an instrument that is so well made and has so many fine options to adjust it with often barely noticeable differences uses theses simple noisy switches. It just does not go together.

I've never heard the NV-10 pedals click. The pedals themselves use the same rod/lever system as an acoustic grand, and the rods actuate a standard Kawai 3-pedal optical unit as used on the CA-series (that is interestingly mounted upside down so the rods push up against it).

I'm not sure where the micro-switches come into play on the NV-5. Upright acoustics do have a more complicated rod/beam movement than a grand though, so I suspect the left and center pedals are mounted differently than on the NV-10.

Hello aprileon,

Congrats on your NV5!

Regarding the damper pedal noise and sostenuto/soft pedal clicks, may I kindly ask you to send me a private message with the serial number of your instrument and your contact email address, please?

Kind regards,
James
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Hey Folks,
Since two days I am also a proud owner if the NV5.
It's a beautiful instrument and sounds absolutely perfect (with headphones). The speakers are also better than any other DP I heard so far.
(I am coming from a Roland FP7F)

The touchscreen is rather a bummer...just doesn't feel responsive...but well...you dont need it all the time so I can live with it.

However I want to ask the other owners about some issues I have encountered:
The damper pedal is very stiff. I also have that click sound with the two other pedals.

Also I have the feeling that with some keys the key does not fully move back to it's starting position. It's not visible on the key itself but when I release the key very gently and press it again there is no sound. It feels as if the hammer just hits empty space. It only happens with some of the keys and not everytime. Is that a mechanical issue?

I found the action also to be a little heavier/sharper/more crisp compared to the shop were I bought the piano. Is it possible to tweak it? Apart from that it simply feels great and will definitely improve my technique.

How do you like the harpsichord sound? On my old DP I found it nicer...maybe I just have to get used to it?

Thanks and stay healthy!

The left and middle pedal is clicking here too but it doesn't bother me. The stiffness on the damper pedal will fade away after a couple of weeks.

Depends on what you are doin. Are you familiar with Sam acoustic upright action? If you raise the key just below the resting level and press the key down again, it's not supposed to sound (it being a limitation of an upright)., And you will get that "empty space" feeling, which is normal. But if you bring the key all the way up (esp. If you lift your finger off the key) then it should definitely play another note

I had a rented Kawai K300 that had an issue with the mechanism not always resetting and the next note being silent with no resistance while pressing the key. It was easily fixed by the tech. It drove me crazy playing it when it had the defect - never knowing when the next dreaded dead note would strike.
I seem to recal the issue having to do with some felt that had expanded slightly. The instrument was almost completely new at the time.

I know about the missing escapement...that's not it. It is when the finger is really off the key. I checked that because at first I was thinking it is due to my poor technique.

Certain keys were worse than others - I found it was often but not always reproducible by striking the key then releasing very gently - this would cause the mechanism to not reset and the key not moving the hammer on the next strike.

I am pleased to report that I am also a very proud owner of an NV5 since last Friday. Here below are my very first impressions:

The NV5 was ordered from Bonners Music Store in Milton Keynes and as with every other post related to Bonners I have to give a thumbs up for the amazing service that they offer and thoroughly recommend them.

The store had a private room with an NV5, NV10 and an NU1X together and I was able to move between the instruments to compare them. I didn't particularly try any others, apart from only briefly as I was adamant I wanted a hybrid. The NV10 was too large and out of my price range but I did like the action. I immediately thought that the NV5 was way ahead of the NU1X in feel, sound and features and so went ahead and ordered the NV5.

My last DP is a Yamaha P250 so anything was going to be a big jump forward and the NV5 is an amazing jump.

The NV5 is absolutely amazing, it looks like a real piano, it feels like a real piano and practically sounds like a real piano as well. It is a pleasure to play and has inspired me to spend more time practicing than I was doing before.

The Key action feels great and as mentioned feels as if you are playing a complete upright piano. The only issue I have had is also the keys not quite returning a sound and hitting empty space as mentioned above, I figure I'll see if it improves and I will also adapt to the way it operates, not everything is perfect, yet.

I am also enjoying the features of the piano such as the lesson features which have a huge amount of exercises and pieces to learn which are in the piano and come with sheet music.

I don't have any issues with the pedals.

Thanks to all on the Forum,

Cheers

Mike

Congrats, Mike!




Depending on how familiar you are with acoustic uprights, what you describe may well be "working as intended." You can definitely trigger a "dead note" on an upright, accompanied by that feeling of the key bottoming out without throwing the hammer. I think it's mainly a technique think you learn to work around.