How to reproduce sound of piano

Plaser

My suggestions relate to the room you are in now, and the components you are using now...and not the room you are going to build (which I know nothing about).

I also don't know when you plan on moving to your new home. The intent is to get you some passable results in the nearer term (I am also assuming you like your speakers for the most part, I think you said you did?).

What you probably don't like (regarding piano recordings) is the missing heft, of the lower notes, that the piano is producing, but your speakers are not reproducing (because they can't).

Like many audiophiles I have several speaker systems, two fullrange systems, and three less than fullrange speaker systems.

I like them all, and I also play a lot of piano music (we probably all do). That said, the piano sounds more real, and much better overall, on the two fullrange systems. The answer for that is simple...the fullrange systems paint a better picture, or at least...a better copy of the original picture, than the smaller speakers are able. No rocket science involved.

I suggested 30hz, and small subwoofers based on your room...and what looks to be, limited placement options in that room.

I would not buy any components for your new home, until well after the move in. because you will need lots of time to think things out, unless you like doing everything twice (-:

When I retired around 8 years ago, I built a fairly large dedicated room (my son helped me), and it took us around 6 months... (4 months of thought, and two months of work).

I can tell you that it was well worth it.

Good luck,

Dave

Detlof

No, you didn't step on my toes at all, no problem (we are all trying to help, and usually with somewhat limited info)...I guess I just don't find subwoofers, that complicated an animal to tame.

Dave

Plaser

Subwoofers were around long before home theater made them popular to the masses.

Rel, Martin Logan, Audio Concepts Inc, Sunfire....lots of others make, or have made smaller subwoofers. I have to be honest...my subwoofers are huge. (but my room is larger)

The ACI subwoofers are very nice, the Rel subs are well liked here at this forum...and the little Martin Logan Dynamo is well reviewed. (I like the ACI subs, but I haven't heard the others?)

Of course, if you want a wood finish to match your mains...you will need to do some research.

I would buy some room correction hardware, it will help make integration with the mains a breeze.

Dave

I looked at Plasers room for the first time (boy am I slow or what). Setting up and integrating a sub woofer in a small room isn't a walk in the park, and IMHO, with all due respect to all, in a room this size may still not produce the sound that will make a piano sound more 'real', just with more bass, probably uneven bass. I really don't know........

But consider, that a lot of the warmth of tone, that will make a recording of a piano sound more authentic, may not be just in the deep bass, but may result from some elevation in frequency response say between 75 and 200hz. The use of a small sub, with a 2nd order crossover, set at 80 hz and the main speakers run full range could produce a bit of an increase in the frequency response between 100 and 200 hz - just enuf warmth to make a piano sound more real, without doing serious damage to imaging. (All of this of course ignores room and placement FR response issues).

Or not, just an idle thought I had in the john........

Newbee

Thats pretty much what I was thinking, I would be inclined to think that a pair of small subs placed on the side walls, just in front of the mains, could work well in that room?

30hz is plenty deep for piano...and that could be filtered a few db's if need be? I'm sure listening levels aren't over 75-85db's.

A pair of Martin Logan Dynamo are around $700 used, easy to sell when Plasers moves to his new home.

Of course I can't tell how deep the room is from the pic's...I was guessing 14-16ft?....and not a cube.

Dave