"Also, have you used a sound meter at a given distance to see if you're playing the recording at a similar volume? If you haven't you'd be shocked at how loud a live piano is." IrvRobinson
"Agreed - very few home audio speakers can do a grand piano realistically. This is a very loud and dynamic instrument. Ditto a drum set, trumpet or trombone. Most non-musicians have no idea how loud these things go." Shadorne
From 90+ percent of the systems I've heard, higher volumes, (read real-world sound pressure levels) prove more challenging than reproducing the dynamics and timbre of most instruments, and certainly symphonic scale performance. Piano, cello, dulcimer and mandolin are stand-out exceptions, in part, I believe, due to the complexity of their harmonics.
What's an audiophile to do?
Go to more live performances, play an instrument and accept the challenge, and the present-moment fact, that reproduced music is just that. Nothing more, but also nothing less. Being satisfied with the options we have is the road to [audio] nirvana.
Peter, I had to tweak you with a percentage.
David