Kawai CN301 Premium Rosewood Piano digital

Kawai CN301R Premium Rosewood: A Concert-Grade Digital Piano for the Home

The Kawai CN301R Premium Rosewood is a cabinet-format digital piano that pairs the Responsive Hammer III keyboard action with the Progressive Harmonic Imaging sound engine, sampling every key of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand. Built for pianists who want acoustic-grade touch and tone without the maintenance of a real grand, this model sits in Kawai's CN series as a refined mid-range flagship. The satin Premium Rosewood cabinet, curved leg design, and cheekblock-mounted OLED control panel give it the visual presence of an upright piano in a modern living room.

What Sets the CN301R Apart in Its Category

Two elements distinguish this model from typical mid-range home pianos. First, the SK-EX, SK-5, and EX concert grand samples are reproduced without compression or filtering, preserving the full harmonic information of each note. Second, the 360° speaker diffuser panels on the top-mounted drivers create a sound field that radiates outward in every direction, so listeners across the room hear the same tonal balance as the player.

Keyboard Action and Touch Response

The action is the single most important factor in how a digital piano feels, and this instrument uses Kawai's Responsive Hammer III with grade-weighted metal hammers, Ivory Touch key surfaces, counterweights in every key, triple-sensor detection, and let-off simulation. Pianists moving between this model and an acoustic grand will recognize the heavier bass register, lighter treble, and the subtle notch sensation at the bottom of each key's travel.

• Keyboard Action: Responsive Hammer III — 88 grade-weighted keys with Ivory Touch surfaces, triple sensor, counterweights, and let-off simulation.
• Keys Number: 88 — full concert range for the complete classical and contemporary repertoire.
• Pedal System: Grand Feel Pedal System — damper with half-pedal support, soft with half-pedal support, and sostenuto, weighted to match a Shigeru Kawai SK-EX.

Sound Engine and Speaker Delivery

Progressive Harmonic Imaging samples each of the 88 keys individually at multiple dynamic levels, then layers four resonance engines (Damper, String, Undamped String, Cabinet) on top. The result is a tone that responds to playing pressure the way an acoustic piano does, with smooth transitions from pianissimo to fortissimo. The onboard amplification pushes 40 W through four drivers, with low frequencies exiting downward and mid/high frequencies projected outward through the diffuser-equipped top speakers.

• Sound Source: Progressive Harmonic Imaging with 88-key stereo sampling — SK-EX, SK-5, EX, and K-60 upright piano recordings.
• Polyphony: 256 notes maximum — enough headroom for dense pedal passages without dropped notes.
• Speaker System: 13 cm × 2 bass drivers plus 8 × 12 cm × 2 top drivers with 360° diffusers, 40 W total output — fills a medium-sized room with low distortion.

Connectivity, Practice Tools, and Cabinet

Wireless connectivity covers Bluetooth MIDI 5.0 and Bluetooth Audio 5.1, while USB-to-Host and USB-to Device ports handle MIDI, MP3/WAV recording, and SMF playback. A built-in metronome with 10 time signatures and 100 drum rhythms supports daily practice, and the lesson function ships with Burgmüller, Czerny, Beyer, Bach, and Alfred etudes. The cabinet measures 141 cm wide, 43.5 cm deep, and 87 cm tall (music rest flat), weighing 47.5 kg, with a sliding key cover, collapsible three-angle music rest, and the Premium Rosewood satin finish.

• Voices and Modes: 45 voices, Dual, Split, Four Hands — layering, dividing the keyboard, and side-by-side duet practice on a single instrument.
• Bluetooth and USB: Bluetooth MIDI 5.0, Bluetooth Audio 5.1, USB-to-Host, USB-to-Device — wireless app control and direct audio/MIDI file handling.
• Learning System: Built-in lesson songs plus metronome with 100 rhythms — structured practice without external books or apps.

Who the Kawai CN301R Is Built For

The Kawai CN301R is the right choice for intermediate to advanced home pianists who want concert-grand touch and tone in a furniture-grade cabinet without the cost or maintenance of an acoustic instrument. Advanced students preparing for graded exams will benefit from the weighted action, half-pedal support, and built-in Czerny and Burgmüller etudes. Family households that practise at low volume get the Low Volume Balance feature, which adjusts touch and tone characteristics so pianissimo passages still sound natural through the speakers or headphones. Players who stream backing tracks or use apps like PianoRemote and PiaBookPlayer will appreciate the integrated Bluetooth MIDI and Audio, which removes cable clutter from the music stand.

Kawai and the Shigeru Kawai Legacy

Kawai has built acoustic and digital pianos in Japan since 1927, and the company's flagship Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand has been selected by professional pianists at the Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Rubinstein international piano competitions. The CN301R draws directly from that lineage, using uncompressed samples of the SK-EX, SK-5, and EX instruments recorded key by key. For buyers who want the sound of a Shigeru Kawai concert grand in a satin rosewood cabinet at home, this model is one of the most direct routes Kawai offers.