Some of you who participated in the "Indentify the Piano" thread may recall that I had posted a recording of my Delta for that little exercise. Well, my Delta just had its second tuning, and for that, I requested that my technician aim for a rounder, mellower, fatter, though somewhat less clear tone. I had specifically asked him for more depth in the bass as well. The first tuning was meant to emphasise the clarity of the tone more than anything else.

Well, all I can say is that my technician Alvin is just amazing. Without any voicing at all, I found the tonal difference quite amazing between tunings. When the piano first arrived, its distinctive feature was its sparkling, clear, if somewhat delicate tone. It sounds quite the opposite to my ears now. Much rounder, fatter sound, though still capable of subtlety when required.

I just thought I would share some recordings made of the same piece (Liszt's Consolation no. 3) on three different occassions, to demonstrate what a difference in tuning tempraments and/or humidity levels can make to the tone, without any voicing.

1st recording: Here is the Delta as it sounds after the second tuning. Temperature at 21 deg Celsius, and 65% RH

http://www.savefile.com/files/126107

2nd recording: For comparison, this is the recording that was used in the "Indentify the Piano" exercise. This was somewhat a couple of weeks after the first tuning, but after I had forgot to turn on the dehumidifier and air-con. The result was that the RH rose to around 68-69%, from the usual 65%, and the tone became more mellow.

http://www.savefile.com/files/126475

3rd recording: This was done just right after the first tuning, with the RH at 65%, and 21 deg Celsius. The tone is clear, though somewhat thin in the treble.

http://www.savefile.com/files/126485

The piano, location and the recording equipment used is the same in each case, so this is about as perfect an "experimental set up" can be.

Do tell me if you can hear a difference, or if I'm just imagining things

Wzkit,
Very musical interpretation. I will have the first tuning of my Steingraeber 168 done at the end of the week and expect to post something by the begenning of next week. I am looking forward to get your advice opinion.
Regards
mfortin

Sure. How do you find the sound of the Sauter, after the latest tuning? Does it remind you of other Sauter grands you have played?

I have only tried two omega. The mid and upper register sound very nicely to me without being harsh. I like the bass too but it is not like an omega. Very interesting sound.

Do you prefer the more recent sound, as compared to the previous, "thinner" tone? I would think that the previous sound would have been great for Mozart and Debussy, and the present one, better for Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Brahms.