Generally I have always had difficulty liking the Steinway D (German), and the "K2". The former for its excessive metallicness, and the latter for its blandness. My favourites are (as mentioned over on PW) Grotrian, Bechstein, and the 1922 Erard. The Blüthner is nice too.
But it has been a long time since I played these instruments with regularity, because I basically play the Galaxy II grand piano's all the time now (well, also the "Maverick" from NI, which is probably my most preferred instrument these days).
Whenever I want to record something though, I will fire up Pianoteq, because its MIDI recording facility works very well. (And then I render the MIDI with a sampled based instrument - often Ivory 2).
Pianoteq is alright for a days playing, but not two days in a row; the sound tires me out, because it is too harsh and aggressive.
