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The N3 uses 4 channel sampling (Bass, tenor, treble & soundboard near the tail of the piano).
Each channel is played back through its own set of 3 way speakers, located at the points where the original sample was taken. The 3 way speaker stystem uses a separate amplifier for each speaker (sub, woofer & tweeter) rather than a crossover network. There is also a separate amplifier for each of the 4 transducers (2 for tactile resonse under the key bed, 2 either side of the music rest to emulate string/soundboard vibrations).In total, there are 16 individual channels of amplification.

The N2 only has 2 channels for the speakers instead of the 4 on the N3.

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"It was ok, give me a real piano any day though."

Dave..would you say its the best digital you ever played??

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Nice to take part of a second opinion here. I did not know that Yamaha let people try them at NAMM too.

Of course the samples have been improved over the GT-2 (which I also have at home). The GT-2 is based on a more than 10 year old technology so it would be very surprising otherwise!

BOSE highly depends on marketing. Their speakers have all kinds of problems including missing frequencies throughout. BOSE is for the casual listener with deep pockets. They are popular with interior designers who know nothing about acoustics and only want the smallest things that could be hidden.

BOSE's designs are based on psycho-acoustics, meaning, "if we can't reproduce certain ranges, how do we fool the listener into psychologically believing it is there?" When the sound is actuall there, the difference is huge. Good side by side comparison of BOSE to good full range speakers and BOSE always sound wrong. (They don't necessarily sound bad depending on taste.) They sound wrong because BOSE psycho-acoustic model emphasis some frequencies while totally dropping others.

[quote=athomik
The N2 only has 2 channels for the speakers instead of the 4 on the N3. [/quote]
Make that '2 channels for the bass speakers'. Middle and treble are still 4 channel.

One major difference between the GT2 action and the AvantGrand is in the hammer weight. On the GT2 there are 4 different hammer weights across the keyboard, on the AvantGrand, you get 11, which makes the increase from the treble to the bass a lot more gradual (i.e. closer to and acoustic piano)

I had an opportunity to play the N3 today, at Wells Music, in Denver. Fortunately for me, there were no other customers in the store at the time, so I was able to spend about a hour with the piano.
The N3 was placed next to a CFIII that was about six years old. It was scary how good the N3 sounds. The bass was very full, distinct, and clear. The mids were lush, and the highs were clean, with a bell-like clarity. I could not audibly discern the slightest bit of noise, digitization, or distortion, even with the volume at full. The time and expense Yamaha spent developing/matching the speakers, amplifiers, design of the cabinet, SW development, speaker placement, etc., was truly evident.
What surprised me was the eveness of the N3's tone across the entire keyboard. Even though the CFIII was tuned and voiced fairly recently, there was a bit of thuddiness in the bass, and a metallic "ringing" "tizzy" overtone on many of the notes. There was also a discernable difference in the string breaks. To be fair, recent Denver weather has been playing havoc on acoustic pianos, so I am sure the CFIII could've used some more TLC, voicing, and regulation.
The N3 keyboard dynamics, and weight, were exemplary, and felt more responsive and sensitive than the Roland V-Piano, or most acoustic pianos I've played.
The fit and finish were also exemplary, and of the highest caliber.
The TRS feature of the piano was very realistic without being obtrusive -- very cool!
Here is what really sold me. I set the N3 in demo mode, set the volume to match the CFIII, and played the internal songs. When seated at the bench, with my eyes closed, it sounded like a great acoustic grand piano. I even felt a bit of resonance in my chest. When I walked around the piano at various distances -- It is hard to explain, but the sound "blooms" and varies with the dynamics of the music, like only the best acoustic pianos do. Overall, the sound envelopes both the player and audience, in a manner I found to be very appealing and seductive.
As a comparison, the V-Piano's sound depends heavily on the playback system used. While I have not heard the V-Piano using a four-speaker configuration, the two-speaker set-up which is often used, provides a more localized soundstage, even with very high quality studio monitors. The soundstage is clean, and loud, but not very involving.
If you have the money, to afford and properly maintain a full-size grand piano, and have the room to accomodate it, by all means go with an acoustic piano. Learning to compensate for all the foibles even the best acoustic instruments possess, is part of their charm and beauty. However, if you want the sound, touch, and response of a full-size grand that is in perfect tune, with an incredible, stable (I hope) action, definitely, check out the N3. During my brief stint with the N3, excluding the time spent sussing out the controls, at no time did I feel the digital nature of the piano, hindered the musicality and involvement I felt with the instrument -- high praise indeed.
The electric piano and harpsicord voices on the N3 are very nice, too.
Truth be told, IMHO, when I compared the N3 to the other high-end pianos in the store (S&S, Yamaha, etc.), for home personal use, I preferred the N3 on almost all counts.
Now, if they could just bring the price down....!

...or if I could just win the lottery, I'd buy one straight away!

I know this sounds very strange, can the TRS be fitted on a grand piano?? I have played the CFIII and the feeling of the bass notes resonating on the keyboard is fantastic! My 8 footer plus does not have that feeling.

I don't think this is available in Malaysia
Of course one can order it through Yamaha Malaysia
However, since this is such a sophisticated instrument
and requires periodical regulation of its keyboard
mechanism , servicing would be a big problem
It is not even available in Singapore

I would have order it if not for this problem with servicing

droah

There is no reason why a reasonably competent piano technician shouldn't be able to regulate the action. The only advice would be to get hold of the service manual, which describes the disassembly procedure, as the piano would have to be dismantled to some extent to get at the action. You don't need to disconnect all the electronics, so it's just a case of following the disassembly procedure and then putting it back together in reverse order. Mind you, I wouldn't recommend your average hobbyist to have a go themselves - there is one particular procedure which could render your AvantGrand unrepairable.

So far all of the reviews of the Avant Grand have been quite positive. Is there anything to dislike about this instrument, except perhaps the price?

I am quite anxious to give it a try. Is there any word on when it will make it to New England?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne2kRxUwndo&feature=related

That's Lady GaGa performing 'PokerFace' in Japan on an avant grand.
Sounds really good!

That piano looks more like the old GT2 Grantouch. Def not the avant.

Definitely an old GT2. Not the N3.