Those looking for a sublime grand style instrument in the compact nature of a digital piano, look no further! Combining Kawai’s finest Millennium III Hybrid grand piano keyboard action and real damper mechanism, with the latest SK-EX Rendering piano sound engine and premium amplification technologies powered by audio specialists Onkyo, the Novus NV10S delivers the most realistic grand piano playing experience ever accomplished by a digital instrument.
True Grand Piano Experience
The Novus NV10S is the perfect blend of tradition and innovation. A stunning hybrid instrument that combines a full grand piano keyboard action and damper mechanism, with the latest digital sound and amplification technologies. Designed for and tested by professional pianists, the NV10 provides the unmistakable feeling of playing a premium quality acoustic instrument, with all the practicality and convenience of a modern digital.
A quest for perfection
Koichi Kawai designed and built the first complete acoustic piano action in Japan in the early 1900s. In the decades that have followed, Kawai engineers continue to pursue the company founder’s quest for perfection, pioneering the use of state-of-the-art materials and designs that advance the piano art form.
The Millennium III upright piano action found in today’s Kawai ‘K’ series instruments exemplifies Koichi’s philosophy. This highly-coveted action incorporates components produced using ABS Carbon, an extremely sturdy and rigid composite material that allows these action parts to be stronger, lighter, and faster than their conventional wooden counterparts. The NV10S utilises this mechanism brilliantly, delivering true acoustic touch and feel with every play.
The Millennium III Hybrid action represents the latest milestone in Kawai’s rich legacy of piano innovation, and serves as the centrepiece of the Novus NV10S. It comprises over 10,000 individual parts, each playing a crucial role in allowing the performer’s fingertips to express feeling and emotion through music.
The Future Of Piano
Delivering on Kawai's philosophy of constant innovation, the NV10S excels. The Millennium III Hybrid retains the composite parts and extended key sticks of its acoustic cousin, while replacing the traditional felt hammers with individually-weighted ABS equivalents. As a hybrid piano, there are no metal strings inside the Novus for these hammers to physically strike when the keys are played, therefore their precise movements are instead captured using high-resolution optical sensors mounted above the action.
Optical hammer sensors
The precise movements of each hammer are measured using high-resolution optical sensors, providing greater accuracy than conventional key-based sensor systems. This more advanced approach closely reproduces the mechanical flow of an acoustic piano, and allows rapid pianissimo passages with mordents or trills to be performed with greater fluency.
Authentic Acoustic Feel
The Novus NV10S’ beautiful chrome plated pedals and exposed pedal rods are sourced from the same GX series instruments as the premium Millennium III keyboard action. Moreover, in addition to featuring a full grand piano action, the Novus NV10S is the first hybrid instrument to also incorporate a real grand piano damper mechanism.
There are no metal strings inside the Novus to require physical damping, as the instrument’s sound is produced digitally. However, in order to reproduce every aspect of playing a grand piano, the NV10S retains the damper mechanism behind the keyboard action, with graded weights attached to each damper lever replicating the load of traditional wood and felt parts, as the keys and pedal are pressed.
This innovation allows pianists to not only hear how the damper pedal affects the Novus’ generated sound, but also feel the various mechanical interactions through their hands and feet. Such attention to detail is unprecedented in a digital instrument, and further reinforces the NV10S’ objective of delivering a true grand piano playing experience that is indistinguishable from the real thing.
The Sound Of Grandeur
The spirit of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano is at the heart of the Novus NV10S. Each world-class instrument is hand-crafted by Master Piano Artisans (MPAs), utilising the finest available materials to ensure optimum touch, tone, and artistic expression.
Widely regarded as ‘the premier piano of Japan,’ the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX graces the stages of concert halls and musical institutions around the globe, receiving universal acclaim for its magnificent tonal clarity and exceptional dynamic range.
In order to reproduce the stunning tonal qualities of the Shigeru Kawai concert grand piano digitally, the Novus NV10S incorporates Kawai’s latest SK-EX Rendering technology. This advanced piano sound engine combines the well-established process of sampling with the modern approach of physical modelling, to produce a piano sound that is both rich in natural acoustic character, and dynamically responsive to the player’s musical desires.
Developed in collaboration with Onkyo, one of Japan’s leading premium audio equipment manufacturers, the NV10S features specialist filtering and amplification components designed for high-resolution sound reproduction. These technologies improve tonal clarity throughout the dynamic range, while helping to preserve the unique harmonic characteristics of the Shigeru Kawai piano.
Advanced speaker system
This high-fidelity sound is delivered through the NV10S’ powerful 7-speaker output system, which combines a large 20 cm woofer enclosed within the instrument’s base, with four premium quality top-facing mid-range drivers, and two tweeters placed behind the upper board. The result is a remarkably authentic playing experience that immerses the performer, and faithfully reproduces the three dimensional sound field of an acoustic grand piano.
Digital Connectivity and Personalisation
While the Novus NV10S’ core features are unquestionably derived from an acoustic piano, the instrument neatly incorporates various additional technologies that provide the modern conveniences of a premium digital piano.
These features are primarily controlled through the NV10’s touchscreen LCD, which is discretely embedded within the instrument’s left cheekblock. This high resolution touchscreen allows sounds and settings to be adjusted from an attractive user interface simply by tapping or swiping the display with a finger. For piano purists, the screen can be set to fade out automatically while playing, thus preserving the Novus’ classic appearance, and minimising any visual distraction to the performer.
Unlike an acoustic piano, the Novus NV10S provides a variety of options for connecting to other devices. Headphone and audio jacks allow the instrument to be played in silence, or for the sound to be amplified for halls and other large settings, and USB and MIDI ports for transferring music data to and from a computer. The NV10S even supports Bluetooth® MIDI and audio functionality, providing an effortless way to connect and enjoy smart devices wirelessly.
Features:
- Peerless Millennium III Hybrid grand piano keyboard action
- Unique real grand piano damper mechanism
- SK-EX Rendering piano sound engine with multi-channel sampling
- Premium audio processing and amplification technologies
- High-fidelity 7-speaker delivery system for enhanced depth
- Integrated Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio wireless technology
- Modern 5" LCD touchscreen display embedded within cheekblock
- Flexible Virtual Technician function with 19 adjustable parameters
- MP3/WAV playback, record, and overdub to USB
- Stunning ebony polish cabinet with Soft Fall fallboard system
