How does solo piano help you evaluate audio gear?

There has always been a bit of uncertainty for me about which piano manufacturer I prefer. No, I am not a pianist, but my father was. He also tuned pianos. I only accompanied him while tuning a few times. Most of them by my taste were a fair example of a great instrument. Since we lived in a small town, there were few people that owned much above a spinet model so that tells a lot right there. I do remember being present to hear him for a part of the tuning of a Kawai. He would test his ability by a short performance. It was Better. The attack was not exaggerated or diminished and the tone was not too soft. The body that it developed was SO much better than what I was used to hearing.

 So recording a Good instrument has to be the starting point. Then the pianist. Don't forget the composition and of course the recording venue. I only own a few recordings of this fine instrument that truly move me, either owed to the recording, or maybe just an exceptional performance that transcends the ability of that time when recording instruments in general was enough of a challenge. 

 I tried only once to record my father playing. I just had to accept the fact that it was the best that I could do to have a remembrance of him.

I’m just going to leave this here.

Bill Charlap

Blue Orchids from “Stardust”

It will tell you very quickly how well (or poorly) your system performs at the upper frequencies.

@tomic601 Mitsuko Uchida Live in Concert Philips 432989-2. 2 CDs from 1992. Creamy sound with great proximity to the instrument and lifelike tone. Superb playing and unique style with a light, deft and musical touch. The antithesis of many of the plodding and heavy interpretations that I’ve heard. The only comparable disc that adopts a similar approach and also has good sound is Gottlieb Wallisch Mozart in Vienna on Linn Records SACD. Both are worth tracking down if Mozart appeals.

I took a couple days off of social media to focus on work. Glad to see the thread continues in informative and constructive ways.

@perkri  -- just added the Charlap. Thank you!

@dodgealum  My streaming service doesn't have the Uchida! I'm bummed.

@mahgister  Thanks for the comments about the importance of room. I totally agree, and it's only because I have done enough work on the room that I am comfortable comparing speakers. The factor of the room has been neutralized (enough).

Thanks to others for the suggestions of additional instruments. I have added cello and also some woodwind quintets to my listening repertoire.

A speaker audition is a complex problem that is best solved by simplification.  Piano is a single, more or less full range instrument, whose harmonics are well known to most of us.  You can get to issues like tonal correctness across the audible spectrum and coherence/integration of drivers within a minute or two.  If a speaker fails this, you move on and haven't wasted 2 hrs on a speaker that might seem ok with other types of music, but 6 months and 20K later you want to get rid of.  I've personally not auditioned a speaker that passed the piano test and failed the voice test. My guess is there are none.   But piano won't tell you a lot that you need to know.

@brownsfan  Your recent post is a powerful brief answering the OP question, "Why is piano helpful?" It may also answer the (unasked question), "If you could only evaluate using one instrument, which would it be and why?" and "What provides the fastest assessment tool in the relatively rushed and untreated environment of the brick and mortar store?"

Of course, we are typically *not* forced to use just one instrument, and you're right to reaffirm that piano is not the *only* way -- let's all acknowledge he said that! -- but it is (perhaps) a uniquely powerful way.

I completely agree about reflective surfaces. This is a powerful tool that you've taught me about and which most people don't fully understand. In conjunction with room measurement tools, it is possible to sharpen the soundstage imaging without throwing too much deadening absorption at the room. The system remains focused and lively with the right kind of 12ms-50ms reflections that create the sound of space without smearing the images on the soundstage or creating too much brightness.

@dodgealum @perkri , Roxy Yes, strongly agree on Bill Charlap ! My streaming service has lots of Uchida where it is easy to hear the nimble grace and fluidity in her playing…

For additional Jazz reference, i would add Jessica Williams - Live at Yoshi’s Volume 2