I've owned and played my share of pianos over the years, but I also play the fiddle and I have to say that massed strings is the true litmus test for determining the ultimate veracity of a system. And when you're judging a system by a piano recording, don't get too crazy! Many fine pianos sport a fuzzy tone in the midrange upwards, so you got to take what can sound like a mistracking cartridge or a gently clipping amplifier section in stride. And of course, as mentioned above, reproduction of the human voice shouldn't be given short shrift, either. I mean, how often do we hear a live, un-amplified human voice? A zillion times a day? True, it's not often enough that a vocal is recorded with true, convincing accuracy, but believable vocal rendition is still a worthy audio goal. In any event, true, dynamic range is important but I'll take a slight dynamic hit every time to preserve tonal quality and lack of distortion.
How does solo piano help you evaluate audio gear?
A pianist friend just recommended this article and pianist to me, knowing that I'm presently doing a speaker shoot-out. My question to you all is this:
How important is solo piano recordings to your evaluation of audio equipment -- in relation to, say, orchestra, bass, voice, etc.? What, specifically, does piano reveal exceptionally well, to your ears?
Here's the article:
https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/music-reviews/magic-of-josep-colom/