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How to reproduce sound of piano


I currently own a decent rig, Mac MA 2275, AP Sparks, Marantz 8001, Rega Apollo, Benchmark DAC w/ Squeezebox Duet. I love the way it sounds with jazz, voice, orchestral works and also it's decent with chamber music.

But I find when I'm listening to piano solo performances it doesn't quite sound nearly good as the live instrument. This is too bad because I mainly listen to classical piano works. I want to build a new system from scratch dedicated to listen to solo piano works as well as piano conertos.
I don't care for "warmth", "timbre", "soundstage" or other loaded audiophile terms. Just want absolutely accurate piano reproduction as possible.

What qualities should I look for? Analog vs digital source. Solid state vs tube amp? I find my tube amp unable to keep up with technical masters as Pollini or Horowitz. But will going to SS take away from the performces of more romantic pianists like Kempf and Zimerman? As for speakers, I never heard of a speaker capable of reproducing the deep bass of a 9ft+ concert Steinway grand. Are electrostatics way to go? My budget is around $25K USD. Thanks for any feedback.
plaser
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,183 posts
 
"Grados GS-1000 headphones actually does very good job with piano (much better than speakers)"

Doesn't surprise me.

On the scale at which they must operate to produce realistic SPLs to the ear, the wide range drivers in headphones are physically much better equipped to handle the fast transient dynamics associated with piano string strikes than are most dynamic speakers involving large drivers with higher physical mass.
wireless200
415 posts
 
This might suprise but I think Krell does a good job on piano. Since you're not dealing with highs where Krells can easily cause pain on other than the best recordings, I would suggest giving a Krell amp a try. The way a lot of piano pieces are recorded they seem to need to be brought out more. On this, the Krells excel.

I think a lot of recordings are made as if you're out quite a ways in the concert hall. I've made recordings in my piano room with a couple of Shure mics and an M-audio A/D on to a computer. I thought they sounded remarkably good without any mixing. The Yamaha is brighter than most pianos and that fact may help the recording. But the difference was the recordings sounded like they were recorded: as if you were sitting right there next to the piano. I had one mic near the soundboard and another 3 or 4 feet away. I prefer that rather than the typical far-away concert hall sound.

Lots of good speakers out there. The Krell sounded good on my Aerials.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,183 posts
 
"Krell does a good job on piano"

I've heard the $2500 Krell integrated do a very respectable job on piano music with Martin Logans.
learsfool
1,215 posts
 
I agree with Jax2 and Tobias. Vinyl played through horn speakers with tube amplification are the way to go for things that cover the full frequency range all the time, like solo piano music, or large orchestral or opera. I also agree with Detlof that some of the finest recorded piano sound out there, both for recording quality and interpretation, are Alfred Brendel's recordings for Philips, the Dutch pressings. I just picked up his 70's Beethoven Sonata set, it is truly magical. I also have a few of his Mozart Piano Concerto recordings with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, also on Philips. Again, magic.

For those of you who also love Brendel's playing, some sad news. He performed his last live concert the other night in Vienna. Our recordings are all we will have of him, now. I hope he continues to teach and write.
halcro's avatar
halcro
2,664 posts
 
On the subject of realistically recording the grand piano, I don't know that it's particularly difficult rather than the engineers being scared to do it without compression?
Listen to Keith Jarrett- The Koln Concert on ECM (recorded live) to see how realistically you can transfer the concert grand to vinyl or Masaru Imada-Piano on Three Blind Mice.
The best recorded classical concert grand I've yet heard is Liszt Sonate h-Moll B Minor by Daniel Barenboim on Deutche Grammophon.
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