Can You Hear The Difference Between Cheap And Expensive Pianos? (N. 3) 

I never knew that I'd be able to hear "you can't afford this" so clearly with my ears

I'm blown away at how noticeable the sound difference is in piano quality. What a great video.

The squeaky pedal on the Yamaha grand, was killing me

For those asking.. Chopin - Nocturne in C Sharp Minor, Op. Posth

The biggest difference for me was the upgrade to the $8K Yamaha upright. Beyond that the sound quality upgrade was smaller while the price went up exponentially.

Before I bought my house in 2014 I did a walk through. The previous owner had a piano in his living room. I had mentioned to him that I’ve played piano since I was 12. He immediately asked me to sit behind this gorgeous piano and play something for him. So I played Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” and I thought I did fairly well considering I don’t play every day. He was so polite lol... He then talked a little about the piano and that it was a Louis XVI style Gbaby grand piano. He then sat and played what he told me was an original piece. I was floored, this man played that piano as if he was playing for the POTUS lol... when he was done he pulled out a document and turned to the third page that showed he had paid $132,000 for this piano and that it was insured for $160,000. I looked around and asked: “But how did you get it into this house and how do you plan to get it out?” He explained that in just a few hours a private company would be here to start dismantling it. That it all would be carefully packed and shipped down to Florida where he had already bought a new house. He looked like he was about to cry and I asked him if he was ok. He said that he had never been so nervous in his life and that he feared something would happen to his piano. It made it down there safely. I felt so honored to play it.

The last one looks like you get a free sample piece of the piano without paying for the full subscription😂😂

Maravillosa la digitacion e interpretacion de Vineteiro lo escucho todas las noches y me duermo con la melodia felicitaciones x el pianista❤🎉

The Yamaha Upright definitely was the biggest jump in quality to me, everything after that sounded really good but was a much subtler difference imo.

I love the added equivalent price comparisons for pianos and little details like _"alarm included"_ or _"preferably blue"_ are cherry on top of a cake

My favorite thing about your videos is that there's no filler. I don't need to skip four minutes in to get to the good part. You just deliver the entire time. Fantastic.

Love your comparisons… beautiful playing

Man i love how this guy just made 6 million subs only with a piano and his pure talent and no clickbaits Man you are a legend

Whether it's a cheap or an expensive piano, Vinheteiro plays just as good either way.

the very used barthol and berlin actually sounded really good definitely the best value of the bunch

I really enjoy your video they make me smile, because of your facial expression when playing various pianos 😊

I love how he looks into the camera. He’s like “you hearing this shit?”

For those wondering (like I was), the name of the piece he’s playing is Nocturne in C sharp minor by Chopin ❤️

the playing is good. the eye contact is outstanding

seen this done with guitars. glad you did this video. very apparent the piano at home verses hearing the pianist at the C.S.O.

The $600 one although not the absolute best there honestly really amazed me. There was an astonishing about of crispness to the high notes I wasn’t expecting considering how cheap it was.

Yamaha really knows how to make some lovely sounding pianos, don't they.

The way you are looking at us ... I love it!

For 17.000$ they could oil the sustain pedal :D

I've just read many of the very valid comments, but one I haven't seen; man, the quality of Yamaha instruments across their full price spectrum is remarkable and, particularly at their lower-to-mid range, are exceptional value for money - which is where they'll make the majority of their sales. Their marketing strategy has nailed it, imo.

in person the difference is much greater. i work in a 170yr old building that has many pianos. we recently cleared out the un-named lower grade ones but kept a few that are classic uprights like Heintzman's and Steinway and Sons. the sound of them stands above the ordinary pianos. we also have a Steinway baby grand and also a c.bechstein 9ft concert piano. even though we also have some new electric pianos and a new upright, the best players always prefer the old premium ones.

For those wondering the music being played is Nocturne in C-sharp minor (no20)

I love the tone, clarity and mellowness of all the Yamahas . The GB1 has a beautiful sound but that squeaky sustain pedal is driving me crazy.

I got a beautiful piano from my parents when I was young child and gave it forward to younger people in my family some years ago. No two piano's sound the same and that makes all piano's unique and special.

Very informative, ❤Yes I can hear the difference and it's striking.

For a casual listener like myself, all this does is illustrate how quickly you run into diminishing returns. To my untrained ears, the upright Yamaha sounded just fine, and everything after it sounds slightly different, but not noticably better per se.

The name of the song is: Frederic Chopin - Nocturne, posth. In C-Sharp Minor, Lento

So much fun , thanks Love the little rocker at the end.

I love this music, what is the name of this piece and who is the composer? thanks.

The song is by Frédéric Chopin - Nocturne No.20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. posth.

To me every Yamaha sounds like a perfectly made piece of art, they all bring the perfect elements of the sound spectrum to be amazing to the ears

I usually watch these without looking. I really liked the first two, but had to click over and come see the Yacht one. Because that was breathtaking. The look of it pleasingly matched the sound quality, too.

Amazing voices) . I'm not a musician, but it's really nice when you hear a good sound, it makes the soul sing

The Yamaha Grand Piano CFX has the cleanest, most beautiful sound out of all of these. I could listen to it for hours on end. Absolutely beautiful.

Wish we could have heard all the pianos in the same room, the acoustics really do make a difference. That being said, the 9k Yamaha grand had probably the best tone for price. Of course the 289k had (imo) the best tone, but I think the room sound may have had an influence. It also seemed to have the most fluid action, just from what I could see. I loved the tone of my teacher’s Yamaha over the Steinway in the performing arts building at my school, but the Steinway had an action just like a hot knife through butter.

Я грав на аккордеоні і вже хотів піти з мизичної школи,але мій репититор запросив мене зіграти той самий репертуар на німецькому аккордеоні ....Я влюбився в глибину його звука і провчився ще один рік. Тому "так" різниця велика. Просто іі майже не чутно зі смартфону). Дякую за вашу працю,дуже гарно!

The more money the more pronounced it sounds. Crisp clear. Beautiful

For the ones that might be wondering what this piece is called it’s: Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in C# minor No.20

The first yamaha for 8,000 was the point where the sound started to even out in quality for me.The 1915 model was my favorite of the cheap ones.

The fact that an expensive piano nearly a century old can sound so good just makes the clearest point no one can argue.

Usted es un gran músico maestro.abrazos

Meu avô era pianista, ele dizia que a diferença entre um piano e outro era o amor do músico pelo piano. Sdds do velho.

Beautiful demonstration

The expensive ones are obviously, clearly superior, but I love the sound of the 2nd piano. It sounds like it'd be perfect for silent movie music or in an 1880s saloon. And I thought that Yamaha C2 sounded great. I actually liked it better than the second to last one although that might've just been the room.

Great! Thanks!

It reminds me of speakers back in the day - Amstrad vs a decent make kind of thing. But as you got into the audiophile stuff - the law of diminishing returns and pure preference came into it.

The price differences and the differences in sound are huge. But to be fair, to get a real comparison between the sound of the pianos, you would have to play them in the same setup (room, mics, etc.).

The way he looks at the audience while playing each piano is priceless and funny as hell.

Perhaps the differences from the room is what we were hearing in some but in some of the more controlled environments you can hear a difference. I liked the 3rd and 2nd to last the best but the first yamaha sounded great also.

Impressive skills. Of the builders who built the showroom with the baby grand. Splendid isolation (of street noise) gets a new meaning.

love how he checks up on his every now and then to see how we’re doing. so thoughtful wow

That $600 piano was a great surprise. It had a rounder sound, but maintained a dulcid sharpness in the high notes. That sound was not equaled until the $50,000 grand piano. Granted, the acoustics of each room where they were played varied quite a bit.

crazy i didn't know but is truly a difference. Thanks for show us.

Beautiful!

This highlights the point of diminishing returns with instrument price really well. Usually the “just above beginner” models work pretty well in 95% of applications lol

Wow, this video is incredible. I suppose the phrase, 'you get what you pay for' is very applicable in this context. A big thank you to the highly talented @vinheteiro

While listening with one dollar earphone these pianos sounds just amazing.

That was an amazing demonstration of the differences between pianos. I have a terrible ear for music, yet could hear very clearly the sound getting better. Except for that last wee little thing!! Thanks for the lesson!

I can hear the difference but you play so graciously that you made them all sound excellent ;)

There's most definitely a difference, but another Factor that seems to be overlooked by most is the positioning of the piano, and the size of the room. I'll assume that the recording device is the same for each piano, but the other variables will greatly affect the sound quality.

My favourite was the 8,000 dollar Yamaha upright. (also, it would be cool if you returned to the first cheap piano after the most expensive (proper) piano to end full circle and get a good read on the difference.) Much love and respect from an aspiring piano enthusiast.

That was fun! Thx so much.

Your playing is beautiful

"This is equivalent to the value of a Europe trip" Me, a European: Does this mean I get it for free?

Was it just me or did that $8000 Yamaha upright sound freaking amazing? The tone was so dark and clean. I loved that.

Wow. This is so interesting. I could clearly hear The differanse between each one😮 and The last one …. Is a killer ❤

I was on tour years ago, known as a trumpet player, classically trained, but well known commercially. I had a gimmic, that I finaled all my shows doing an arrangement of my own on the Grand Piano. All evening, center stage, the grand piano was lit, nobody played it. I stood just in front, with many different trumpets and entertained them. We had just pulled into West Palm Beach Florida, as usual not much time, we got everythign arranged, including the piano. That night I sat down, and everything sounded UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING. I mean, I was heaven, I could not believe the sounds from that instrument. Well, my arrangements went from the bottom to the top, I played every key with my runs, and various virtuoso techiques, and everytime I went down and hit an OCTAVE A, with my left hand, (where the piano very closely ends) I had these "extra keys." As I performed I thought, I've only ever heard of Bosendorfer having extra keys (I may be wrong, but they are known for it). So as I played, I finally looked at the name, and yes, it was a Bosendorfer, it was a predicatable standing ovation. Not because "I'm all that," but that is why it is called entertainment, all in how you build and work the audience. However that night, the piano was unbelievably amazing and wonderfully sounding. (If the piano wasn't a grand piano, or in tune, I would simply not do the concert pianio number because it couldn't support all the things I did on the keys, it simply fell flat.) So I would change out and do a another number on the Trumpet.

This may be due to mic proximity and surroundings, but I think the 8,000$ Yamaha at 1:26 sounded really beautiful - clearer and fuller than some of the grand pianos that followed it.

Stunning variety of expression of the pianist.

I'm blown away at how noticeable the sound difference is. What a great video. Very clear difference

out of those i´d say the upright is the best choice. you have a clear improvement in sound quality and with the even more expensive choices it´s not worth it anymore if you are just playing for yourself at home and not for a large audience/ or have loads of money to burn i also enjoyed the price examples with the little text underneath the foto

Growing up in church, my grandma played the piano. She started learning when she was 4 and has played every day of her life since then. (she is 93 now). Our church didn't have a lot of money and the piano sounded ok but its the only piano I had ever really heard much and my parents always said it needed to be tuned. When we would go to her house on holidays though, she had a beautiful grand piano and lord god almighty there was a major difference

I'm surprised by the fact that you can build a piano for $40 bucks.

Thanks!

I don't play very well at all, I studied music at university but I play guitar. Had the chance to play an old Steinway Concert D.. it was beautiful, can definitely tell the difference.

I don’t have expertise in pianos but I’m impressed that Yamaha as a company again excels in offering such finely engineered products at less than insane prices. I’m familiar with their studio monitors, and in the that product field, I can say they provide the same level of stellar engineering without bankrupting musicians. Hats off to them and their engineers :)

In my opinion the Yamaha c2 was surprisingly nice, even compared to the more expensive and bigger grands.

Loved that $40 piano ,i want one of it ❤

Like any expensive instrument, there's a certain point where you have to ask if the improvement you're getting is worth the price. Of course, the jump from cheap to moderate is a lot larger than the going from moderate to high-end in terms of quality. It seems like initially, you're just getting rid of the flatness and tinny-ness. Though, you get a fuller sound (higher highs, lower lows) as you go even further.

There is definitely a very western/bar sound to the first few pianos that could be considered it’s own charm. Obviously once you jump into the expensive ones it’s a concert hall, full range experience that can’t be beat.

The more expensive they are, the warmer and smoother they sound.

Não sei como explicar, mas o som é muito mais agradavel de se ouvir no piano caro. No barato é estridente

Overwhelmingly The Yamaha Grand played last was virtually seamless ring and tone. It was lovely to hear. The White GB Grand had a very squeaky pedal, made it tough to like. I could listen to your playing all day. Very nicely done video.

I am far from being a pianist, I just took lessons for 12 years when I was a child, then I quit before 19. Now I'm 58 and haven't played a piano in ages. This said, I had the pleasure to play on a Steinway & Sons about ten years ago, and even the crap I was playing sounded awesome. Put a little boost in my pride. There is a very noticeable difference in the sound of every piano.

When producing music in studio recordings I often choose the cheap, upright piano with the honky Tonk sound because in the mix with the other instruments it sticks out a lot better because it has that brighter, and transient heavy attack which can sound a lot better in the mix than the baby grand or concert hall piano because those tend to sound too dark and soft. I think when the only instrument is the piano I may prefer the concert hall piano because it has a more dynamic and full sound, but in the mix the cheap pianos often sound better in my opinion.

Seen this channel before. The host does a great job. As of 1:26 now I hear the difference.

Very good show, but it is important to mention that the room acoustics play a large role to the perceived sound. If all the pianos where exactly in the same place and space it would have more value as a test.

That was a great way to compare them… no talking, just the same song played seamlessly, one into the next, so that you can really hear the differences. Great video thank you!

Instead of ramping up slowly like the video intended, I saw the first piano and immediately transitioned to the most expensive one……upon hearing the last piano, I was moved to tears of joy

As a pianist, kudos to you for the pricing in BTC, lol. Jumping about in your video it is striking to hear the variations. Actually, surprised to discover Yamaha make a piano worth more than my home, so that's interesting.

There was a huge jump in sound quality with the first Yamaha. To me not all were worth the difference in price from all the ones below them but the last full sized piano was sublime. They all sounded way different from each other even at the higher prices.

I loved the sound of the PGC circa 1928. Great buy for $53K This was my favorite, it had a beautiful voice, can you play some more using that piano

Ha ha - I like the funny captions and the ‘serious’ pianist 😄The white baby grand had a squeaky pedal(or key?) Btw- I have a 1910 Steinway vertegrand and I love it.

I noticed a difference in sound between all of them, but after the huge jump between the $40 assembled piano and the $600 Berlin, i couldnt tell much difference that i could contribute to quality and price rather than different building methods to fit a different sound. Berlin for me sounded the best so i would find price after a certain point to be less indicative of subjective audio quality, and more about the quality of the craftsmanship, though even that seems to have diminishing returns given that the Berlin piano sounded like a dream despite being heavily used and over a century old.

It's important to note that there's a lot of variation at every price point of pianos. There are plenty of grands, baby grands, and uprights that I have played and they've all had a different sound. From my experience, once you hit the base price point of a good upright (mid thousands for new), it's more about finding one that suits your ears rather than the most expensive one you can afford.