The AURES AR2 hybrid instruments blend Kawai’s masterful acoustic piano craftsmanship with advanced digital piano technologies. Each piano begins with the solid foundation of Kawai’s award-winning upright and grand pianos, offering class-leading features such as the Millennium III action, considered to be the world’s finest upright and piano actions.

Equipped with Kawai’s most advanced digital and sound technologies, AURES AR2 instruments are also premium digital pianos that can be played silently with headphones or through their acoustic soundboard. Players can complement their performances with a wide selection of digital sounds or layer these sounds with the acoustic piano to create unique combinations. Practice new pieces using the built-in metronome then record their performance, or play along with tracks from a Bluetooth-connected smart device and enjoy a personal ensemble performance.

The AURES AR2 instruments incorporate Kawai’s latest digital piano sound technologies from the highly regarded Concert Artist and Novus product lines. When playing through headphones or when AURES mode is active, pianists can enjoy the beautiful sound of the flagship Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano, stunningly reproduced using the advanced SK-EX Rendering sound engine.

In addition to the acoustic muting and digital sound features, AURES AR2 instruments are also equipped with the latest iteration of Kawai’s advanced Soundboard Speaker System. This innovative technology utilises four high-performance transducers which are strategically placed onto the upright or grand piano's solid spruce soundboard. These transducers channel the AURES AR2 instrument's digitally generated sound through the large wooden soundboard, resulting in a naturally acoustic tone that is more expansive than that produced by traditional cone speakers.

Pianists can then enjoy the flexibility and convenience offered by a digital piano, such as the ability to select a broad range of different instrument sounds, record and playback one’s performance, or freely adjust the volume level to avoid disturbing loves ones – all while continuing to play the AURES AR2’s exceptional Millennium III upright or grand piano keyboard actions.

To ensure that all AURES AR2 instruments match the premium quality and excellent playability of their standard acoustic upright and grand piano counterparts, Kawai’s R&D engineering staff worked closely with the company’s internal Master Piano Artisans (MPAs).

These extremely knowledgeable and experienced technicians supervised each stage of the AURES AR2 development process, to ensure that the instruments’ acoustic keyboard action remains exceptionally responsive and balanced, even when used to trigger the digital piano sound engine, and guarantee that the tonal characteristics of the Soundboard Speaker System are as close as possible to that of an acoustic piano.