I believe you. I recently visited a convent and there was a Bluethner Grand in one room; I tried it and -- miracle. I think Bluethner have the most beautiful sound, better than Steinway and any other pianos, with the possible exception of the old Bechsteins (pre WWII) and Fazioli.
just happens to be that the only bluthners (two of em) that i have ever played on were really clapped out. it was relatively in tune, but the touch was horrible and irregular and not solid enough. it had a great sound, but in my view, no matter how great a piano sounds, the touch has to be perfect.
What repertoire do you think a Steinway best suited to?
A Yamaha?
A Fazioli?
And of course a Bluthner?
I would not define Bösendorfer as suitable only for Mozart etc. The new models 185, 214, and 280 are capable of handling Bach through Rachmaninov. They have a powerful bass, and very good projection in the treble. This was well thought out through their scale designs. The 213 model when introduced in 1990, was conceived with the goal of competing with the S&S B. The new 214 went a step further, and when well prepped, can blow smoke around the model B.