steinway boston essex 7:04 8:57 10:48 12:37 15:16 18:04 20:52 21:58 23:06

The Steinway had the strongest bass and consistent bright clarity throughout all string registers. The Boston had a similarly bright clarity throughout all registers but was a little bit lacking in the bass. The Essex sounded muffled in the bass register, and seemed to have some inconsistency and noticeable tone color change with changes in volume dynamics.

I’m a life-long devotee of Steinway pianos. Recently I came across an amazing Boston 6’4” grand that I had to have. It was the best decision I ever made. I spend 4 to 6 hours a day in front of that thing, and it feels like an extension of me. It’s not all about the bass or the treble or even the sound. Of course those are the most obvious characteristics to a listener, but the player also has the feel, the consistency, evenness, and voicing tendencies to appreciate or to deal with. The Boston is practically indistinguishable from its American cousin. It was designed BY Steinway (not “for” Steinway). Steinway owns it outright. It uses all wood parts, many of which are the same parts used on Steinway. The dynamic range is not merely about how loud or soft it plays, but how easily you can carry a line at ANY volume, and therefore how effectively you can voice the inner lines. This gets into the construction of the hammers, dampers and every other part of the action. Boston is essentially Steinway looking to a future where pianos are made using more automation, but which still have the old-world feel and sound. If you find a Boston that feels and sounds good to you, at a price you are willing to pay, go for it. You can’t go wrong with a Boston grand. Additionally, you can have it regulated and voiced for evenness and consistency of sound if you find any keys that you think aren’t blending.

Very informative and helpful comparison! Thanks a lot!

I've tried steinway and essex and its the same as i hear it in the video maybe in person is even more obvious like is not like more obvious is a totally different thing. When you hear upclose a steinway you say in your mind yes THIS is what a piano sounds like this is a piano all the other things are not they just dont sound as right . Kudos to steinway for making incredible instruments troughout all these years.

Thanks for the video. Next time a comparison, with the brands of the pianos under comparison disguised until the end would be interesting. It would support a key point of the video to look beyond brand marketing in choosing a piano. I too felt the Steinway sounded the best overall among the three, but I wonder if I would have made that same choice if I wasn't biased by the brand as you played all three very well.

I play the guitar, but I love piano and your demos are great!

Great video, thanks!

I really appreciate this review. I've been considering Bösendorfer or Bechstein as alternatives to Steinway for a rounder, softer tone especially for chamber music or vocal accompanyment.

Excellent VIDEO ... I am currently going down this path & found this very informative. Wish you would have said which model ESSEX & BOSTON you were playing though...

It's also important to understand that two "identical" pianos sitting side by side will not sound the same. I'd be quite leery of buying any instrument without trying it first. They are all individuals.

I bought the Essex 173 a week ago, and it'll be delivered next week. I've played on Steinway, Boston, and Essex pianos in the store, among others, and I loved the sound of Steinway, but found the action to be stiff. The Boston pianos had a more muffled or muted sound. I played on one upright Boston that I liked. Four years ago, I bought a 52 inch upright Kawaii that I still love more than most pianos. But now, I'm moving to the Essex Grand, and happy about the change. I feel like the sound of this Essex is closer to Steinway than the Boston is, and the action is not so stiff.

I purchased a Steinway Model M, c. 1919, almost 35 years ago. It was re-strung, refinished, and regulated in 2003. It sounds great and I continue to enjoy this beautiful instrument. The New York Steinway is the best on the planet!

Very honest and valuable information. Thanks so much! Could you make a video about selecting an old piano? Is it true that pianos older than 25 years are not good?

I played a lot of steinways, bostons, and Essex at a steinway gallery. They all sounded nice, different from one another, but they were all nice. The one thing I didn't like was the action on the Essex and some of the Steinways. But they did sound nice. I'm sure they're all quality instruments. Unless you're completely in love with a specific piano in the steinway family, I feel that you can get instruments of similar quality for a fraction of the price.

I wouldn't expect a piano seller to tell me the most expensive brand is inferior.

How are the piano pieces called that you play when demoing the grands?

Thanks for a very interesting video giving some excellent, practical advice. Can you tell us what models each piano was though as that would help the assessment and appreciation of each. Also, maybe it’s me but the Boston sounded badly out of tune in the base such that the Essex sounded, to my ear much nicer. The Steinway, of course, was streets ahead of both.

I found Boston sounds more layered and rich

More explanation of the Action please. How much feels deferent.

I would suggest to have them properly tuned. To my honest opinion that would do all of them really good.

Steinway doesn’t sell their soundboard and pinblock to rebuilders. I suspect many restored or rebuild Steinways are “Steinway-Was” because they don’t have all of the genuine Steinway parts. Is that true?

What is the name of factory that build the Essex in China?

All three of these pianos sound essentially the same to my ears, only the Essex differing a bit lower in quality. The slight difference is so minor that another Essex might sound as fine as Boston or Steinway (marked as such). The more important divide is Steinway and other "American-sounding" pianos (e.g., Yamaha, which has a sort of American sound vs. the European (espeically German and Austrian) sound, sweeter, with greater clarity and richness to the sound texture. Some other instruments share that European sound, most notably Kawai. I have two pianos, a grand and an upright, both of which are on the German side of such things and I would not want a Steinway, no matter how much praised that company is, in exchanged for my Blüthner and (American) Knabe instruments.

Why not have them tuned..? I really am struck by the fact that you did not... sorry

Based on my experience, bias and preference... the Essex EUP-108C Continental has an amazing look and is the 42in that was the loudest of all that I've tried. I felt that the keys were not going deep enough in general with the Essex line. As for Boston, amazing sound but overprice in my opinion. Essex and Boston cannot be compare to Steinway and I'm not saying they are poor quality instruments. Normally, I would say you get what you pay for but not in this case. You might pay a bit for the name. I was not able to make the difference from the "Steinway design improvement" and another instrument from the same factory that could justify the price difference. Kudo to Steinway. I understand all the rhetoric around the marketing thing but it's very important for some to have that name on it and their needs are met. If you enjoy the sound and the experience, go for it.

it is difficult to determine which sized piano was competing with the Steinway. Also the Essex sounded way out of tune in need of work. And the Boston sounded better than the Essex but it also needed to work.

The steinway sounds has a more balanced tone and the bass has strong masculine guttural clarity that is unmatched by any piano manufacturer; in addition, the the sound and flow of the notes being played is just cohesive which just brings the musicality to life. I thought the Boston was definitely bright, pitchy, but suffers from mushy bass syndrome. The Essex bass also suffers from mushy bass syndrome and has a weaker, pitchy treble tone much of what you would find in an entry level Yamaha Piano. The Boston and the Essex being played sound way to choppy for my taste; it's like someone through a bunch of piano parts together and called it a piano without adding any meaningful craftsmanship to it.

i don't understand the point to make a demonstration on untuned instruments.

"A little extra because of branding"? Come on dude....

The spoken content of your videos is great, but no disrespect...the repertoire chosen is invariably insufficient to the intended purpose; especially given the fact that something is always...'off' about the temperament your tuner employs. I now come for the insightful commentary expecting to leave part way into the performance because the consequence of listening to the 'recorded' sound is ubiquitously disturbing to my general enthusiasm.

Why buy a Boston when you can get a real Kawai and with their latest technology for less money?

Please talk less and demo more. Thanks

get to the point quicker…good or not? you repeat the same idea over and over in this video; have found some of your other videos more enjoyable…