Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Should I buy Kawai CN39?

Hello,

I bought Casio PX S3000 two weeks back which had to be returned owing to 2 of its keys being noisy. I could have asked for a replacement but decided to buy something with a better quality and customer-support, as my little tryst with Casio customer-service on these issues wasn't very favourable, while Casio offers an in-home 3-year warranty in my country. To those looking for a buyer feedback on the instrument, I would say you get a bit more for what you pay with PX S3000.

CN39 ticks ALL the boxes: BT-Midi, BT Audio(nice to have, not really needed), Aux-in to connect my laptop for Pianoteq and other stuff, excellent key-action, built-in rhythms for practice, extra sounds like guitar and others..

However, I a bit concerned reading about the issues people have faced with some of the keys on their CN37s being clicky and louder, considering that CN39 shares the same key-action.

Kawai does not exist on its own in my country and is sold via a local company here. They sell and service Kawai Pianos and all Pianos come with a 1-year warranty only. Also, I may not have the comfort of returning the instrument in case of any issues whatsoever, even within the first few days. Also, on all the threads I found, I read about the dealer and company insisting that it's 'normal', which it is definitely not, considering the premium paid for Kawai.

CN39 being relatively new, there is no feedback available online to ensure that earlier issues with CN37 have been fixed.

In case I wish to bring down my risk, I may even buy ES110 instead.

Also, if these Kawai issues are there for real, I may switch to Yamaha for their similarly-priced CLP635/645 Clavinovas (CN39 sits right in the middle in terms of price). However, I prefer the key-action on Kawai, hence the confusion..

Your suggestions please..

Cheers,

Hi mrish,

I bought the CN39 three weeks ago and absolutely love it. I looked at a ton of other options and felt this model offers an amazing key action and other great features at a reasonable price point.

I also read online some people complaining about having issues with the CN37 and the clicking noise but decided that let’s face it, it has to be a minority otherwise there would be a lot more posts and the manufacturer would have had to launch a reconditioning programe. One option you could look at is trying to buy an extended warranty on the product although it may not be available in your country, some suppliers offer this.

It’s a tough one I agree. It’s very early days but my CN39 hasn’t shown any signs of potential clicking on the key action but I’m hoping that if it did, it would happen within my warranty period of 2 years and I could then get Kawai to resolve it. Fingers crossed I won’t have this problem as I absolutely love it and think it’s the best DP I have ever had!

Good luck with your piano hunting!

3-year Casio warranty. 1-year warranty on Kawai pianos provided by the... distributor? Sounds like India. Assuming that is the case...

You obviously like the Kawai CN39. However, your issue isn't the piano but the lack of an official Kawai presence. If you don't believe the distributor will really provide the required after-sales service, buying the ES110 comes with the exact same risk of being stuck with a faulty piano with no official support.

Unfortunately, the Yamaha CLP645 might suffer from a similar problem. Their warranty (in India) only covers the electronics, and that too for a period of one year. However, they have an extensive service network, and you could get your piano fixed as long as you are willing to pay for service.

When trying recently, I found the CN39 very nice too, and also didn't like the key action on Yamaha CLPs, let alone the small Yamaha P and Casio PXs.
I didn't fint the ES110 as impressive.
Have you tried any Rolands with PHA-50 keys (LX/HP/FP)?

I would suggest you to not be concerned by some minor noises that those keyboard actions can develop after some time (depending on how much hours you play every day). They are very good actions, used even in stage pianos. Even some Nord stage pianos now use the RHIII action from Kawai.
But if you are concerned, then, consider to spend more money and get a model with wooden action.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think every synthetic action out there, over time, will develop some little noises that weren't there when the product was new, especially if you play classical music 2-3 hours a day every day.

That’s a very valid point. Before buying the CN39 I looked at the wooden action of the CA series and was indeed very tempted but the price difference is significant. As long as the noises that a plastic action keyboard could develop are minor personally I don’t see this as an issue that would affect my enjoyment of the CN39. At the end of the day our budgets limit the options and having had Yamaha DPs in the past I am now converted to the Kawai CN series given the competitive price point.

It looks like Kawai may not be very well represented in India. They have, it is acknowledged by most, decent customer service in those countries where they are.
I would choose another, better option in this case, although the CN39 will be a great product you'd not like to miss out on.
I'd reluctantly settle for a Yamaha I the absence of any other. Maybe not as exciting for the money, but the solid option.

It's too bad Kawai doesn't have much presence in India.
I wonder ... does Kawai have presence on the island of Kauai?
Is Yamaha well-represented in the Bahamas?

I dont know, if you get a really good discount on the CN37 i would go for that, i really dont know how much difference does the new speakers and soundboard have, because thats the only thing that they impoved. You would have to listen side by side and decide if its worth paying the full price since its a new product.

I would get the piano that I know I can get serviced if need be.

Thanks guys!

Having already tried hopeless Casio support here(they don't even have a customer-support number in India), I considered other brands:

Roland: They have a single service centre in the country and require you to ship your instrument each time you have an issue. For some, it implies shipping it for over 1500 miles at the mercy of carriers. I liked some of their models but just didn't wish to take that risk and added cost of shipping and repairs. They also offer a 1-year warranty only.

Yamaha: They offer 1-year warranty too. It needs some effort to find their customer care number, which they respond only during 'out-of-office' hours and weekends. But that too is not very heartening, as the person on the other side is a reception guy, who requests you to call during office hours

CLP635 and CLP645 that I was considering were pretty close to CN39, plus-minus a few features here and there.


Pardon my English as it's not my first language, but was that an intended sarcasm?
To explain the state of Kawai in India, they are represented 'officially' by a company called 'Theme Music' that only sells Kawai via their exclusive brick & mortar stores in all major cities of India, So, they are the official channel for Kawai products in India and one would expect a similar treatment as their customer in any other part of the globe, especially when their products sell at prices very similar or to those in UK, US and Australia(didn't check others) in their local currency equivalents.

Sadly, Indian customer-support laws aren't very strict, which allows most brands to get away with poor after-sales service in India. This also explains their sub-par warranty terms and conditions here.

The Kawai distributor(also the dealer) promised me a hassle-free return in case I receive the Piano with any issues. That was enough for me to ahead with the purchase. It was delivered fairly quickly in a few hours post my order-confirmation and so far so good..

Well, now I have to rely on the 1-year warranty provided by the distributor. As per what I am told, they have been selling Kawai Pianos in India for over 13 years now and have in-house trained technicians who would provide me in-home service for my CN39 when needed.

Initially, I found the sound a bit muffled, but tweaking the default settings helped. I like how it sounds now. Shall revert with more feedback as I get to spend more time with it.

Thanks for all the responses I received on my query!

Cheers,

You probably made the right decision under the circumstances. Here in UK we have endless choices; my nearest is about a mile away.

Except of Scotland he he

Somehow I feel that sound on Kawai CN39 is too low. When I make the touch sensitivity to off I can hear a better sound. Is there any issue?
I too bought it a week ago but face the above problem. Just not sure if there is any issue with the piano or just I am learning how to play it.

PS. I am a beginner pianist no past experience and this is my first piano.

Hello आँशिका, welcome to the forum, and congrats on the purchase of your CN39.

I typically recommend setting the volume of the instrument to the half-way point initially, and then increasing or decreasing as desired. An acoustic grand piano is capable of producing a lot of sound (volume), however digital piano owners - especially those who are just starting to play, and lacking in confidence - may set the volume to a relatively low level.

May I ask what volume level you have your CN39 set to, and if you are listening through the built-in speakers or a pair of headphones? Do you feel that the instrument is too quiet when listening to the instrument's demo songs?

Selecting a different touch curve may help to give the impression of more or less volume, however I would recommending sticking with the default settings for a little while as your technique and finger strength improve. I would not recommend using the "Fixed" touch curve while learning, as this will prevent you from being able to express dynamics - a very important element of playing the piano.

It's possible that there may be a fault with your CN39, however I would first like to confirm that your have the instrument's volume level set correctly.

Kind regards,
James
x

Thank you for your prompt reply James.

We usually keep volume button in middle and using built in speaker. Demo songs play well in good volume.
On head phone also we can hear properly (Not loud though). Bluetooth audio works well too.

I think just it’s my way of playing on keys. As per your suggestion we have reset our piano to default setting for better learning.

With default setting we have to press keys harder to hear good sound. On fixed or touch off setting volume just comes more Brighter and twice louder ( which we like And can’t even get that with default setting).


Thank you.

If the volume level sounds reasonable from the Speakers when the control is halfway but headphones are quiet, you might want different headphones. As a very rough guide headphones with an impredance of 24ohms should be quite loud. But in the end it isn’t just impedance but efficiency as well. There are many headphones with an impedance of 200ohms or more that many digital pianos will struggle to drive.

Thank you Kevin. I am very happy with my Kawai CN39. We are using Bose QC 15 headphones now. They are pretty loud now.

We are working on efficiency now. It’s just been 15 days for me to start playing piano so my questions may be childish or observations may not be right.

To find out what a digital piano is trying to imitate:

. . . Find an acoustic piano;

. . . Play it for a little while.

I agree with Kawai James, with one difference -- set the digital's volume to _at least_ 50% of full volume. 75% of full volume might be better.

A common problem with beginners, playing digital pianos:

. . . They set the volume too low;

. . . They practice like that, and they learn to strike the keys _really hard_ when they play.

It is better to raise the volume level, and strike the keys more gently.

As KJ says, _do not_ practice with "touch sensitivity = OFF". That turns the piano into an organ, or a harpsichord, or a harmonium. Those instruments are not "touch-sensitive", and they are _very_ different to play, than a piano. (If the CN39 has organ / harpsichord / harmonium sounds, and you use them, "Touch sensitivity = OFF" is the correct setting.)

Almost certainly, you are not using proper technique with your arms, wrists, hands, and fingers. You need to _strike_ the keys, not _press_ the keys. Energy must transfer from your body, to the hammer inside the keyboard:

. . . If you can find a piano teacher, a few lessons might be useful.

Enjoy your new instrument!

Or the opposite...