Steinway Lyngdorf MODEL D

[Pearljam5000]

Looks pretty cool

 

[Matias]

Price STARTING at $266,000.00.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I had a demo of these probably about 10 years ago. I had originally gone to audition the home theatre and room compensation software but these were in another demo room.
Superb, but I had already spent money on other stuff. The home theatre stuff was unimpressive but the superb sounds from this system and quality of finish was unforgetable.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Price STARTING at $266,000.00.

2 Mercedes S-Class

 

[Dialectic]

Steinway is going out of its way to court new money in the Far East. If you go to the factory in Queens to look at pianos, your salesperson is likelier to speak Mandarin better than he or she speaks English. I'm told that the company is now relentlessly focused on the fit and finish of its pianos, which previously looked subdued in comparison with lesser instruments.

EDIT: I would guess that the Lyngdorf system is well-engineered (although I suspect that amplifier power is insufficient) despite the absurd price tag. I doubt one will become available for measurement, and even if it were, I don't think the loudspeaker would fit in a Klippel machine!

 

[dfuller]

Steinway is going out of its way to court new money in the Far East. If you go to the factory in Queens to look at pianos, your salesperson is likelier to speak Mandarin better than he or she speaks English. I'm told that the company is now relentlessly focused on the fit and finish of its pianos, which previously looked subdued in comparison with lesser instruments.

We have one at the college I work at in the studios. It sounds great, looks great, but does not stay in tune at all...

 

[Dialectic]

We have one at the college I work at in the studios. It sounds great, looks great, but does not stay in tune at all...

I have a 20-year-old M. It can go 18 months without a tune. I have a relative who owns a newer Steinway D purchased out of the "piano bank," and it needs to be tuned much more often. Not sure if it was abused while it was used for performances.

I don't know how different piano brands differ with respect to holding a tune, but with Steinways, keeping the humidity from going much below 40% or above 75%, and the temperature above 60F and below 78F, seems to work well.

 

[dfuller]

I have a 20-year-old M. It can go 18 months without a tune. I have a relative who owns a newer Steinway D purchased out of the "piano bank," and it needs to be tuned much more often. Not sure if it was abused while it was used for performances.

I don't know how different piano brands differ with respect to holding a tune, but with Steinways, keeping the humidity from going much below 40% or above 75%, and the temperature above 60F and below 78F, seems to work well.

I'm sure the amount of use it gets doesn't help things.

 

[Mr. Widget]

Looks pretty cool

The full line of Steinway Lyngdorf speakers are beautiful and can be custom ordered in different finishes. While they are luxury audio products, they are luxury products much as Ferraris are luxury products. They also offer a very high level of performance.

As a dealer, I have heard the Model D many times in our demo space and other locations. They are impressive, but they are not my favorites. At roughly the same cost, the LS Concert is a newer design that in my opinion is far better sounding and is one of the very best speakers I have ever heard. Of course at around a quarter of a million dollars for a pair including electronics, it is like one of those super cars that we see on Top Gear or read about... we may get to see one at a car show, but owning them is pretty much out of the question for all of us. It is nice to know they exist though.

A point that may be of interest to those on this site is that the amplifiers are the DACs. The Steinway Lyngdorf systems are all designed to work with their proprietary electronics. The system is digital throughout and is not converted to analog until the high power stage of the amplifier.

Here are a couple of pix of the Steinway Lyngdorf LS Concert.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

With all of this carriage trade stuff, my bullshit detector starts flashing. The LS Concert, for example, costs over $200K USD, has 15 mid-woofers per side and 10 Heil Air motion tweeters all of which are mounted in an open baffle box which has a finish of polished piano black on the front, and unfinished drivers in the back. It's around 8' high and 15" wide, and goes down to 125 hz only.

To me, that's a recycled Infinity IRS line source design. Nothing groundbreaking in technology there. And the cost of materials? Is it even 10 percent of the MSRP? Fact is, with enough sweat equity, a dedicated DIY'er with some expertise in cabinet finishing, and digital crossovers could build something equal to or superior with off the shelf drivers for probably l.t. $5k. And, of course, SOTA electronics are available for cheap as well.

I suppose if someone is absolutely determined to spend $200k + on a stereo system, the Lyngdorf is among the most well designed, and the label will carry more meaning as a Veblen purchase than, say, Kef or Revel, or even Wilson. But again I keep coming back to value, and for a tenth of the cost, Kef Blades or Kii 3s with BXT are available, and would probably, be every bit as good if not better than these things.

 

[Ifrit]

We have one at the college I work at in the studios. It sounds great, looks great, but does not stay in tune at all...

I never saw acoustic piano that stays in tune. All of them need tuning and other work. But then, I spend too much time with piano techs.

2 Mercedes S-Class

Or one Model D Concert Grand. Priorities.

 

[Mr. Widget]

With all of this carriage trade stuff, my bullshit detector starts flashing. The LS Concert, for example, costs over $200K USD, has 15 mid-woofers per side and 10 Heil Air motion tweeters all of which are mounted in an open baffle box which has a finish of polished piano black on the front, and unfinished drivers in the back. It's around 8' high and 15" wide, and goes down to 125 hz only.

Part of the cost of the system includes the 16 twelve inch boundary woofers. These are typically installed in-wall and hidden. Trust me, they fill in the lowest octaves seamlessly and are extremely dynamically capable.

Regarding the Infinity IRS comparison. Back in the day I heard that system a couple of times. It did not impress me as being the best sonic experience I had had at the time. It was impressive to be sure, but at $20K in the early 80s there were alternatives I would have gone for. The LS Concert speakers on the other hand did blow me away. But I agree the speaker design itself is not revolutionary. I think the magic is in the entire system and incorporating RoomPerfect.

Regarding MSRP and profit margins... again, I do not disagree. Porsche and Ferrari are among the most profitable car companies. But their products are also deemed worth it by many who can afford them. Also, to be sure a lot of the cost of the Steinway Lyngdorf speakers is the cost of the Steinway finish. Most of their products are also available in lower cost finishes including barebones versions intended for concealed installation.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Part of the cost of the system includes the 16 twelve inch boundary woofers. These are typically installed in-wall and hidden. Trust me, they fill in the lowest octaves seamlessly and are extremely dynamically capable.

Rearding the Infinity IRS comparison. Back in the day I heard that system a couple of times. It did not impress me as being the best sonic experience I had had at the time. It was impressive to be sure, but at $20K in the early 80s there were alternatives I would have gone for. The LS Concert speakers on the other hand did blow me away. But I agree the speaker design itself is not revolutionary. I think the magic is in the entire system and incorporating RoomPerfect.

Regarding MSRP and profit margins... again, I do not disagree. Porsche and Ferrari are among the most profitable car companies. But their products are also deemed worth it by many who can afford them. Also, to be sure a lot of the cost of the Steinway Lyngdorf speakers is the cost of the Steinway finish. Most of their products are also available in lower cost finishes including barebones versions intended for concealed installation.

Missed the multi sub part, but even so, a diy'er could put together 16 SVS SB 3000's for an additional $15 k or so. And DSP? Have you seen what Dirac is offering, or Audiolense? I'm sure Room Perfect does a good job, but it can only be had by buying Lyngdorf Electronics whereas these other DSPs will work on a variety of electronics and workstations, and offer very sophisticated bass management tools like DLBC. I'm sure their customer support is first rate, too. But If I were putting together something of that order of completity, I'm probably hire Mitchco, or someone with the equally impeccable credentials. And I'd still pay far less, and get something every bit as good if not better.

So Steinway-Lyngdorf, not a value, even though it's not a complete rip off either.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I have a 20-year-old M. It can go 18 months without a tune. I have a relative who owns a newer Steinway D purchased out of the "piano bank," and it needs to be tuned much more often. Not sure if it was abused while it was used for performances.

I don't know how different piano brands differ with respect to holding a tune, but with Steinways, keeping the humidity from going much below 40% or above 75%, and the temperature above 60F and below 78F, seems to work well.

We have a model-B but our music room isn’t air conditioned so it varies by more than that.
How often it needs tuning seems mainly to depend on how much it is played.

 

[Mr. Widget]

Missed the multi sub part, but even so, a diy'er could put together 16 SVS SB 3000's for an additional $15 k or so. And DSP? Have you seen what Dirac is offering, or Audiolense? I'm sure Room Perfect does a good job, but it can only be had by buying Lyngdorf Electronics whereas these other DSPs will work on a variety of electronics and workstations, and offer very sophisticated bass management tools like DLBC.

The entire system's design is actually not quite that simple, but I take your point.

But If I were putting together something of that order of completity, I'm probably hire Mitchco, or someone with the equally impeccable credentials. And I'd still pay far less, and get something every bit as good if not better.

And that is an excellent alternative. There are many ways to achieve stellar performance. This is only one route. I would never describe it as a value proposition. These systems are way out on the edge of that asymptotic curve.

However, if you have the means and the desire for stellar performance, the LS Concert system is a stunner and possibly even a bargain compared to many in this thread.

 

[Bugal1998]

I had a demo of these probably about 10 years ago. I had originally gone to audition the home theatre and room compensation software but these were in another demo room.
Superb, but I had already spent money on other stuff. The home theatre stuff was unimpressive but the superb sounds from this system and quality of finish was unforgetable.

Agreed. Most distinctive audio system I've ever heard. Very enjoyable, but definitely not my choice if I had to choose just one system.

 

[dfuller]

I never saw acoustic piano that stays in tune. All of them need tuning and other work. But then, I spend too much time with piano techs.

The Boesendorfer and Yamahas we have elsewhere stay in tune much better.

 

[DonR]

I always chuckle when an audio manufacturer mentions that their equipment sounds "musical". If it does have any special sound to it, then it is defective by definition.

 

[Dialectic]

The Boesendorfer and Yamahas we have elsewhere stay in tune much better.

I know little about Bosendorfers, but Yamahas and Kawais seem to be the choice of many serious performers as practice instruments. I was surprised to hear that a famous pianist who went to my relative's house to practice on the D before a performance confessed that he has a Kawai at home.

The full line of Steinway Lyngdorf speakers are beautiful and can be custom ordered in different finishes. While they are luxury audio products, they are luxury products much as Ferraris are luxury products. They also offer a very high level of performance.

As a dealer, I have heard the Model D many times in our demo space and other locations. They are impressive, but they are not my favorites. At roughly the same cost, the LS Concert is a newer design that in my opinion is far better sounding and is one of the very best speakers I have ever heard. Of course at around a quarter of a million dollars for a pair including electronics, it is like one of those super cars that we see on Top Gear or read about... we may get to see one at a car show, but owning them is pretty much out of the question for all of us. It is nice to know they exist though.

A point that may be of interest to those on this site is that the amplifiers are the DACs. The Steinway Lyngdorf systems are all designed to work with their proprietary electronics. The system is digital throughout and is not converted to analog until the high power stage of the amplifier.

Here are a couple of pix of the Steinway Lyngdorf LS Concert.View attachment 245961
View attachment 245959

I wonder how many of these systems are sold in the Bay Area. A buddy regularly visits the homes of billionaires in Atherton, and, while I hear tales of $50K Toto toilets, insane kitchens, bowling alleys, and indoor pools, I never hear of audio systems like this.

I live in Scarsdale, New York, and the nicest stereo I've ever seen in someone else's house around here was a system with older Sonus Faber floorstanders--with one of the speakers in the dining room and the other one in the living room (no joke).

 

[Ifrit]

The Boesendorfer and Yamahas we have elsewhere stay in tune much better.

Steinway went down the drain lately; however, all the Bosendorfers and Yamahas (former being the part of the latter now) that I've encountered recently just as badly require regular maintenance and tuning. I went to Andras Schiff recital couple weeks ago and had a chance to try his Bosendorfer after the show. Horrendous voicing. And that piano is kept by the dealer specifically for him, they do not rent it out to anybody else, because it has the action "adjusted for him", as dealer explained it to my friend who wanted to rent it for his concert.
Yamahas – I do love CFX and CFIII, but thay aren't any more stable than your average Steinway D. Probably Steinway gets more abuse, since everybody wants to play "the legend"? Or it's time to repair it.

Kawais seem to be the choice of many serious performers as practice instruments. I was surprised to hear that a famous pianist who went to my relative's house to practice on the D before a performance confessed that he has a Kawai at home.

Kawai, specifically Shigeru Kawai, are excellent instruments, not just for practice.

a system with older Sonus Faber floorstanders--with one of the speakers in the dining room and the other one in the living room (no joke).

For a better stereo picture, I gather?