Tour our 1909 Steinway D SE

We are using this elegant Steinway model D in Sony Masterworks' new recordings -- and onstage.

Click on the picture at the right for a short flash video -- and to hear Rachmaninoff playing it.

About the SE System

The playback system in our Steinway D is the SE system, designed by Wayne Stahnke of Live Performance, Inc. It is capable of high-resolution recording and playback to the standards of the original SE systems that were factory-installed in select Bösendorfer pianos. This means temporal accuracy of 1/800th of a second, 1020 hammer velocities, and 256 pedal positions, far surpassing the capabilities of standard MIDI. Following the full rebuilding of this piano by Faust Harrison Pianos, Zenph commissioned a custom SE system to be fitted to it, in a modern implementation by Richard Shepherd of Live Performance's U.K. division.

Live Performance also markets a consumer-oriented, high-resolution playback-only system called the LX. The LX system shares many of the technical specifications of the professional SE system and can be installed into any grand piano. Recordings made for the SE system are easily adapted for playback on the LX, providing an unprecedented opportunity for piano owners to enjoy Zenph's unique re-performances live in their own homes. Zenph's first two albums are already available for the LX system (Glenn Gould's 1955 Goldberg Variations and Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here), and more are forthcoming. For more information on Live Performance products, visit http://www.live-performance.com.

Article in Engineering Capacity journal, March 2010, about the components of this SE system: Piano that plays the greats
"When I started developing this system, it soon became obvious that nobody’s standard solenoids would be good enough."