Yamaha AvantGrand Piano Gets A Little Too Real At Winter NAMM Show

[EyMeng]

not convinced. tried one myself. meh. even if it is just psychology....meh.

[QuantikMusic]

SOMEBODY! What song is he playing! People want to know =D

[boyinabearsuit]

@QuantikMusic Starts off with 'Change It' by Joe Bonner Trio, then a bit of improv as far as I can tell.

[boyinabearsuit]

@boyinabearsuit Ah....then an uptempo 'Veiled Beauty' by Indigo. I think.

[QuantikMusic]

@boyinabearsuit Thank you!! =D

[casioPX500L]

please just made a GT2 without soundspeaker, everyone play with hearphones 95 procent off their life. its to pricy to pay for a furniture. what would new "low price " N1 cost? are ther real stainway keys or just a new version of GH3 plastic keys with wooden shims on key side?

[77edster]

Sounds nice, looks odd, can't see what the market is that they're aiming at. For £10k you can get a very nice acoustic piano and tuning doesn't cost much or have to be that often. I've got a low end Clavinova which is great for my needs but who is this aimed at?

[anandthepianoguy]

@77edster those virtuoso pianists who don't like having tuners barge into the house every month or so.

[stevey226]

@77edster People limited with space. People who like to practice at early hours of the morning and can't quite afford a silent piano. People who'd like to record to their computers but don't have good recording equipment so they can plug it into their laptop or computer. Bands on a stage that would like a real sounding piano but can't afford to drag an acoustic piano around with them...

[MucusFelidae]

Any difference in sound between analog and digital pianos applies only to the player or who is near the instrument.

Farther away you cannot distinguish.

[bta1987]

Can anyone recognize the exact song that he played? sounds like Chopin, but I'm not sure.

[michael18152]

don't you have to tune those instruments?

[studiolabs]

@michael18152 No, all of the sound that the instrument produces is pre-recorded, thus digital pianos require no strings to tune

[azmanntoz]

Has anyone played this and didnt like it?

It just seems from reading the comments, the people who have played this in person are amazed yet the people who have doubts are going off the audio from a youtube video.

My understanding of the way sounds works, i think i would need to hear and feel this in person before writing the whole technology off.

[willemvdr12]

Yeah, acoustic sound... MY ASS!

[harvardkarbodie]

Ipso facto I have a problem with all digitals. No matter what they sound like, and how perfect they are, there is simply a loss of something in the virtual reality of it. No matter how perfect it sounds (whatever "perfect" means), it is a simulated sound. But what they won't likely realize is the loss of the magic of a "regular old" piano. And of course to try to talk about it is nonsense. I'd rather see some sort of hybrid, e.g using electronics to help stabilize acoustic tunings.

[cavalier777]

@harvardkarbodie lol you're new to sampling arent you.

[harvardkarbodie]

@cavalier777 Not in the least. I've been in the market for a digital piano for over two years, and have not heard a thing that I like, or for that matter, feel I can grow accustomed to, or for that matter feel I can play in the same manner to which I bring to an acoustic piano (trying to avoid that difficult word "expression"). Perhaps I should turn the tables and ask, you're new to traditional acoustic pianos, aren't you?

[cavalier777]

@harvardkarbodie i should forego that turn and suppose that you're new to workflow/accessibility because sampling is so much better than the real thing. MIDI > good instruments.

[harvardkarbodie]

@cavalier777 Sounds to me like you don't have much experience (or even want to) with the real thing.

[cavalier777]

@harvardkarbodie dude MIDI is totally better than real pianos. just look at the Korg M1.

[harvardkarbodie]

@cavalier777 sorry, but for some reason just saying "dude MID is totally better than real pianos" just doesn't quite cut it for me. I'm glad you enjoy them though. I don't though.

[cavalier777]

@harvardkarbodie yo if you dont think MIDI is better u need to find a career bro.

[harvardkarbodie]

@cavalier777 I just love your way of debating. So interestingly ignorant and funny at the same time. I'll stick to my Estonia piano which I adore, thank you very much. If you ever meet a concert pianist, which I doubt you will but if ever you do, you might tell them what you've told me and watch their reaction. PS: watch out for power failures!

[BladeDC5]

@harvardkarbodie Yes, and watch out for hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and tornados too, LOL! Hey, don't shoot the messenger i.e. MIDI, which is great for its applications. It is really funny how some people judge the sound based on the poor audio quality off YouTube. I'm trying an N3 soon to compare to my C5 grand and then I'll have a real idea what the AvantGrand instrument is like. Who knows, I may even trade-in my accoustic, pocket the extra $30,000 and never tune the thing again!

[iMacOviasProduction1]

YAY!! In this video he didnt play that pop ballad (if thats the word to use) rubbish!! haha XD

[semmes1234]

13k for this??? that is not a bad deal!!!!!

[Rachmanfan4life]

Yes I played this today for a couple hours and then a 9 ft Yamaha concert grand. This avant grand is extremely convincing. Not everyone can afford $80,000 - $100,000 and not everyone has room for a 6, 7 or let alone 9 ft piano. Many of us pianists live in apartments or condos. That being said this is the best I've ever played by far. It's price is around $13,000 and sounds and feels almost exactly like a $100,000 concert grand. I had trouble distinguishing between the two. I highly recommend

[DrDon67]

I played this at the 2010 NAMM in Anaheim. It was fantastic. The audio on this vid is horrible...doesn't begin to do justice to the sound of this instrument. WELL worth the $20K to have this huge sound and small footprint. If it "wears out" in 7-10 years, so what? Imagine the technology then.

[drpatone]

First off, to all those who are knocking this piano, don't knock it till you try it yourself...

I was AMAZED at how good this sounds, and how accurate it replicates a $100,000 acoustic grand. I did A and B comparisons with Concert Grand 9 footers, both Steinway and Yamaha, and I actually preferred this one... There was no imperfection with the action on the AvantGrand, it was just so easy to play on.

BTW, actual price to buy this is about $13,000... NOT $20,000

[ReflexionConstante]

Sounds horrible.

[knock4321]

How long will it last if used at least 4 hours a day of practice? If it's only a decade then it's better to buy a real Steineay grand which you can hand down to your children or grandchildren or sell at a high price. That's the problem with digital instruments. Their life span is short and the value depreciates fast.

[shinjiemisato]

I personally think this piano is useless With its price tag, you could easily buy a 1/4 or 1/2 grand piano, even if its used that still would sound better. Also you can aways install a quiet system + midi sensor on a acoustic piano wich would give the funcionalities of a digital. A digital piano will never give the same feeling of a true good acoustic, is like a man trying to imitate a god.

[jcammo123]

you also never have to worry about tuning. That is a really big plus. I hope to get one of these in the next 2 years or so.

[shinjiemisato]

Tunning is a insignificant problem to compensate the fact that a digital piano will never sound like a real piano, since is like a man trying to imitate god.

[jcammo123]

well the testimonies say otherwise. I'll be happy with a really good fake tho. lol.

[paranormaalutrecht]

ofcourse Peter... A reall grand piano... is 2.75 long.. Where is the microphone/speaker than? In the toilet room?

[drnotes630]

the most important aspect of the avant grand is that it has a complete and real acoustic action. hammers and all. it feels no different than an acoustic yamaha.

[hahahahohaha]

Nice instrument, but I like the sound of the v-piano by Roland better...

[Anton338]

16 amps...

anyway, i want one!! :D

[xkuruma]

What's the name of the piece he was playing 2:18 ???

[AmazingShoestring]

Yes,what is it? i want to know too!

[emilshere]

the digital pianos will also emulate the imperfections.... dont worry, it will be random, and imperfect, we can do it already... check out some of the amazing new digital pianos and software piano instruments... it will only get better!

[KayDee28]

Sorry, a Sub for a grand piano? Oxymoron :D.

Haha, don't think it will sell well as a digi grand truely removes that 'grand' essence.

[shaysrebellion23]

agreed

[dazzelya]

I'm sure it will sound much better than a normal stereo digi piano. However, the first time I played on a grand piano the whole instrument came alive. I couldn't stop playing (at that time I was much more limited in ability than today). There is no substitute for the real deal. A close second perhaps.

[gorillachilla]

so right

[KayDee28]

The worry is that we live in a digital age and soon enough grands pianos may very well be a thing of the past!

Although the 'digital replicas' are, technically speaking, made to perfection, we like little imperfections, that make the instrument.

[Mandru9]

I defintely do not agree with you dazzelya Last Friday I played Schumann's Kinderszenen on a digital Yamaha CLP295 grand piano and I was flabbergasted, really stunned. What a superb sound: fully resonant, mellow and with all the subtlety and grandeur of an accoustic Steinway grand, as far as I'm concerned

[ItseSproductions]

I think the thing that actually stuns people is that it's something digital, yet it sounds acoustic. But really, if an acoustic grand would sound and feel like that, you would walk away to try out another piano.

And for the money you can easily get a Silent Grand, which the AvantGrand certainly can not top. (FYI, a Silent Grand is a grand piano with strings ánd a digital system so you can practise without disturbing anyone.)

[ZombieDesertDeities]

How much dose this piano cost?

[bigjarom]

$20,000