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Unfortunately posted by someone using an alias [for good reason?] so I can't respond directly...

Pathetic however how this guy is following me on every single thread trying to discredit whatever I say. A very strange hate condition not quite fully understood or assessed by medical staff. Fact is I don't know the guy and being over 5000 miles apart, have nothing to do with each other. Or do we?

If would use his own name [dealers in New York remember him still talking about him from the time he was shopping the Manhattan streets.. ] he very well could be posting some contradictory findings or opinions in a respected scientific paper himself. That's how respect and recognition is earned in 'real life'..

Of course there's nothing of value for him to post anywhere.
As is mostly the case on this site here as well.

Besides this is not about being "right" or "wrong".
That's the first fatal misunderstanding of things.
Besides some of us are too old, wise, slightly matured and experienced for that.

So, what is it all about - how can one help?

Happy "getting yourself a life" perhaps Sir??

Norbert

That is my point.

If the sound of a particular brand of piano does exist, (and we hear a lot about that such sounds exist here on PW and elsewhere), then a simple CD that contains a strong representational sample of each would illustrate, and suffice.

And, thinking further about this, those sampled pianos would not have to be recorded in exactly the same environment. Surely recordings exist of each brand that are clear representations. (As Bennevis has suggested above).

However, if there exist no such recordings that can be used side-by-side as simple illustrations, then the concept of an individual sound for each brand is in question.

I have that CD. For fun, I put up the excerpts and you can have a listen. As you said, the pianos are (in order of recordings from the CD) the concert pianos from Steinway, Boesendorfer, Yamaha, and Steingraeber all perform by Katsaris though at different venues. Before you get all technical, yes, different recording at different venues, different day for the same pianist, so on so on, not scientific, but it's still fun.

For extra fun, I mixed up the order of the pianos in the excerpt so it is different from the order on the CD. If you own the CD, please refrain from guessing until others have a chance to guess. Even though I mixed it up, I could still tell easily which is which, so if you don't have the CD, I'd be really interested to know which you think is which and which your favorite is?

Here it is: https://soundcloud.com/8octaves/which-piano-is-which

Please post your guess:

Piano 1 -
Piano 2 -
Piano 3 -
Piano 4 -

Favorite -

Please don't put Fazioli or S Kawai. Those are not possible answers.

My guess would be:

Piano 1 - Bosendorfer or Steingraeber
Piano 2 - Steinway
Piano 3 - Yamaha
Piano 4 - Steingraeber or Bosendorfer

But I've never heard a Steingraeber so have no reference for that.

My favorite is No 2 which is, I think, the Steinway. The treble has a lot of body and complexity - very nice.

Piano 3 seems the brightest and most bell-like in the treble.

Ooh, a game!

I'm guessing:
1) Yamaha
2) Steinway
3) I was initially going to guess Bosendorfer until I heard #4, which has a more delicate tone. So I'm going to guess Steingraeber. I think this was my favorite piano of the four.
4) Bosendorfer

Edit: now I'm thinking #1 might be Steingraeber and #3 Yamaha.

I agree they do exist, and listening to a range of recordings of the same make and model will give you an envelope sound to work with and give you an idea of what that make and model can do but I would favour going out and playing a range of instruments to get the best impression. That is if you want to buy one and end up playing it yourself as it will sound very different live.

Lots of great responses! I think a CD is possible. Native Instruments has Akoustik Piano which features the Bechstein, Bosendorfer and Steinway, so it's possible to sample every one on the market. (each individual model)

I'd love to see you in a real blind test, the number of people I've seen stumped (myself included) who thought they could distinguish individual brands from recordings, well it's pretty much 100% blind luck. But maybe you have golden ears, or psychic powers...:)

1. Bosie
2. Steinway
3. Yamaha
3. Steingraber. My favorite.

Any chance you could lay off the Norbert obsession? It's getting very tiresome. If I see it again, I'll be reporting it to the mods. Personal vendettas poison the environment for everybody.

1. Yamaha (the brightest of the lot)
2. Bosie (Dark and distinct, not too resonant)
3. Steinway (I don't know any other piano that resonates like that)
4. Steingraber (I've never played one, but I hear that they are very mellow)

Incidently, that is how I would order them, with 4 being the best. Well, 3 and 4 are very close. I like the mellowness of 4 but the resonance of 3. 4 sounds like all the recordings I've ever heard -.- so it has to be Steinway??!!

Man, I keep changing my mind about 3 and 4... but I will resist the temptation to change answers

The only last thing I will say is... 3 is really special. 4 is soothing, but 3 sings more. I would take that piano over the others if given the choice.

1. Yamaha
2. Steingraber
3. Bosendorfer
4. Steinway

When do we get the right answers to the quiz?

Rick

I'll guess (and be wrong)
1) Yamy
2) 'way
3) Bosie
4) 'greaber

I like 4 best, 1 least with the way my ears are screwed on at the moment.

That's because your Howard/Kawai 550 has a nice, mellowish tone.

If we don't get the right answers soon, I'll file a grievance with Academic Affairs. (Just kidding... )

Rick

1 might be Steingraeber, 4 Steinway, though. (But, I'll stay with my original wager.)

Katsaris is really pushing the RH in that passage, regardless (and the orchestral strings are annoying in clip 1). Can we have 'nuther pianist? 😀

I take it the Steinway is Hamburg, not NY. I'm not really getting that NY state of mind.

Yes, the Steinway is a Hamburg Steinway D.

@Rickster, patience, grasshopper.... will reveal answer soon.

One of the design factors of a piano is the hammer strike point. It is one design factor that impacts the tonality of an instrument in a way other than loudness and overall brightness (or lack thereof). Hammer strike point impacts the actual strength of individual harmonics and therefore can change the harmonic palette of a piano much like playing with the drawbars on a Hammond organ. Guitarists know this well because where along the string they strum changes the tonality of the resulting sound. Strum by the bridge and it sounds nasal, strum near the neck and it sounds mellow and wooly.

My Guesses:

1. Yamaha
2. Steinway
3. Steingraeber
4. Bodendorfer

On many pianos, it's adjustable. When I got mine, the adjustment screws were missing, so I had to make new ones and adjust them. I asked my tech about it, he was happy with where I had set them. There's one on each end of the action, the treble one makes the most difference because the strings there are much shorter.

My guesses.

1. Somebody hammering nails into a wall.
2. Tin cans being thrown into a galvanised dust-bin (US trashcan).
3. Somebody doing somthing unspeakable to a cat.
4. A Banjo and accordéon duet.

I'm not sure that the loud-speakers in my computer are of the highest quality however.