Power, weight, and scale.
How does solo piano help you evaluate audio gear?
A pianist friend just recommended this article and pianist to me, knowing that I'm presently doing a speaker shoot-out. My question to you all is this:
How important is solo piano recordings to your evaluation of audio equipment -- in relation to, say, orchestra, bass, voice, etc.? What, specifically, does piano reveal exceptionally well, to your ears?
Here's the article:
https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/music-reviews/magic-of-josep-colom/
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- 90 posts total
Good points and very helpful. I went out of my way *not* to ask if it should be the only one. I'm really drilling here for phenomenological details, i.e., descriptions of what one notices in a piano recording that has probative value for a more general conclusion about the capabilities of the system. There is some of that in this post by McGowan. |
Acoustic instruments go a long way in the realm of realism when a system is firing on all cylinders. If the initial movement (of a key, valve, etc.) is captured, followed by the strike of it, followed by the burst and then bloom, and then the associated spread, decay and reverb, the whole soundstage develops to a degree that can make one momentarily forget they're listening to a recording. A piano is a great instrument that can do that. One can faithfully replicate the passing of a heavily laden semi without all the shaking when a piano plumbs its depths. A microphone placed close to the soundboard can be all it takes to make you forget and just revel in it all. If your system can already capture and recreate that kind of moment, then you're almost there. All the best, |
The sound of a piano seems to be one of the easiest instruments to recall. In playback it also seems to be one of the easiest ones to detect any sonic issues. As said earlier, it’s an issue of power, weight, and scale. Perhaps tone and reverb too as no two ever seem to sound the same, and you don’t need to be Glenn Gould to feel that way. |
- 90 posts total