The Touch of a Grand Piano: Responsive Hammer III keyboard action

The CN29’s class-leading Responsive Hammer III keyboard action recreates the supreme touch of an acoustic grand piano, with its realistic movement and rigid, springless design providing a smooth and natural piano playing experience.  The instrument’s triple-sensor key detection system enhances responsiveness and accuracy, while structural reinforcements throughout the action assembly help to minimise noise and key wobble during staccato and fortissimo passages.

The weight of the keyboard is appropriately graded to mirror the heavier bass hammers and lighter treble hammers of an acoustic piano, while let-off simulation recreates the subtle ‘notch’ sensation felt when softly playing the keys of a grand piano. These important characteristics allow discerning pianists to practise their expanding repertoire with confidence, and ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises when called upon to perform using the finest acoustic grand pianos.

Authentic 88-key Counterweights

In addition to grade-weighted hammers, the Responsive Hammer III keyboard action also features counterweights embedded within each black and white key.

As with an acoustic piano, these finely balanced weights help to lighten the touch of the keyboard during pianissimo passages, while adding a feel of greater substance when playing with force.

Triple sensor key detection

The Responsive Hammer III keyboard action utilises an accurate triple-sensor key detection system for enhanced playing realism.

The added third sensor improves responsiveness when playing the same key repeatedly, and unlike conventional two sensor keyboard actions found in many digital pianos, allows the sound of a single note to be gradually ‘layered’ without the previous tone being lost.

In addition, Kawai’s action technology also monitors the speed at which each key is lifted, influencing the release character of piano sounds, and providing a greater range of expression between staccato and legato playing.

Ivory & Ebony Touch key surfaces

The impressive CN29 features Kawai’s highly regarded Ivory Touch key surfaces as standard.  This finely textured material gently absorbs fingertip perspiration and oils to assist playing control, and possesses a natural, matte finish that is smooth but not slippery.

Furthermore, this moisture is absorbed without dirt or grease permeating the surface, allowing the keytops to be wiped clean easily using just a damp cloth.

Let-off Simulation

As the most authentic digital piano keyboard action in its class, Responsive Hammer III even reproduces the ‘let-off’ characteristic of acoustic piano actions. 

This subtle ‘notch’ sensation can be felt when playing the keys of a grand piano very gently, and may be used by experienced pianists to aid control when playing pianissimo passages.

The Sound of a Grand Piano: Two world-class instruments

Earning a reputation as the ‘premier pianos of Japan’, Shigeru Kawai instruments grace the stages of concert halls and musical institutions throughout the world, and are prized for their outstanding tonal clarity and exceptional dynamic range.

The CN29 captures the magnificent tone of the flagship Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano.  This peerless instrument is hand-built by Master Piano Artisans at the Shigeru Kawai Piano Research Laboratory in Ryuyo, Japan, and widely regarded as one of the finest instruments in its class.

In addition, the CN29 also features the distinctive sound of Kawai’s highly acclaimed EX concert grand piano, which has been selected by professional pianists in such prestigious events as the Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Rubinstein international piano competitions, among others.

Both the SK-EX and EX are faithfully reproduced with full 88-key sampling using advanced Harmonic Imaging™ sound technology, to establish a new standard in digital piano tonal quality, and allow musicians to appreciate the contrasting properties of each.

Full 88-key stereo piano sampling

The rich, expressive sound of the SK-EX and EX concert grand pianos is at the heart of the CN29, with all eighty-eight keys of these world-class instruments painstakingly recorded, meticulously analysed, and accurately reproduced as high-fidelity digital waveforms.

Recording each key individually in this way – as opposed to stretching the same tone over several different notes – preserves the grand pianos’ unique harmonic character, and guarantees that the sound heard when playing any one of the CN29’s weighted keys is a faithful representation of the original acoustic source.

Harmonic Imaging technology

When playing a fine piano, the amount of pressure applied to the keyboard affects not only the volume of the sound produced, but also the unique tonal character of each note.  Therefore, in order to construct a realistic acoustic portrait of each grand piano, not only is each key recorded individually, but also at a wide variety of different volumes, ranging from gentle pianissimo to thunderous fortissimo.

The CN29 offers a highly detailed acoustic portrait, employing Kawai’s proprietary Progressive Harmonic Imaging sampling technology to ensure smooth tonal transitions across the keyboard and throughout the entire dynamic range.

Personalised piano adjustments

The knowledge and skill of an experienced piano technician is essential to bring out the best of a fine acoustic piano. In addition to tuning each note, the technician also performs numerous regulation and voicing adjustments that allow the instrument to truly sing.

The CN29’s Virtual Technician ‘Smart Mode’ simulates these refinements digitally, with ten preset configurations that intelligently adjust various characteristics of the grand piano to match different musical styles.

For greater flexibility, ‘Advanced Mode’ allows players to perform touch weight and voicing adjustments, regulate hammer and key release noises, and fine-tune string and damper resonances using the dedicated Virtual Technician iPad app.

Premium audio technologies, Powered by Onkyo

Developed in collaboration with Onkyo, one of Japan’s leading premium audio equipment manufacturers, the CN29 features a brand new motherboard and speaker system design.  These premium components combine to deliver best-in-class audio quality, producing an extremely rich, clear sound with minimal distortion.

Onkyo designed sound hardware

The CN29 motherboard and sound hardware is designed for precise signal conversion and optimum sound quality.  Onkyo’s unrivalled knowledge and experience in producing premium audio components ensures clear, high-fidelity sound with minimal distortion.

Premium Onkyo speaker drivers

The CN29’s premium quality Onkyo speaker drivers were selected for their flat frequency response and ultra-low distortion characteristics, ensuring the most accurate reproduction of the original Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano.

The Variety of a Digital Piano: Convenience & Flexibility

Complementing the instrument’s class-leading Responsive Hammer III keyboard action and Progressive Harmonic Imaging piano sounds, the CN29 also offers a variety of convenient digital features that further enhance one’s musical enjoyment.

A selection of different instrument voices, built-in lesson songs, and the ability to record and playback performances are just some of the features accessible from the cheek-block control panel, with built-in Bluetooth® functionality for connecting to smart devices wirelessly.

Additional sounds & playing modes

Supplementing the beautiful acoustic piano voices, the CN29 also features a modest selection of additional sounds, ranging from electric pianos and drawbar or church organs, to strings, human choirs, and synth pads, inviting musicians to add greater variety to their performances.

Furthermore, the Dual playing mode also allows two different sounds, such as grand piano and strings, to be layered together, while the Four Hands mode divides the keyboard into two independent 44-key sections.  This feature is particularly useful in learning environments, allowing teacher and student (or student and student) to play together at the same time using a single instrument.

Built-in lesson function

The CN29’s convenient lesson function allows aspiring pianists to learn piano with classical Czerny, Burgmüller, Beyer, and Chopin etudes, or collections of songs from the popular Alfred’s Basic Piano course books.

The left and right hand parts of each etude/song can be practiced separately, using the adjustable metronome feature to perfect timing in difficult passages, before recording the completed piece for self-evaluation.

* Notated scores and Alfred lesson books sold separately.

Integrated Bluetooth® connectivity

In addition to standard USB and MIDI ports, the CN29  also boasts integrated Bluetooth MIDI technology, allowing the digital piano to communicate with supported smart devices wirelessly.

Once paired with a phone, tablet, or laptop, CN29 owners can easily expand the instrument’s functionality with a wide range of education, performance, and scoring apps.  A dedicated Kawai Virtual Technician control app is also freely available, providing an enjoyable way to learn about and adjust various acoustic piano characteristics from an attractive touch interface, without the need for additional adaptors or cables.

* Availability of Bluetooth® function may vary depending on market area.

* For more information please refer to the Bluetooth MIDI Information support page.

Grand Feel Pedal System

Reinforcing the CN Series’ reputation as the most realistic digital pianos in their price range is Kawai’s Grand Feel Pedal System.  This unique feature accurately replicates the position and individual weighting of the damper, soft, and sostenuto pedals of a Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano to further enhance the CN29’s acoustic piano-like authenticity.

Superior headphone experience

The CN29’s Spatial Headphone Sound (SHS) technology enhances the depth and realism of the instrument’s sound when listening through headphones or earphones. The player can select one of three different acoustic presets that adjust the spatial positioning of the sound, while also helping to reduce auditory fatigue when using earphones or headphones for extended periods of time.

In addition, the CN29 also allows players to select a variety of headphone types (Open, Semi-open, Closed, In-Ear, Canal, etc.) for an optimised listening experience.

Easy to use interface with OLED display

The CN29 features an easy to use control panel neatly embedded within the left cheek block, with a high resolution OLED display providing information about the currently selected sound, function, or setting.

Unlike most other digital pianos in its class, the CN29’s various sounds and functions are all selected directly from the control panel, without needing to press and hold buttons while remembering different key combinations.  This helps to simplify operation, and ensures that the piano can be enjoyed by even the youngest members of the family.

Grand performance within an modern, compact cabinet

The CN29’s modern cabinet incorporates a curved leg design, with minimalist toe blocks for additional stability.  Its flat fascia and tall upper board give the instrument a traditional, upright piano-like quality, while at just over 40 centimetres deep, the CN29’s compact body is suitable for apartments and other narrow spaces.

Broad, adjustable music rest

The CN29’s broad music rest is engineered to accommodate the most ambitious musical works, with a high-quality surface and attractive round design.

As with a grand piano, the viewing angle of the instrument’s music rest can be adjusted to suit the performer’s playing position, or laid flat for convenience when notating scores or sketching musical ideas.

Cabinet Finishes

The CN29 is available in three attractive cabinet finishes: Premium Rosewood, Premium Satin Black, and Premium Satin White, allowing musicians to coordinate their piano with a range of modern interiors.

* Cabinet finish availability dependent on market location.