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What are the best loudspeakers under $4000 to re-create lifelike piano

Over the past 4 months I've spent time with five loudspeakers.  On a scale of 1-10 I'd rate them as follows in their ability (with my equipment in my room) to recreate a lifelike piano.  Tekton Lore - 6.5 (great scale but tonal accuracy and clarity somewhat lacking),    Kef LS50 - 7.0 (moderate scale but slightly better clarity and tonal accuracy)  Kef R500 - 8.0  (great scale and very good clarity and tonal accuracy), Spatial Audio M3TurboS -8.1 (great scale and very good clarity and tonal accuracy and very smooth)  Magnepan 1.7i - 9.0 (very good scale with excellent clarity and tonal accuracy - very lifelike).

In your room with your equipment, what loudspeakers are you listening too and how would you rate them for their ability to recreate a lifelife piano and if possible a few comments as to why?
snapsc
jmedici's avatar
jmedici
8 posts
 
Finding the perfect speaker for true rendition is a quixotic quest, especially for your budget. I play a baby grand and the musical acoustics while sitting behind the 88's is different from other areas of the room. In addition so much of the staging and sound quality is influenced from the recording engineers. Not to discourage you but I suggest that you audition a brand that has a legacy in speaker design and build. My listening preferences is mostly classical piano, oboe, cello trumpet and horn. The sound quality can be stark.  
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jji666
78 posts
 
I feel like questions like this are mostly an invitation to brag about one's system.  So I will join in:

Focal Electra 1007BE

The reason this came to mind is that there is a review - Stereophile I think - that mentions these speakers as being perfect for piano reproduction.  
bondmanp
1,465 posts
 

snapsc: As requested above, my thoughts on how my Ohm Walsh 2000s "do" piano: I have owned these speakers since 2009, and IMHO, are timbre champs. They also excel at getting transients right, a must for piano reproduction. I do use mine with a pair of Vandy 2Wq subs, which would be a budget buster for you, but I would encourage a home audition of whichever model is the right size for your room (guide to room size is on the Ohm web site).


Piano recordings are all over the map in terms of true-to-life sound. But I have found better recordings of piano to sound terrific on my 2000s. I really love the piano that accompanies Norah Jones on "The Nearness of You". It is well recorded, and causes an emotional response every time I hear it on my rig. But it is important to identify some really well-recorded piano pieces for your auditioning. Listen for resonance of the sound board on the left-hand keys, and a combination of smoothness and transient snap on the right-hand keys. But know that some recordings preclude the ability to hear these things on any loudspeaker, regardless of price.

snapsc OP
148 posts
 
@bondmanp  thanks for the comments...I see on other forums that the relatively few people that comment on Ohm Walshs also seem to find them very good on piano. 

The ohm room size guide is confusing...I'm guessing that you could fill a very large room with a seating position 12' back using the OhmWalsh 2000...but only from 60 hz or so on up as the big room would suck out the lower bass....if that is correct, then their website is actually suggesting you need larger more expensive models in order to get the bass performance without a sub???

In my case, I'm using a Power Sound Audio S1500 which is pretty fast and has great tonality.
bondmanp
1,465 posts
 

snapsc - My room is on the larger side of the size range for the 2000s, although I sit only 9' back.  Without the subs, the 2000s seem to go well into the 30's, probably around 35Hz, with a good amount of output. (Sadly, with my amp in the repair shop, I am listening now without the Vandy subs, but only my HT sub, an old Def Tech PF15.  Even through my cheap AVR, these speakers sound lovely!)   But with your sub properly dialed in, you should have no bass issues. 


Your guess on the need for larger Ohm Walsh models in bigger rooms is correct.  The thing about this line of speakers is that the sound is very consistent model-to-model.  You gain low-end extension, higher dB output and perhaps some better macro-dynaimcs as you move up in size.  But timbre, resolution, soundstage characteristics, etc., are all about the same, whether you have the Micro-Walsh Tall or the 5000s.

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