John Atkinson's of Stereophile Talks About Measurements

[amirm]

You should ask your piano teacher if different brand pianos have different sound characteristics. If your teacher appreciates that difference, then it is easy to explain that a good audio system preserves the characteristic of each piano sound signature.

He gives me blank stares when talking about audiophile topics, and I return the favor when he talks about how his Piano was tuned by some famous person!

 

[Beershaun]

He gives me blank stares when talking about audiophile topics, and I return the favor when he talks about how his Piano was tuned by some famous person!

I played the cello for many years growing up and I can say that different instruments play differently. Meaning it is a functional difference in how easy or hard it is for a musician to produce the sound and tone they want with their instrument. Some poor quality instruments will sound honky or thin/tinny and my actually resonate in an unpleasant way at a certain frequency (on the cello this is called "wolfing"). These are undesirable tones. Also some instruments just feel better/easier to play so you have more control and can more easily create the sound and tone you are trying to create. I don't think it's quite the same thing as weather the audience and musician are in sympatico, but different instruments will produce different end results.

 

[amirm]

Also some instruments just feel better/easier to play so you have more control and can more easily create the sound and tone you are trying to create.

This is so true. I researched my digital piano purchase to death and thought I got one with really nice (key) action. Then I played on his and man, is it in another class. It is actually easier to learn to play on his piano than mine due to how the keys activate the strings, the activation curve, etc.

 

[GXAlan]

This is so true. I researched my digital piano purchase to death and thought I got one with really nice (key) action. Then I played on his and man, is it in another class. It is actually easier to learn to play on his piano than mine due to how the keys activate the strings, the activation curve, etc.

+100

There is even a difference between acoustic uprights and grand pianos. There is also a feedback element of the escapement.

 

[chelgrian]

+100

There is even a difference between acoustic uprights and grand pianos. There is also a feedback element of the escapement.

The most expensive digital pianos just have a piano mechanism without the strings, however that means they are seriously heavy and expensive for example.

KawaiCA901 Premium Rosewood Digital Piano

 

[GXAlan]

The most expensive digital pianos just have a piano mechanism without the strings, however that means they are seriously heavy and expensive for example.

KawaiCA901 Premium Rosewood Digital Piano

Agree. I still have my endgame Kawai MP8 II. That has a heavier grand piano feel than the later generations which were better optimized for use as a MIDI controller. The Kawai MP11 is the current generation of the mechanism. There is not a great stand for the Kawai MP-line though. I use a Yamaha stand.

 

[MRC01]

I have started to learn to play the piano. Hearing the real instrument on a frequent basis has provided no insight whatsoever when it comes to fidelity assessment and our hobby as a whole. My piano teacher is not an audiophile and gives me blank looks when I talk about what I do! So really, the two have little to do with each other as you say.

Great! Making music is a wonderful thing in so many ways. One musical skill that can apply in audio is learning critical listening. Especially string & wind players, where tone quality (and intonation) is all about technique. You learn how to hear subtle differences in timbre and pitch that most people don't notice. It's much like training listeners for blind testing (which significantly improves their performance), but with music it's repeated on a regular basis and honed over years of study.

 

[Cbdb2]

Yes strings are another level over pitched percusion (piano). Ask a 5 year old to play one note on a piano then a violin, which will have the proper tone/tunning? The thing that is hard on the piano is playing different things with the left hand than the right hand. (and what really blows me away is someone who's also playing the bass line with the feet on an organ). You give the same guitar to different people and the tone will vary.