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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 678
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Posts: 678 |
Hello guys!
For those of you that have tried or went from a CA78 or CA98 to the CA79...can you provide some feedback?
I am likely going with either the CA98 or a CA79 at this point as both are at very similar price.
I tested the new Yamaha 735 (they didn't have the 745) and also the 675 and honestly, did not like the touch of the 675 black keys AT ALL. ANd the 735 while better still I did not like as much as the CA78 I tried before nor the sound.
Just looking for feedback from more experienced players than me (which is not too hard to find lol).
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 19,097
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@James, when app support for CA59 is coming? CA49/CA59 support in PianoRemote is currently in testing and should be available soon. Kind regards, James x
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 19,097
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Just tried the bluetooth feature on my CA99 .When im looking at sheet music being played there is a massive lag.I thought having these bluetooth features would be a great learning tool for learning new pieces but didnt expect that, unless there is something im not doing? Can you describe this point in more detail, please? Are you using Bluetooth MIDI or Bluetooth Audio (or both?)? Kind regards, James x
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 234
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Just tried the bluetooth feature on my CA99 .When im looking at sheet music being played there is a massive lag.I thought having these bluetooth features would be a great learning tool for learning new pieces but didnt expect that, unless there is something im not doing? Can you describe this point in more detail, please? Are you using Bluetooth MIDI or Bluetooth Audio (or both?)? Kind regards, James x I'm using Bluetooth audio,I havnt sussed out Bluetooth midi yet .Im using my iPad with sheetmusic plus app and when in play mode the bar in the app follows the notes but the Kawai sound is delayed.Also if I play a you tube video the sound is all out of sync.
Kawai CA99PE,True keys American,Ivory Grand pianos, Pianoteq 8 and Ravenscroft
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Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 32
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Posts: 32 |
The two USB ports caught me out when I updated my CA79. It is explained in the manual but I guess I didn't read that bit! Been there - done that! 
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Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 32
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BTW, its location is for lefties, but the majority of people are not lefties.
Try using it with your right hand. Yes the screen is on the left which is great for me as a left hander. Now you know how all the stuff out there designed for right handers feel for the 10% of lefties. :o) As a fellow-left hander, John62, I feel with you, I agree with you, I chuckle with you! :-) +1. (I´m a leftie too.)
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Joined: May 2020
Posts: 268
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Posts: 268 |
BTW, its location is for lefties, but the majority of people are not lefties.
Try using it with your right hand. Yes the screen is on the left which is great for me as a left hander. Now you know how all the stuff out there designed for right handers feel for the 10% of lefties. :o) As a fellow-left hander, John62, I feel with you, I agree with you, I chuckle with you! :-) +1. (I´m a leftie too.) Too bad. It might not be enough to swap the strings on your guitar. The height and even the length of strings may not be correct. As for piano - also too bad, you need two independent hands…
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Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 15
Junior Member
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Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 15 |
I am a concert pianist and I assure you the spongey feel on the bottom of the GF2 is better than the unnaturally light feel of the GF3. Purchasing my Kawai was to serve the purpose to practice when I am not near an acoustic piano and an important part of practicing is building stamina. The GF3 action will without a doubt decrease stamina in a pianist when they move from the CA79/99 to an acoustic...The CA79 was simply much too light for me (and should be for any respectable pianist who doesn't want to be embarrassed mid-performance) so I chose to exchange for CA98 (plus $1500🙄). As an academic, I am skeptical of someone who paints in such broad brush strokes. There are different answers to different pianists' likings. I respect that you don't like GF3 - that's totally fine. But you look like an idiot when you take your statement this far. I am also a concert pianist. Would you like to compare teaching lineages, degrees, and performance resumes now? I would add to this discussion a reference to Angela Hewitt's remark that Steinway actions are generally far too heavy, and add that the heavy feel of a Steinway is not the only 'correct' weighting for a concert instrument. In concert and in recordings the range of pianos used is becoming more varied. Pianos including Shigeru Kawai, Fazioli, C.Bechstein, Yamaha CFX, Bluthner and Schimmel are all finding their way into top-flight professional environments and they all have their own individual feel. This should be borne in mind when assessing any digital piano.
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Joined: May 2020
Posts: 268
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1. Touch/action is near perfect for a dp in this price range, beats everything else hands down. It's an absolute pleasure to play on, i can't fault it.. (my unit does has a defective key though). I find it almost impossible to get off the piano because it feels so good under the fingers, so so good in fact I think im in love with it. Ok so - I thought I was crazy. I might be, but now I know I'm not alone! The action is so smooth and "buttery," almost, that I do find myself oddly thinking about it when I'm not playing, too. And it's been many weeks since I got it. I'm not typically an obsessive kind of person so I've felt odd about it! Maybe there's some sort of neurological re-wiring going on. Yes, the action is so smooth and buttery. Exactly. Very pleasant, but quite heavy. Why doesn't Kawai allow the buyer to choose the weight of the action. Just a simple matter of sets of different hammers and/or of different counterweights. I would choose 20 g., like in the best modern grands with sustain pedal down.
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Joined: May 2020
Posts: 268
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Kawai!!! The piano cover is not working! I mean, any phone, tablet or e-reader has perfectly working sleep-covers. But when I close the cover of my CA99 - the piano remains switched on. Why? When I open the cover - the piano does not switch on by itself if it was switched off. Why, Kawai? Surely a sensor could have been added to allow buttonless on/off operation. Yeah, and while at it, the on/off button then could be reconfigurable to do something else
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 19,097
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But when I close the cover of my CA99 - the piano remains switched on. Why? Because there is no sensor/switch in the key lid to detect whether it is open or closed. It's a nice idea, although we also have to also implement an option to disable this feature when customer wish to close the lid but leave the piano turned on. There is also the added risk of such a sensor/switch failing over time. Ultimately, I don't see this as a major issue. Open the lid and press the power button when you want to play, press the power button again and close the lid when you're finished. Kind regards, James x ps. When I took a shower this morning, the water didn't start flowing when I opened the shower door. I had to physically turn the taps in order for the water to come out!
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Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 32
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When I took a shower this morning, the water didn't start flowing when I opened the shower door. I had to physically turn the taps in order for the water come out! Sometimes life really sucks! 
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,080
1000 Post Club Member
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Ultimately, I don't see this as a major issue. Open the lid and press the power button when you want to play, press the power button again and close the lid when you're finished. I don't think anyone said it's major issue but it would be welcome improvement since on acoustic you just open lid and piano is ready to play. It's really nice feature which for example Roland has since many years.
Roland LX708
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 5,751
5000 Post Club Member
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What about simply saying “Alexa, power on/off piano”.
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 19,097
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Ultimately, I don't see this as a major issue. Open the lid and press the power button when you want to play, press the power button again and close the lid when you're finished. I don't think anyone said it's major issue... Parkher wrote: Kawai!!!
The piano cover is not working! ...which suggests he/she believes it is a major issue. Roland has since many years. May I ask if you can recall when (i.e. which series of instruments) this feature was implemented? I thought it was a relatively recent development, and not something that has been available for "many years". Kind regards, James x
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 322
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But you can set the timer for auto off.
So Piano will switch off after a while.
Galuwen
P.S.: Even my 80 Year old Steinweg Grandpiano auto switched on when ever I started playing :-).
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,080
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May I ask if you can recall when (i.e. which series of instruments) this feature was implemented?
I thought it was a relatively recent development, and not something that has been available for "many years". Depends on definition of "many years" Since 2015 I think. Maybe it's not that long but in that time there were 2 series of Kawai released so plenty of time to implement this little thing. Anyway to be clear I don't care much about that. Would be something nice though, that's all.
Roland LX708
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Joined: May 2020
Posts: 227
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When I took a shower this morning, the water didn't start flowing when I opened the shower door. I had to physically turn the taps in order for the water to come out! This whole power question leads me to ask something that's been on my mind for a while. Quick background: I have the CA79 connected USB to a PC which is running the VSL BI. For some reason, when USB is disconnected and reconnected (.e.g, when the piano is powered off and then back on the next day), VSL doesn't automatically reconnect. Kontakt does. In VSL, I have to open the settings, uncheck the MIDI device, and re-check it. While not as painful as the shower water having to be manually engaged, it's still a bit of a pain and doesn't have the whole "sit down and play" experience. (Also, because it takes 30-45 seconds for MIDI to come alive on the CA79). So, my question is this: what are the ramifications of leaving the piano on for extended periods of time? Is this a bad thing? Would we be looking at shortening the life of components (capacitors or other sensitive pieces) or leaving components open to more damage over time? Heat buildup? For some things, it won't matter either way. For example, dust can be conductive. But it's going to gather dust on those components whether it's powered on or not, and potentially make contact whether it's been powered on, or if I just powered it on. I have PCs that are on all the time... in fact, the desktop I'm typing on right now was built by me over 10 years ago and has spent most of its life powered on, and he seems no worse for wear. So I was wondering about the CA79 in this scenario, since a piano will have different concerns than a PC. Any thoughts?
Previous owner of a Yahama P-120 - now has new life with a student
New owner of a Kawai CA79 (and love it!)
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Joined: Sep 2009
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I wouldn't worry at all about turning off the piano for conserving its lifespan.
I turn mine off when it's not in use ... because it's 68 watts for the piano, and about 45 watts for the associated equipment (mixer, amp, monitors, equalizers).
So it's about not wasting 110 watts, and not about conserving the life of the equipment.
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,080
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I wouldn't worry at all about turning off the piano for conserving its lifespan.
I turn mine off when it's not in use ... because it's 68 watts for the piano, and about 45 watts for the associated equipment (mixer, amp, monitors, equalizers).
So it's about not wasting 110 watts, and not about conserving the life of the equipment. You are talking about peaks or average usage though I think? In idle piano shouldn't drain that much
Roland LX708
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