How low is a piano?

Reproducing piano on a speaker is an interesting subject. I've owned a lot of different speakers, and of all of them, I'd say that the ProAc Response 1 was the best at reproducing piano in a lifelike way. The thing is, it is a small speaker with limited low frequency reach, and it wasn't my favorite overall.

OHM Walsh speakers cross over at around 8khz I believe in which case the single Walsh driver would handle most everything a piano can produce. Piano does sound very dynamic and natural on the Walshs.

Don't forget the harmonics extend way higher.

The Bosendorfer 96 key piano (rarely recorded) extends an octave lower than A0 on an 88 key instrument. Many digital pianos and keyboards (much more commonly recorded) also offer an octave of pitch control for each key, so they can also reach down below A0.

Marty

Harmonics of the piano are much more complex than regular overtones. It resembles a little percussion instruments but it might also be due to tempered tuning of the piano: http://www.precisionstrobe.com/apps/pianotemp/temper.html

Benchmark Media technical director John Siau mentioned once that warm sounding gear (enhanced even harmonics) can make piano sound like out of tune. He also mentioned that because of crossovers in speakers the best piano sound can be reproduced with good headphones.