Bought a Stage 3

[cphollis]

I used the on-board compression when playing through my home stereo system for a while. It wasn't a high end system, but it did sound pretty good. I did have a small sub. I got sort of loud on occasion, but never went full-on. The home speakers did survive.

[Duplobaustein]

Not sure about our choice as not a computer techie. My wife is selling her steinway Boston as we may be moving into an apartment from a detatched property and may need to use headphones some of the time. She is a piano teacher of some years and our second piano is a 5 year old Roland.
We understood that Nord was probably the best electronic sound and bought a Stage 3 as thinking it was the top model, though also realising that the Nord all have the same sound electronics (bites?). Have we bought correctly or was there a better option from Nord? I think we may have dropped into a nighmare of electronics

Many thanks for any advice

If you want a decent piano replacement, then forget Nords. That is absolutely not one of their strenghts.

[Steinway]

Thomann have received the Stage 3 back and the Nord Grand is on order for next week so we will give it a try for WAF .
Being Di Apolitto design the 2 x 5.5" drivers in each speaker are in series so doubling the power handling and wifey does not play loud, so fingers crossed.
Again thanks for all your advice.
Steinway

[Steinway]

Thomann have received the Stage 3 back and the Nord Grand is on order for next week so we will give it a try for WAF .
Being Di Apolitto design the 2 x 5.5" drivers in each speaker are in series so doubling the power handling and wifey does not play loud, so fingers crossed.
Again thanks for all your advice.
Steinway

Two drivers in each ups the game a bit. It will sound wonderful I'm sure. Take care.

[anotherscott]

If you want a decent piano replacement, then forget Nords. That is absolutely not one of their strenghts.

Assuming you want a slab (and not a console furniture type of digital), I think Nord Grand is probably one of the best you'll find. I'd also look at Yamaha P515 and CP88 (P515 technically better, but in my brief experience, I preferred the touch of the CP88). And I'd look at Kawai, probably ES920 or MP11SE, though I haven't played those models myself.

[cphollis]

If you want a decent piano replacement, then forget Nords. That is absolutely not one of their strenghts.

Assuming you want a slab (and not a console furniture type of digital), I think Nord Grand is probably one of the best you'll find. I'd also look at Yamaha P515 and CP88 (P515 technically better, but in my brief experience, I preferred the touch of the CP88). And I'd look at Kawai, probably ES920 or MP11SE, though I haven't played those models myself.

Agree. And @anotherscott appears to have memorized the specifications for literally hundreds of different pieces of kit. His recommendations are legendary on the interwebs

[Kaffimusic]

I go with Duplo.
The Nord pianos are (like the Stage series) made for touring musicians in mind. They are meant to be roadworthy and usually hooked up to an amplification system. This means you always have to hook them up. This is something a "home-user" usually does not want (even when being a piano teacher). It is not what non-electric musicians are used to.
Just think about a situation when you wife is taking this handy keyboard somewhere else, for a concert or rehersal with a choir or something. Will she be pleased to worry about an amplification system? Guess not. Just plug in and switch on and play.
I guess your wife will be most likely better off with an electric/digital piano with inbuilt speakers, means a device that mimics an acoustic piano in a small package as good as possible and do not worry about cables, pedals and amplifieres and the right position of them. It can even be irritating for someone who is not used to that, that the sound is not coming out of the "thing" directly in front of them. She has to test several of them in a shop until she knows what she likes.
Those home pianos still can be hooked up to an amp, when needed, since most (all?) of them have line outs that can be switched off, at least the better ones.

[FZiegler]

Hi Kaffimusic,

what's the benefit of your post knowing the OP traded a Stage 3 in for a Grand? Do you want him to send the Grand back again?

Of course there are digital grands with perfectly adapted speakers built-in for home use. At a way higher price than the Grand. I'm quite convinced a classically trained piano teacher can really get happy with a Grand. It's much more doubtful for a Stage 3. Steinway will see if the speakers he has are OK or if they should get the Nord Monitors (which won't probably be better but maybe fit better in a practical and aesthetic way).

[CountFosco]

I kind of agree with Kaffi who agreed with Duplo. For the OP's use case, I think external amplification sounds like an unnecessary level of complication. Alongside my portable keyboards which I use for bands and recording, I have an old Yamaha P85 on a wooden stand which serves as an adequate replacement for the nice Yamaha upright I left behind in Australia. Nice action, nice piano sound, half decent speakers. I haven't kept up with the latest equivalents, but I'd guess something like a P-515B or CP88, as suggested by Scott, along with a nice wooden stand would end up being cheaper, more convenient, and give you a better piano-like experience.

[Spider]

If it's only for home use, a very decent Clavinova or Kawai digital with wooden console, quality speakers and very good keybed will cost about half a Nord Grand.

For the 3500 euros of a NG, we're already in the territory of a Kawai CA 79 or 99, or a Yamaha Clavinova CLP-745 or 775, which are stellar machines far superior to any stage pianos