The Novus NV5 is the first digital piano to incorporate Kawai’s leading acoustic upright piano keyboard action technology, renowned for its extended spruce key sticks, and innovative ABS Carbon components that are stronger, lighter, and more dimensionally stable than conventional wooden parts.

The specially adapted Millennium III Hybrid keyboard action utilized by the NV5 replaces traditional felt hammers with new ABS equivalents that are individual graded in weight from bass to treble, while high-precision optical sensors take the place of metal strings, accurately reading the subtle movements of each hammer as the corresponding keys are played.

In addition to featuring a full acoustic upright piano keyboard action, the Novus NV5 is the first hybrid instrument to also incorporate a real upright piano damper mechanism. While there are no strings inside the NV5 to require physical damping, this unique feature replicates the true weighting of an upright piano damper pedal, while also mechanically easing the keyboard action’s touch weight as the pedal is pressed

The magnificent tone of Kawai’s flagship Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano is at the heart of the Novus NV5 hybrid digital piano. Widely regarded as the “premier pianos of Japan”, Shigeru Kawai instruments grace the stages of concert halls and musical institutions throughout the world, and are prized for their tonal clarity and exceptional dynamic range.

In order to faithfully reproduce the stunning sound of a Shigeru digitally, Kawai has developed SK-EX Rendering – a brand new piano sound engine that blends multi-channel, 88-key sampling with the latest resonance modelling technology. Multichannel sampling captures the sound from different points of the Shigeru Kawai concert grand piano, allowing a broader range of tonal characteristics to be reproduced, and providing a more lively, authentic response to changes in dynamics. This naturally expressive sound is further enriched by newly developed resonance algorithms, which physically model the complex tonal interactions produced by the strings, pedals, and various other parts of an acoustic piano, giving players the impression that they’re sitting at a living, breathing instrument.

In addition to the latest SK-EX Rendering piano sound engine, the Novus NV5 hybrid digital piano also incorporates Kawai’s highly regarded Harmonic Imaging XL technology, showcasing a variety of alternative acoustic piano sounds and a strong selection of additional instrument voices. The Kawai EX full concert grand piano has frequently been selected by professional pianists in such prestigious events as the Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Rubinstein international piano competitions, while the Shigeru Kawai SK-5 chamber grand and Kawai K-60 upright, allow performers to enjoy the contrasting tonal characteristics of various different piano sizes and voicing configurations.

Supplementing these realistic acoustic piano voices, the Novus NV5 hybrid digital piano also features an excellent selection of additional instrument sounds, ranging from electric pianos and drawbar and church organs, to strings, human choirs, and even atmospheric synth-style pads, inviting musicians to add greater variety to their performances. Furthermore, the Dual playing mode also allows two different sounds, such as grand piano and strings, to be layered together, while the Split and 4-Hands playing modes divide the keyboard into two independent sections.

The Novus NV5 hybrid digital piano’s Virtual Technician feature allows various characteristics of the selected acoustic piano, electric piano, or harpsichord sound to be shaped from the instruments’ touchscreen display, with settings to adjust voicing and regulation, string, damper, and cabinet resonances, and subtle hammer, damper, and key release noises. It is even possible to adjust the precise tuning and volume of individual notes, before storing one’s favorite instrument configuration to memory.

In addition to standard MIDI jacks for connecting to other instruments, the Novus NV5 hybrid digital piano also boasts integrated Bluetooth MIDI and Audio technology that allows the instrument to communicate with supported smart devices wirelessly. Once connected to a phone, tablet, or laptop, NV5 owners can enjoy a wide variety of exciting music-related apps that enhance their learning and playing experience, or stream audio from songs and videos through the instrument’s speakers without any additional cables.
* Availability of Bluetooth function dependent on market location.

The Novus NV5 hybrid digital piano is equipped with USB connectors that not only allow the instrument to be connected to a computer for MIDI use, but also to load and save data to USB memory devices directly. This “USB to Device” feature allows recorded songs stored in internal memory to be saved to USB for posterity, or standard MIDI files (SMF) downloaded from the internet to be conveniently played back without additional hardware.

USB memory devices can also be used to play back MP3 or WAV audio files, allowing musicians to learn the chords or melody for a new piece, or to simply play along with their favorite songs. It is even possible to save performances as MP3 or WAV files for emailing to friends and family, listening to on the move, or for further editing using an audio workstation.

Developed in collaboration with Onkyo, one of Japan’s leading premium audio equipment manufacturers, the Novus NV5 hybrid digital piano is one of the first Kawai musical instruments to utilize specialist components designed for high-end audio reproduction.

With cutting-edge technologies such as 1-bit processing, dual DAC signal conversion, and Onkyo’s DIRDC filtering, the NV5’s optimized power amplifiers reproduce the Shigeru Kawai grand piano sound with stunning clarity, richness, and power, while the high-performance Discrete SpectraModule™ headphone amplifier ensures the finest quality listening experience, even when playing in privacy.

The Novus NV5 is the first instrument of its kind to feature a full-colour 5” touchscreen display. Discreetly embedded within the left cheekblock, this high resolution touchscreen allows sounds and settings to be selected from an attractive user interface with the swipe of a finger. The display can also be set to turn off automatically while playing, thus preserving the NV5’s acoustic piano-like appearance, and minimizing any visual distraction to the pianist.