Speakers 2.1

I have experimented a while with a Blue Sky 2.1 system of a very good quality, that I still use in my studio for double checking my mixes.  Unfortunately, it did not sound good for PLAYING piano. Even if the satellites are small and were mounted on microphone stands, the system failed to give a sense of connection to the sound. To me, the whole of the sound, including the bass, has to come from a small, coherent source in close proximity to the player. My ART RM5 do just that.Other small monitors might work also, of course. Every other conventional pair of larger loudspeakers I have tried failed to make me connected to the sound.

Bass response has to be sufficient, but there is little need for extreme bass response. I forgot the exact link (I'll look for it), but rigorous frequency content measurements have been made on grand pianos that showed that the amount of energy in the very low (<50 Hz) frequencies is surprisingly small. Not to mention that most typical rooms used by pianists are not large enough or not acoustically suitable for deep bass reproduction.

I happen to be using PTQ with a set of Blue Sky MediaDesk 2.1 monitors. The 4-inch satellites are placed on foam pads on top of the digital piano and the sub is sitting next to it. Overall I do like the playing feel in this setup. I don't perceive the bass as separate from the rest of the sound. I agree that super low subbass is not needed for a piano to sound lifelike.

In my setup I find the sound more piano-like if I let the speakers lie on their backs firing upwards. That way one has less of a feeling of listening to speakers, as the sound gets dispersed more in a way that is similar to how a piano standing in the room would do it. Additionally, using the line-in on the DP to add another PTQ channel adds another bit of immersion, as e.g. the keys slightly vibrate on the lower notes. In my PTQ mic presets I try to place the mics at positions that mimic the speaker locations in my setup. I.e. one left and right over the soundboard, and another one under the piano, for the DP speaker.