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What are the best loudspeakers under $4000 to re-create lifelike piano

Over the past 4 months I've spent time with five loudspeakers.  On a scale of 1-10 I'd rate them as follows in their ability (with my equipment in my room) to recreate a lifelike piano.  Tekton Lore - 6.5 (great scale but tonal accuracy and clarity somewhat lacking),    Kef LS50 - 7.0 (moderate scale but slightly better clarity and tonal accuracy)  Kef R500 - 8.0  (great scale and very good clarity and tonal accuracy), Spatial Audio M3TurboS -8.1 (great scale and very good clarity and tonal accuracy and very smooth)  Magnepan 1.7i - 9.0 (very good scale with excellent clarity and tonal accuracy - very lifelike).

In your room with your equipment, what loudspeakers are you listening too and how would you rate them for their ability to recreate a lifelife piano and if possible a few comments as to why?
snapsc
jond's avatar
jond
5,876 posts
 
Pretty shocked no one has picked up these yet;

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/monitors-loudspeakers-2017-12-16-speakers

Audio Note speakers reproduce piano amazingly well, are easy to drive, and sound great overall. The AN-E/Spe in that ad for $3k are a flat out steal, I have AN-J’s which are smaller and also do piano well a great value new around $5k plus stands. No affiliation with the seller just a AN fan.
schubert
7,386 posts
 
I've heard a few pianos and to me Gallo3.5 's do a pretty good job of reproducing them .
jmedici's avatar
jmedici
15 posts
 
Finding the perfect speaker for true rendition is a quixotic quest, especially for your budget. I play a baby grand and the musical acoustics while sitting behind the 88's is different from other areas of the room. In addition so much of the staging and sound quality is influenced from the recording engineers. Not to discourage you but I suggest that you audition a brand that has a legacy in speaker design and build. My listening preferences is mostly classical piano, oboe, cello trumpet and horn. The sound quality can be stark.  
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jji666
539 posts
 
I feel like questions like this are mostly an invitation to brag about one's system.  So I will join in:

Focal Electra 1007BE

The reason this came to mind is that there is a review - Stereophile I think - that mentions these speakers as being perfect for piano reproduction.  
bondmanp
1,820 posts
 

snapsc: As requested above, my thoughts on how my Ohm Walsh 2000s "do" piano: I have owned these speakers since 2009, and IMHO, are timbre champs. They also excel at getting transients right, a must for piano reproduction. I do use mine with a pair of Vandy 2Wq subs, which would be a budget buster for you, but I would encourage a home audition of whichever model is the right size for your room (guide to room size is on the Ohm web site).


Piano recordings are all over the map in terms of true-to-life sound. But I have found better recordings of piano to sound terrific on my 2000s. I really love the piano that accompanies Norah Jones on "The Nearness of You". It is well recorded, and causes an emotional response every time I hear it on my rig. But it is important to identify some really well-recorded piano pieces for your auditioning. Listen for resonance of the sound board on the left-hand keys, and a combination of smoothness and transient snap on the right-hand keys. But know that some recordings preclude the ability to hear these things on any loudspeaker, regardless of price.

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