Kawai CN301 vs. CN39: Sound & Touch Upgrades - Player's Perspective
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2024
- Family Piano Co's Max compares Kawai's brand new #CN301 to its predecessor, the #CN39, and discusses the noticeable improvements #Kawai made!
00:00 - Intro - Action Comparison
01:23 - Sound (Speakers) Comparison
02:15 - Cabinet Differences
03:12 - Display Differences
04:28 - Improv on the CN301
05:18 - Improv on the CN39
06:19 - Opinion
07:42 - CN301 - Songs Without Words op 53 no 19 - Mendelssohn
09:33 - CN39 - Songs Without Words op 53 no 19 - Mendelssohn
11:44 - Opinion
12:19 - CN39 - Piano Sonata No. 2 in B♭ minor, Op. 35 - Chopin
12:59 - CN301 - Piano Sonata No. 2 in B♭ minor, Op. 35 - Chopin
13:35 - Opinion
14:41 - Sound of keys with power off
15:20 - Final thoughts
Have a piano question? Please reach out by email to me at max@familypiano.com! - Hudba
Thx for the Video!
Thanks! 😊
very informative
Regarding the sound comparison between 7:52 and 10:05, I entered the audio files in an audio analyzer to see the frequency spectrum. Overall, the CN39 emphasized the range of 100 Hz -130 Hz, which made the sound boomy. Now, boomy is only a compliment in the consumer-grade speaker maket... not something you would tell an audiophile about his speaker system... this exaggerated bass should not be confused with a "warm" sound, but I think it is often the case. A person not used to listening to an audiophile speaker might say "It sounds terrible, it is only midrange. I don't get it". Same with a pair of studio monitors. But this is not the problem of the audiophile speaker or the studio monitor, but the person judging a correct sound based on their habit of listening to bad speakers. The frequency spectrum shows this 100 Hz -130 Hz dominating all other frequencies. This is not a balanced sound.
However, the CN301 seems to address this issue: while it still maintains a strong presence in the 100 Hz - 115 Hz as well as in the 50 Hz, it also has its strongest peak around 310 Hz (which would be lower midrange frequencies). It is a more balanced sound.
Real pianos are never boomy with scooped out midrange frequencies, which is a problem present is the large majority of digital pianos. Unfortunately, digital pianos that produce a correct balance of frequencies are often labeled as "cold", "harsh", etc. I believe this problem arises from so many boomy speakers on the market and people getting used to their sound.
The last time I played the CN29 and CN39 side by side with the CA99, I was surprised at to how boomy the SK-EX sample in the CN series was. In contrast, the CA99 had the correct balance I expect in a piano sample.
So, in summary, from the recordings I hear in this video, I think the CN301 offers a noticeably better piano sound, thanks to a more balanced equalization.
I love everything about this comment, my hat off to you for bringing your expertise into the mix! -Max
@@familypianoco Hi Max, thanks a lot for your feedback!
I think you can't do that type of test as the microphone is positioned in two different places which greatly alter the recording, you have to hear the difference with your ears by trying them live
How's the touch and feel of RH III Action of CN 301 Compared to that of Roland's PHA-50 Action?
Love these videos. Really torn between the CN301 and the CA49. Now that the CA401 has been released, when are you likely to be posting a video on that piano with differences? Thanks!
Hi Andrew, thanks for watching! I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the CA401 and will definitely make a video once we have them in! As a piano teacher, my preference is definitely towards the wooden GFC action of the CA49/401 instead of the RHIII plastic key action of the CN301. Don't get me wrong, the CN301 has the very best touch of all plastic key digitals I've played, but real wood just makes a huge difference in touch sensitivity and realism. So for touch, definitely CA49/401. In terms of sound, they'll be very similar (same sound technology, Progressive Harmonic Imaging) but the CN301 has extra customizable Virtual Technician parameters, about twice as many sounds, and both Undamped String Resonance and Cabinet Resonance which the CA49 does not have. The CN301 also allows for split voices (meaning you can have one instrument on the bottom range of the keyboard and another instrument on the top ranges). So slight sound edge and feature edge to the CN301 but the CA49 has a better sense of touch. If sense of touch and getting the best educational value is top priority for you, I'd go CA49. Hope this helps! -Max
@@familypianoco thanks Max. Really appreciate this well thought through response. I’m a very low level player so trying to balance spend with long term aspirations.
I’ve also seen that the CA59 is on a deal now with the CA501 due for release - I guess it’s a big step up from the CA49 in terms of sound? It’s an extra £500 in the UK so a big jump!
The CA59 is great! Essentially, it gives you the touch of the CA49 but even better sound and feature set than the CN301. It's a step up in sound technology to Kawai's best Harmonic Imaging XL (larger sample sizes, more detailed and realistic note attack and decay, meaning each note starts and dissipates in a more beautiful, realistic way) . It'd be the best of both worlds solution, granted a higher price tag. I would say if you went for the CN301 it would be great for some time but after a few years of hard work in learning piano (I'd say around late intermediate/early advanced levels) you'd start to be limited by the plastic action vs. the Grand Feel compact action which would suffice for just about all but the most demanding of repertoire but would be helping you in achieving a more sensitive, artistic touch at the piano from day one. -Max
@@familypianoco The CA49 does lack bluetooth audio so for educational purposes it's also a bit limited in this way. No playing along with other songs or listening to instructions (youtube lessons f.e.) via headphones.
It's been a month I've been researching this as they are on par budget wise, I've just purchased the CN301 and it should arrive in the next couple weeks.
It's best to buy the latest model and with the latest tweaks and upgrades,because Kawai has had a lot of feedback from customers of the previous models. Also the CN301 has a lot more digital functionalities when wanting to record or to play music from your phone with with your piano's speakers, this makes it possible to play with an orchestra etc.
I love the Kawai CN301. I currently have a Yamaha Clavinova CLP 535. I'm not sure if the upgrade is worth it. I'm leaning toward keeping the Clavinova a few more years but I really did enjoy playing the Kawai.
We're big fans too! As long as you're still enjoying your piano and it's not limiting your playing, holding off a bit longer is a sound idea. I love geeking out over gear myself, especially with guitars and camera equipment, but it's ultimately about the music and expression! Instruments are just tools! Thanks for watching. (:
Thank you Max for the nice comparison! I had decided on CN201 but checking now CN301 also in other reviews, it seems that its sound is much more nuanced and properly mimics a lot of intricacies of an acoustic. For a good intermediate player that studied as a child and wants to return to playing and improve in the long term (mainly classical music: chopin, beethoven), would you say the extra cost of the CN301is justified? It seems like it is the complete package for a proper digital piano without spending a fortune. But then again, I guess even KDP120 does the job? I'm so confused haha
What did you end up with? We think any piano can "do the job," but it's more about which inspires you to play more. The CN301 has more to play around with, and if that translates into you spending more time at your piano, it's definitely worth the extra cost! --Drew
Ciao, thank you for the video, very useful. I'm on the market for a new digital piano (I come from a very old Casio Privia and I want to upgrade). How would you compare the CN301 to the Yamaha Arius 165? Mostly in terms of touch/feel. Are they comparable or there's no match?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Marco, thanks for watching! As we do not carry new Yamaha digitals (Our digital brands are Kawai, Casio and Roland), I don't have an Arius 165 on our floor to directly compare with it. However, I used to own a similar-tier Yamaha Arius from 2011 - not the fairest comparison due to age but the CN301 absolutely blows what I had out of the water and would be much, much better in both touch and sound compared to your older Casio Privia. I love Kawai's RHIII action and consider it to offer the best sense of touch of any plastic digital piano action. I'd recommend visiting a few stores near you to compare as ultimately it can be pretty subjective but I think you'd be very happy with the CN301! Or possibly also consider checking out the brand new CA401 - similar price point but offers a wooden key action for even more realism and expression! -Max
@@familypianoco thank you so much for your answer.
Hello. Thank you for the review. But I have a question. Onkyo speakers are applied in cn39, and on cn301, its own speakers are applied. Maybe that's why I like the sound of cn39. Do you feel the difference between these speakers? Also, cn301 sounds like noise. Is this a recording problem or is it the sound from the actual speaker?
We don't know if anyone has in-depth answers to that question right now. I talked to the Kawai executives, and they weren't super sure themselves. Basically Onkyo went kaput recently. But Kawai did keep the speaker manufacturing the same was my understanding. There were perhaps iterative changes? Need to reach out to the engineers next time haha. Certainly there could be recording problems as well! --Drew
In your opinion… would you recommend the CN301 over the CA49 and CA59?
Most of us on the team prefer the wooden action of the CA-49 or CA-59. The CA-59 will have a feature set and navigation similar to the CN-301, but is more expensive because of the wooden action. So if you're cool spending the extra money for the CA-59, I'd say it's superior. If the budget limits you to CA-49 or the CN-301, then it comes down to Action (CA49) vs Features (CN-301). I hope this helps! ~Brendan
Can you tell something about the rhythm quality or if it is user friendly?
Rhythms are nice. It's the standard set of high-quality rhythms found on pretty much all the feature-rich Kawai digitals. In terms of user-experience, the rhythms aren't as front-and-center as Casio, for example, but once you know the couple buttons you need to push to get to the rhythms, it's not too bad.
Is it worth upgrading from the Casio AP 470?
In our opinion, you'd get a better action, you'd get a better sound technology, you'd get bluetooth, all sorts of advantages. At the end of the day, though, you know your bank account better than we do! 😉
Would you say the Cn201 and CN301 are basicly the same, just more Polyphony nad Sounds, and the soundbar. These are the main differences
Yes, essentially the CN301 is a lot like the CN201 but with a few notable upgrades. Same action, same great sound technology (Progressive Harmonic Imaging), it's really going to come down to speaker system upgrades, extra features, the ease of accessing these features. Much better speakers make for much better sound (also more types of resonances are taken into account making for a fuller, more natural sounding tone). You have more polyphony and many more sounds, extra features etc. The user interface is much easier to navigate (Larger screen, larger buttons, just much easier to see what you're doing and access all the features). Overall the cabinet design is a bit larger and a bit sturdier. The biggest and most instantly noticeable improvement from the CN201 to CN301 will be the sound upgrade, it really does sound a lot better. I'd encourage you to try them out in person to see which would work best for you and your wallet! -Max
@@familypianoco Thank you for your Detailed comment
Очень предвзятое обозрение на мой взгляд
Well, no way to avoid bias completely. We don't hide that we're a Kawai dealer, but we're not obligated to make these videos or anything. We try to be as genuine as possible, and we only make videos for instruments that really excite us. That said, we definitely encourage you to watch other reviews and compare our thoughts to theirs. Always a good idea to have multiple sources! And more than that, definitely stop in to play one of your own and form your own opinion!
CN301 sounds like Yamaha with same price and it's not a compliment. It's some glass sound
Hahaha! Fair opinion, not everyone is going to love the sound. I think you'd change your mind in-person. Only so much of the sound can be captured with a mic and then heard through speakers.