Product Overview

Anyone familiar with Kawai knows that it could be argued that they’ve had only one glaring hole in their digital piano lineup for several years now – that of an affordable, digital baby grand piano. While they’ve of course offered some excellent digital baby grand pianos in the past, such as the CP1, these options were typically too cost-prohibitive for most buyers.

Following the success of Roland’s popular GP series, Kawai has finally resolved to plug this hole in their lineup and has done so with the new DG30. With an MSRP of only $7,500 USD, the DG30 costs about half of what previous models did, while taking advantage of modern digital piano technology that totally puts to shame what manufacturers were offering a mere decade ago.

In fact, you can actually think of the DG30 as the baby grand version of Kawai’s highly regarded CN39, and for anyone that’s played a CN39, this will be welcome news. The DG30 has the exact same RHIII action, the same Progressive Harmonic Imaging sound engine, over 350 onboard tones, and a 40-watt speaker system designed in collaboration with Onkyo.

Add in Bluetooth Audio, and the Kawai DG30 can essentially function as a giant Bluetooth speaker, perfect for streaming music whether entertaining guests or relaxing at night with your preferred libation in hand.

And of course, the gorgeous grand piano cabinet ties it all together, fully capturing the one-of-a-kind aesthetic only a grand piano exudes, while managing to occupy less space than the average acoustic baby grand without any of the maintenance requirements.

Piano Action

The DG30 has what many in the industry consider the top plastic action available with Kawai’s Responsive Hammer III (RHIII) action. This action features a triple sensor, escapement, counterweights, and a very nice texture on the white and black keys.

This is Kawai’s top action before moving up to wood-based actions, and can be found on other models like the aforementioned CN39, CN29, ES920, and MP7SE. The RHIII action is also featured on Nord’s top stage model as well.

This is a great action, and the sensor issues which came up with the first generation version in the ES8 have been completely corrected.

Sound Engine

Kawai’s Progressive Harmonic Imaging engine (PHI) is present here, and as the version in the CN39, features a robust 256 notes of polyphony.

This engine is built off of 88-key stereo sampling of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX and Kawai EX 9 foot concert grand pianos, as well as the Shigeru Kawai SK-5. This engine faithfully recreates the lush sonic experience of these fine grand pianos.

The speaker and sound system were collaboratively built with audio specialist Onkyo with a focus on clarity. The lower frequencies come through the bottom of the instrument, whereas the mid-range and higher-range frequencies project out of the speakers at the top. This essentially mimics how a real acoustic grand piano projects sound.

There are 355 on-board tones making for a ton of variety!

Connectivity

Like the CN39, the DG30 has all of the connectivity options you’ll need for both home and commercial use. There’s ¼” L/MONO, R lines in and out, MIDI in and out, as well as USB to host and device and two headphone jacks.

Most excitingly, the DG30 also has both Bluetooth MIDI and Audio. Bluetooth Audio is especially great as it makes connecting to a smart device and streaming music through the piano’s premium sound system a breeze. This will be a huge hit at your next party!

Notable Features

We have to focus on the cabinet here. While it totally captures the classic look and feel of a grand piano, it somehow manages to be contemporary and cutting edge at the same time. If you’ve always coveted the classic look of a grand piano but were turned off by the price or maintenance commitments, you’ll be thrilled when you see the DG30.

• Responsive Hammer III Action
• Progressive Harmonic Imaging Sound Engine
• Sound System built in concert with Onkyo
• 355 onboard sounds
• 256 note polyphony
• Sleek, easy to navigate OLED display
• Bluetooth functionality (MIDI and Audio)

Conclusions

Always dreamed of a baby grand piano? Stop dreaming and experience the new Kawai DG30 digital baby grand piano for yourself.

Kawai DG30 Owner’s Manual

• [English] DG30 Owner’s Manual

Kawai DG30 Related Resources

• [VIDEO] Kawai DG30 Digital Grand Piano Review & Demo
• [VIDEO] Roland GP607 vs Kawai DG30 Digital Grand Piano Review & Comparison
• [VIDEO] Kawai DG30 Digital Grand Piano Demo – “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”