The Kawai CA-701 is a digital piano that weighs in at almost 77kg (nearly 170lbs) and has a full complement of 88 wooden keys with Kawai's Grand Feel III mechanism and Ivory/Ebony Touch finish, as well as a maximum polyphony of 256 voices. In addition to the two outstanding acoustic grand piano sounds, with five rendering characteristics, the Kawai CA-701 also offers 94 other sounds that can be freely split and combined, as well as an excellent effects section. The target audience is pianists who want to get as close as possible to the feel of playing a real piano, but who appreciate the many advantages of a digital piano, among them affordability, the ability to practice silently with headphones and to record and transmit their own music, and Bluetooth connectivity.
The Kawai CA-701 is available in different colour variants, which can vary in price; there are also cheaper and more expensive models in the CA series, which differ in terms of their keyboards, sound quality, and loudspeakers among other things. The CA-701 is equipped with a speaker system with two 55W speakers and a diffuser. As with its predecessor, the CA-79, it is operated via a 5" touch display. The CA-701 offers a line input and output as well as two headphone outputs (mini-jack and full-size jack, respectively). MIDI data can be sent directly to a computer via the USB-to-host connection, and a new feature is that audio and MIDI data can be sent and received via Bluetooth.
The Kawai CA-701 is intended for discerning, advanced-level pianists, especially if they are used to a real piano and thus value a sophisticated hammer action and a realistic key feel. This digital piano strongly resembles a real upright piano, but can of course also be connected to a computer, or even a smart device via Bluetooth. The Kawai CA-701 allows musicians to practise silently, thanks to its quiet keyboard and headphone jacks – this is a big plus for apartment dwellers and families in particular. And with Kawai's Virtual Technician function, pianists can fine-tune the digital piano's outstanding sound to suit their own playing style.
Kawai is a Japanese manufacturer which has specialised in building upright and grand pianos since its inception in 1927. Since 1986, Kawai has also been producing digital pianos. Right from the start, the name "Kawai" stood for innovation: For example, Kawai produced the first digital piano with keys made entirely of wood, and also made the first keyboard to truly replicate the action of a grand piano. The list of artists who have chosen Kawai is long, and it includes both Classical pianists like Warren Mailley Smith, Ashley Fripp, and Mikhail Pletnev, and popular keyboardists like Herbert Grönemeyer, Ingo Reidl (Pur), and Don Airey (Deep Purple), among others.
The Kawai CA-701 can be conveniently operated via the touch display, and there is also a free Piano Remote Control app for iOS and Android. MIDI data are transmitted via the USB port and audio data via Bluetooth. The digital piano has three pedals (with half-pedal function) for an authentic and real playing feel. There is a Lesson Function for piano students – and Kawai has prudently included two headphone jacks to enable a teacher and student (or any two pianists) to play together. A wise investment might also be the Kawai CA-701 package that Thomann offers, which includes a piano stool and headphones.