What Are People Saying About Hailun Pianos?

In our post last month, “Hailun Pianos Rack Up Awards” we discussed the many awards Hailun has been receiving. Awards are wonderful and can be an indication of a good product, but we wanted to delve deeper and find out what the average consumer is saying about Hailun pianos.

The Hailun piano, on the other hand, is a high-end Chinese piano, offered at a very good price. It is more expensive than the ridiculously low-priced Falcone, but it sounds better and is much higher quality.

On pricing where he was shopping in St. Paul: “Suffice it to say that you could buy 2 or 3 new Hailun pianos for the price of a Japanese made piano.

Now, I am not a musician, and I am not a piano technician, but I have learned a lot about pianos recently, and I know a little something about manufacturing and quality. I was thoroughly impressed… by the hammers made of wood (not ABS like some Japanese models) but they were so meticulously and consistently constructed that they looked like they were molded.

‘Mechanical perfection’ is the most apt description, as I couldn’t identify a single flaw. The touch weight, as judged by my admittedly uncalibrated fingers, was even and just right–not too heavy, and not too light.

The sound of the piano is very good, too, though I am not such a connoisseur that I could fairly compare it without having its competitors’ side by side. In general, I prefer the sound of a Boston or Steinway over a Kawai or a Yamaha, but that’s just me. I guess that the Hailun is closer and brighter than a Boston, but not as bright as a Yamaha or Kawai, but I am a layman, so let your ears be the judge.

I would describe the basic tone character of the grands and uprights I tried as ‘bright’ and clear, with an emphasis on the fundamental. The bass is also strong and “growly”, especially on the grands. While bright, there is, to me, a clear attempt to imitate a more singing “European” tone, with longer sustain, as opposed to the brightness one tends to associate with Yamahas. That said, it’s not quite up on par with the better German makes. For example, the treble, while sparkling and clear, lacks the richness one would hear in an Ibach, or for that matter, a Sauter.

The one big unknown here is longevity, given that these pianos have not been in out in the market long enough. But for the price, I think the risk one is taking should be fairly minimal.