New York Steinway D (help choosing instrument packs)

Meanwhile, you “could” call it more advanced as it only runs on the latest version of Pianoteq.

Since Modartt learns and improves with each model, yes, the NY Steinway D  is 'better and more advanced' than its predecessors, including the Hamburg Steinway D that was designed before it.  That being said, since there is no standard set of speakers or amplifiers for Pianoteq, each owner's mileage does vary, and some instruments will sound more realistic on individual setups.  For example, the Bluethner is a perennial favorite among many owners - after taking what seemed like a step backwards from Pianoteq ver 5 to ver 6, the Bluethner sounds much better again in ver 7 - to some owners, this is still the best sounding piano.  As Chopin87 said, all models get tweaked for the new releases.  For Pianoteq 7, all models got 'retrofitted' with the double polarization model, whereby the harmonic nodes on the strings are now represented not only along the length of each string, but also across the face of each string, adding to the audible interactions between string resonances.  But the NY Steinway D is the first piano that was created with this model natively, so it might thus be considered more advanced.  Still, different models do interact very well with different hardware.  On my system, the C. Bechstein DG used to be the best sounding (and the newest then) until the NY Steinway D was released.

Well said. One may add that the Hamburg Steinway works on older Pianoteq versions, while the NY Steinway doesn’t. Hence you can play the former without double polarization in Pianoteq 6 or lower, but you have to run the latter on Pianoteq 7.

As far as I know the pianoteq "refurbished modelled pianos", the relatively older models, from some years to today, get the same or virtually the same quality as the new models, after pianoteq engine updates, as long as the recording process used for such models where made with high quality compatible with the quality used for the new model.
Modelled technology don't use samples to generate sound, but require many sound samples and measurements for analyze the sound behavior and properties & ressonances of the real piano.

There was a piano model, a rocking C. Bechstein from 1895 (not the 1899 availabre on Kremslegg 2 pack), that could not be upgraded to the finest pianoteq engine to get the same quality of newer models, some years ago, as the sound recording used for this instrument wasn't made with the best quality as the others. Today this model can be found only in the Legacy instruments.

Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if Modartt would decide to record (analyze) Steinway-D Hamburg again, if needed, to keep the quality standart at the same level of new models, considering the importance and fame of a grand Steinway-D piano.

By the way, it could be nice to test the Legacy instruments with pianoteq 7 engine, which uses double polarization algorithm for strings, and compare with the Legacy running in pianoteq 6 or pianoteq 5. It will not sound as good as NY Steinway, but perhaps somewhat better than in version 5 or even 6.

If I am honored that you replied to my thread, can you please throw a word about my question? Or I'll try to rephrase it - if you needed to choose 2 or 3 instrument packs to a pianoteq purchase, would the new NY Steinway D be definitely one of them?
Thanks
Thanks

OK, here's my view: if I was a first-time purchaser, the Steinway D pack would definitely be at the top of my wish list. Remember that you get both the Hamburg and NY variants, so it's pretty good value. It's all down to personal taste, of course, so the best thing you can do is to take your time with the demo version. Audition all the pianos that you're interested in until you arrive at your final choice.

Still no distinct answer, quite interested by myself ;-)
Or should we take the discussion above as a "no" for this question?

The answer is clear, IMO.
All non-legacy instruments have been fully updated to Pianoteq 7. They all share the same advanced model tech. So, if you’re running Pianoteq 7, then all of these instruments are similarly advanced. Only if you run them in Pianoteq 6 or lower, you’ll miss out on the new model tech. You can’t run the new NY Steinway that way, though, as it was launched with Pianoteq 7.

That said, if I would be starting with Pianoteq now, the Steinway D instrument pack (with both NY and Hamburg Steinways) would be my first pick. Both sound absolutely wonderful in Pianoteq 7. Also, this is the only contemporary acoustic piano pack that includes two instruments. High quality bargain.

For me, yes. Everyone has their own personal taste though. All of the pianos are great and each has its own individual character and characteristics, which one can hear to some extent by listening to the sample audio at the Modartt.com website; however, that is not quite the same as the impression one gets of an instrument while listening to their own playing of that instrument.

My own personal favorites at this time are the NY Steinway D (a superb instrument model which is bundled with the equally impressive Hamburg Steinway D), the Steingraeber and the C. Bechstein. But the Bluethner and others are often mentioned by Pianoteq users as favorites, and the updated versions of all of them sound just great. As for myself, over time I have bought every piano (and most other instruments) produced by Modartt. The variety is very nice, but it's really up to each person and their own judgment.

Thanks all. I liked the Steinway B the most, it was most the fun to play and really felt like a piano. So I chose it, the D (because of the recommendations here) and the electric pianos.