Comparing Yamaha CFX and Steinway Model D

[@eaea2332]

The Steinway has such a delicate, regal sound to it, so much character.

[@danielalamilla8080]

Nah.

[@MrLandale]

0:46 Medtner Fairy Tale - Yamaha CFX 1:54 Medtner Fairy Tale - Steinway Model D 3:06 Prokofiev sonata no. 5 - Yamaha CFX 5:34 Prokofiev sonata no. 5 - Steinway Model D 7:55 Beethoven candenza - Yamaha CFX 9:43 Beethoven candenza - Steinway Model D

It's Prokofiev Sonata N. 2, 2nd movement

[@hifijohn]

The bass is beautiful on the steinway.

[@2010frankieg]

how? steinway bass is always a muffled sound no vibration like yamaha or bosendorfer. steinways sound awesome but not in their bass their bass sounds like they have a pillow over it .

[@太智沢流]

​@@2010frankiegYAMAHAは解像度を上げようとした結果、音の色彩が折重ならず腺病質な印象

[@ngengtat3541]

Pls give a new Steinway Piano 2years to open up and unfold it's tone colour ...I use these 2 brands..

[@hastensavoir7782]

@@2010frankiegI think it’s great when Pounded playing is applied. NOT for Fast, Repetitive playing where no one can distinguish and clarify the Muddy sounds 😂

[@benjaminsmith2287]

I'm not sure as you placed the Yamaha in front of the Steinway so the Yamaha projects somewhat more. They're both fine pianos. So, whichever you choose is fine and may just depend on action, responsiveness, tone control, pedal feel, etc.

[@Geopholus]

We get to hear the reverberant Hall in good measure... yes the Steinway suffers a little being so far back. Both Beautiful Pianos they sound pretty much as they always do.

[@zackeryhardy9504]

My experience has been that the yamaha pianos do project a lot better than most Ds. Actually most kawais, Masons, Bechsteins, steingraebers, Schimmels, and most other high end brands project better. At least when compared to NY Steinways. Which makes sense since the steinway D is a 1910s design while everyone else still has an engineering department and is making significant improvements to their piano design.

[@jb5music]

That's strange... it appears that thought didn't cross their mind. Build a brick wall in front of the Steinway but not the Yamaha then do a sound comparison. 😆

[@kennixox262]

Steinway Model D. Hands down.

[@catkeys6911]

There's actually not that much of a difference.

[@danielalamilla8080]

Haha. No, Steinway fanboy.

[@JacoSmith72]

Are you serious? The Steinway in this video definitely has a vibration issue. Not the best Steinway I've heard by far.

[@steveyv963]

The Yamaha had a more consistent sound through all of its keys. The Steinway sounds like three different instruments in its base, middle, and upper sections. I like the middle range of the Steinway, but it is a bit more confusing than the Yamaha when the song includes the whole set of keys.

[@briliankamil4594]

I think the problem is with the camera and piano placement. We got direct projection from yamaha, and it staturated the camera mic. but steinway is blocked from direct projection, so the bass is more picked up by the camera.

[@JacoSmith72]

Agree 100% with you. Now I'm not bias towards any one of the two but yes the Yamaha sounds more consistent. What I really DON'T like about the Steinway is the sort of metallic klanky tones on the high notes. Not pleasant to listen to at all.

[@thomasragozzino8145]

Great playing! I definitely think your playing has more color and dynamic presence in your finger voicing to present with that Steinway, but whatever you choose, your performance will be excellent because you are PREPARED. Nothing matters but what you leave on the stage and in the hall for an actual audience. Good work and keep on going!

[@vladyslavkosulin6413]

How can the sound be compared if the audio if of so low quality?

[@JacobEmch91]

Where are your videos so you can “show her how it’s done” ??

[@vasilikonstan]

My thoughts exactly! The microphone is too far, the room reverb too great, to get an accurate representation of either piano.

[@R.Williams]

She is the one comparing in person not us.

[@bachtube11]

@@vasilikonstan exactly thats true! Its a pitty that this recording is is made with just one mic at the cameera. Lowtech comparison. The play is very good, but the sound recording is like a homevideo recording.

[@PiotrBarcz]

That is a valid point. A phone microphone cannot capture anything about the pianos tone other than the tuning.

[@peternoke7756]

This is not a criticism, but an observation. It's an interesting experiment, and worth repeating, where each piano is recorded separately with close micing as well as room mics. You are likely to find the tonal qualities of each piano are more readily discernible in detail and the differences between the instruments easier to hear. Achieving an ideal sound from either piano is more likely once the details of where to place the mics for each different instrument is determined, thus bringing out the beauty of each one in a natural way which befits the particular character of each instrument - a bit like the way one adjusts to play differently on each piano as a player.

[@casfin]

She’s choosing which piano to play. How you mic the piano is of no concern to the player. She’s looking for feel, touch and how it sounds through her own ears as she plays the pieces, not a microphone.

[@catkeys6911]

VERY close. They're both excellent pianos. -Retired piano tuner/tech.

[@robinthomsoncomposer]

Yes I love the clarity of the Yamaha too. The Steinway sounds muffled and old.

[@markaprill6501]

Ok so first thing I noticed here is you are indeed a pianist. Second thing nice pianos; third thing I have abound as nice of headphones as you can get it is hard to tell from the video which is “better”. 4th thing is I clicked for great title…good idea for a video and great way to get subs. 5th yes I did sub. 6th thing have a nice day, Ysukushi, cool name. Oh yeah, I grew up playing a Yamaha Grand piano no cfx for sure. I going to say Yamaha I mean let’s hand it to the Japanese for making some great pianos….Steinway can’t win every time. Which one did you decide on? Edit :She went with Steinway Ha. In my opinion I would have decided based on preference of action for recital. Which I will now watch.

[@Mike_S_68]

The Yamaha 'plays', the Steinway 'sings'. 🎶

[@anmalder]

You need to compare the instruments when they are new. Is their service life the same? Hammer wear can give a sharp metallic sound. Hammer intonation can significantly improve the sound of the Yamaha. Also, the instruments need to be tuned at about the same time by the same tuner. The chamber needs to be placed slightly to the side so that the Yamaha does not cover the sound from the Stenway.

[@zackeryhardy9504]

What was done in this experiment is pretty much on par with what I hear in real life side to side compariosons with new instruments presented at places like NAMM show and even stores. I have worked on a lot of these instruments and steinways tend to lack compared to their competition these days. Given what a CFX sounds like I am telling you if you had swapped the piano positions you would have gotten the same result. And had you put a Bechstein, or Kawai, or Mason in place of that Yamaha the difference would have been even more pronounced. The CFX is a good piano, but the competitors in my experience tend to beat it out by just a bit. At least in terms of board dynamics. Heck when it comes to Mason and Bechstein you could have put 7 foots against that D and they would have still beat it. But Steinway has the concert side of things pretty well locked down mainly due to contacts with a lot of artists who contractually cannot play on an instrument that is not a steinway. And steinway does a good job at trying to get artists and advertising to artists so that they can be steinway artists which essentially allows them to make music for a living, gets them a free piano, and also gives them the option to be in the Steinway hall of fame. If you are a concert hall and a lot of artists contractually cannot play on anything but a Steinway then you have to pick a Steinway over what is most often a better piano unless you have the money for 2 concert grands. Which of course is self fulfilling as the forced decision is used as marketing as a feature. But ultimately when you do side by side comparisons, they just fall flat compared to their competitors who are constantly improving their instruments while Steinway is still using designs from the turn of the century with the claim "we have perfected pianos." Give it 50 to 70 years and they will go the way of chickering. In the 1850s chickering was the big name in painos and if you didn't have a chickering you didn't have a piano. Then this small company called steinway starts to really take off after comming up with innovative designs and becomes the name in piano innovation. Now they are the appeal to tradition which directly contradicts their roots. If they were to build up their engineering department and start designing new pianos again, then they may be able to keep up, but everyone has caught up and surpassed them.

[@JacoSmith72]

That is exactly what I heard on the Steinway. Wear and tear. There are clear vibration issues on the higher notes of this Steinway. So yes, compare the two when they are new.

[@PiotrBarcz]

Yamaha CFX forever! The one of the two that is actually WORTH THE PRICE XD

[@kingvii7250]

To even talk about the price is just ridiculous.

[@PiotrBarcz]

@@kingvii7250 100 thousand dollars for a 9 foot grand is fair, but pushing 150 thousand for a Steinway D is retarded. They're nowhere NEAR as good.

[@JacoSmith72]

Haha. Yes the CFX sounds overall better but I think this Steinway is on it's way... out. It's definitely very old and has heard better days.

[@PiotrBarcz]

@@JacoSmith72 Nah that Steinway's from the 1980s at the earliest, it sounds almost identical to the CFX on this recording too, if this were done with actual external microphones close to the pianos the difference in tone would be more noticeable but I assure you both pianos were made within the last 40 years, and actually more likely to have been made within the last 10 to 15.

[@RedWaveComing2024]

since i'm looking when the pianist switch from CFX to Steinway, the Steinway has more refine sound and more magnificent...i'm not a pianist and using only a digital piano using VSL plugins with Bosendorfer and Steinway....but if blindfolded it'll be hard to distinguish but the sounds are separable

[@LuisKolodin]

Steinway timbre is the richest one. So there's a lot of different ways to play the same passage. You can change colors. It also has the smoothest attack, the greatest ressonance (that's why it can blurs easily if wrongly played) and power without stridency. All other piano brands lack at least one of these features (with the exception of Mason&Hamelin, maybe)

[@hastensavoir7782]

@@LuisKolodinwhat do you think of Mason & Hamlin especially the new VX lines?

[@LuisKolodin]

@@hastensavoir7782 they are extremely rare to find here in Brazil. I really have no idea. Very few times I could touch one of them. I know there's criticism about the carbon fiber action. It feels insanely good to play, but my piano technician claims it removes nuances, the reason why Shigeru Kawai quit using it.

[@hastensavoir7782]

@@LuisKolodin did Shigeru Kawai convert to Wood for their actions?? Do you have experience with Fazioli?

[@LuisKolodin]

@@hastensavoir7782 yes, Shigeru got back to wood. At least half of the action. Yes, I have experience with Fazioli. Why?

[@kyrvhy]

For me, the mic-ing of the pianos seems stationary and thus the Yamaha sounds louder and brighter and I think the voicing of the Yamaha needs a bit of work to make this a more fair comparison. Then there is the placement of the two instruments. This placement I find problematic and does not lend itself to fairly comparing the sound of each piano. That is the trouble with these types of comparison videos. Each instrument is a fine example of the craftsmanship of there makers. When listening I turn down the volume when the Yamaha is played and the difference between the two sounds becomes barley distinguishable.

[@zackeryhardy9504]

My experience is that the Yamaha's project better. Now I am by no means a yamaha fan. In fact I work for a compditor to yamaha, but compared to the Ds which I am also very familiar with they have better projection. So does almost every other company to various degrees. The 2 painos were voiced very similarly and the yamaha from a scaling standpoint is not too far off Steinway in terms of inharmonisity where if you were to compare it to a bechstein, that has way more inharmonicity or Mason which has far less. And inharmonicity is of course subjective and tends to be perceived as how much growl a note has or how inharmonic the piano is.

[@louisraphael2567]

Both pianos are supreme, but different. Wheter you like the Steinway Model D or the Yamaha CFX more is rather a religious question.

[@robinkabir4258]

The Steinway is simply sublime.

[@edmundleblanc9508]

I am a Steinway fan boy, whenever I hear comparisons, it is Steinway Yamaha makes a great piano as well as electric pianos. Someone mentioned Fazioli which are great pianos but have to much resonance from other strings so does not sound as sharp, almost rumbles for me on the low end, just my opinion, notes are not separated and sharp. Your playing was brilliant, brava

[@zackeryhardy9504]

Steinways are a high inharm stringing scale and Faziolis are a low inharm stringing scale and where steinways have a slight increase in inharmonisoty after note 20 faziolis taper off. These are subjective choices of course which have different effects. Mason is also a low inharm, but at note 20 the rise in low inharmonicity surpasses Steinways and Bechstein is high all the way across. Though pretty much everything from a soundboard standpoint beats Steinway these days in terms of projection assuming the hammer voicing is the same. But if you like the subjective choices like the string scaling of the steinways then I suggest you check out a Falconi. And not a fake one. A real one made in the 80s. I believe there are just over 250 in existence, but if you find one be sure to play it. They are essentially a Steinway, but with all of the issues plaguing Steinway being fixed such as the soundboard issues and action geometry problems. Also the top end that tends to drop out has been fixed by placing a resonating par in place of the Bell which by design was a band aid fix when the redesigned the beam arrangement. I suspect they had a new design on the way, but the great depression happened and a redesign has not been made since. the bell remains.

[@thebig12conference73]

Y bass is beautiful on the Steinway Model D, the treble clef notes on the Yamaha CFX are spectacular. Classical Pianist master here who studied at the 2nd Viennese School of Music here. The price is offensive lol😂 a 9’foot Yamaha CFX is about $300,000 and it is about the same price for the Steinway Model D. So really it comes down yo musicians preference. You really can’t go wrong with either one. With each of those pianos or a Beckstein, a Bosendoefer, you really cannot lose with any of those beauties. One day if I ever win the lottery I’ll get the Yamaha CFX

[@JacoSmith72]

You are right and yes you heard it too. I think there is a vibration issue with this Steinway. The high notes sound a bit metallic. Although difficult to tell the difference on PC speakers, I tried my Bose headphones and for sure there are an unpleasant vibration on the Steinway when playing high notes. It might be age maybe? The mid and bass on the Steinway is on parr with the Yamaha. The CFX is a very modern piano and in many ways absolutely brilliant. But in the end it depends on the pianist, the room, the piece itself. The Yamaha is surely more versatile but not as classic.

[@thebig12conference73]

@ that’s very interesting could it be an age thing with either the piano or your headphones?

[@JacoSmith72]

@@thebig12conference73 Haha. The piano I'm sure ;-)

[@thebig12conference73]

@ Lol there’s nothing you can do with the Piano except get a new Piano and last time I checked , those Steinways new are not cheap. You have a choice drive a new Mercedes or buy a new Steinway 😝

[@Gunbardo]

what are everyone listening through? I think the CFX sounds way better than the steinway through my sennheiser hd820….

[@JacoSmith72]

Absolutely. But I think the Steinway in this demonstration is a bit old and has some wear and tear. Listened to the recording on my Bose headphones, you can't miss a vibration on them.

[@wenzehanliu2041]

Which model year is this Steinway? New York or Hamburg? Every brand make piano differently in different periods and also produce different sounds. The CFX is surely the 2022 model, we can see from the music desk.

[@jayphi4095]

It a a Hamburg Steinway you can recognize it throug the rounded keyboard extremity furniture

[@wenzehanliu2041]

@@jayphi4095 New York steinways after 2019 have the same shape

[@jimk9290]

I think the Steinway is a bit "drastic" for presenting the Prokofiev. I just feel that the tone Prokofiev was looking for is better with the Yamaha. With an orchestra and audience on the Beethoven, then Steinway. However, the Yamaha will still be plenty.

[@davidrowe1004]

The Yamaha sounds hard and glassy in the mid range. The Steinway sings and resonates more beautifully. But it's really is hard to know if this is really true because of the placement of the Steinway behind the Yamaha's lid and the less than ideal recording quality.

[@balisaani]

Exactly - on all counts - though all Yamaha have overtone resonance, not just in this recording, or in my own studio (Yamaha C3), or my former teacher's (now a celebrated film composer and jazz pianist - his is a C5). I can usually tell a Yamaha from any solo piano recording because of the resonance of the overtones.

[@Backup2021a]

Yamaha is much better. More clean. Sounds better. Of course.

[@erichkusterer6339]

Ich hätte es nie geglaubt, aber der Yamaha ist tatsächlich besser.

[@AhsingPianoViolin]

It's a Hamburg Steinway D (rounded corners on the 2 arms, NY Steinways have sharp corners). Hamburg & NY Steinways are very different. The Yamaha is the latest, with straight legs. Hard to tell the sound difference, I tried it on PC speakers, phone ear buds, TV speakers, and TV through stereo system speakers, maybe it's my ears. If blindfolded, I cannot tell which is which. Drawing a conclusion on the sound from a youtube recording is rather silly. Also: touch, responsive action, easy or hard to play, etc etc, are just as important, only if you are lucky enough to get these 2 pianos together and play them yourself. However, nice try, and quite interesting. Enjoyed it.

[@FlyWithNoam]

Past 5 years NY D also has rounded cheeks. They are almost impossible to tell apart from stage these days.

[@zackeryhardy9504]

New york has changed their design to make it so they look just like the Hamburgs. In fact they are essentially trying to make the 2 the same piano. Hamburgs are getting some changes and so are new yorks. The changes have been positive for New york and Negative for Hamburg or at least from what by contacts in the EU have claimed to me. So take that side of things with a grain of salt.

[@chrisadamo1720]

I loved the Beethoven No.4 Cadenza!! Definitely the Steinway. Which one did you choose?

[@Tsukushipiano]

@chrisadamo1720 Steinway!

[@edwardgrabczewski]

Fuller tone in the bass notes of the Steinway. Mid and high notes are fine for me in both pianos.

[@MarshallArtz007]

I’ll take the pipe organ! 😎🎹

[@HidekazuOki]

Both fabulous pianos, but quite different! Seems best to choose the piano depending on what piece your playing and what tone and color you want to render with that piece! Yamaha seems better suited for modern pieces and the Steinway, better suited for older, more historical pieces....

[@Philoreason]

Steinway D all the way. Much better clarity and I can tell you can express yourself much better with the Steinway (I'm a pianist too).

[@marcusvaldes]

Which one did you pick? Lovely playing. I just subscribed.

[@paulstremple5296]

I like the Steinway

[@zdog1490]

It sounds like the Yamaha is closer to the mic. It also has a stronger percussive sound, and the tone is brighter and rough around the edges. The Steinway has a quieter and rounder tone. The Steinway is the better choice, especially for a recording, but I probably wouldn't enjoy playing it. I don't like pianos with heavy action on the keys. I personally like Kawaii grand pianos, which to me have a bright, round tone. My home church had two Kawaii grands when I was an adolescent, and one of my friends dad had one in their music room at home. Hope the recital went well. 🩷

[@briliankamil4594]

Yamaha project directly to the camera so it overwhelms it. But stainway is blocked by yamaha lid so it doesnt have direct projection.

[@jeremythomas2865]

I generally like a Steinway sound if it’s a solo piano piece as it’s a more mellow rounded sound. The Yamaha is better for ensemble pieces where its brightness helps cut through in the mix.

[@JacoSmith72]

Agree. Have to say this Steinway is on it's way out or needs a serious service. There are vibration issues with high notes on this piano. Listen again with good quality headphones. I'm sure the Yamaha used here is very new and the Steinway has seen many performances... maybe too many.

[@Hugo_4t]

The Steinway makes the nuances in the playing much more audible. In other words, the Steinway sounds much more musical-at least to my ears, listening through the iPad 🙂.

[@pianoplayer56723]

Both are wonderful. I prefer the German Steinway D. At least for the music I play.

[@MichaeljpburkeUkMusic]

Is this at the RNCM? Did mine there many years ago! If it is I guess the Steinway is older - would be curious to know the respective ages of the pianos. They bought 2 new D's in the ealry 2000's but didn't have a CFX.

[@Tsukushipiano]

@MichaeljpburkeUkMusic Yes, I’m studying at the RNCM too! It’s great to see an alumni here. Unfortunately I haven’t figured out how old they are but it was a good opportunity to compare two pianos from different makers.

[@CarbonPhysics]

The Steinway is definitely the better piano of the two.

[@JacoSmith72]

Not even close. Listen again on good headphones. The Steinway she is playing has a serious vibration problem, probably due to age. But yes, a new Steinway would have sounded much better. More modern pianists and even classical pianists are leaning towards Yamaha for it has a more modern tone and the Steinways are becoming dated. Something interesting is that the Pearl River Piano Group actually makes both these pianos as well as other brands. They make them "different" for a reason. So one brand better than another is irrelevant for they come from the same manufacturer.

[@_classic_rob_]

Steinway Challenge: Create a consistent instrument, Level Impossible

[@RenePretschner]

Steinway ❤

[@danielalamilla8080]

😂😂😂😂

[@AlansPiano]

Of course is Steinway D!

[@danielalamilla8080]

😂😂😂😂

[@eddyf.n]

Yamaha sounds like it has had loads of redbull😂

[@wunna8657]

Steinway of course, you can hear so much more detail.

[@qh5163]

There are better pianos. Compare also with August Förster and Sauter.

[@Cincy3]

Steinway Bass - Yow!

[@rullysiswanto4583]

Fazioli vs Bosendorfer

[@blancchoi411]

야마하 : 묵직하다. 스웨이 : 화사하고 비단결처럼 곱다.

[@JacoSmith72]

Now I'm not bias towards any one of the two but yes the Yamaha sounds more consistent. What I really DON'T like about this Steinway is the sort of metallic klanky tones on the high notes. Not pleasant to listen to at all and not what I expected from a high end piano. I have heard better sounding Steinways. I think the piano used here has a vibration issue in the frame or something. I had to listen again on my Bose headphones and it is even more clear.

[@dmp7252]

You can't really tell because the Steinway is behind the other piano. So, we're not hearing 100% of its voice. Not to mention, the sound is downgraded when it comes through KZbin, especially if you are not using good mics. So, it's hard to tell, for me at least. And I'm actually a pianist.

[@frazzledude]

Now try a Fazioli f308.

[@monx]

I hope for the sake of acoustics that those bricks are made of anything but concrete

[@JoeLinux2000]

In this particular setting the Steinway is better. Yamaha too bright.

[@JacoSmith72]

You listened to something else. The Steinway in this demo has serious vibration problems and is not pleasant at the high end. This piano is clearly very old and the Yamaha is clearly very new. She went for the Steinway in the end but when sitting right at the piano it is nearly impossible to hear vibration problems for the physical wave lengths reaches it's maximum volumes beyond where the pianist sits and hits the audience. Enough physics. I hope she used a newer Steinway if her performance for this one is close to end of life.

[@hashachache]

The less well-known composer, Medtner, was who I liked best..... I thought the Steinway was the better piano. I would like to have heard a comparison of the Korean make, can't bring that name to mind spontaneously typing here.

[@VernMoss]

You are missing the two other major concert grand piano brands here in the USA. 1. Kawai, 2. Baldwin!!!!!

[@recordman555]

Two words: Mason & Hamlin. [mic drop]

[@jayphi4095]

The Steinway in incomparably better with more depth bass and clear and pearly medium and sharp notes not even a possible concurrence…

[@finleybirdwhistle1853]

steinway

[@HodGabriel]

I am here for Medtner

[@steveonkeys]

Three minutes in and it’s Steinway way out in front…

[@stevemd8947]

Yamaha is too bright.

[@phineasbluster2872]

Steinway

[@EricWeberGoogle]

Much of the difference is microphone placement… not great for either… Yamaha’s are lame though…

[@computerjantje]

recording a piano well is not easy. This recording is too bad to do a good comparison. To me Steinway wins fromall others but Yamaha does come close in the search of balance between resonance, warmth and sparkle.

[@ralfloose2125]

Japaner und Russen vertragen sich nicht so gut, oje das Stainway auch nicht Music Kaputt??? Meine Ohren

[@786itube]

Difficult to judge as the acoustics of this auditorium is washing out the nuances of these fine instruments

[@carryfreak5059]

Steinway D

[@limitstoprogress]

Steinway simply lacks tonal depth. And no piano is capable of a true harmonic third.

[@timothyj1966]

YAMAHA !!!!!!

[@sandorleschak5516]

Yamaha (L)

[@oscarwindham6016]

Okay..., okay, you know how to play the piano, now go to the Steinway..., please?

[@beammeupscotty3074]

sounds terriblr

[@Augiedavis]

What comparison? One is a piano. The other a Yamaha.

[@ytpremium7649]

Steinway is king and global leader

[@tsukiakari5044]

ヤマハは粗末