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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
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
Simply moving the speakers another 2ft or so forward, and adding a couple of small subwoofers, behind, or just forward of the main speakers would probably get the poster, a large step within his goal in that room.

Plenty of small subs will do 30hz with ease, and thats all you really need for piano to sound very nice.

Dave
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,189 posts
 
Sogood51's idea is a good one I believe!
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
Thanks for steering us back to the subject at hand.
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Dave,
Yes in theory, but it very much depends on the room, finding the right volume, the phase- and crossover points , the proper placement of the sub(s) to get such a blend with the mainspeakers that the sub disappears. It is quite tricky to get it right. I would suggest to first get everything else right to sound to your satisfaction and then later play around with the deeper frequencies and ...if you can find a sub fast and controlled enough within your budget, aim for 20 not 30 hz.
plaser OP
26 posts
 

So it appears getting the right subwoofer is absolutely critical first step in this endeavor. I find that ironic given many classical enthusiast probably consider bass the least important characteristic when selecting speakers. I up to now thought subwoofer was more for home theatre and not for serious musical reproduction. Thanks again for all the suggestions. Anyone recommend a good musical subwoofer that's physically compact?
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