Kawai Novus NV5S Hybrid Digital Piano

The brand new Kawai Novus 5S, or “NV5S”, is the popular follow-up to Kawai’s ground-breaking NV-5, originally launched by their Japanese R & D division in late 2019. It joins the Kawai NV10S  which was also updated from the original NV-10. The NV5S is, in essence, the ‘upright version’ of it, and the two pianos offer the most authentic piano playing experience of any digital pianos ever. The NV5S also includes the incredible addition of Kawai’s famous Twin Drive Soundboard Speaker System which has been made made famous by their CA901.

The Kawai Novus 5 offers the top design features available today, including: the new Shigeru Kawai SK-EX Concert grand acoustic rendering technology, amplification technologies, and speakers from Japan’s top audio suppliers. It continues the original NV5’s tradition of the Millennium III Carbon Fiber Upright Action, the Kawai Twin Drive Soundboard Speaker System as a real upright piano damper system for optimal tone and touch recreation. It also includes the improved OS and UX improvements found on the NV-10S.

The Novus Series is Kawai’s top line of Hybrid Digital Instruments, and the Novus 5s is geared specifically at acoustic piano players who’s spaces simply can not accommodate an acoustic instrument. If you’re looking for the most authentic upright piano experience in a digital piano, then the Kawai NV5 will certainly need to be on your wishlist.                     

Action

Millennium III Carbon Fibre Action 

Although there’s a whole lot packed into Kawai‘s NV5S model, likely the thing that gets most pianists excited about the most is its real upright piano action. Kawai has equipped the NV5S with the same Millennium III Carbon Fibre Action that they put into their world-famous Professional K-Series Upright Pianos. In the world of acoustic piano actions, the Millennium III Action from Kawai is widely regarded to be among the most advanced, accurate, and durable piano actions money can buy. It features advanced design elements such as: moving pieces made completely of carbon fibre material (for optimal stability and accuracy) as well as extended length key sticks (for more control in lower dynamic ranges). The only other digital piano to have an action of this caliber in it is the Kawai Novus NV10.                                                    

Since the Novus 5 is a digital piano and doesn’t have strings in it, instead of traditional felt hammers, Kawai makes use of carbon fiber infused ABS hammers in the NV5S for optimal accuracy and durability. These hammers are excellent for interacting with the state-of-the-art optical hammer sensing system the NV5S. Essentially – some type of sensor is required in all digital pianos to connect the instrument’s action to its tone engine. Most professional digitals and hybrid pianos use what’s called a ‘tri-‘sensor’ for this purpose, however, the NV5S from Kawai receives an optical sensor. This in essence means that instead of measuring how hard the player is hitting the bottom of the keyed (like with traditional sensors), the optical sensor reacts to the movement of the carbon fiber hammer, which not only functions far closer to that of a real piano (dynamics in acoustic pianos are controlled by how hard a hammer hits a string, not by how hard the keys hit the keyed) but also significantly increases the sensitivity and control in each key exponentially. 

All of these factors combine to give the Novus 5 Hybrid Piano from Kawai the most authentic touch piano touch ever available in a digital instrument.

Sound/Tone

From a sound standpoint, the NV5S is a straight-up knock-out. The tone is built off the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX Concert Grand Piano, which they’ve reproduced via painstaking individual note multi-channel sampling. The default piano mode is Kawai’s SK-EX Rendering Engine which combines the multi-channel sampling with modelling technology for a highly detailed sonic experience incorporating details like damper resonance into the mix. The Harmonic Imaging engine (HI-XL)is also available on-board which offers a distinctly different experience from the Rendering engine.

Beyond the genuine upright piano action, another set of features that classifies the NV5S as a hybrid piano is the speaker system. There’s a premium six-speaker array, including dome tweeters, but what really stands out is the inclusion of Kawai’s Twin Drive Soundboard Speaker System. Kawai was the first company to start incorporating real solid spruce soundboards into their digital piano, and not just for aesthetics, but as an active part of the sound generation process. The new Twin Drive version found here features dual transducers, which bring out the bass and mid-range frequencies, resulting in an instrument that actually resonates, much like a real piano! In this way, the NV5S is recreating the acoustic piano perhaps better than any other hybrid piano on the market.

Connectivity

The NV5S has all of the connectivity options anyone using it for home or commercial use will need. For starters, it’s got both Bluetooth MIDI and Bluetooth Audio. Bluetooth Audio is an especially great add-on here as it allows you to enjoy the premium speaker system of the NV5S, even when you aren’t playing it. Stream audio from a smartphone or tablet, and enjoy a sound experience that trumps all but high-end audiophile stereo setups.

USB to device and host are also covered, as your standard wired MIDI connections both in and out. Rounding it out are dual stereo jacks, a 1/4″ line out, and a 1/8″ line in.

Notable Features

• Superb Millennium III Hybrid upright piano keyboard action
• Unique real upright piano damper mechanism
• SK-EX Rendering piano sound engine with multi-channel sampling
• Premium audio processing and amplification technologies
• High-performance speaker system with Kawai’s proprietary TwinDrive soundboard
• Integrated Bluetooth® MIDI and Audio with aptX support
• Support for Kawai’s latest PianoRemote and PiaBookPlayer iOS/Android apps
• Modern 5″ LCD touchscreen embedded within the left cheek block
• Flexible Virtual Technician function with 21 adjustable parameters
• MP3/WAV playback, record, and overdub to USB
• Ultra-slim ebony polish cabinet with Soft Fall fallboard system

Conclusions/Summary/Overall Impressions

As per typical Kawai fashion, they have truly ‘done it again’: advancing the art of piano making with every model. The Kawai Novus 5 is the newest addition to their flagship line of Novus Hybrid Pianos, and is officially the first hybrid piano of all time to feature TWO acoustic piano components in its construction – authentic upright piano action and soundboard. The NV5 is considered the ‘upright version’ of its larger sibling, the NV10. The NV5S combines the award-winning Millenium III Carbon Fibre Upright Action with a real grand piano damper mechanism, state-of-the-art audio processing and amplification system, hi-fi 6 speaker array, the incredible Twin Drive Soundboard System and a futuristic 5″ LCD touchscreen display embedded within the Cheekblock, this instrument is a genuine game-changer. Never has a digital piano felt (both touch and resonance) as good as the Kawai Novus 5s.

To learn more about how digital pianos are made and what makes some better than others please CLICK HERE.

Kawai NV5S Owner’s Manual

• [English] NV5 Owner’s Manual

Kawai NV5S Related Resources

• [VIDEO] Kawai Novus NV5 Hybrid Digital Piano Review
• [VIDEO] Kawai Novus NV10 vs NV5 Hybrid Digital Piano Comparison
• [VIDEO] Kawai NV5 vs Roland LX708 Hybrid Digital Piano Review & Demo