Steinway

Steinway Model D vs Yamaha CFX

At the very top, the concert grand most halls choose is a Steinway Model D. Yamaha’s answer is the CFX, its nine-foot flagship, and it has quietly won a place on the world’s stages.

The pianos

Both are full nine-foot concert grands, built to fill a hall and to give a soloist everything they need. The Steinway D is the traditional standard. The Yamaha CFX is Yamaha’s hand-finished flagship, the result of decades spent chasing the very top, and it is now heard at major international competitions.

Tone

The Steinway has the warmer, more complex, more familiar concert voice. The CFX is known for clarity, projection and a brilliant, even tone that carries superbly. Top pianists are divided, which tells you both are exceptional.

For a buyer

Almost no one buys a nine-foot concert grand for a home, and if you are choosing between these two you have a hall or a very large room, and should play both at length. For everyone else the point stands that Yamaha builds pianos at every level, and a reconditioned Yamaha grand gives you a great deal of that quality for a tiny fraction of a concert grand’s price.

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