I DID IT STEINWAY

The Model S range is well worth a listen

Charlie McClarron, UK Sales Director for Steinway Lyngdorf, explains the brand’s new direct approach to the installation market.

Tell us about your time in the AV industry, how did you get to this point?

I started as the Saturday boy at a branch of Audio-T, so from the Hi-Fi side of the industry. I then went full time there straight after college. I was very lucky to be trained up by a lot of the HiFi manufacturers, and also witnessed the start of custom install with the early Crestron projects, the first Sonos products and other brands like Pioneer TVs. Following Audio-T I have had time with distributors and a manufacturer all in the audio/cinema sector. All this means I have gained an understanding of what good audio is and how to achieve it. You could argue these days that some of that audio understanding has been lost in the CI industry, but this is where myself and Steinway Lyngdorf can help. I also have lots of experience in cinema design and so now find myself in my dream role working for a manufacturer that I think is the best in the world.

When did you first become aware of Lyngdorf and Steinway Lyngdorf?

I remember going to ISE one year, walking into the Steinway demo space where the company was showing its first full cinema system. I sat down and listened for a good 10 minutes and walked out thinking wow! Firstly, the performance, even in a show environment like that, was amazing! But secondly the build quality of the product was and still is the best I have ever seen! Let alone the fact the company can back it all up with the Steinway name as well! I knew then that these guys had something very special indeed and it stuck with me.

One thing they did talk about when I was there, which again really stuck with me was that it is a complete system- you get the speakers, processor and power amps. I think clients will really understand that, instead of pitching them brand x for speakers, brand y for amps and brand z for processing, why not have it all controlled and designed by one brand? As for Lyngdorf Audio, this brand was fairly new to me, the guys in Denmark sent over our little amp, our smallest subs and speakers for me to play with. I set them up one night and to be honest I couldn’t quite believe what came out of them! For something so tiny they really do make one hell of a noise! As a combination of brands I knew it was a pretty special duo!

What is it that you feel really sets the brands apart?

The way I have been explaining it is that Steinway Lyngdorf is the best of the best. It is the best product we can make and offers a complete system with speakers amplifiers and processors. We also have a huge range of applications for Steinway as well; floor-standing speakers that give you the best audio performance possible, full cinema systems that I think will massively surprise people in terms of performance but also price point, but then also technology-wise we have everything from line source, to high output, to traditional speaker designs.

Lyngdorf audio is our more day-to-day brand, budget friendly options but still huge performance. We have taken what we have developed and learnt with Steinway and trickled it down to Lyngdorf Audio with technologies like RoomPerfect, digital amplifiers, boundary woofers and bass management. Also with Lyngdorf Audio, like Steinway, we can offer literally everything from speakers to amplifiers to processors to even CD players!

Home cinema and music only systems are both targets for the brands

What you feel are some of the key products at the moment?

From a Steinway point of view I would say dealers should look at our Model S range, an absolutely beautiful on-wall speaker with performance that most won’t believe.

Then we have the IW range, a really well thought out range of in wall speakers, with multiple different models for different price points and applications. We do a lot of cinemas with this type of product, and when I explain to people that your clients could have a full Steinway cinema (speakers, subs, amps and processor) in a 7.2.4 configuration for around £70,000 RRP ex VAT, that is a powerful message.

Lyngdorf wise, the whole range is mega! A lot of dealers love our little TDAI-1120 amp which offers a two-channel amp, two subwoofer outputs, our RoomPerfect calibration software, drivers for Control4 and Crestron, but it also offers full streaming capabilities as well (Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Airplay 2, Chromecast, Roon, VTuner, Bluetooth) so it’s the perfect solution for most installs. We then have our cinema processors, the MP-60 and MP-40, amazing sounding bits of kit, with again RoomPerfect, bass management, Dolby Atmos, DTS-X Pro and Auro 3D all included. People really need to hear what those processors can do, I think they will be really surprised, especially the MP40 at £9,000 RRP inc VAT, that hits a very nice sweet spot price wise.

A lot of dealers buy just our subwoofers and speakers from us as well, we just released our new CI range of products and our new LS1000 line source speaker has gone down a storm! 2m tall line source speaker for just over £7,500 RRP inc VAT is a seriously competitive price point for a proper line source speaker. You then have our little MH-3 and MH-2 on wall speakers that are £369 and £479 respectively, a very musical sounding speaker for an amazing price. Then you have our BW-3 and BW-2 active subwoofers that partner perfectly with the MH-2 and MH-3 speakers, or even in their own right versus other subs, the BW-2 with its 10in driver for £1,149 RRP inc VAT is a brilliant sub for that money!

The cinema processor MP-60 is a very popular choice

The full-range Model O loudspeaker

The brand goes direct from April 1, tell us about that

It is an exciting time for us! Set up wise it is simple, in the long run we will have two or three members of staff in the UK, then a big team in Denmark supporting everything from technical support to shipping. Why now? I think as the market grows we need to make sure we are in the best position to support our dealers. We are already direct in other territories, so it’s something that we felt was a logical step. The UK is clearly a key market for CI, cinema and Hi-Fi.

What benefits/support services can retailers and installers expect?

Firstly, I think it offers that consistency, you can build up a relationship with the manufacturer directly and know that we aren’t changing distributor in a few years’ time. You also get the full backing of the manufacturer; we can react quicker. We will also shortly have a showroom which all our dealers will have access too, it will show both Steinway Lyngdorf and Lyngdorf Audio products and will be a great place to bring your clients, just watch this space, we are coming with something very cool! Dealers will also be able to access demo equipment, just talk to us.

Do you have any specific aims for the brands in the first 18 months?

I think the first 18 months we need to establish ourselves in the market more, Lyngdorf Audio especially. Steinway will still be limited to the right dealer, but we do have certain locations where we need to strengthen. I really want dealers to hear and see how good our product is. We have some cool products coming to the market as well from both brands, hopefully we will see a lot of dealers at ISE where they can see these. Our showroom opening will be great as well, it will give dealers a great opportunity to come and really hear what we can do.

Steinway Lyngdorf steinwaylyngdorf.com

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