News
Kawai announces new DG30 digital grand piano
Kawai Japan is delighted to announce the DG30, the first model of Kawai’s new series of high specification Digital Grand instruments, delivering the touch, sound, and appearance of a grand piano at an affordable price.
The DG30’s attractive cabinet is finished from top to toe in Ebony Polish, with silver-chrome fittings completing a modern, elegant look. Opening the instrument’s topboard reveals a polished wooden soundboard, decorated with traditional rim braid, and long and short lid props that allow for both fully- and partially-open topboard positions. Despite its grand appearance, the DG30 is a relatively compact instrument and occupies a depth of just 87 cm (34 1/4 inches), ensuring this handsome piano can also be enjoyed in smaller spaces that may struggle to accommodate an acoustic grand piano.
Inside the instrument, the DG30’s grand exterior is complemented by Kawai’s advanced digital piano keyboard and sound technologies. The highly-authentic Responsive Hammer III keyboard action incorporates premium features such as graded hammers, counterweights, triple-sensor key detection, Ivory Touch key surfaces, and even let-off simulation. This exceptional keyboard action is paired with the impressive Progressive Harmonic Imaging sound engine, which reproduces the distinctive tonal character of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert and SK-5 chamber grand pianos, along with the Kawai EX, K-60, and a wide variety of other acoustic pianos and instruments sounds. These stunning sounds are delivered through a powerful 4-speaker output system, featuring technologies developed in collaboration with premium Japanese audio specialists, Onkyo. The DG30 also incorporates Bluetooth technology, allowing the instrument’s functionality to be expanded with a wide variety of apps, or for audio stored on a smartphone or tablet to be played through the piano’s speakers wirelessly.
Main Features
- Responsive Hammer III keyboard action with graded hammers, counterweights, and triple-sensor system
- Progressive Harmonic Imaging sound technology with Shigeru Kawai grand piano sounds and 88-key stereo sampling
- Over 350 authentic sounds, including acoustic pianos, electric pianos, organs, strings, bass etc.
- Audio technologies developed in partnership with Onkyo, 40W speaker system
- Bluetooth MIDI and Audio functionality with aptX support for wireless communication and audio playback
- Built-in Burgmüller, Czerny, Beyer etudes and Alfred lesson songs
- Standard MIDI, USB to Host/Device, Audio In/Out connectivity
- Cheekblock control panel with high quality OLED display
- Attractive, compact grand piano cabinet design with 2-position topboard
- High quality Ebony Polish finish with silver-chrome fittings
Piano sound: Celebrated concert grand pianos, reproduced using high-performance technologies
The rich, expressive sound of Kawai’s celebrated concert grand pianos are at the heart of the new DG30, with both the flagship Shigeru Kawai SK-EX and highly-acclaimed Kawai EX instruments lovingly recorded and faithfully produced using full 88-key stereo sampling. With two distinctive Kawai concert grand pianos, the mid-sized Shigeru Kawai SK-5 chamber grand, and the K-60 traditional upright readily available, players can explore a variety of different piano sounds, and enjoy the contrasting properties of each. These latest DG30 utilises Kawai’s advanced Progressive Harmonic Imaging sound technology, with algorithms that reproduce how an acoustic piano’s tonal character changes as dynamics increase. This ensures seamless expression when playing from gentle pianissimo to thunderous fortissimo, without sudden changes in sound, while impressive polyphony specifications allow players to perform complicated pieces without held notes ‘dropping out’ unexpectedly.
These realistic piano sounds are delivered using high-performance sound hardware developed in partnership with Onkyo, one of Japan’s leading audio equipment manufacturers. This technology ensures a faithful reproduction of the acoustic source, delivering crystal clear piano sounds with low-noise and minimal distortion, while the powerful 4-speaker system delivers sound through both the top and bottom of the instrument, reproducing the sound field of a grand piano.
Keyboard action: Responsive Hammer III weighted-key action with premium features
Connecting the DG30’s stunning acoustic piano sounds to the player is the excellent Responsive Hammer III keyboard. This highly-regarded action features graded hammers that replicate the heavier bass and lighter treble hammers of an acoustic piano, with additional counterweights embedded within the front of each black and white key that assist playing control during pianissimo passages.
The DG30 utilises a modern triple sensor key detection system for improved repetition speed and responsiveness, allowing a greater range of expressive control from staccato to legato playing. The Responsive Hammer III action is equipped with premium Ivory Touch key surfaces that possess an attractive, natural matte finish that is smooth but not slippery, while let-off simulation reproduces the subtle resistance felt when playing the keys of a grand piano very softly, satisfying the expectations of the most experienced pianists.
Convenient features: Integrated Bluetooth, Line Out connectivity, built-in lessons
The impressive DG30 offers a variety of useful features to complement its stunning grand piano sounds and authentic keyboard touch. Integrated Bluetooth MIDI allows the instruments to communicate with supported smart devices, facilitating a wide range of apps to be used wirelessly, while the built-in lesson function (featuring a variety of classical etudes and Alfred songs), adjustable metronome and song recorder, are invaluable tools for aspiring pianists. A rich assortment of additional instrumental voices, along with Dual and Split playing modes add greater variety to players’ performances, while the special Four Hands mode divides the keyboard into two independent sections, allowing teacher and student to practise and play together using a single instrument. The DG30 also inherit Kawai’s advanced SHS technology from the leading CA Series instruments, enhancing the depth and realism of sounds heard through headphones or earphones, while also helping to reduce auditory fatigue when listening for extended periods of time.
The DG30’s raises the bar further with additional Bluetooth Audio functionality, allowing audio from songs and videos to be streamed through the instrument’s high fidelity 4-speaker output system without additional cables. Moreover, the powerful recorder function also allows MP3 or WAV audio and MIDI song files to be recorded and overdubbed to a USB memory device, and shared with friends and family online. The DG30 includes both USB-MIDI and standard MIDI connectors for flexibility with computers and other devices, and also provides stereo Line In and Line Out jacks that allow the instrument to be enjoyed in larger settings such as churches or school halls.
Attractive design: Modern grand piano-like cabinet with polished finish
The DG30’s attractive, grand piano-like cabinet is finished from top to toe in luxurious Ebony Polish, with silver-chrome fittings completing a modern, elegant look. Its flat fascia and tall upper board give the instrument a traditional yet minimalist quality, that elevates the artistry of the pianist as their hands reflect in the mirror-like surface. The DG30’s intuitive control panel is discretely embedded within the left cheek-block, helping to preserve the instruments’ grand piano-like character, while the high-resolution OLED displays remains clear and easily readable from the seated position.
The DG30 features two lid props, allowing the topboard angle to be adjusted depending on one’s preferred visual aesthetic, or tonal character. Using the longer prop sets the topboard to the regular, fully-open position, allowing the instrument's sound to project fully for a bright and clear tonal character, while the shorter prop sets the topboard in a partially closed position, resulting in a darker, more mellow quality.
Stunning acoustic piano sounds, an authentic keyboard action, and a variety of modern, convenient features – all housed within a beautiful polished ebony grand piano-style cabinet. Introducing the DG30: The modern digital piano that leaves a grand impression.
For more information about the DG30 digital grand piano, please refer to the product page below: