Can You Hear The Difference Between a Steinway, Yamaha and Bosendorfer?

Please vote for your favorite in the poll and leave more detailed opinions in the comment section. I really do want to hear what you think?
Pieces Played
Chopin Nocturne Op. 9 #2
When the Saints Go Marching In
If you ever find yourself in Tokyo, Japan definitely drop into Yamano Gakki in Ginza, Tokyo. All 3 of these pianos are there.

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[mystic_thing]

The yamaha sounded like a young energetic kid, the steinway was a well balanced middle aged man, and the Bösendorfer was a warm old man.

[glutamatedealer]

I agree that the Yamaha sounds very bright, the bosendorfer very warm and the Steinway is just perfectly balanced. But if you ever played with microphones you would know that moving them just a few inches can drastically change the sound of the recording. Take note that the pianos recorded in this video are not recorded in the same place, th bosendorfer seems to be located in a corner, the steiway in the middle of the room, this is also an important factor... So the video is interesting but not very scientific.

[zackiechan]

For easier comparison:
0:32 Yamaha (classical)
1:23 Bösendorfer (classical)
2:14 Steinway (classical)
3:19 Yamaha (jazz)
4:03 Bösendorfer (jazz)
4:47 Steinway (jazz)
Hope that helped.

[dennisboran]

I like the warm mellow sound of the Bosendofer for ballads and many classical pieces and Yamaha's brightness for jazz, and Steinway to cover it all, I'm sure anyone would be totally happy owning and playing anything on these beautifully crafted pianos.

[lu]

I closed my eyes because I didn’t think any of them would sound that different, but man! It’s night and day with all three, they have their own unique sound. Simply amazing.

[ertatta]

There’s a sophistication and refinement with the Bösendorfer that’s irresistible.

[garyolson]

I’ve come to love the sound of Bosendorfers, especially for Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart!

[nicholasharvey]

There’s just such depth and warmth in the bösendorfer pianos that I can’t get enough of

[HiDeaf-wzym]

I have grown up on a Steinway grand since I was 13 months old. They are my favorite because I am deaf and it lets me feel the vibrations and the beat.

[junacebedo]

The pianos are not recorded in the same place, the Bosendorfer was in a corner, the Steiway in the middle of the room, this is also an important factor.

[Alezkmp]

I can only hear the sound of my wallet crying.

[kasai]

I love the Bosendorfer. The sort of soft muted sound it makes is just incredibly lovely and would sound amazing with a lot of my favorite songs to play. Such as kiss the rain by Yiruma. But Yamaha is also really nice.

[georges]

I like the fact that altough Bösendorfer has been a wholy-owned subsidiary of Yamaha for the last 13 years, Yamaha themselves have given Bösendorfer almost free reign when it comes to production and design and greatly value the Austrians' input and requests. Sure, there is some general guidance and marketing by the parent company, but Bösendorder themselves remain relatively independent when it comes to manufacturing and maintaining their own products. The headquarters remain in Vienna and every Bösendorfer piano is handcrafted to meticulous detail and quality control there. Plus, it must be great for Bösendorfer to have access to Yamaha's supply chains.

Essentially, Bösendorfer is to Yamaha what Lamborghini is to VW and that is a good thing.

[mchs]

Yamaha - lively, joyful, bright, loud n clear
Bosendorfer - elegant, deep, dim, muffled, blurry
Steinway - in between ..

I personally liked the Bosendorfer because i am a melancholic person.

[beefu]

The Bösendorfer is honestly the best. Having played all three types in person it also has a deepness that doesn't come through the records that the other pianos don't have. This was an imperial grand though.

[mountainlakeluz]

Bosendorfer was warm all over and pleasant to ears; Yamaha and Steinway were bright in general and especially bright in the higher ranges. I prefer Bosendorfer. It must be those 500 hours spent building it by hand. Thanks for the side by side. Please do a comparison of a different price range, maybe including Petrof?

[AustrianJager]

The warm and full sound of the Bösendorfer is my love.

[mhtube]

The Yamaha was definitely the brightest sounding and the Bosendorfer had the most mellow sound to it. The Steinway to me captured both pieces exceptionally well as it took the best of the other two and met right in the middle. Very impressive!

[funny-video-YouTube-channel]

Song 1 0:35 1:27 2:18
Sond 2 3:20 4:46

All of them are nice. All of them have a different style and character.
Different songs will fit better on the different piano.
In the perfect world an Ai piano with real hammer keys would be able to simulate all of them on the digital piano.

[sjeisbroochem]

They all sounded great. Its a matter of personal taste.
Personally I liked the bosendorfer best. A very mature warm sound.

Also, great skill!