New! Yamaha Avant Grand Piano
Brand New To Sheehan's
Fusing 21st Century technology with more than a century of piano-crafting experience, the AvantGrand piano is like nothing you will have ever heard or seen before.
Quite simply, it's the nearest thing you can buy to a real concert grand piano!
Yamaha have really gone to a huge amount of trouble in creating their masterpiece; the AvantGrand. Both the sound and feel are modelled on the Yamaha CFIIIS concert grand (worth over £110,000), used in the largest and greatest concert halls worldwide. At a fraction of the size and price of even mid-range grand pianos like the C3, not only do you get a fantastic sounding instrument, but one which requires no real maintenance: over time, the instrument practically pays for itself!
Only Yamaha receive such continued high acclamation for both their instruments and pro audio equipment - No other brand has ever offered such an instrument, or even come close. But don't just take it from us at Sheehan's - come to the store and hear for yourself!
With only 10 AvantGrand dealers in the UK, we truly are thrilled here at Sheehan's to be able to acquire Yamaha's magnum opus.
Let's have a closer look at the AvantGrand's unique features...
Hardware
- A completely re-designed touch system: To recreate the nuances of touch, the keys aren't merely weighted; they actually trigger a hammer which strikes a metal bar to replicate the precise touch of an acoustic.
- Tactile Response System (TRS): Yamaha sampled the depth of the vibrations created when playing the CFIIIS concert grand piano from four different locations and replicated them through the soundboard, keys (and pedals on the N3). By using 2 transducer pickups in the soundboard and 2 underneath the keyboard, the AvantGrand responds to your playing by sending vibrations through the entire instrument, which in turn travels through your fingers and feet.
- Revolutionary Speaker System: The AvantGrand has four speakers systems to bring out the best of the high, middle and low frequencies: each system consists of a tweeter (high) and squawker (mid) on the top and sub-woofer (bass) to match on the bottom, delivering a very powerful, rich sound. These speakers have been positioned to replicate exactly the position of each microphone used to sample the CFIIIS concert grand. Each speaker has its own amplifier - that means 12 in total!
- Specialized pedals: 3 pedals including Damper with half pedal action, Sostenuto and Soft, which have been redesigned to re-create the same friction and response as the pedals on an acoustic piano; light to the touch initially, becoming firmer then lightening again just as a real pedal would.
- Keys: Real wood keys with Ivorite tops identical to the Yamaha acoustic grand pianos provide a truly authentic feel. You receive a better response from wood keys, whilst the Ivorite helps maintain the grip of your fingers to the keys in a way plastic cannot.
- Full connectivity: Both AvantGrands feature MIDI In/Out, AUX In/Out, and USB to Device, allowing you to record your playing to computer for editing and manipulation. MIDI In also allows you to playback MIDI files on your computer through the AvantGrand.
- Soft-Close Fallboard: Found on only the high-end acoustic pianos, this prevents the fallboard dropping abruptly, avoiding any accidental injury or damage.
- Chrome Fittings: The pedals, feet and Yamaha logo are all entirely chrome plated, for a smooth, sleek look. It really makes the AvantGrand pianos stand out amongst the Yamaha range; most Yamaha pianos have brass fittings.
- Two headphone sockets: For silent playing; solo or duet.
Software
Although the AvantGrand might have fooled you into thinking it was entirely acoustic by this point, the neatly hidden control panel reveals further capabilities:
- Incredible Sound Programming: The AvantGrands use sampled audio from a specially-selected CFIIIS concert grand piano - the largest and greatest of all of Yamaha's acoustics. It is really worth testing the AvantGrand against the Clavinova to hear the difference in tone quality.
- Instrument voices: 5 voices including acoustic and electric pianos, Rhodes and harpsichord.
- Recording facility: Record and play back your performances using the built-in sequencer for purposes of practice, or to play duets solo!
- Pre-recorded tracks: 10 preset songs to simply enjoy listening.
- A built-in metronome: To help improve your timing practice.
- Reverb: To re-create the ambience of playing in a concert hall.
Differences Between The N2 and N3...
- Design: N2 has a sleeker, more compact upright piano cabinet design, whilst the N3 has a baby grand shape. Despite their size, both AvantGrand pianos have a superior quality voice and tone to acoustic pianos of the same size. In fact, the N3 is ½ the size and 1/3 of the weight of the CFIIIS concert grand it is modelled on. The size of the N2 is more practical for those with less space (e.g. apartment living), or those who might use headphones to practice more often.
- Soundboard: They both feature the same action and CFIIIS stereo samples, but with the N3's large soundboard, the wider 4-speaker positioning allows the sound to project from a larger surface area, enveloping the player in sound.
- Weight: The N2 weighs 142kg (313lbs); 57kg (125lbs) lighter than the N3 which weighs 199kg (439lbs).
- Pedals: Both N2 and N3 models have specialized pedal systems (see above), but only the N3 features the TRS, sending vibrations through your feel for an even more realistic playing experience.
- Speakers: Just as the N3 is visibly larger, it features a greater number of speakers, which are also more powerful: for example, the N3 has 4 x 30W, 16cm speakers, whilst the N2 has 2 x 22W, 16cm speakers.
Interested in Buying?
Please call Sheehan's on 0800 043 1022 for prices and availability. Alternatively, contact us with your details and we'll get in touch.
For more information, check out the official AvantGrand website, or see a video of the piano being demonstrated at the Winter NAMM show.
Posted by Martha Bean
Last Updated: 01/09/2010