Steinway Lyngdorf has announced the launch of the Model C MK II floorstanding loudspeaker for customers desiring an elegant and space-saving high-end listening solution.
The original Model C was introduced in 2008. It is a direct descendant of the first Steinway Lyngdorf loudspeaker, the iconic Model D, and shares some of its core speaker technology but in a much smaller, lighter design. The downsizing has been achieved by separating the woofers from the main speaker and adapting the company’s boundary woofer technology.
What’s New
The new Model C MK II has a more elegant and lighter design, with extended black strings on the backside. This design replaces the former amplifier and crossover box, which are now part of external digital amplifiers and processor.
The sound performance has also been improved. The crossover and sound alignment between all drive units are now entirely in the digital domain via the external processor. The Model C claims to provide the highest sound quality at the level of the iconic Model D speaker, but with room placement flexibility by incorporating a smaller design with external woofers.
The Model C has a distinct open baffle dipole design. This results in no air compression and no sound coloration from a common speaker enclosure, leading to a very pure, transparent, high-resolution sound from the renowned Air Motion Transformer tweeter and two precision-cast magnesium cone midrange drivers. The tweeter consists of an ultra-thin, folded Kapton diaphragm between neodymium magnets.
The exposed open baffle design also resembles an open piano, with the bronze-gold lacquered frame and sound technology details visible from the backside.
Tech Note: Every Model C is assembled and finished by hand in Skive, Denmark. The black lacquered and gold-plated parts are made to the same quality standards as a Steinway & Sons piano, giving the speaker its unmistakable appearance. Customized lacquers and finishes are available on request.
Wait, There’s More!
Although the Model C is a floorstanding speaker it only houses the tweeter and midrange speakers. Interestingly, its woofers are housed in separate units that look like subwoofers.
Freeing the Model C loudspeakers from the woofers allows a stylish slim design with more room placement flexibility, while the bass performance improves due to Steinway Lyngdorf’s unique external boundary woofer concept.
Accompanying woofers are amplified separately and are recommended to be placed in the room near the corners. The placement supports optimum music reproduction, with tight yet deep and powerful bass, even at high volume levels.
Different Steinway & Sons boundary woofers can be chosen to complement the new Model C, according to room size, interior design, and desired sound performance.
The woofers available from Steinway Lyngdorf include: LSR-210, LSR-212, LS BW, Model M BW, Model S-210.
Integrated System Approach
As with every Steinway Lyngdorf speaker, the Model C is part of the company’s Integrated System Approach which requires the company’s matching equipment within a closed system. Essentially it takes the guesswork out of choosing matching components, because the company has designed everything to work perfectly together, as well as interchangeably as upgrade needs arise. However, that also means you can’t just swap a Steinway Lyngdorf loudspeaker into a non-Steinway audio system. It’s essentially all (Steinway) or nothing.
The last piece of puzzle is Steinway Lyngdorf’s RoomPerfect processing that corrects for problems related to room acoustics, so each speaker can be specifically tuned to sound best in your room.
Model C MK II Specifications
- Description: Mid/high-frequency dipole in-room loudspeaker
- Tweeter: Air Motion Transformer, Kapton foil, neodymium magnet
- Midrange: 2 x 130mm / 5.25”, precision-cast magnesium cone, vented Hexadym neodymium magnets, vented injection-molded basket
- Enclosure: Open dipole, aluminum frame, MDF panels, steel base
- Frequency Range: 250 Hz – 22 kHz (-3 dB)
- Max SPL@1m: 117 dB
- Crossover (Woofer/Midrange): Digital, stored in an external processor (250 Hz, 4th order)
- Crossover (Midrange/Tweeter): Digital, stored in an external processor (2500 Hz, 4th order)
- Connections: Neutrik speakON 4 pole
- Placement: Floorstanding, free from walls
- Dimensions (WHD): 300 x 1323 x 386 mm / 11.8 x 52.1 x 15.2 inches (incl. base plinth)
- Weight: 42.4 kg (93.5 lbs)
- Finish: High-gloss black with gold or chrome accents, custom finishes available
Needed For System Integration
- Woofer: Separate boundary woofers LSR-210, LSR-212, LS BW, Model M BW, Model S-210
- Amplification: A1 or A2 Amplifiers, 2 x 400 watt Model C, 1 x 400 watt boundary woofer
- Processor: SP1 Stereo processor
Initial Impressions
Steinway Lyngdorf makes some of the finest loudspeaker systems in the world, and the Model C speaker appears to be a very elegant solution that should fit in many rooms. Keep in mind that boundary woofers are still needed in corners, and the Model C itself shouldn’t be pinned against a wall.
Pricing & Availability
The Steinway Lyngdorf Model C is available for £31,500 each. System prices depend on the choice of stereo or surround processor and boundary woofer model.
When combined with Model S-210 boundary woofers (£5,750 each) along with an A1 and A2 amplifier (£6,375 and £8,950 respectively) and an SP-1 stereo processor (£5,250) the total for a full Model C stereo system is around £89,325.
For pricing in the US and other regions, consult an Authorized Steinway Lyngdorf/Steinway & Sons dealer.
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