What are the best loudspeakers under $4000 to re-create lifelike piano

Dynaudio monitors, set up well, are a very good choice for piano.

I run Dynaudio Contour 1.3mkII monitors in an adjacent smaller room to the room with the big OHM F5s. They are very competitive with the smaller OHM 100s I switch in and out with the Dynaudios in that room and especially good with dynamics and bass extension for their size. Esotar tweeter is a natural for crisp dynamic piano that you can feel as well as hear.

Diffused can mean a lot of things of course.

Recently I’ve been using a Chord Mojo DAC in my system from time to time as an alternative to the mhdt Constantine DAC I use normally.

With the Mojo, I notice a huge difference in the presentation. Location of elements in the recording, which are already very well defined with the older mhdt DAC, become more focused, essentially more palpable. The overall soundstage width may actually be somewhat smaller with the Chord but still extensive with added depth.. Its a night and day difference anyone could hear.  Another step towards the absolute best  sound stage and imaging I've ever heard which was with a six figure mbl setup at a local dealer in a room setup to enable the mbls to work their soundstage and imaging to the nth degree, a room unlike anything most would ever have at home.

The Chord DAC sound does express itself as well but perhaps to a somewhat lesser degree with all my good quality gear including headphones, their prime application. I’ve used the Chord in at least half a dozen or so different listening scenarios with my stash of various gear.

My point is how transparent the OHMs are in regards to to the source device used. They will sound radically different depending on what they are fed. So as is always the case but particularly applicable in teh case of OHMs, one must take caution in attributing the sound heard in a single audition uniquely to the speakers. You will hear radically different things in different setups. The OHMs are merely the messenger. I love that!

Read John Strohbeen’s blog under "news" on the OHM website. You’ll get a good feel for what makes OHM tick. He will talk all day about what technically goes into making good sound in a manner many can understand but very little if ever talk about anything "audiophile" or "high end audio". He is very nuts and bolts and about finding ways to make good sound available to more people.   Also it becomes clear that he is as much a lover of music as he is of hifi.

I’ll venture a guess at why not more "Walsh" drivers.

The biggest reason is probably that "true" Walsh drivers are 100% omnidirectional. Omnidirectional speakers are an acquired taste and getting them set up right away from walls, etc (to avoid early reflections that compromise imaging)  is not practical for most.

Also the original Walsh drivers were full range but also inherently prone to self destruction and reliability issues over time. Not practical for most.

Hence the OHM "Walsh" CLS driver which addresses those issues and makes the design practical for many and I believe is also patented.

German Physiks DDD "Walsh" driver also addresses the reliability issue by punting on the bass. Those are also very pricey and have the usual omni placement issues so not for everyone.

OHM CLS takes a different approach and punts on the highest frequencies with the Walsh-style driver. A wide dispersion separate tweeter is used. CLS driver also facilitates placement closer to walls by physically attenuating Walsh driver output in rear and side directions inside the "cans".

I think it varies from revision to revision. Best to send that question to John Strohbeen at OHM for the best answer. Mine are one revision before the current, acquired about 10 years ago now.

They are very transparent and sound quality will vary widely. Totally dependent on how well you feed them. Most every change I make in my system changes the sound. The Chord Mojo DAC is most recent addition and it is a superb sounding device in every way. The basic characteristics of the sound the Chord makes with my headphones carries over exactly to my audio system. Everything is more dynamic, clearer and easier to identify in the mix.

Listening to Gina Bachauer play Chopin Piano Concerto #1 on Mercury Living Presence 35MM recording on my rig, you won’t hear a much better piano recording. Maybe on all mbl system. Setup is Squeezepad player running on Ipad to Chord Mojo DAC to Audio research sp16 pre-amp to BEl Canto ref1000m amps to OHM Walsh F5 speakers. Like being there sitting next to her playing.

OHM Walshes with proper amplification (80 watts or more depending on room size) do a great job. Many models under $4K. That would be my choice for SS amplification.

The more  efficient Klipsch Heresy III is a very good choice also especially if using a lower power tube or SS amp.