Chopinaddict:

A disadvantage is that they are very rare; it appears that nobody has made a modern version. They are also very heavy to lift and move, much heavier than a digital piano. Of course their main advantage is the adjustable key resistance, which can be made far greater than that of any piano. However, used without common sense they can produce a really horrible touch. I think the trouble is that players screw up the resistance to a point where finger technique cannot cope, and end up leaning and pushing to depress the keys.

Apparently it is possible to turn any acoustic piano into a silent piano, although of course it you don't have an acoustic you'd better buy a silent one from the very beginning...
http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=5710.0

Anyway, casintaly, if you are still reading this thread, I hope you will let us know how you like your silent piano when it is delivered...

Well, I had an offer by a shop I had contacted. They said they will have a silent Yamaha U1 at the end of January for about 5,000 dollars - used I suppose.
I am a little bit nervous about it to be honest, but there is nothing I can do at the moment... Somehow I don't even feel happy about it, just anxious... Hopefully it won't be the beginning of more problems... Of course it is not final anyway, just a possibility. I would prefer to buy at my local shop to be honest just in case there is a problem that comes out later...

I was thinking buying a AvantGrand N3 (EP with real grand piano action) but... I may finally go for a small grand ACOUSTIC SIlence, and then, if I don't like the "it's silence sound' I can always link it through midi to an external sound module (Yam XF rack ? :-) ) or to my next stage piano to use its sound bank.

With this I am building my very own acoustic/electronic hybrid piano :-) without the constant fear of having an expensive Avantgrand N3 becoming obsolete, and with the pleasure of a "real" acoustic sound when played "non silently".

so now the question is : Yamaha silence (C2 or C3 silence) or KAWA anytime (RX2 ATX-f ) ? Any recommendation ? Which has the best "silent module" and without consequences on the acoustic keyboard action ?

I think you can only do this to uprights.

I've seen silent systems fitted to grands too. They are pretty much the same idea. Most people just don't want to do it to their grand because the action isn't hidden like an upright.

Yes, they can be fitted to grands too. That's what they told me in the shop at least. Unfortunately I wouldn't have a room for a grand though....

Does anybody know if a silent piano can be used in silent mode but without headphones (that is to say if I can just adjust the volume without using headphones)?

Thanks

I believe that it's either acoustic or the silent mode and that the latter can only be heard through headphones.

Regards,

Thank you, Bruce.

you can connect active speakers to the headphone out (or line out if there is one) and then adjust the volume of those.
But that will naturally be the same sampled sound you get through the headphones, not the real piano's sound.

What I dream of is to buy an old gorgeous 130cm concert upright in a fantastic finish (such as this one), retrofit a silent system, and replace my digital piano with that! Ideally, it'd have that dreamy, "old upright" ever-so-slightly out of tune sound when played live and then a professional sample library in a small dedicated PC inside for silent practice...

I guess that's a project for when the grand is paid off and we move to a house...

OMG! Why am I just finding out now that these things exist! Can anyone tell me the price range of one of the upright versions of these pianos?

I haven't checked in for a while - so here are some updates.

What I like about the silent feature:

1. I can play when I want and it feels exactly the same as playing when in normal playing.
2. I can plug in two sets of headphones and play with a friend into the wee hours of the night (or have my husband listen while I play)
3. I can out put to speakers and turn the volume down so I don't have to wear a headset, (I hate wearing a headset)
4. It sounds better than my original dp.
5. I have an option for recording directly to the computer

What I don't like:

1. It still sounds digital and of course has no "vibes"
2. I hate wearing headphones but most of the time I can't be bothered to hook up to the speakers.
3. There is some noise. They hammers do move, though they don't touch the strings and you can hear them clunking about. I have seen that as time goes on I am less and less aware of this point.

Adding the feature to a piano - friends of mine added it to their upright a while ago, after complaints from the neighbour. (Their son is doing a degree in music and he plays ALL THE TIME! )

The price: here (Italy) it seems to add about 2 grand (in euros) onto the price of a new Yamaha U3. Mine (a P112) was used and I paid 4,000 euros for a six year old piano in great shape.

My recording for the ABF recital n. XX was done with the silent option as I couldn't figure out how to record the acoustic. If you listen, be kind - I'd only been playing for 10 months at that point

Are you sure that you hate wearing all headphones and not just your particular model? Might be worth a trip to the electronics store! There's quite a difference between brands and models.

You are absolutely right about the differences in models and brands - however, I really DO hate wearing headphones, they give my ears the feeling of being suffocated! I have some really excellent headphones that cost a pretty penny and they are MUCH better than my old ones...but I still don't like wearing them

Try in-ears!

cringe....no, I don't think I'd like those either. I had some like that for my mp3 player and they drove me nuts too.

I guess I just don't like things on or in my ears

For comparison purposes only:

A Yamaha U1 "lists" for $US10,999.00 (polished ebony) and $US11,599.00 )satin ebony.)

A Yamaha U1SG "lists" for $US14,999.00 in polished ebony.

The factory-installed silent feature adds US$4,000.00 to the base price.

"Street" prices may differ slightly, depending upon our area.

Regards,

Agreed. The built-in digital on my ten year old silent upright sounds pretty awful. You could try what I did, which is hook up the silent piano module to a laptop running Pianoteq. That sounds nicer, and is far more responsive.

Thanks.

Thanks everybody for the replies!
Yes, I could buy some really good speakers, or also connect the piano to my laptop I suppose (the laptop speakers are horrible, but I hsve Steinway sounds on it...). Headphones are sort of annoying in summer... I usually play with headphones, but the other day I was playing without and it was actually very nice.

Apparently you can add the silent feature to any piano, as discussed in this thread, and in the USA and Europe it is not so bad, about $1,500 I have been told, but here they want twice as much. The silent feature of the Australian piano currawong and I are going to have a look at is more limited than the Yamaha (less instruments), but if I keep the digital piano too it really shouldn't matter.

I didn't know about silent pianos either when I bought the DP just 4 years ago...

Can you give me some links for those retrofit silent systems? I am considering putting one into my Estonia grand and selling the digital.

I am just not sure yet if that's a good idea!

The very first thread I found on the topic was this ...
Some seem to think it is better if the pianos are made with the silent system (factory-installed). My local dealer seemed to think it is no problem at all to have it installed later, but maybe he only wanted to sell it. I personally don't think it is a problem to install it later, but I am not a technician.
The thread I refer to goes back to a time before I even played the piano, there must be something better by now.
The Australian piano currawong and I are going to test uses a silent system called "Dream".
Ask a good dealer in your area and they should be able to advise you.

A shop in Sydney is willing to sell me the silent Yamaha U1 PE for 11,000 dollars including delivery and initial tuning (new of course). The biggest shop in Sydney wanted 16,000 for it without delivery. I am a little bit agitated now... I think the Australian piano (same size) would be about 8,000, but the silent option has less instruments... Also, Yamaha is probably better after all. I don't know what to do now!
At any rate, if I say yes it would take a few months because they have to order it from Japan.

HOLY CRAP!!! That's $11 grand for a piano that's NOT a grand, correct? If you have that kind of money to spend on an upright, then you should know that I'm single, available and willing to learn to cook (we can discuss laundry).

Well, unfortunately everything is MUCH more expensive here. Maybe I should come to the US... You don't have to pay upfront to buy a piano here though.
I think an upright Steinway (no silent option) is 20,000 dollars...

Europe is not cheap either:
http://www.sheargoldmusic.co.uk/p-164-yamaha-u1-silent.aspx

I also want to ask another shop (again) about their pianos because they have a 15-year warranty which is the warranty Yamaha apparently gives on new pianos, but their pianos are supposed to be second-hand, so I don't quite understand... (Still, they must refurbish them well if they give the same warranty new pianos have...) Their pianos are cheap, but they just gave away one without notifying me although they had said they would notify me when they have a silent Yamaha U1, so I am a little bit with them....
Music is all I have from life, so money is secondary...