Features
The finest piano features
Featuring incredible Voices from the CFX—Yamaha’s finest concert grand piano—and
Bösendorfer’s legendary Imperial, CVP Series Clavinova possess a sonic palette that is simply
stunning. Every key has been sampled individually, and thanks to binaural sampling
techniques, the CVP Series provides a fully immersive concert grand piano experience, even
when using headphones. This superb sound has been paired with the GrandTouch keyboard, which
allows pianists to play with nuanced dynamics through the entire range of the instrument, and
faithfully reproduces the individual differences in the weight and return of each key. The
flagship CVP-809 and CVP-809GP also feature counterweights that give them a superb touch very
similar to that of a grand piano, with the subtle delicacy required when using techniques
such as pianissimo.
Each instrument Voice reproduced in perfect detail
From breathy saxophones to ringing guitars and warm, resonant strings, the CVP Series
features an impressive collection of natural instrument Voices. Thanks to acclaimed Super
Articulation technology, the distinctive characteristics of each instrument are reproduced in
incredible detail as you play.
The flagship model CVP-809 / 809GP in particular features all-new samples for instruments
such as electric piano, strings, guitar, bass, and drums, delivering sound quality that has
to be heard to be believed.
Play with Styles
Featuring a wide array of backing Styles, the CVP Series allows you to enjoy great-sounding
performances with polished introductions and endings, delivering authentic accompaniments
that will enhance your playing across a diverse range of musical genres. In the CVP-800
Series, these accompaniments come with dramatically improved sounds, enriching your
performances.
Dive into the band experience
The CVP-800 Series boasts astonishing spatial acoustics and ensemble functionality so
realistic that you can almost feel the presence of the other performers around you.
Sound
Two world class concert grands in one digital piano
The Yamaha CFX, our flagship 9’ concert grand piano, offers sparkling highs and a powerful
resonant bass with a sound that projects to the furthest reaches of any concert hall. The
Bösendorfer Imperial is a piano known throughout its long history for its classic Viennese
sound. Both are outstanding pianos characterized by distinctive traits of power, versatility,
subtlety and lightness. Both are found only in a Clavinova digital piano.
VRM physical modeling—the distinctive reverberation generated by the entire body of a
concert grand piano
In a grand piano, sound resonates throughout the body of the instrument, producing a rich
reverberation that envelops the listener in sound. This phenomena is reproduced perfectly in
the Clavinova through enhanced Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM). It calculates the various
states of the strings for each of the 88 notes on the keyboard, from one instant to the next,
and timing and depth of damper pedals pressed. This technology allows for vivid, bright,
richly-varied expression that reflects the limitless number of factors inherent in piano
performance.
From staccato to legato—superbly expressive sound that responds to the player’s touch
Featuring Yamaha Smooth Release technology, Clavinova offers the crisp tone heard when
playing staccato as well as the lingering sound produced by releasing the keys more. This
provides finely-nuanced response to the pianist’s playing.
Smooth tonal transformations perfectly matched to key pressure
Sound in an acoustic piano attenuates over a long time. Pianists can change the volume of the
sound—as well as its dynamics—to achieve both mellow and bright tones by simply changing the
pressure they apply to the keys.
The Clavinova features long, carefully-sampled recordings of notes on a piano, reproduces
them in rich detail and utilizes unique Yamaha technologies to achieve smooth tonal
transitions in response to the touch of the player.
Additionally, the Clavinova has been repeatedly tested and adjusted by numerous pianists in
order to attain a performance feel similar to that of a grand piano.
Key-Off samples
The moment a pianist’s fingers are lifted from the keys of a grand piano, subtle changes
occur in the instrument’s tone as the damper is lowered onto the strings to mute its sound.
Key-Off samples features actual recordings of these changes, offering a faithful reproduction
of the most subtle changes in the piano’s sound, allowing for a more realistic performance.
A fully immersive concert grand experience—even with headphones
Yamaha’s advanced binaural sampling technology uses samples from the CFX, Yamaha’s acclaimed
concert grand piano, recorded with specialized microphones that capture locational
information and other nuances discerned by the human ear. The resulting sound is so natural,
so enveloping, that you’ll soon forget you’re even wearing headphones at all.
Once you choose the Yamaha CFX Grand Voice and put headphones on, the binaural sampled sound
is automatically ready and no additional settings are required. Now with or without
headphones, you can fully enjoy the concert grand experience at home.
The Stereophonic Optimizer—a new kind of headphone experience
When using headphones, the Stereophonic Optimizer lets players enjoy the dispersed sound
heard when sitting in front of an acoustic piano. With the Stereophonic Optimizer, Voices
sampled from acoustic pianos* appear to come from the body of the instrument. This provides a
comfortable, natural experience that removes the drawbacks of performing with headphones.
Touch & Feel
Built on a Legacy of Concert Grand Piano Craftsmanship
Grand Piano keyboards are characterized by a light feel when played gently, and a heavier
feel when played with more strength. Conversely, a non-grand piano keyboard has a uniform
resistance regardless of whether the player uses a gentle or heavy touch. This has
traditionally been one of the most significant differences between the touch of a grand piano
and that of a digital piano. However, when developing GrandTouch keyboard action, Yamaha
sought to reproduce the true key resistance that is unique to the grand piano, with greater
fidelity. The result is an instrument with a more responsive touch, offering a greater
dynamic range than ever before. Now you can experience a much more controlled, nuanced sound
when playing softly, or powerful, brighter tones when playing with a stronger touch — just
like that of a grand piano.
Achieve True Balance
Pianists prefer grand pianos not only because of the way they sound, but also because of the
way the keys respond to their touch. When grand piano keys are struck, there is a certain
weight or resistance to the touch. Similarly, when keys are released, they return to a
resting position based on the balance between the key and the internal mechanics of the
keyboard. It is difficult to reproduce the natural return of the keys of a grand piano in a
digital piano, due to differences in the mechanics. Yamaha carefully studied these
characteristics when developing the GrandTouch keyboard, and has now reproduced this fine
balance in the Clavinova digital piano. The result is GrandTouch - detailed grand piano feel
that allows for uniform tone control, precise rhythm and smooth melodic expression -
fundamental to an exceptional musical performance.
Leverage Your Artistic Expression
When playing a digital piano, the back area of the keys may prove to be a challenge to full
musical expression. This is because the back of the key is closest to the fulcrum of the
action. The closer to this pivot point that you strike the key, the less leverage you have
and the more strength you need to apply. The greater length of GrandTouch keys give the
player MORE leverage, allowing for better expressive control, even at the backs of the keys.
This is the same support length found on the Yamaha S3X premium grand piano (as of April
2017), and is the longest support length used on any digital piano.
We Didn’t Let Any Detail Slide
Our fingers are more sensitive than we think, and for pianists, the texture of the piano keys
is extremely important. The GrandTouch keyboard features white keys made from the highest
quality synthetic ivory, developed independently by Yamaha. The black keys are finished in
synthetic ebony. Synthetic ivory keytops reproduce the tactile surface of the real ivory
keyboards once used in older acoustic pianos. It features highly absorbent material that
prevents fingers from slipping even after hours of practice, while retaining the ideal
texture and feel. Resulting from well over a century of experience in making acoustic pianos,
this exclusive Yamaha technology achieves a finish that feels natural and comfortable. In
addition to the feel, the appearance and fine texture of these keys is unmatched by any other
digital piano, and is sure to inspire pianists from the moment they experience it.
Escapement mechanism of Clavinova Keyboards
The escapement mechanism in a grand piano moves the hammers away from the strings quickly
after they strike them, in order to prevent any interference with string vibration. This
mechanism produces a slight clicking sensation when the keys are pressed gently. Since Real
Grand Expression offers players superb sound, touch and pedaling, we decided to create an
escapement that delivers outstanding playability, repetition, and response without impeding
performance. The Clavinova keyboards feature an escapement mechanism that reproduces this
sensation near the bottom of the key dip. They have been designed in such a way that the
click is discernible only on the lightest keystrokes, similar to the keyboard of a grand
piano. These keyboards have been adjusted to provide additional friction that balances key
repetition and response without impeding performance.
88-key Linear Graded Hammers—the first digital piano keyboard ever to feature realistic
weighting on every key
Every single key on a grand piano keyboard is weighted differently. This is because the
strings for each note are slightly thinner and shorter in the treble register, becoming
thicker and longer towards the bass register. The 88-key Linear Graded Hammers of the
Clavinova is the first-of-its-kind to faithfully duplicate this graded touch with differing
weights and key return on each one of its keys. This results in a feel and response that is
astonishingly like that of a grand piano, and allows players to gain an appreciation of a
more authentic touch.
More Features
Connect wirelessly for Bluetooth® audio
You can play music through the audio system on the Clavinova by using a Bluetooth-enabled
smart device. You can stream audio data such as mp3 files. You can enjoy playing along with
any songs on your smart device.
Multi-track Song Recorder
The recording function featured in Clavinova digital pianos allows you to record your
performances* with a single touch, which is useful when you want to review your playing
objectively. Additionally, you can record up to 16 tracks for simultaneous playback, so
different hands can be recorded separately or overdub parts with different Voices.
USB Audio Recorder
Record performances to USB flash memory and create audio files* you can save and play back on
a computer, share with friends or create a CD.
USB Connectivity
Connect the Clavinova to a computer or a USB memory device to manage your library.