How does solo piano help you evaluate audio gear?

In the beginning days of "perfect sound forever" CDs, it was easy to notice how, even on better record labels such as ECM, DG etc, that acoustic pianos sounded un-natural, sometimes "rounded off" with bizarre high registers, distortion, etc.

I foolishly dumped my vinyl lp collection believing the digital perfection myths, only to realize that my attempt to find surface noiseless piano ended up with music that wasn’t a good representation of piano at all.

Another 20 years pass and better CD (SACD especially) players along with remastered versions of those flawed recordings are available and finally, one doesn’t cringe at what’s coming through the speakers as much (if at all).

If only the digital revolution had begun with pianos properly reproduced, then cds featuring them would have been much more useful in auditioning speakers, players, amps, etc. 

I attempt to tell you that as an "evaluator" for sound, that no one instrument be it a piano, guitar, oboe or human voice may by itself, hold utmost importance.

Right. And I said more than once that I was not asking the question, "Which is the *one* instrument to use for evaluation?" Read back through the thread.

When a person garnering attention here turns petulant, I’m out.

When someone responding to a thread turns petulant and leaves, I rejoice.

UPDATE:

I listened to a bunch of recordings mentioned today. The piano recordings were unbelievably revealing tools. The power of the Colom recordings and also the Schiff pushed the speakers for dynamics, subtlety, honesty of color, hall reverb, and yes --piano bench noise and the pianist breathing or moving. 

Some passages, it was clear that the hands were separated on the piano -- with the towers. The two way speakers mushed things together a bit.

In other passages, it was the piano's treble region that really brought out differences -- were they rinky-tinky highs or shimmery, ringing highs? That was a clear difference which spoke, again, in favor of the tower.

The French horn pieces were excellent, too. That is an instrument with a lot of condensed complexity -- and quirks. I can see now why it is such a test for speakers.

The more boring of the two speakers, the ribbon tower, did a far better job than the two way stand mount with these instruments. When I added the subs and dialed them in, color and space flooded in while the towers retained their honesty.

I find a great test is plugging in my own keyboards (Technics P30 stage piano and Roland fp5) and it instantly exposes any weaknesses. Have a beautiful refurbed Brinsmead (great British make) upright fettled by an excellent tuner until funds stretch to a Bosendorfer.......