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November 17, 2020

Kawai Novus NV5 wins Music Inc. Magazine ‘Product Excellence’ award

2020 Music Inc. Magazine 'Product Excellence' winner: Kawai Novus NV5.

Kawai is proud to announce that the Novus NV5 hybrid piano has received a prestigious ‘Product Excellence’ award from Music Inc. magazine – one of the music industry’s leading trade publications.

Each year the magazine surveys musical instrument retailers across North America, inviting dealers to vote for products that have innovated and expanded the industry over the past twelve months.  Winning manufacturers receive a prestigious ‘Product Excellence’ aware from Music Inc. magazine, along with the satisfaction of being honoured as one of the musical instrument industry’s finest brands and products.

“We are so grateful to Music Inc. Magazine and its readers for the award and recognition of our Novus NV5 hybrid piano, a truly one-of-a-kind instrument,” says Takanori Aoki, president of Kawai America Corporation and Kawai Canada Music. “Our aim at Kawai Pianos has always been to build beautiful instruments that offer the finest piano playing experience. The NV5 certainly does.”

The Novus NV5 hybrid piano utilises the same Millennium III keyboard actions as that of Kawai’s ‘K’ series professional upright pianos, with high-precision optical sensor detecting the movement of each hybrid hammer. The NV5 also includes a real acoustic piano damper mechanism that replicates the true weighting of an acoustic piano damper pedal.

The NV5 features a powerful amplification and delivery system developed in collaboration with audio specialists Onkyo that incorporates Kawai’s TwinDrive soundboard technology, reproducing the sound of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano. The NV5 also supports both Bluetooth® MIDI and audio connectivity, and offers a variety of convenient features, easily accessible from the large LCD touchscreen display embedded within the instrument’s left cheekblock. Its ultra-compact cabinet occupies a depth of just 18.5 inches – far smaller than that of a conventional upright piano.

Alan Palmer, Digital Product Manager at Kawai America Corporation shared, “The experience of playing the NV5 is something that sticks with you for a long time. We were determined to build a product that perfectly blends tradition and innovation delivering an unmatched playing experience. We’re glad to see that we were able to do that.” He adds, “If you haven’t yet experienced the Novus NV5, you really should.”

This year’s ‘Product Excellence’ award is the 12th accolade that Kawai has received from Music Inc. magazine in the past ten years, following previous awards for the Novus NV10 hybrid piano in 2018, and multiple awards for the popular Concert Artist (CA) and CN series digital pianos. Kawai America has also received multiple ‘Supplier Excellence’ awards, acknowledging the subsidiary’s commitment to dealer and customer satisfaction.

 

History of received Music Inc. magazine ‘Excellence’ awards:

2020: Music Inc. Product Excellence Award (Novus NV5 Hybrid Digital Piano)
2018: Music Inc. Product Excellence Award (Novus NV10 Hybrid Digital Piano)
2017: Music Inc. Product Excellence Award (GX-2 Grand Piano)
2015: Music Inc. Product Excellence Award (CA97 Hybrid and CA67 Digital Piano)
2015: Music Inc. Supplier Excellence Award (for Exceptional Products and People)
2014: Music Inc. Supplier Excellence Award (for Exceptional Products and People)
2014: Music Inc. Product Excellence Award (CN Series Digital Pianos)
2014: Music Inc. Editor’s Choice: NAMM “Best in Show” (CS10 Hybrid Digital Piano)
2013: Music Inc. Supplier Excellence Award (for Exceptional Products and People)
2012: Music Inc. Supplier Excellence Award (for Exceptional Products and People)
2012: Music Inc. Product Excellence Award (CA95 Hybrid Digital Piano)
2010: Music Inc. Product Excellence Award (CA93 Hybrid Digital Piano)

 

About Music Inc. Magazine

Music Inc. magazine is North America’s leading business-to-business magazine for musical product retailers. Each issue of Music Inc. includes industry news, product information, and “ideas” columns from influential figures within the musical instrument industry.

About Kawai

Over the past ninety years, Kawai has earned a reputation for outstanding quality, workmanship and innovation in the crafting of world-class instruments. Kawai acoustic and digital pianos are a top choice of pianists, teachers, students, and professional musicians around the globe. The skillful blending of traditional piano craftsmanship with state-of-the-art technology has made Kawai one of the most award-winning companies in the entire music products industry – having received over 50 major international awards for excellence.


For more information about the Music Inc. magazine ‘Excellence’ Awards and the Novus NV5 hybrid piano, please refer to the website and product page below:

https://www.musicincmag.com/legacy/digital_editions/2020/20_12/single_page_view/41.html

https://www.kawai-global.com/product/nv5