Steinway & Sons·10 min read

Steinway Lyngdorf Model A: Deep Bass From a 27 cm Cabinet

AudioLuxe Editorial·

The Steinway Lyngdorf Model A is a floorstanding speaker built to stand against a wall. Its cabinet is only 27 cm deep, yet two 12-inch woofers take it down to 25 Hz. Steinway & Sons speakers by Steinway Lyngdorf launched it in March 2022 (StereoNET, 4 March 2022). You can ask to hear it in a private Toronto session.

Key facts

Question Answer
What A full-range floorstander with a shallow closed cabinet, designed for placement against a wall
Who Steinway Lyngdorf. Each speaker is assembled and finished by hand in Denmark (audioXpress, 4 March 2022)
Bass 25 Hz to 22 kHz (−3 dB) from the cabinet alone, with no separate subwoofer
Size 115 cm tall, 50 cm wide, 27 cm deep, 76 kg each
Name After the Steinway Model A grand piano, known for a "grand" sound from a medium-sized instrument
Price About €22,000 plus tax for the pair at launch, before electronics (StereoNET)

What is the Steinway Lyngdorf Model A?

The Model A is the middle floorstander in the range. The maker places it between the smaller Model O and the larger Model B (Our history). It is the one designed for rooms where the speakers must stand against the wall.

Most large speakers want air around them. Pull them half a metre or more off the wall and the bass evens out; push them back and it booms. The Model A takes the opposite approach. Its cabinet is closed rather than ported, and it is shallow enough that a pair leaves the middle of the room clear. audioXpress put it plainly at launch: the shallow cabinet "allows speaker placement against the wall" (audioXpress).

The name follows the house rule. Every speaker in the range takes the name of a Steinway grand. The Model A piano is the mid-sized grand, praised for sounding bigger than it looks, and the speaker borrows that brief.

What's inside, and what do the specs mean?

Three kinds of driver share the cabinet, and each one does a single job. The figures below come from our Model A product page, which follows the maker's Model A page, and from StereoNET's launch report.

Part Specification What it does for you
Tweeter Air Motion Transformer, folded Kapton foil Fine detail and a wide spread of treble, so more seats hear the same balance
Midrange 165 mm (6.5") anodized aluminium cone Voices, piano and strings, the part of music you notice first
Woofers Two 30 cm (12") anodized aluminium cones Bass down to 25 Hz without a subwoofer
Cabinet Closed, aluminium and MDF on a steel base A rigid, sealed box tuned for wall placement
Frequency range 25 Hz – 22 kHz (−3 dB) Covers the lowest note on a grand piano (27.5 Hz)
Maximum output 114 dB at 1 m Concert-level peaks in a large living room
Amplification The brand's A1 or A2 digital amplifiers, 2 × 400 W per speaker Two amplifier channels for each speaker
Size and weight 50 × 115 × 27 cm, 76 kg Heavy and stable; plan for two people to move each one

Two rows matter most. The 25 Hz figure means the Model A plays the deepest notes in most music on its own, so you don't need a subwoofer for a stereo system. The amplification row explains how. Each speaker takes two amplifier channels, and the processor splits the signal between them digitally before it reaches the amplifier (StereoNET). Our post on digital amplification explains why the signal stays digital until it reaches the speaker.

Why does wall placement work for the Model A?

A wall behind a speaker reinforces its bass. With most speakers that is a problem, because the extra bass is uneven and depends on exactly where the speaker stands. The Model A is designed for that spot from the start, and room correction finishes the job.

That correction is RoomPerfect, which runs in the Steinway Lyngdorf processor. It measures how the room changes the sound and adjusts each speaker to suit. The aim, in the maker's words, is "the best sound performance in any room" (audioXpress). Our RoomPerfect explainer covers what it can and can't fix. If you already know Dirac, RoomPerfect vs Dirac Live compares the two.

The same idea, using a wall to make bass, sits behind the brand's separate woofers. Our boundary woofers explainer shows how it works in systems that hide the bass in the wall itself.

Model A vs Model O vs Model B: which floorstander fits your room?

The Model A sits between the other two on size, bass and placement. The O is slimmer and lighter; the B goes louder but needs space behind it. The figures come from each model's product page.

Model O Model A Model B
Bass limit (−3 dB) 35 Hz 25 Hz 25 Hz
Maximum output at 1 m 105 dB 114 dB 115 dB
Woofers One 6" driver plus a rear 8" passive radiator Two 12" Six 12"
Design Slim floorstander Shallow closed cabinet Dipole, open aluminium frame
Placement Near the wall Against the wall Out in the room
Weight, each 37 kg 76 kg 140 kg
Amplification 1 channel A1 or A2, 2 × 400 W A2, 4 × 400 W

Choose the Model O when the room is modest and floor space is tight. It goes against the wall too, but stops 10 Hz higher.

Choose the Model A when you want the deepest bass in the range without giving up floor space. It is the only speaker in the table that reaches 25 Hz while standing against the wall.

Choose the Model B when the room can give the speakers space behind them. A dipole sends sound backwards as well as forwards, which creates the wide, open stereo image people describe as holographic. That only works with distance from the wall.

If even the Model O is too big, the compact S-15 pairs with boundary woofers. Our Steinway Lyngdorf S-15 review compares it with the A and the B. For the top of the range, read the Model D flagship review.

Which rooms suit a Model A?

The Model A suits a living room, media room or apartment where the speakers must stand along a wall and the space between them has to stay usable. The maker lists living rooms, media rooms, apartments, penthouses and yachts as its intended homes (product page).

It works in a stereo pair for music, and it can anchor a surround system with the brand's processors and its home-theatre and in-wall speakers (audioXpress). If you are deciding between the two, our guide to home theatre vs stereo sets out the trade-offs. Planning for Atmos music? See our guide to a Dolby Atmos music system for home.

It is less suited to two kinds of room. In a large dedicated cinema with rows of seats, the floor-to-ceiling LS line source was built to cover them evenly. In a room with no floor space at all, the Model S soundbar is the better fit; our best luxury soundbar 2026 roundup compares it with its rivals.

The room still shapes the result. Before choosing a speaker, read building the perfect listening room and acoustic design principles.

What does a Model A system include?

A Model A system has three parts: the speakers, a processor and amplifiers. Nobody buys the speaker on its own, because it is designed to run from the brand's own electronics.

  • Speakers. Two for stereo. More for surround, mixed with other models.
  • Processor. A Steinway Lyngdorf stereo or surround processor, such as the P100. It handles sources, the digital crossover and RoomPerfect.
  • Amplifiers. The A1 or A2 digital amplifiers, with two 400 W channels per Model A.

The finish is part of the order too. The standard look is matte black with high-gloss black side panels, black strings and matte gold details, a nod to the pianos. Polished gold, white and custom colours can be ordered (audioXpress; StereoNET). For how a piano maker came to make speakers at all, read who makes Steinway & Sons audio systems, or the profile of the founder, Peter Lyngdorf.

Honest limits

We built this guide from the maker's specifications and the 2022 launch coverage. We found no independent listening review or published measurement of the Model A. The sound descriptions here are the maker's design goals, not test results.

The only price we found is StereoNET's launch figure of about €22,000 plus tax for the speakers, from March 2022. It leaves out the processor, amplifiers, installation and calibration, and it is not a Canadian price.

At 76 kg, the speaker needs a solid floor and careful delivery. And no spec sheet tells you how it will sound in your room. Wall material, room size and the calibration result decide that.

Where AudioLuxe fits

AudioLuxe is an authorised Steinway Lyngdorf audio consultancy serving Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. We run private listening sessions at our facilities or in your home, and we assess and design the room. Certified partner integrators handle installation and RoomPerfect calibration (Toronto). To hear a Model A and talk through whether it suits your room, book a consultation.

FAQ

How big is the Steinway Lyngdorf Model A?

Each speaker is 115 cm tall, 50 cm wide and 27 cm deep. It weighs 76 kg. The shallow depth is the point: it lets a pair stand against a wall without taking over the room. The weight comes from the steel base and the two 12-inch woofers, so plan for two people when it is moved.

Does the Model A need a subwoofer?

No. Two 12-inch woofers in each cabinet take it down to 25 Hz, which covers the deepest notes in almost all music. In a stereo system it plays full range on its own. A surround system with other models can still add bass units, depending on the room.

Can the Model A go right against the wall?

Yes. It was designed to stand against a wall, which is what sets it apart from the dipole Model B. The maker tuned it for that position, and RoomPerfect then adjusts each speaker to the room. The final position is set during installation and calibration.

How much does a Model A cost?

At launch in March 2022, StereoNET reported about €22,000 plus tax for the speakers, depending on the country. That leaves out the processor, the amplifiers, installation and calibration. There is no published Canadian price, so a Toronto quote follows the system design.

Can I use the Model A with my own amplifier?

Not with a general-purpose amplifier. The Model A runs from Steinway Lyngdorf's A1 or A2 digital amplifiers, two channels per speaker, and a Steinway Lyngdorf processor handles the crossover and room correction. It is designed as part of a complete system rather than as a standalone speaker.

Sources

Experience it for yourself

Book a Consultation