Is a room of 5x4 meters too small for a Steinway A model which is 6'2 in length?

[rovis77]

Is a room of 5x4 meters too small for a Steinway A model which is 6'2 in length?. I am afraid that the piano would be too loud for a room this size because I read that grands in small rooms can get very loud and damage your hearing. Any opinions?. How many decibels a grand this size can produce?

[lelle]

85 db is considered the maximum you can expose yourself to over 8 hours before you risk hearing damage. My baby grand kawai can easily produce 90-100 DB which puts you at risk and significantly reduces "safe" exposure time. It's in a room of similar size with hard walls without any soft padding/drapes.  I keep the lid completely closed and cover it with a blanket to protect myself. I probably have some tinnitus from playing already but I experienced a probably stress-induced, and luckily temporary intensification a few years ago and really got to appreciate how awful it would be to make it permanently worse.

I recommend getting a cheap decibel meter and checking what noise levels you get.

[jimf12]

Modern pianos are loud.   I think people fail to realize how loud they are until they get them out of the showcase and into their house.   I have a 46" upright in an open room, guessing 20 feet wide and 40 feet long.  9' ceilings, an open staircase going into a lower level.    If I had a 6'2" grand in there it would be too much.   Even a full upright 52-56 would probably be too much.   

[rmgatl]

I read an acoustics book article recently that suggested a rule of thumb:  Your room perimeter should be about 10x your piano length or bigger.  Your 5x4 meter room has a perimeter of 18m which is almost 10x your 1.88m piano length, very close.
It also depends in how the piano is voiced…a good tech can take it down a notch.
Finally, you can treat the room with sound absorbers etc.
I’d say go for it! 
I have a 9’ Steinway D in a 15’x20’ room, albeit with a 6’ opening into large foyer, and I had it voiced for a home when it was rebuilt (very gradually played up soft hammers with minimal treatment).  No regrets, huge dynamic range, same basic piano I face in recital halls, no surprises.