Kawai CN33 Reviews

“The CN33 has a very warm sound and was most like a real piano out of all the models I auditioned”

After trying several digital pianos I plumped for the Kawai CN33. I tried several models including a Casio one which wasn’t bad for the price, a couple Classenti models which were better than the Casio but didn’t quite have the sound I was looking for.

Then I tried a Roland model (can’t remember the the model) but found the feel a little light. I also tried the Yamaha CL320 which I thought was very good and it was quite close between this and the Kawai CN33. The Kawai CN23 I found was also a very good piano and I would probably have gone for this if I didn’t listen to the CN33.

The CN33 has a very warm sound and was most like a real piano out of all the models I auditioned. It also feels very good as well. I haven’t tried all the functions yet as I ‘m just concentrating in learning how to play it, but it seems to have everything you’d need and the layout is very neat. The piano looks very nice in Satin Black in my room. I bought it from Thomann and was very pleased with the communication and the delivery. It was also the cheapest I found. One point, if you live in a flat not on the ground floor you will need to get someone to help you lift it up as the delivery man will not and it is a very heavy piano for one person to lift. I also found putting the piano together wasn’t that easy as some of the holes didn’t match up, but I might of just been unlucky. Overall I’m very pleased with the piano.

Review by Jason Russell, London, England

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

 

“This CN33 should see me through to a grade 8, if not beyond!”

Hi Graham,

I just want to say a huge thank you for all your help and advice.  The information you gave me was invaluable in helping solve my quandary in choosing the right digital piano.  I opted for the Kawai CN33 in the end and bought it from Forsyths in Manchester.  Although I wanted to try the Classenti CDP3, the disruption to our little family and the time out of our already hectic lives didn’t warrant the journey to London I’m afraid.  I chose the CN33 over the yamaha clp340 and a roland in the same price bracket of£1400 (sorry didn’t make a note of the model number) because although the key action on the yamaha was slightly heavier as you had said, it wasn’t enough for me to truly warrant the£200 price difference.

Maybe the step up in price was due to the yamaha having far more functions to it’s belt, don’t know, wasn’t interested in it’s whistles and bells, only the piano facility.  I also thought the CN33 sounded nicer, with a clear pleasant tone, as apposed the CLP340 which in my opinion sounded less realistic and a little fuzzy in the bass, especially when played loudly.

I got to Forsyths on the Saturday and the all the Kawai range were on sale until the following Tuesday after the bank holiday, so I had to make a decision quick.  The CN33 was reduced from£1349 (Dawsons RRP is£1250) to£1150, I negotiated a trade in on my Winchester WDP60 and got free delivery and collection for a total cash payment of£950 so I’m really pleased.  I asked Dawson’s music store to better the price but they couldn’t, coming in with a price of£1,000.

The CN33 is in my house, I’ve had it for almost 24 hours and already I feel the transition between dynamics are far smoother and more controllable when I play because of the solid weighted key action and the ivory touch feels keys, which are less slippery and have a far more pleasant feel than the usual plastic keys.  The sound is truly pleasing to the ear. And I just feel more in control when playing, time will tell, but I think this CN33 should see me through to a grade 8, if not beyond!  I think the Yamaha is a good piano but for price, sound and for just as realistic feel the CN33 wins both hands down.

May I suggest to anyone buying a digital piano who isn’t a high grade that when the sales assistants are performing on the models you’re interested in that you ask them to play without using the sustain pedal.  This simple pedal can transform the sound of the piano into something amazing, but of course when you come to play your modest music without using the pedal it simply sounds dull and as you’re going to be playing in this manner for sometime so it’s essential you still like the sound of the piano.  Check out the quality of the reverb too, the CN33’s sounds really good.  Can’t comment on the Yamaha’s because I didn’t turn it on whereas the CN33 comes on automatically when powered up.  My old winchester’s sounded dreadful!!

I got you free download on buying digital piano’s, this along with our chats gave me all the information I needed.  You’re fantastic, thank you so much.

Gina Kavanagh with her new Kawai CN33

Review by Gina, St Helens, Merseyside

 

“Overall, a very well-built piano that is a joy to play”

I love this piano!

On the plus side:
Overall appearance, finish (rosewood), “Kawai” decals rather than a stick-on plaque in the front.
Nice sliding key cover.
5-year parts and labour warranty.
It never needs tuning!
The “Responsive Hammer” touch is extremely realistic, even to the “let off” you feel if you slowly press a key.
The “Ivory Touch” keytops are much nicer than the glossy plastic feel of many digital pianos.
40 watt amp power – enough to fill a good-size room.
The default grand piano sound is spectacular, but if you get tired of that, there are 35 others you might enjoy. And you can mix any two in any proportion or split two between the left and right hands. I don’t know how many combinations that is, but it is more than I’ll need. I really like the cool drawbar (rotary or Leslie) organ effect.
One or Two Headphone(s) option for late-night practicing.
4-hands mode for teaching my son: splits the piano into two pianos.
MIDI and USB “in” and “out” so I can use it as a midi keyboard. I can also download midi files and put them on a “memory stick” and play them (at any
tempo, too).
Three fully functional pedals.

On the neutral side:
Many options and effects that I probably will never use, apart from the default setting): damper effect, temperament, string resonance, transpose, and tuning.
Built in piano “lessons.” You can buy the four books and play along with any of the exercises.
Concert magic is cool – for a while – if you like one-finger playing (i.e., if you want to play “Fur Elise” you tap the cadence with one finger and the melody pops right out automatically).
Not General Midi compatible (i.e., no drum or wild effect sounds). However, it is not intended to be a synthesizer.

On the minus side:
Three LED display is cryptic when choosing a song from a USB stick (i.e., 001, 002, 003 etc. rather than names)
The thing wobbles a bit if placed on a carpet during fortissimo passages.
This is probably true of any digital, though.
Recording isn’t intuitive. Again, having a alphanumeric display rather than 3 LED digits would help immensely, but you don’t get that until the CN42
(which is an older model without the Responsive Hammer and Ivory Touch).
Keep the instructions handy!

Michael Bush writes about his Kawai CN33

Review by Michael Bush

 

“I can swear by its realistic touch”

I cannot really ‘pontificate’ about the qualities of the other digital pianos, as I have only experienced the Kawai CN33.
I will therefore give my preference for buying a Kawai. I found its touch very satisfactoy. I’d give it 9/10

Its tone & sound 9/10.
Its design 9/10
Its Build Quality 9/10
Its Value for money 8/10
Its reliability – I have yet to experience that. So far it has been reliable.Turn the switch on & its ready to play and its “Concert Magic” is fantastic!!
Its popularity – I really can’t comment on that.
Its overall rating – Well I think I can safely say 9/10.

I love the Kawai sound and I can swear by its realistic touch. But don’t forget that’s me.

But you must realise that this assessment is very inexperienced. As far as I am concerned, I am very satisfied with what I bought a week ago..

Review by Evan St Clair

 

“It’s a beauty!”

Hi Graham,

After checking out your webiste several times and comparing piano’s within my price range I opted for the Kawai CN33 in satin black. In the end, I had been stuck between the Yamaha clp330 and the Kawai CN33 but had to make a decision, choosing the Kawai. Don’t ask me why, because the both were highly recommended by many reviewers, but Kawai it is.

I ordered on via Thomann, because I had ordered a number of items via Thomann before and the service was excellent – and once again, they proved to provide a thoroughly professional service. I ordered the Kawai cn33 with bench and headphones, had notice that it had been despatched on Monday and I had it delivered here in Ireland, on Friday evening.

It’s a beauty! Solid, taking a bit of effort to put together and for which I had to enlist some help. The sound and touch are beautiful to my inexperienced ears. I have just been taking lessons for a few months and love the idea of practicing now on a quality digital piano. I am sure it will provide lots of hours of enjoyment through the coming winter evenings after a hard days’ work.

Thank you so much for your wonderful advice and availability via on-line chat – you cut through a minefield of confusion and indecision.

Review by Marlene Gordon

 

“I was blown away by its tone”

As someone who has played the piano for years, I was looking for one with a good tone and a fairly light touch (older joints don’t like too much strain!). When the shop assistant played the Kawai CN33 I was “blown away” by its tone. I find that, on the default setting, the treble has a sweet tone while the bass is really rich. I tried the Yamaha pianos in a similar price range but didn’t like the touch or tone as much. The Kawai has ivory touch keys which are a pleasure to play. There are of course other tone settings plus a lot more besides but I am truly pleased with the basics.

I would like to express my gratitude to you for making information about digital pianos available. I was fortunate in being served by a knowledgeable and helpful assistant, but was able to make my shop visit with confidence, understanding what was said and knowing what to look for. Thank you very much for your help.

Review by Wendy, Norwich

 

“I would recommend this piano to anyone”

Thank you Graham for your replies to my enquires. I ordered the Kawai CN33 after trying it a few times in different shops and comparing it against other makes and models. I also read good reviews from a piano forum full of people who love this piano. I ordered it from Thomman which was the cheapest although uk suppliers advised buying locally for warranty purposes.
I am very pleased with this piano – love it. It sounds lovely, it feels feels good to play and it looks great in rosewood finish. I can see myself enjoying this piano for many years to come. The sound and feel is much better than my 5 year old Yamaha CLP220. I haven’t explored much of its features yet but what i do really like is the concert piano feature which is in their cheaper model also. They have preset songs programmed in, and if you know the tune, all you have to do is press any key in time and the piano will play the tune as if you’re playing it. There’s also a demo of the songs as well but no sheet music.
The package that the piano comes in is very large and heavy approx 82kg and the courier was very kind and offered to help me get it up the stairs to my flat. I would recommend this piano to anyone.

Review by Helen G, London

 

“Your guide answered just about every question I could think of, in helping me to make my decision”

In the end I bought my Kawai CN33 locally, but the information contained in Graham Howard’s digital piano guide was superb in helping me to decide
which piano to choose.

I am absolutely delighted with it, and the guide answered just about every question I could think of, in helping me to make my decision.

Very many thanks once again.

Review by Chris Oldham, Shrewsbury, UK

 

“A fuller sound compared with Roland and Yamaha”

Having tried out a number of pianos in a couple of stores, we felt that this piano gave a fuller sound (compared with similar Roland or Yamaha models), and the ‘ivory touch’ keys are beautiful to play.
Also, we are enjoying all the different functions that it offers, easy to find your way around with the user friendly buttons and LED display.

However, I feel that the transition from a much loved acoustic piano to the digital one is going to take time.  You can tell that the sound from the digital piano is coming out of two speakers, and is not a full, all encompassing experience!  But with the Kawai CN33, we will enjoy being able to use headphones, adjustable volume, different instrument sounds (including the split function), and recording – none of which can be done with the acoustic!

Review by Sian Legg, Swansea, UK

 

“Sounds for me crystal-clear, but I find that the keys are little bit too noisy”

Dear Graham,

I found you book Digital Piano Buyer’s Guide very helpful in my search for the first digital piano for home.
Surfing through the internet I couldn’t find anything more useful than your book for such a beginner like me.
Thank you so much for these invaluable tips.

Although I just now obtained a digital piano which unfortunately is in none of your best recommended lists (pity for me!) – Kawai CN 33, I’m still very happy for your help.

Now we are three beginners at home, my two daughters 4 and 10, and me, and I want to say you many thanks also for your free piano lessons course. Despite of my little knowledge in piano, now I can become very clever and well-informed teacher for my daughters only thanks to your simple lessons for beginners.

There is just one thing about CN 33: I find that the keys are little bit too noisy when turning down the volume.

What I like most of all is the sound of my piano Kawai CN 33, both if I turn ‘piano 1’ or ‘piano 2’, it sounds for me crystal-clear and very very natural. I do not hear any difference between real grand piano and my digital piano.

What I do not like is the dump sound of the keys when volume turned off and I press the keys rather strong. I am not an expert in that, so I suppose that may be it is a standard sound for all pianos (both digital and ground).

Altough I’m very busy person at a moment and have very little time for practising, nevertheless I’m very satisfied with my purchase, as well as my daughters (10 and 4). The next step is to find a tutor for my daughters and probably also for me…

In general I’m very happy and satisfied with my Kawai CN 33. Graham Howard’s piano guide has helped me much. Many thanks for that.

Review by Yuris Schultz, Latvia

 

>> For Kawai CN33 information, specifications and prices, click here