Robert Estrin - piano expert

Steinway VS Chinese Piano - Can You Hear the Difference?

An interesting answer to a seemingly simple question

In this video, Robert talks about whether you can hear the difference between a Steinway and a Chinese piano. The answer is not as obvious as you may think!

Released on May 26, 2021

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DISCLAIMER: The views and the opinions expressed in this video are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Virtual Sheet Music and its employees.

Video Transcription

Welcome to livingpianos.com. I'm Robert Estrin. The question today is, can you hear the difference between a Steinway and a Chinese piano? Now, many of you are scoffing, "Of course, you can." Well, it's amazing. They did studies for example on wines and wines when you think that they're an expensive bottle of wine, you're always going to choose that as being a better wine because there's a subjective nature to this taste and the bouquet of wines. Well, the same is true of pianos. Now, I'm not suggesting one is better or not better than the other. I'm leaving it up to you and what I'm going to have for you is pretty cool. It's a blind listening test.

I went through the archives of Living Pianos because we have hundreds of piano videos, and I found two grand pianos of about the same size, both in brand new condition. One is a Steinway and one is a Chinese piano, the name shall remain nameless for right now. At the end there'll be a reveal. But don't cheat. Don't look at the notes. Don't go forward on this because I want you to really critically listen. If you've got good speakers or headphones, really listen. Then at the end, before I tell you, I want you to write down your answer. Write it down on a piece of paper. I'm serious about this. Because it's so easy to later go, "Well, I chose that because I thought it was this. But really, I like..." It's so easy to do that when you're all done. If you commit it to paper, then you can't argue that you thought something different because it's harder to tell than you might think in some circumstances and so this is going to be a wonderful test.

I found recordings of the beginning of Beethoven's Opus 10 No. 3 second movement Sonata. It's the same exact piece of music you're going to hear on both of these instruments. So here goes and remember, don't cheat. I want you to really write down the name, the number one or number two, which one you think was the Steinway and which one is the Chinese piano. Here we go.

All right. So that was interesting listening experience. I bet many of you have very definite ideas and some of you may be wondering which one is which. Well first of all let me tell you what these pianos are and then I'll tell you which one was first and which one was second. The Steinway is a 2010 Model O which is right around 5'10" in brand new condition, I mean, barely played. The Chinese piano is also 5'10" 2017 Hailun Model 178. That's right.

So which one was which? Have you written it down on paper? I'm serious about this because it's easy to cheat yourself because you don't want to be wrong here, do you? Because there's a drastic price difference. You could buy several of those Hailuns for the price of a Steinway. So which one is which? The first performance you heard was the Steinway and the second performance was the Hailun. I don't know how many of you are shocked and how many of you feel confident that you got it right. But if you got it wrong, there's no right or wrong because every piano has something to offer. Not only that, but every piano is unique. If you played several brand new Steinway model Os in the showroom, each one has a unique character of sound as do the Hailuns. All pianos are made of wood and are highly crafted.

Now, I will tell you that there was a slight difference in these two performances in that the first one was made later on in my studio which I had much, much higher end microphones. I had a pair of Neumann recording the Steinway and I only had a pair of Audio-Technica 4033s, which are pretty inexpensive large diaphragm condensers, on the Hailun. So it was a different room, different microphone so it wasn't totally scientific here. Really the Hailun didn't have the benefit of those multi-thousand dollars' worth of microphones. But nevertheless you can get some idea. But the fact it was the same piece I thought made it interesting.

It was an interesting playing experience and I can hear what I went for and what came out on these, but I'm more interested in what you heard. Be honest in the comments. I'm really interested here at livingpianos.com. We have a blog that you're welcome to join as well as YouTube. And we'll see how this comes out for you. Thanks again for joining me and share this with your friends and see if they get it right or not. I'm very interested in how everybody responds to this. We'll see you next time. Again, I'm Robert Estrin here at your online piano resource livingpianos.com.
Find the original source of this video at this link: https://livingpianos.com/steinway-vs-chinese-piano-can-you-hear-the-difference/
Automatic video-to-text transcription by DaDaScribe.com
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Comments, Questions, Requests:

Dwight * VSM MEMBER * on June 9, 2021 @5:42 pm PST
Well, I got lucky and guessed right. But my guess was not an informed one, and any slight difference I heard was probably the better quality microphones in the first recording. Interesting. So I'm curious, as someone else asked, too, about your experience of playing the two. Are they equally satisfying to play? Are you (partly, of course) paying for the name when you buy Steinway?
reply
Robert - host, on June 10, 2021 @10:18 am PST
As a pianist, you must learn to instantly adjust to whatever instrument you are playing. Each instrument brings a new voice to your music.
Fred * VSM MEMBER * on May 27, 2021 @7:33 am PST
I thought that No.2 was the Steinway - mostly because I liked the sound, which seemed more mellow. I suppose the Hailun reminded me of the sound of a Bechstein which also has a warmer sound.
Dallman Ross on May 27, 2021 @4:08 am PST
Thanks, Robert. Very interesting. I guessed wrong. But which one was more pleasing for you to play?!
Diane * VSM MEMBER * on May 26, 2021 @7:09 pm PST
I thought the second one was the Steinway and liked the 2nd one better. The bass in the Hailun was richer. The Steinway bass seemed muted in comparison.
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Robert - host, on May 27, 2021 @9:51 am PST
It's amazing how many people preferred the sound of the Hailun to the Steinway!
Mary McKim on May 26, 2021 @1:07 pm PST
I got it wrong. I thought the second was the Steinway. I found the tone on Piano #1 was too harsh and “brilliant” to be Steinway which, in my limited experience in playing Steinway pianos, didn’t sound mellow enough to be a Steinway. It could also be the difference in microphones. It could also be my ageing ears. The upper register on Piano #1 sounded so brilliant as to be almost harsh and the booming lower notes sounded muddy. But what do I know? Either way, I would have bought Piano #2 because of the much lower price.
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Robert - host, on May 27, 2021 @8:22 am PST
Different pianos offer unique capabilities. There is no right or wrong to this question. As a pianist, it's a matter of getting the most out of every instrument we play!
Steve Borcich * VSM MEMBER * on May 26, 2021 @11:08 am PST
I guessed the opposite! I've been a collector of vintage saxophones for years. They are generally darker and richer sounding. The modern saxophones, especially those made in China, Japan or Taiwan are brighter and have more clarity. The first piano had these qualities, the latter sounded darker. I'm not sure how much difference the mic setup and room acoustics made. This could explain some of the differences. I also play and own several guitars. Every guitar sounds a little different. It's all in "the cut of the wood". I'm glad that you pointed this out in regard to pianos. You have to try a number of them in order to determine which one "floats your boat". Thank you for putting out another informative and interesting video, Robert!
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Robert - host, on May 26, 2021 @1:19 pm PST
This video surprised a lot of people - you are not alone!
Victoria LaPorte * VSM MEMBER * on May 26, 2021 @10:33 am PST
Piano #2 sounded deeper, fuller to me. Should I expect it to be a Steinway? The Hailun sound was lovely.
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Robert - host, on May 26, 2021 @1:18 pm PST
Hailun is modeled after German pianos which tend to have clearer, focused sound than Steinway and other American pianos (although Steinways are also manufactured in Germany).
Jim * VSM MEMBER * on May 26, 2021 @9:15 am PST
Very interesting! I got it wrong! I preferred the tone of the second piano, perhaps because it had a somewhat more mellow sound, but the similarities were striking. That could have varied with the room and the recording.
Lorri on May 26, 2021 @9:09 am PST
I actually did not guess which was which. I choose the one my ears loved the most. That choice was #2.
Normand Tamburini on May 26, 2021 @8:29 am PST
Prefer the chinese piano, the sound look more deeper and rich. But inside still a kick Steinway.
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