Why reproduce in digital form something that’s worked perfectly fine for hundreds of years as an analog device? That’s the question for Yamaha about their new AvantGrand piano. The answer: So you can save five feet, 1,100 pounds, and $80,000!

save five feet, 1,100 pounds, and $80,000

Unlike, say, a digital SLR camera, the AvantGrand isn’t meant to perform better than the traditional analog device. It’s meant to perform exactly the same. But it makes that performance accessible to more people. Despite packing 16 amps and speakers, it’s still a lot smaller (four feet long) and lighter (480 pounds) than the nine-foot, 1,500-pound, $100,000 grand piano it’s meant to replace. And it’s a lot cheaper to make, retailing for $19,000 when it hits the market this summer. Read more here