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0:00 - Video Introduction Kawai Portable Digital Piano Actions
0:57 - Audio Demo on the Kawai ES520 with the Kawai Responsive Hammer Compact II action (R.H.C. 2)
1:18 - Video Overview on Kawai Digital Piano Brand
2:38 - How many Kawai Digital Piano Actions?
3:13 - What are the differences between the Kawai Portable Digital Piano Actions?
3:23 - Kawai Piano Action durability discussion
3:49 - Kawai Action feel and touch discussion
4:26 - Different categories of Kawai Digital Piano actions
5:42 - Review - Kawai R.H.C piano action
10:18 - Kawai R.H.C piano action slide and specs
10:27 - Review - Kawai R.H.C. II piano action
11:31 - Kawai R.H.C. II piano action slide and specs
11:44 - Review - Kawai R.H. III
14:09 - Kawai R.H. III slide and specs
14:25 - Review - Kawai Grand Feel Wood Key action
18:15 - Kawai Grand Feel Wood Key action slide and specs
18:26 - Review - Kawai R.M. III Grand II piano action
20:55 - Kawai R.M. III Grand II piano action slide and specs
21:06 - Video conclusions
22:09 - Video Outro
Thanks for joining us at the Merriam Pianos KZfaq channel. In this video, we’ve got the second half of our 2-part series on Kawai’s digital piano key actions.
We’ll be looking at Kawai’s various key actions that they currently use in their home digital piano and hybrid instruments. Be sure to check out part 1 for a general overview of all of their actions, and a look at the actions featured in their portable digital pianos. Please like, subscribe and hit that notification bell!
Home Digital Piano Kawai Actions
Out of Kawai’s deep stable of current key actions sitting at 9 strong, there are a total of 7 that are featured throughout their stationary home-based models, with some overlap occurring with their portable-based digital pianos.
Let’s start with the most basic and work our way up.
Responsive Hammer Compact
The RHC action features a shorter key stick and was originally built to fit into the compact ES110 digital piano. The one home-based digital piano currently featuring the RHC action is the KDP75.
Overall, this is a great action for beginners and even intermediate players that definitely serves its purpose.
It is important to understand, however that it is less expensive than other Kawai actions for a few reasons, most notable that it’s using a dual sensor instead of a triple sensor, doesn’t feature any let off and because it’s a shorter key stick, the weighting is less even from the front to the back of the key.
Responsive Hammer Compact II
The RHCII is a more advanced version of the RHC. The biggest difference is that the dual sensor has been upgraded to a triple sensor.
Why is this important? Simply, a triple sensor provides more accurate MIDI output, which means it's more capable of tackling advanced repertoire.
The RHCII can be found in the Kawai KDP-120.
Responsive Hammer III
The RHIII is felt by many critics of the piano industry to be the best plastic key action currently available.
The RHIII can be found in the CN29 and CN39, along with their upcoming replacements, the CN201 and CN301. It can also be found in the DG30.
The RHIII improves on a number of things from the RHCII. The triple sensor carries over, but the key surface is more tactile, the keystick is longer, the escapement is included, and the keybed is more reinforced.
Grand Feel Compact Wooden Action
The GFC action is an all-wooden action, and essentially a shorter version of the Grand Feel. The pivot length is similar to a plastic action, but the wood provides a better sense of weighting and superior durability.
The GFC can be found in the CA49 and CA59 Concert Artist digital pianos, and can essentially be thought of as a wooden version of the RHIII.
Grand Feel III Action
The GFIII is the most advanced entry in the Grand Feel action lineup. The keysticks lengths are extended, and all of the engineering has been improved over the previous generation Grand Feel II.
The durability of the GFIII is excellent, and features like a triple sensor, counterweights and let off make this one of the most advanced digital piano actions in the class.
The GFIII can be found in the Kawai CA79 and CA99.
NOVUS NV5S Acoustic Hybrid Action
The NV5S’s acoustic upright action is essentially the exact same Millennium III Carbon Fiber action Kawai uses in their acoustic K-200 upright piano. The only difference is that instead of a wooden hammer, there’s carbon fiber-reinforced plastic at the end of the shank that, instead of striking a string, crosses an optical sensor.
Everything else about the action is the same as the K-200. If you’re looking for a genuine upright feel in a digital piano, it does not get better than this.
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