How does solo piano help you evaluate audio gear?

There is no question that a well-recorded QUALITY piano in good tune played by a pianist who really knows and understands the piano, is an essential litmus test to appraise the tonal verity of an audio system. The same applies to reproducing the human voice, male and female alike, as well as "massed strings" and a full symphony orchestra.

ALL of these music sources must be as well-recorded as humanly possible - it can be very difficult sometimes to single out really GOOD recordings from lesser-quality ones to use as our be-all and end-all test recordings.

The pipe organ is another very difficult instrument to record well - and it is often overlooked as a means-test to judge the performance of an audio system. Like the piano and the symphony orchestra, the pipe organ possesses a very wide frequency and dynamic range. There are some splendid examples of organs found today around the world - for example, the organ that J. S. Bach himself knew well and played, the very beautifully restored (in 2000) instrument the renowned organ-builder Zacharias Hildebrandt (1688-1757) built between 1743 and 1746 in the Wenzelskirche in Naumburg, Germany. Bach himself highly praised Hildebrandt’s work, and there has recently been released on the Aeolus label an audiophile-grade recording of J. S. Bach’s Art of the Fugue ("Die Kunst der Fuge") played on this historic Hildebrandt organ. Here’s a brief YouTube video describing the making of this recording:

The excellent recording introduced in this short video (I have a copy of this SACD/CD which I highly recommend), gives us listeners the opportunity to hear how the well-recorded sound of a fine pipe organ can also be used to evaluate the quality of our audio systems.

I got rid rid of a Rega turntable when I was playing an album of Beethoven Piano Sonatas by Wilhelm Kempff and the triplets in the opening movement of the Moonlight Sonata were being bent so much that they sounded like a Mellotron

@nonoise  

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. 

@whart 
listen to the hammer strike, the initial overtones, and their decay. Instructive in terms of how the system handles the whole sonic envelope, not just wide frequency range

Excellent! I'll listen for this. Well said and thank you.

@cd318  Good point about the reverb and character.

@czarivey  -- right. Drum and note together. Well put.

@edcyn 

massed strings is the true litmus test for determining the ultimate veracity of a system

I think this is what is pushing me beyond my otherwise very nice stand mounts toward a ribbon tweeter tower.  And your caution about fuzzy midrange tone of many pianos is noted. Agree about wanting tonal quality with smaller cost of dynamic hit.

@lalitk Thanks for your notes. I'm not on the verge of my forever speakers -- that will have to wait a couple years for my forever room -- but for now I'm looking for my next speakers. If my present shoot has a clear result, I'll be putting a pair up for sale (or sending one on trial back!)

@brownsfan  -- French horn is a good tip. I've been hearing bassoons and oboes with greater interest but I need to find a good French horn featuring piece. ECM Schiff Beethoven -- got it. ECM is a standard label for other things I use as critical listening.

@mahgister 

Moravce or Feltsman -- thanks. I have heard the Feltsman but will now add it to my list for critical listening.

Chorus -- I've been listening to Nordic 2L tracks and some Chesky. Thanks for the Tallis.

    
@dynamiclinearity -- 

ability to accurately follow all level changes, small to medium to large --Kissin  'Pictures At An Exhibition,.

Thanks!

@jjss49  I have an upright, so not quite the comparandum!

@erictal4075  I have avoided the pipe organ because it seems like it's too difficult for the level of speaker I have. It's like giving a calculus exam to two third graders. Maybe there's something to compare, though. Thank you.

More A/B testing will happen today using these suggestions. Much appreciated.

It's clear to me that with the two speakers I'm comparing, there are strengths to each, and part of the reason I have been looking to piano is that I need a way to show that one speaker is clearly better than the other. I love and will listen to classical piano, so this is not just an academic exercise.

@whart You make some great points and I agree with all you wrote.

@hilde45 try the music of Richard Strauss for some great music featuring the French Horn. Fritz Reiner/Vienna Philharmonic “Till Eulenspiegel” on RCA Living Stereo is a classic with outstanding sound; available on vinyl as a reissue. Beautifully realistic horn sound. Also, try the great Radovan Vlatcovick’s recording with The English Chamber Orchestra of Strauss horn concertos 1&2 on EMI classics.