Yamaha vs Kawai vs Steinway | Piano VST Comparison | Yamaha CFX vs Hamburg Steinway D vs Kawai SK-EX

 

Anyone whose been a subscriber to our channel or blog will know we’ve spent a lot of time over the past couple of years exploring the world of piano VSTs. As a result, our resident piano reviewer and company president Stu Harrison has become something of a VST aficionado.

In today’s video and companion article, Stu will be joined by his wife Annie Bonsignore, who also happens to be a professional vocalist and frequent collaborator of Stu’s.

Annie is going to randomly toggle between three meticulously recorded VST instruments from some of the most well-known brands - Yamaha vs Kawai vs Steinway and some of their high-end models with the Hamburg Steinway D-274, Shigeru Kawai SK-EX and Yamaha CFX Concert Grand Pianos - to see if Stu can actually tell the difference between these three pianos without knowing which one he’s playing and hearing.

This should be a good test to see how our pre-conceived notions about a given instrument affect our musical perception of said instrument since Stu will not know which instrument he is playing.

We’ll get started here with a little bit of background information.

 

Yamaha vs Kawai vs Steinway - Background Information & Piano Design

Let’s start by covering some of the differences that make a Yamaha, a Steinway, and a Kawai different from one another. These are three of the most recognizable piano brands in the world, and in terms of full-sized concert pianos, their flagship concert grand pianos- the Hamburg Steinway Model D, Yamaha CFX and Shigeru Kawai SK-EX - are among the most commonly selected instruments by pianists who perform in concert halls and with symphony orchestras.

All three piano manufacturers and these specific pianos have a very interesting pedigree and interesting history, but for our purposes, what’s really important is to look at the major differences in the design and materials used in these instruments that contribute to the unique sound that they each produce.

We’ll take a quick look at each instrument.

 

Hamburg Steinway Model D

The Steinway & Sons Model D’s most people in North America are used to are of course New York Steinways which use Sitka spruce for their soundboards. Since we’re working with a Hamburg Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano made at the Steinway factory in Germany here, the soundboard will be either be an Austrian or Bavarian white spruce. In either case, it would be slow growth, high altitude spruce grown in the 700 to 1,000-meter range, such as what would also be used in other high-end European pianos like a Bosendorfer or Steingraeber.

This soundboard material is different from what Yamaha and Kawai are using, and the Steinway has some other things that make it unique as well. For one, they use an inordinate amount of Hard Rock Maple in their inner and outer rims and feature a remarkably strong pinblock.

There are several aspects of Steinway design which make it unique. It uses an inordinate amount of Hard Rock Maple in their inner and outer rims, which gives it a very specific tonal flavor that is often described as a blended tone.

The Hamburg Steinway also has a treble bell, and in combination with the specific duplex scale, this tends to create a very particular treble experience with an ambient wash and well-defined attack. Steinway D’s are also known for having an extraordinary dynamic range to them, to the point that it’s almost impossible to make them distort.

Now, they’re not known for having the widest tonal palette compared to other fine instruments, but in terms of dynamic potential and ability to project across the range, they’re really quite exceptional and one of the main reasons Hamburg D’s are often cited as one of the top two or three concert pianos in the world.

Pianos from the Hamburg factory are also generally regarded as a tier above their New York counterparts, and that includes the Steinway Model B, Steinway Model A and Steinway Model M.

 

Shigeru Kawai SK-EX

The Shigeru Kawai SK-EX has borrowed quite a bit from the Steinway grand piano heritage, as have most modern pianos (fun fact, Kawai manufactures the Steinway sub-brand Boston). The SK-EX uses vertically laminated bridges, just like the Steinway does and a Hard Rock Maple cap, just like the Steinway does also.

The rims also feature some Hard Rock Maple, though not as much as the Steinway, and it also blends a number of other hardwoods as well. The SKEX does not use a treble bell, and the approach to the treble generally in the Shigeru is quite a bit different. The SK-EX also uses Sitka spruce, just like a New York Steinway but different from the Hamburg’s Austrian or Bavarian spruce.

The end result is a tone that isn’t as blended as the Hamburg Steinway, but at the same time, it’s not as clear and defined as a C.Bechstein or Bosendorfer’s tone. Really, it's sitting somewhere in the middle and is overall very warm but also very colorful.

It’s capable of both a very intimate sound but can also be pushed for serious fortissimo volume and power as well. In general, SK-EXs are often regarded as very versatile instruments which is why they’re so popular.

 

Yamaha CFX

The Yamaha CFX first hit the market several years ago and served as the next-generation update to the CFIIIS concert grand piano, which was the Yamaha Corporation’s previous flagship model CF Series 9 footer.

That said, the CFIIIS was seen a step below a Steinway or Shigeru Kawai, whereas the new CFX is at a level where it can now properly compete with these other two concert grand pianos by upgrading the specs to what one would expect out of a top-tier instrument.

For instance, they’ve gone with a high-quality European spruce soundboard and are also vertically laminating their bridges. The rim consists of a blend of Beech and Mahogany for its own unique tonal experience as part of what they’ve called their Acoustic Resonance system.

They’ve also improved the piano wire and bass string material and levelled up their hammer design while going with a very realistic ivory substitute they’ve dubbed as Ivorite for the white keys and a matte finish for the black keys.

The end result is a tone that is still on the brighter end of the tonal spectrum, but the middle partials are much more present than they were previously. Overall, it’s a more natural sound than what Yamaha has been able to achieve in the past.

Note that the CFX is also available as the Disklavier Enspire Pro version (DCFX) which allows you to record and playback right on the CFX as a digital piano can.

 

Piano VST Comparison

As mentioned above, we’re not going to be in a showroom playing the actual acoustic piano versions of these musical instruments, but rather VST versions. In the case of the Hamburg Steinway Model D and Yamaha CFX, we’re using the Vienna Symphonic Libraries Synchron engines, while for the SK-EX, we’re using the Kawai’s NOVUS NV5’s SK-EX Rendering Engine, which combines a multi-channel sample of the SK-EX with a resonance modeling engine.

The reverb is set up as similarly across the 3 samples as possible, and we’ve tried to make the settings as evenly as possible as well.

 

Stu’s Blind Playtest

We would definitely recommend checking out the video to see and hear the blind playtesting for yourself. In the end, Stu was able to guess 9 out of 10 right, only at first mistaking the Hamburg Steinway D for the SK-EX, but he would subsequently realize this and eventually change his answer.

Stu is obviously a gifted and highly experienced piano player, but it does speak to how distinct these three samples truly are with how accurate his blind play-testing proved to be.

 

Annie’s Ranking from a Vocalist’s Perspective

We’d also recommend checking out the latter portion of the video to hear professional vocalist Annie Bonsignore sing along with each sample and give her feedback as to how she would rank in terms of compatibility with a vocalist.

She ultimately enjoyed the SK-EX the most due to its warmth and very dynamic tonal range. She had the Yamaha CFX ranked second and liked it overall, she just, however, felt it was a little bit too bright and perhaps a bit like an upright piano.

In third, she had the Hamburg D as she felt it was least equipped to compliment the contours of the natural human voice.

 

Closing Thoughts

Thanks very much for reading! This has been a very interesting experiment comparing these three superb concert grand piano samples that we hope you’ve enjoyed.

The post Yamaha vs Kawai vs Steinway | Piano VST Comparison | Yamaha CFX vs Hamburg Steinway D vs Kawai SK-EX first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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Steinway Model M vs C Bechstein L 167 | Baby Grand Piano Comparison

Baby grand pianos are the best-selling size of grand piano by virtue of the fact that they don’t take up a ton of space, and their relative affordability, especially compared to a 9-foot concert grand piano such as a Steinway Model D which lists for around $200,000 USD!

Today we’re going to be comparing two of the world’s finest baby grand pianos as we pit a Steinway Model M vs C Bechstein L 167 in our showroom. Some might consider these too large to be considered baby grand pianos since they’re both a little bit bigger than 5’5” while others would disagree.

In any case, this is still a very worthwhile comparison of two of the world’s finest grand pianos in this size range so we’re very excited to get into it. You’ll definitely want to check out the companion video to hear these pianos for yourself.

Steinway Model M vs C Bechstein L 167 - Background Information

Steinway Model M

The particular Steinway M we played for this comparison is a restored Golden Age piano, and there’s something about Model M’s in general that we really love here at Merriam Pianos that we don’t get on Model A’s or Model B’s for example.

Model M’s are 5’7” and are manufactured both in the New York and the Hamburg factories. The one we’ve sampled for this review is a New York example that has been completely restored with all-Steinway parts such as Steinway hammers, Steinway strings, and a preserved original Steinway soundboard.

C. Bechstein L167 Concert Series

Sitting opposite the Model M is the C. Bechstein L167. It’s slightly shorter than the M at 5’6”, but both are still on the upper end of what one might consider a baby grand piano. There are a number of reasons why we were very interested to get these two pianos side by side.

For one, Bechstein isn't shy about the fact that they have taken some inspiration from Steinway's designs over the years, as has everyone including big players like Yamaha and Kawai. On the other hand, Steinway wasn’t shy about the fact that when they first arrived in New York and started building, Bechstein was a big influence on them.

It’s fair to say that these two piano companies have been the two dominant luxury piano brands on opposite sides of the ocean for well over a hundred years, and their widespread presence in Concert Halls attests to this. So, with that said, it absolutely makes sense to see the ways in which they’re similar and how they diverge.

Design Commonalities - Materials and Construction

There are a number of commonalities between these two pianos in terms of their technical design. Both pianos use a capped, vertically laminated bridge system (extensive laminations), extremely thick pinblocks (the M has the famous Steinway Hexagrip pinblock) and they have a very similar scaling in terms of the string thickness and tension, as well as pure copper bass strings.

Both pianos also featured tapered solid spruce soundboards (though the spruce itself is different, more on that later), and front as well as rear duplex scaling and agraffes. Of course, both pianos are also made with the highest possible level of craftsmanship.

Let’s move on to some observations with regard to piano sound.

Steinway Model M vs C Bechstein L 167 - Sound Comparison

Sonic Impressions

Despite their similar size, these pianos sound very different from one another. There's more mid-range warmth from this Steinway grand piano, and we don’t mean the mid-range of the piano, but rather the types of harmonics that really stand out on a given note.

The sound on the M also draws more into the center of the piano and comes across as a very blended tone.

Over on the C Bechstein L167, you're given the impression that you're playing a wider piano overall. This isn’t necessarily a good or a bad thing, but it’s a huge difference between these two pianos.

Cabinet Resonance

Another thing is that although the M has a good amount of cabinet resonance, there’s much more of that happening on the L167, and this is largely due to the thicker stretcher bar on the L167.

The stretcher bar also helps in providing more sound directly from the soundboard, and the effect is a sort of 3D musical expression in terms of how the player perceives the sound.

Sustain Comparison

Both pianos have a phenomenal level of sustain. We actually timed it out on a concert A and the M came in at 31 seconds, while the L167 came in at about 37 seconds.

There aren’t any works of classical music we’re aware of that call for 30 seconds of sustain, but this just speaks to the overall level of quality here, and the potential for the highest level of musical expression.

Hammers - Design and Materials

Another interesting difference between these pianos is with regard to the hammer design. Steinway makes their own hammers and for the last several years, Bechstein has been making their own hammers as well, but this is very rare for the industry where most piano makers outsource their hammers.

Bechstein uses walnut moldings on their concert series grand and upright pianos, and Walnut is among the most expensive materials with which to build hammers. Walnut is quite light, but it's also very rigid so energy loss is minimized while at the same time the hammers quickly swing back into position.

Steinway uses a hard rock maple on their hammer moldings and shanks. Now, hard rock maple is denser than the typical maple you’ll find with entry-level grand and upright piano hammers.

Hard rock maple delivers more mass than walnut, and this in turn is used to generate power, which Bechstein accomplishes in a different way.

Philosophical Differences

C. Bechstein's philosophy has always been to generate tone throughout the entire instrument. They want a lot of cabinet tone, duplex tone, and a well-defined bloom from the soundboard. Really, they believe in generating just as much secondary tone out of the instrument as primary tone with all of it really precise.

Steinway has been always known for their very powerful instruments, especially the Steinway & Sons Model D. The particular design of American concert pre-amplification technology meant the need for loud, powerful instruments - a void that the Steinway Model D concert grand was able to fill for concert pianists. Hamburg Steinway’s are not quite as brash.

Heavier hammers can certainly help serve this purpose. The danger of course is that heavier hammers can make a piano prone to distortion, but Steinways quite famously really don't distort even when you push them right up to the upper limits.

We’ll finish off our discussion by going range by range through both instruments and reporting our observations.

Bass Register

Starting over here on the M, and we’re getting really good rim activation in this register. It’s not particularly warm, but it’s quite clear and very consistent with plenty of power.

Over on the L167, the character is quite similar to the M, but a little less powerful, but also warmer, especially as you move up the bass range.

Tenor Range

The next range often tends to be fairly unremarkable on many pianos, but on the L167, there's so much rim activation and a ton of resonance in this particular zone. This makes the L167 an overwhelming choice for jazz since this is the area where the pianist comps with their left hand.

Over in the M, there's less warmth and resonance, but there's more projection, making it a great fit for jazz.

Treble Range

As we continue through the range, this is where the instruments really start to diverge in terms of their sound. The L167 has an incredibly precise treble range, lots of power, and beautiful sustain happening right to the very top with a stunning top C.

The M has a slightly murkier treble, but then there's all of this other inharmonious resonance going on that really delivers an engrossing experience.

Final Thoughts

It’s clear we’ve got two excellent pianos here, much beloved by many of the world’s greatest pianists over the years.

Both are delivering a remarkably clear, powerful bass for the size, and both are giving phenomenal sustain throughout the entire range.

At the same time, the sonic experience of playing one or the other is very different. The C Bechstein L167 gives a more separated, much wider sense of sound, almost like you’re hearing it in 3D.

Over on the Steinway Model M, there’s this really beautiful washy kind of crashing into the middle of the instrument coming at you with a more blended texture.

Both pianos have really strong trebles but there’s a huge difference in the approach to how much of the actual fundamental you’re hearing versus a more blended tone.

Both instruments are available in various finishes beyond the standard polished ebony or satin ebony, with the M in particular available in a ton of exotic finishes such as East Indian Rosewood.

Thanks for reading!

The post Steinway Model M vs C Bechstein L 167 | Baby Grand Piano Comparison first appeared on Merriam Pianos

2359 Bristol Cir #200, Oakville, ON L6H 6P8

merriammusic.com

(905) 829-2020