Pianoteq 5 v Ravenscroft 275 v Gratten Abbey Rd CFX

Garritan CFX is the best sounding virtual piano in existence. The ravencroft is quite good, but needs an iLok ....

Having said that, I usually end up using pianoteq because of the variation in sound and playability. But yeah, the CFX is absolutely gorgeous and has no match in the market.

I own a few products that includes Pianoteq and Ravenscroft.
From Garritan I only have the Authorized Steinway Library.

This should be interesting to follow because the sound engines are completely different.
Ravenscroft uses the free UVI Workstation (the iLock can be installed as a software on a PC, i.e., doesn't need a dongle).
The Garritan's piano uses the Aria engine and Pianoteq's 32bit internal engine is on a class of his own.

I've found a fantastic comparison on youtube ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVYOwHP3R1Y ).

For me, Pianoteq's is the ultimate solution. Its playability is unmatched (the sensation of using a real instrument is definitely there).

This link was located at the bottom of the show more drop down menu:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-c...otout.html

I came across it a month or two ago. Download the test midi and compare your own settings.

It's certainly possible to test certain aspects of a virtual piano by means of a midi file. Of course, this doesn't mean it offers a complete picture.

I have seen an other comparison : http://www.worshipmusicians.org/communi...ncock.505/

It seems the velocities are globally lesser, and the sound is less bright compared to the gearslutz comparison quoted before. I do prefer this comparison.

I own both Ravenscroft 275 and Pianoteq.

From a sound perspective (to my amateur ears), they both have unique but very good sound - both much better than the sound built into my Kawai MP 10. Both have excellent (and similar) ways to tailor your sound. I like them both very much - but they are very different sound wise  - even to a novice.

However, Pianoteq uses far fewer computer resources, is easier to install, and loads faster.  The PT interface is easier to use, and you are up and playing much faster. And I have 16 Gb of RAM and a solid state hard drive. I would not get the Ravenscroft if I did not have a SSD. Ravenscroft does not have a metronome - which is a shame - as an intermediate player, I use one quite a bit.

The whole iLok thing is a pain - although, Ravenscroft allows you to authorize to your hard drive rather than taking up a usb slot like Ivory does. And those iLok USB keys aren't cheap considering that I can buy one for $10 at the corner store. And the Ravenscroft product seems to have varying pricing - so you never know when to make the purchase. Right now they have a sale.

Ravenscroft has been innovative in the use of FLAC files - so that for a sampled database is is relatively small - but of good quality.

In the end, if I could only own one or the other, I would chose Pianoteq because it is friendlier. In my situation it would make the most sense - but to each his own.

My set-up is an iMac with a SSD, 16 GB ram, Kawai MP10, ALO the Island DAC/amp, and Beyerdynamic T90 headphones. I play classical.

Hi

DonSmith wrote in another thread:”When listening or reading about discussions on piano sounds, I've often wonder how we hear frequencies when we get older”. Thank you, DonSmith. It was a good theme. Now I wonder too. This post is a bit off topic, but exuse me, could not keep from writing it here because it is associated with how we hear pianosounds. Maybe it is useful advise for someone. Have been reading this forum every day one year now, and often it is very exciting – what can I learn today? When reading about discussions on pianosounds and how they sound compared to Pianoteq, and which sound is best and so on, we have so many different opinions about which is best. So, now I always wonder what is the reason for that? - Of course it is always about taste, but in my opinion more important, maybe, it is also about the difference in how people, young people and old people hear frequencies. As we grow older we gradually hear less of higher-pitched sounds. - I have to say - it is good to wonder how we hear when we get older – before we get old.(I am old). It is important to preserve our hearing. I did not think about it when I was young, and now have a bit hearing loss. Maybe, playing Pianoteq too loud with headphones for a long time, or exposing your ears for too loud sounds somehow, can damage hearing. So, I am using open headphones now(Grado SR80i), because, when I can hear sounds around me when playing Pianoteq, chances are that the level is not too high. Can still hear 12,000Hz, so, want to keep the rest of my hearing fresh. And the possibility to enjoy Pianoteq and Pianoteqconserts live (guess they will come) through good loudspeakers, when 88, hopefully. It is always important to be able to hear as much frequencies as possible(when we discuss sounds), especially when we get older. I think Beethoven did not hear the bright, high-pitched sounds before he got totally deaf, so he composed  what he could hear, and the music got dark? So, what have I learned and want to share? - Hearing is important. In my opinion, we must frequently remember to preserve our hearing. Otherwise, maybe, we someday think a pianosound is good, because we do not hear how bad it is.  - And, thank you all for these interesting discussions. Anyway - I am glad if my thoughts are helpful at least to one member in this forum. And – Merry Christmas to the Modartt team and everyone in this forum!