Kawai CA501 88-Key Compact Digital Piano with Bench, Satin White

Kawai CA501 88-Key Compact Digital Piano with Bench, Satin White

Combining the latest Grand Feel Compact wooden-key keyboard action and brand-new SK-EX Competition Grand piano sounds, with powerful 360° speaker output, convenient USB audio features, Bluetooth MIDI and Audio connectivity, and a strong selection of other sounds, the CA501 delivers best-in-class touch, tone, and features at an outstanding price.

Feel Inspired
A piano that will encourage enthusiastic players to become accomplished pianists, and transform living rooms into grand concert halls. This is the ambitious philosophy behind Kawai’s latest Concert Artist series - premium instruments that capture the essence of playing a magnificent concert grand piano, and inspire musicians of all ages and abilities to realise their true artistic potential.

The Touch of a Grand Piano: Grand Feel Compact wooden key action
The CA501 is the latest Kawai digital piano to utilise the superb Grand Feel Compact wooden-key keyboard action. As its name suggest, the GF Compact action has been designed to reproduce the authentic touch weight characteristics of the industry-leading Grand Feel keyboard actions, within a smaller form factor.

This action retains the long wooden keysticks used for all 88 black and white keys, and the familiar 'seesaw' mechanism employed by acoustic grand piano actions for centuries. However, despite its smaller unit size, GF Compact features an extended key pivot length, providing a more consistent touch weight when playing towards the rear of the keyboard. This crucial detail, along with various other acoustic piano-like characteristics, ensures the CA501 delivers the most realistic playing experience in its class.

The Sound of a Grand Piano: Shigeru Kawai SK-EX
Eponymously named after the company’s second president, the Shigeru Kawai range of luxury grand pianos were conceived as the next step in evolving the art of the piano. Each world-class instrument is hand-crafted by experienced piano artisans, using the finest available materials to ensure optimum touch, tone, and artistic expression.

Widely regarded as ‘the premier piano of Japan’, the flagship SK-EX grand piano graces the stages of concert halls and musical institutions around the globe, receiving universal acclaim for its tonal clarity and exceptional dynamic range. The magnificent tone of the SK-EX is at the heart of the CA501, with this new model featuring the latest SK-EX Competition Grand recreation of this peerless instrument.

SK-EX Competition Grand sound
The brand-new SK-EX Competition Grand captures the sound of the latest generation SK-EX-L instruments, that in recent years have achieved success at the Chopin, Hamamatsu, and Sendai international piano competitions.

This piano sound possesses a brilliant, clear tonal character, with a distinctive thick attack, and is specifically recorded from the pianist’s position for the ultimate performance experience.

Premium audio technologies
Developed by Kawai R&D’s highly experienced audio engineering team, the CA501 features a redesigned motherboard and speaker system that incorporates unique 360 Degrees diffuser panels. These components combine to deliver best-in-class audio quality, producing an extremely rich, clear sound with minimal distortion.

The Variety of a Digital Piano: Convenience & Flexibility
Complementing the instrument’s class-leading Grand Feel Compact wooden-key keyboard action and Harmonic Imaging XL piano sounds, the CA501 also offers a strong selection of digital piano features that further enhance one’s musical enjoyment.

Wireless Bluetooth connectivity, USB audio record/playback, Dual, Split, and Four Hands keyboard modes, and a rich assortment of instrumental voices add greater variety to players’ performances, while the convenient metronome function and integrated lessons ensure that regular practice is both productive and engaging for aspiring pianists.

Grand performance within a modern, attractive cabinet
Sitting down at the Concert Artist, the first thing that strikes the player is the instrument’s flat fascia and tall upper board, giving the impression of a traditional grand piano and immediately elevating the musical aspirations of the performer. The distinctive KAWAI logo - representing over 90 years of acoustic piano crafting excellence - adorns the CA501’s fallboard, its metallic finish glimmers in the light, capturing the graceful movements of the player’s hands below.

Cabinet Finishes
The CA501 is available in a choice of 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.

Key Features

• Class-leading Grand Feel Compact wooden-key keyboard action
• Ivory Touch key surfaces, triple sensor, let-off, counterweights
• Harmonic Imaging XL sound engine with 88-key sampling
• Brand new SK-EX Competition Grand piano sounds
• Powerful 100W, high-fidelity 4-speaker+diffuser delivery system
• Latest Bluetooth MIDI and Audio v5 wireless connectivity
• MP3/WAV/SMF playback, record, and overdub to USB
• Built-in classical etudes and Alfred lesson books
• Spatial Headphone Sound for enhanced depth and realism
• Premium cabinet with cheekblock control panel and OLED display

Technical Specifications

Keyboard
Grand Feel Compact action
88 wooden keys
Grade-weighted hammers
Ivory Touch white key surfaces
Let-off simulation
Triple sensor key detection
Bass region counterweights
Pedal
Grand Feel Pedal System
Damper (with half-pedal support)
Soft (with half-pedal support)
Sostenuto
Piano Sound
Harmonic Imaging XL (HI-XL)
88-key stereo sampling
SK-EX-L, SK-5, EX, K-60 recording
256 note maximum polyphony
Piano Resonance
Acoustic Rendering
Damper Resonance
String Resonance
Undamped String Resonance
Cabinet Resonance
Piano Adjustment
Virtual Technician (21 parameters)
Touch Curve (incl. User Touch Curve)
Voicing (incl. 88-key User Voicing)
Damper Resonance
Damper Noise
String Resonance
Undamped String Resonance
Cabinet Resonance
Key-off Effect
Fall-back Noise
Hammer Delay
Hammer Noise
Top board Simulation
Decay Time
Release Time
Minimum Touch
Stretch Tuning (incl. 88-key User Tuning)
Temperament (incl. User Temperament)
Temperament Key
Key Volume (incl. 88-key User Key Volume)
Half-Pedal Adjust
Soft Pedal Depth
Virtual Technician Smart Mode (10 presets)
No. of Sounds
45 voices
Reverb
6 types
Other Effects
24 types
Speakers
13 cm x 2 (woofers)
(8 x 12 cm) x 2 (top speakers, with diffusers)
Output Power
100 W (50 W + 50 W)
Headphone Enhancements
Spatial Headphone Sound
Headphone Type
Display
128 x 64-pixel OLED
Key Cover
Sliding type
Music Rest
Collapsible type (3 angle adjustability)
Score support pins
Product Size & Weight
Width
142.5 cm (56”)
Depth
48.5 cm (19 1/4”)
Height
93 cm (36 2/3”)
110 cm (43” 1/3)
Net Weight
66 kg (145.5 lbs.)
Packing Size & Weight
Dimensions
155.5 (W) x 68 (D) x 59.5 (H) cm
Gross Weight
80.5 kg (without bench)
88.5 kg (with bench)
Available Finishes
Premium Satin Black (CA501B)
Premium Satin White (CA501W)
Premium Rosewood (CA501R)
Basic Functions
Dual
Split
Four Hands
Transpose
Tuning
Low Volume Balance
Registration
Startup Setting
Internal Songs
Sound Demo
33 songs
Piano Music
29/42 songs *
Concert Magic
176 songs
Lesson Songs
Burgmüller 25 (25 Etudes Faciles, Opus 100)
Czerny 30 (Etudes de Mécanisme, Opus 849)
Czerny 100 (Hundert Übungsstücke, Opus 139)
Beyer 106 (Vorschule im Klavierspiel, Opus 101)
J.S. Bach: Inventionen
Sonatinen Album 1
Chopin Walzer (Chopin waltzes series)
Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Lesson 1A
Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Lesson 1B
Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Lesson Book Level 1A
Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Lesson Book Level 1B
Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course Lesson Book Level 1
Internal Recorder
Total Memory
approximately 90,000 notes
No. of Songs
10 songs
Parts
2 parts
Metronome
Time Signatures
1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8
Drum Rhythms
100 patterns
Bluetooth *
Bluetooth (Ver. 5.0; GATT compatible)
Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI Specification compliant
Bluetooth Audio (Ver. 5.1; A2DP compatible)
USB Audio Recorder
Record/Playback
MP3
WAV
SMF (Playback only)
Other Functions
Overdubbing
Bluetooth Audio recording
App Functions
PianoRemote (iOS/Android)
PiaBookPlayer (iOS/Android)
Connector Jacks
Headphone
1 x 1/4”, 1 x 1/8” Stereo jacks
MIDI
USB-MIDI, Bluetooth MIDI *
Line Out
1/4” L/MONO, R
Line In
1/4” L/MONO, R
Power Consumption
30 W
Power
Power cable
AC adaptor (PS-242)
Bench
Fixed-height or height-adjustable bench *
Headphones
Headphone hook
Sheet Music
Classical Piano Collection *
Classical Lesson Scores *
Finger Exercises
Others
Warranty Card *
Owner's Manual
Internal Song Lists