RE, hybrids having better sound than non-hybrids:
Echoing what others have said, and what youâve already found, the hybrid wonât do much better for you in terms of sound. In fact, interestingly, many hybrids may have inferior sound when compared to some of their non-hybrid siblings.
For instance, the non-hybrid Yamaha CLP-785 boasts a better sound system than the hybrid Yamaha Avantgrand N1, N1X, and N2. Only the N3/N3X/NU1/NU1X/NU1XA are about equivalent to the CLP-785. So, some Yamaha hybridsâs sound system are as good as their best non-hybridâs sound system, but some arenât.
On the Kawai sound of things, some have claimed the non-hybrid Kawai CA-99/CA-901 has a more rich sound system than the hybrid Kawai Novus NV10/NV10S, because of the included soundboard, which the Kawai NV10/S lacks. Meanwhile, the hybrid Kawai Novus NV5/NV5S, has a similar sound system to the CA-99/901 including the soundboard (although it only has an upright action, and some may not prefer that). So, as with Yamaha, some of Kawaiâs hybrids are not as good as their non-hybrids sound-wise, and some are.
As already said, hybrids are more about the action than the sound, and the sound can actually be less convincing than on the non-hybrid options.
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RE, the sound of an acoustic being better than a digital:
Yes, itâs typically true. Typically.
A digital is never going to match the real thing, especially the sounds that come native in digitals, which are typically rather average and donât suffice for all genres. And even with the best VSTs and perfect monitors, itâs never entirely 1:1. The very throttled âmodelingâ used by Pianoteq still lacks some of the authenticity and the full sonic characteristics of a piano, it gets things like the complex resonances and lack of noise build-up right. And sampled VSTs on the other hand donât always get the resonances right, will always have a lack of noise built up, and may not always include una corda. So, no option is 1:1.
When you sit at the real thing, you notice the differences, because the VSTs, as brilliant as they are, are still just snapshots. Extremely complex and beautiful done and absolutely superb snapshots nowadays that can even fool the best ears sometimes - but still just snapshots. A real piano will always be better though, because itâs not a snapshot, it is the real thing: the actual physical machine from which these sounds naturally come, a machine that can be nearly infinitely manipulated within the range of motion of the keys and hammers, and create sound which is nearly infinitely variable along the range of sound the strings are capable of producing, without the limitations that come with sampled/modeled reproductions.
NOW ALL THAT SAIDâŚthereâs a caveat.
How good a real piano sounds in your home will be dependent on a lot of factors. If you put a 7-foot or larger piano in a small room, youâll practically need ear plugs to actually hear things, because the sound will be so loud and overwhelming that it can almost become white noise when youâre playing fortissimo. You need a nice sized room for a larger acoustic, or youâll need to look at smaller grands (which can have lesser actions and lesser sound quality) or uprights (an even more compromised sound). And the room needs to be acoustically treated or have furniture/rugs/curtains in all the right places, otherwise, again, it can lead to a mess of sound, even with smaller instruments
Of course all pianos arenât made equal. Thereâs supreme acoustics, thereâs great acoustics, thereâs good acoustics, thereâs average ones, and thereâs crap ones lol. And name brands arenât always a guarantee of excellence. For every superb Steinway, thereâs ten just-average ones. Just because itâs an acoustic doesnât mean it will sound as good as the âideal pianoâ. And in fact, one of the superb VSTs may even sound better than an average or crap piano and be preferably, especially if your budget doesnât allow for the costs of an excellent piano. As a personal example, my budget allowed for a really good digital and a really good VST and laptopâŚor a rather average entry-level acoustic thatâll probably never do what I need. I chose the former, and Iâm happy. As much as I wouldâve loved an acoustic, the ones I could afford probably wouldnât meet the standard Iâm chasing after.
And, of course, thereâs the issue of neighbors, as detailed. If you live in an apartment/condo like me, your neighbors will be ready to chase you down with pitchforks. People donât always realize how utterly LOUD acoustic pianos really are until they have them in their homes, lol. In my building, Iâve had noise complaints tossed around just over people watching television or talking, so a piano would probably create a mob. When it came to choosing an acoustic versus a digital, it was a no-brainer for me. And for others in shared spaces, it may be the same.
An acoustic for all itâs wonderful capabilities, may not always be the best option for you, because all acoustics arenât the good ones, theyâre super loud, super big and heavy, etc.
And the great thing is that even though the best VSTs are still not 1:1, theyâre pretty darn close.
There are moments when Iâm sitting my Casio GP-310 with Ivory 3 or some other VSL VST, and I really forget Iâm not at a real Steinway D or a real Bosendorfer Imperial. It can be that good sometimes. Now, of course, if I was seated at the real thing, Iâd notice, but for a sufficient day-to-day approximation, weâve come really far.
And Iâd even prefer it to some of the options out there. I was in a practice room at a local university this week, and they had an acoustic in there, and geez was it bad. Action wasnât well-regulated, one or two keys were sticky, tuning wasnât entirely perfect and I could tell, hammers were too hard so everything was mezzo-forte or louder, fortissimo was just blind noise. Ugh. I got back to my digital set-up and thanked my lucky stars for it, because, chances are, that kind of piano wouldâve been what I could afford had I gotten an acoustic.
And thatâs to say nothing of the work that goes into maintaining an acoustic for it to be ideal, as already mentioned.
So, Iâll echo the grass-isnât-always-greener on the other side. Acoustics are like cars or any other very expensive machine. They need maintenance, theyâre not all the same and quality wildly varies even among the big brands, and they donât work well in closed-in spaces. For some, a good digital/VST option is best.
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RE, headphones:
Iâm not expert on this, so take this all with a very large grain of salt, and more of a wondering-out-loud:
I do wonder if open-back headphones, like the Sennheiser HD600, HD650, HD660S, etc, may be a good option for you. Unlike the closed-back headphones, the sound doesnât get trapped inside the headphones, and can actually disperse, so you avoid a build up of sound. Also, because theyâre open back, you (may?) avoid sound pressure that can be detrimental or harmful to your ears.
Theyâre super big, so they arenât as close to your ears, and you get sound thatâs pretty darn close to studio monitors, if not better. And of course, keeping the volume down keeps it in safe range?
Iâd look into those. But again, I donât know if thatâs a safe option for those with hearing issues, so please do your research and due diligence, and if Iâm wrong, please tell me.