2. misc-audio
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Stereo system vs Steinway

Hey folks,

So having more room in the new place, my inherited Steinway grand piano is scheduled to arrive soon.
As an aspiring classical piano student, listening to pieces I am working on is a constant.  

I am told that the piano needs an environment where the humidity stays safely above 45 - 50% to prevent the cabinet from drying out/developing cracks/etc. 

My piano teacher keeps hers at just over 60%.

I have a "secondary" system in the "piano room" consisting of a pair of Ampzilla 2000 2nd editions, with an old Bryston BP26 and a much older set of B&W Matrix 801 S2s.  Source is currently a laptop.

Are there any guidelines regarding safe humidity levels for audio equipment? 
Would 50% ish be too high?

I also just inherited (along with what I believe to be one of the first Rega turntables my uncle purchased in the UK over 30 years ago sitting on an air bladder supported platform) an older and really heavy Jolida tube integrated.  Are tubes more/less sensitive to humidity?

Am I just being paranoid?
Or do I need to consider moving the system out of the piano room and perhaps listen with headphones?

Thanks everyone!





hleeid

Showing 1 response by jbrrp1

jbrrp1
423 posts
 
Yes, the soundboard is the entire reason to worry about humidity on your Steinway, but you don't need to be obsessive about keeping things at or above 50% humidity.   The thing to worry about is too much humidity, and too broad of a range in humidity over a broad period of time.  

I live in Minnesota where we have big swings, and we run two evaporative humidifiers in the winter to make sure things don't drop below 35% for any length of time.

Actually, summer is the bigger worry, because it is the swelling of the soundboard with moisture that causes it to "stuff" up against the solid case, and that compression translates into some "set" of the wood, making it smaller.  Then, when things dry out in the drier periods, the wood can go into tension causing cracking and loss of camber in the board.  That's when your piano's marvelous tonal quality disappears. If it loses its camber, a re-build is the only remedy.

Millercarbon's advice about temperatures and humidity with a stereo is spot on.  Not much to worry about there, unless you are letting your house swing wildly with crazy A/C use or something...
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