Piano means soft.  The full word is Pianoforte, which means
Soft-Loud.  What we need are player systems that have the capacity
for full expression, ranging from 'barely audible' to 'soft'.

The modern Pianomation and PianoDisc systems are getting better
in that respect.

The late Joe Tushinsky, of Marantz Pianocorder (who marketed the
first widely distributed the solenoid player system), was quoted
as saying "the artist should not interfere with the conversation."

Grant Leonard

 [ I'm sure that, besides being a successful businessman and
 [ music lover, Joe Tushinsky was also a pragmatic host when
 [ entertaining at his home, and he didn't allow the music of
 [ his pianos to interfere with the guests conversation.  :-)
 [ -- Robbie