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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
 
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
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
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
newbee
4,767 posts
 
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........
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
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
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
Newbee and Dave,

You guys are on to something - how to make a grand piano sound real in a room that is not big enough for a grand piano. It seems we all missed the obvious...it just ain't possible. The room is a good 50% of what you hear...
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