Steinway Lyngdorf Listening Event w Audioholics

[TLS Guy]

Do you ever wait until listening to a speaker before forming an opinion?

Did you look into the specs, or are you only estimating the width, assuming you're using 'narrow' to describe that and not the depth?

I have built speakers with every known form of loading. Bi-polar cone speakers on an open baffle, and especially a narrow one, are a really bad idea.

This is the sort of thing you are fighting.

I love the poop comment on this graph.

I realize there is better Eq, to equalize the appalling FR that results from this technique, but the Eq required is colossal and has to increase driver distortion.

If you really want a dipole it requires a planar speaker, and the best is Quad and it has been since 1957.

To make a fine speaker you have to start from sound engineering concept, and an open baffle moving coil cone driver does not come close to fulfilling that concept.

I think over time I have loaded moving coil drivers in every way known to man. The very least promising and satisfactory in an open back MC cone driver.

 

[Nondemo01]

I have built speakers with every known form of loading. Bi-polar cone speakers on an open baffle, and especially a narrow one, are a really bad idea.

This is the sort of thing you are fighting.

I love the poop comment on this graph.

I realize there is better Eq, to equalize the appalling FR that results from this technique, but the Eq required is colossal and has to increase driver distortion.

If you really want a dipole it requires a planar speaker, and the best is Quad and it has been since 1957.

To make a fine speaker you have to start from sound engineering concept, and an open baffle moving coil cone driver does not come close to fulfilling that concept.

I think over time I have loaded moving coil drivers in every way known to man. The very least promising and satisfactory in an open back MC cone driver.

I think you’re treating a real design compromise as if it automatically proves the design is bad.

Yes, open-baffle/dipole speakers have front-to-back cancellation, especially at lower frequencies. Nobody is disputing that. But that is a known design constraint, not some hidden flaw Steinway Lyngdorf accidentally missed. The Model D is explicitly described by Steinway Lyngdorf as a full-range dipole with front and rear radiation, four large woofers, active digital crossover, integrated amplification, and RoomPerfect correction. Its published specs claim 20 Hz–22 kHz extension and 117 dB max SPL, so this is clearly not just a passive cone driver slapped on a skinny board and hoped into existence.

You may be right that there are tradeoffs. You may even be right that the EQ demand is substantial. But without measurements or listening impressions, the conclusion that it is “not worth even a second look” seems premature. A narrow visual profile alone does not tell us the acoustic path length, the actual transfer function, the excursion behavior at target SPL, or what the active system is doing.

Also, if the criticism is “they are using DSP/EQ to overcome physics,” that applies to a huge amount of modern loudspeaker design. Sealed subs, cardioid bass arrays, active monitors, room correction, and many high-output systems all use DSP to manage known limitations. That does not automatically make them invalid. It just means the design has to be judged by the final acoustic result.

 

[TLS Guy]

I think you’re treating a real design compromise as if it automatically proves the design is bad.

Yes, open-baffle/dipole speakers have front-to-back cancellation, especially at lower frequencies. Nobody is disputing that. But that is a known design constraint, not some hidden flaw Steinway Lyngdorf accidentally missed. The Model D is explicitly described by Steinway Lyngdorf as a full-range dipole with front and rear radiation, four large woofers, active digital crossover, integrated amplification, and RoomPerfect correction. Its published specs claim 20 Hz–22 kHz extension and 117 dB max SPL, so this is clearly not just a passive cone driver slapped on a skinny board and hoped into existence.

You may be right that there are tradeoffs. You may even be right that the EQ demand is substantial. But without measurements or listening impressions, the conclusion that it is “not worth even a second look” seems premature. A narrow visual profile alone does not tell us the acoustic path length, the actual transfer function, the excursion behavior at target SPL, or what the active system is doing.

Also, if the criticism is “they are using DSP/EQ to overcome physics,” that applies to a huge amount of modern loudspeaker design. Sealed subs, cardioid bass arrays, active monitors, room correction, and many high-output systems all use DSP to manage known limitations. That does not automatically make them invalid. It just means the design has to be judged by the final acoustic result.

Dipole cone loudspeakers with the rear of the driver open to the listening space, have never made the grade.

In essence if you fight nature's laws more likely than not you will fail. A design approach that embraces and works with nature's laws is far more likely to be successful. That is one reason why I am so keen on transmission line designs as you are working with and embracing natures sonic laws throughout the design.

 

[Verdinut]

Not everyone can afford to have a well designed transmission line. Actually, it's somehow easier for a lot of people to get a line of credit!

 

[TLS Guy]

Not everyone can afford to have a well designed transmission line. Actually, it's somehow easier for a lot of people to get a line of credit!

I design and build them, so that limits mark ups. For the 100K of these speakers you could design and market a really good TL speaker system.

 

[lovinthehd]

I build them, so that limits mark ups. For the 100K of these speakers you could design and market a really good TL speaker system.

LOL for 100k you can do a lot of things, but why spend that much on home audio?

 

[TLS Guy]

LOL for 100k you can do a lot of things, but why spend that much on home audio?

I would not, though over seventy plus years I possibly have. But then I build and buy equipment that will last. I really try to avoid junk which are the most expensive purchases.

 

[lovinthehd]

I would not, though over seventy plus years I possibly have. But then I build and buy equipment that will last. I really try to avoid junk which are the most expensive purchases.

Was more thinking of a single expenditure like a pair of speakers, even if a powered/dsp run pair. I love audio but definitely not that much to spend that kind of money on it. Even if I had piles of money to waste, I still think I'd not bother. Maybe building a deliberate house/building to maximize it if you have that much money.....

 

[TLS Guy]

Was more thinking of a single expenditure like a pair of speakers, even if a powered/dsp run pair. I love audio but definitely not that much to spend that kind of money on it. Even if I had piles of money to waste, I still think I'd not bother. Maybe building a deliberate house/building to maximize it if you have that much money.....

I think my largest single expenditure was building the front three speakers, rebuilding the rear surrounds, and building the family room speakers in 2006/2007. That was $13,500.

 

[Jeepers]

This Friday, May 15th, 2026, Crowne Audio is opening its showroom for exclusive demos of Steinway Lyngdorf hi-fi components, with Audioholics staff — including Gene DellaSala — on site to shoot videos, enjoy food and drinks, and connect with fellow audio enthusiasts.

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Audioholics brings another must-hear hi-fi experience to Central Florida as Gene DellaSala hosts an exclusive Steinway Lyngdorf Model D listening event at Crowne Audio. This intimate event offers a rare opportunity to experience ultra-high-end audio performance, cutting-edge RoomPerfect optimization, and the legendary Steinway Lyngdorf Model D system at its very best.

Read: Steinway / Lyngdorf Listening Event Details

Who is coming to this event?

Any review, impression of the event to come or is it in the works ?

 

[TLS Guy]

Any review, impression of the event to come or is it in the works ?

Probably the less said the better. Those probably only need a decent burial!

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Probably the less said the better. Those probably only need a decent burial!