steinway

Sales of ridiculously expensive and absurdly powerful cars are holding steady, and the same can be said for extreme, high-end speakers. Granted, there's no practical reason for the existence of the new 450-horsepower Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 Quattro supercar ($161,000), or a Klipsch P-39F tower speaker ($20,000), but if you can afford them, why not? High-end speakers have one very practical advantage over extreme performance cars; they can provide satisfaction on a daily basis. Few Ferrari and Maserati owners use their flashy wheels as everyday rides, and far fewer are brave enough to drive them anywhere near their top speeds! No, these prized possessions remain stowed in garages most of the time.

Prices listed in this top-10 list are for pairs of speakers, and if these are all out of reach, please don't fret, as the next top-10 speaker list will feature the best sub-$1,000 speakers on the planet. Or check out my "Top-10 must-have audio bargains" list.

I've auditioned many of these ultra-high-end speakers personally, so I can attest that they can take you places everyday speakers never go. … Read more

Renowned piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons has partnered with Danish high-end audio manufacturer Lyngdorf to create a new company, Steinway Lyngdorf.

I've met with Peter Lyngdorf many times and enthusiastically reviewed some of his products (back when his company was called TacT Audio). Lyngdorf founded, co-founded, or bought a number of high-end audio companies, including Dali Loudspeakers, NAD Electronics, Gryphon Audio, and Snell Acoustics.

Lyngdorf is also the founder and owner of Hi-Fi Klubben, Europe's largest chain of hi-fi shops specializing in high-end audio. Founded in 1980, Hi-Fi Klubben has 70 shops and is still expanding.

The Steinway connection dates back to 2005, and Steinway Lyngdorf is the first time the piano maker put its name on something other than a music instrument. Steinway Lyngdorf offers music and home theater systems. … Read more

We got word of a somewhat mysterious stereo by piano legend Steinway a few months ago, but little was known about it at the time. Now we hear that the system, made in partnership with Denmark-based Lyngdorf Audio, is about to debut in Singapore.

The so-called Model D is a half-ton behemoth that supposedly has the ability to "replicate the exact tone of one of Steinway's beloved Model D grand pianos," BornRich says. True to its roots, the receiver and speakers are finished in piano-black lacquer.

As mentioned earlier, only 100 of the systems will be manufactured … Read more

An eon ago, when Sony was at the top of the world, it attempted a strategy to lock up entertainment by owning the source--Hollywood studios, for example--and making all the products that played their movies and records. We all know what happened to that brilliant plan, but Sony's failed history apparently hasn't deterred another company from trying its own version of that studio-to-store strategy: 154-year-old Steinway & Sons.

In this case, the origin isn't the content itself but the instrument that's used to produce it, the legendary Steinway piano. On the other end of the chain … Read more

Even TiVo, that most utilitarian of devices, is not immune to the vagaries of fashion. Granted, it's starting small--with just its remote--and, thankfully, it's not taking any cues from designer Andre Kim.

Engadget says the Glo Remote (is the letter W becoming extinct?) already comes standard with TiVo's Series 3 HD box and has only one obvious difference: Its piano-black glossy finish is accented with a new chrome trim. That's a lot to justify a standalone $50 purchase if you've already got the Series 3 version. But considering how attached some people are to their … Read more