The Steinway Model O speaker covered here is a loudspeaker, not the Model O grand piano. On 26 October 2026, Steinway Lyngdorf announced a new generation. It has two front drivers where the 2018 model had one, and 80% more internal volume. Unlike the brand's dipole models, it stands near a wall. It ships from the end of November 2026, with no list price.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is it? | The entry model in the Steinway & Sons floor-standing range: a slim two-way speaker built to stand close to the wall (launch release, 26 Oct 2026) |
| Key specs | Two 150 mm mid/bass drivers, a 10-inch rear passive radiator, 35 Hz–22 kHz (−3 dB), 111 dB maximum at one metre (spec page) |
| Power | One amplifier channel per speaker; the matched A1 amplifier is rated 2 × 400 watts, so one A1 drives a stereo pair (spec page) |
| On sale | From the end of November 2026 (launch release; StereoNET) |
| Price | None published; StereoNET reports "pricing on application" |
| Canada | The dealer finder lists one Canadian entry: The Watershed Group, Brantford, Ontario (listing) |
What changed on 26 October 2026?
On 26 October 2026, the maker replaced the 2018 speaker with a version that keeps the slim, wall-placed design and adds bass. The maker is a Danish firm. Residential Systems and a second trade site carried the news the same day.
The release lists three hardware changes and says what they are for: "improved bass performance, more dynamic range and a more room-filling sound". The cabinet stays slim and the speaker stays two-way.
New finishes arrive too. You can order gold rings around the two drivers, a gold tweeter plate in matte or polished, and custom lacquers, metal finishes or wood veneers. Every unit is put together and finished by hand in Skive, Denmark.
The date matters for one reason. A dealer quoting this month may still be quoting the 2018 version, so ask which one the quote covers.
What's new in the 2026 Model O vs the 2018 original?
The new speaker has two front drivers instead of one, 80% more cabinet volume and a 50% larger passive radiator. The tweeter type and the wall placement carry over. The maker gives the changes as percentages. It has not published a side-by-side spec sheet, so the table compares only what it did publish.
| Original (2018) | New (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Front mid/bass drivers | One | Two, 150 mm (6-inch), anodised aluminium cones |
| Cabinet internal volume | Baseline | 80% larger |
| Rear passive radiator | Baseline | 50% larger; 10-inch aluminium cone |
| Tweeter | Air Motion Transformer | Air Motion Transformer, Kapton foil, neodymium magnet |
| Placement | Close to the rear wall | Floor-standing, "closest to the wall" |
| Frequency range | Not compared | 35 Hz–22 kHz (−3 dB) |
| Crossover | Not compared | 2,500 Hz |
| Connection | Not compared | speakON, in the base plate |
Sources: launch release and spec page, both read on 2 November 2026.
The bass design is the part worth understanding. A passive radiator is a cone with no motor of its own. Air pressure from the front drivers inside the closed box pushes it.
On this speaker the radiator faces the wall behind, and the wall boosts the bass instead of cancelling it. The company calls this its boundary woofer concept. It says the speaker "was specifically designed and tuned for such a wall placement". Pull it far into the room and you lose the effect.
One point many pages get wrong: the Model O is not a dipole. A dipole sends sound forwards and backwards and needs space behind it. The release says the bigger Model D, C and B "follow the extraordinary, uncompromising open-dipole principle" and work away from walls. The Model O takes "a different approach". It is also the entry floor-stander, not the flagship.
How much does the Steinway Model O speaker cost?
There is no published price for the 2026 speaker. The release says only that "system prices in each country depend on the choice of Steinway & Sons stereo or surround processor and Steinway & Sons amplifiers".
So a quote covers three parts that only work together. The processor is the control box that handles sources, volume and room correction.
| Part | What you need | Matched products |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers | Two for stereo, more for surround | Model O |
| Amplifiers | One channel per speaker | A1 (two channels) or A2 (four channels) |
| Processor | Stereo or surround | SP-1 stereo; surround models such as the P300 2.1 |
RoomPerfect, the maker's room-correction software, runs in the processor. Compare whole-system quotes in the same currency and country. Buyers in Ontario should ask for Canadian dollars, and buyers in the UK for pounds.
Where does the Model O sit in the Steinway Lyngdorf range?
The Model O is the smallest and most wall-friendly floor-stander in the range. The dipole models and the tall line-source models sit above it, for bigger rooms. Here is the range in the order the maker's freestanding stereo page lists it. Our Steinway Lyngdorf guide covers the cinema models in more depth.
| Model | How the maker describes it | Placement notes |
|---|---|---|
| Model D | "Highest sound quality from the original Steinway & Sons loudspeaker" | Open dipole, away from walls |
| Model C | "Highest sound quality and enhanced room placement flexibility" | Open dipole |
| Model B | "Full-range loudspeaker with holographic and powerful sound" | Open dipole |
| Model A | "Designed for room-friendly placement" | Not stated as dipole |
| Model O | "Full-bodied sound from an elegantly slender loudspeaker" | Two-way, close to the wall |
| LS Concert / LS Studio | Line-source speakers "for large, deep rooms and long listening distance" | Large rooms |
| Model S-15 | "Petite and innovative ambience-enhancing loudspeaker" | Small on-wall |
Our posts on the flagship Model D and how the brand began and the large line-source speakers cover the bigger speakers. We heard the original Model O in a UK listening session. Two musicians also played their own record on it.
Can the Model O be used in a home cinema?
Yes, as the left and right speakers in a media room, though the maker points dedicated cinemas to other models. Its home cinema page puts the two line-source models first, under "We recommend these". The Model O sits lower, under "Other freestanding speakers".
The speaker belongs in a room that does films and music in one space. The maker's media-room page lists it beside a soundbar and an on-wall centre speaker. Its top surround processor decodes 16 channels, so a pair can sit at the front of a full Dolby Atmos layout.
Three things to settle before you plan that way:
- ▪The screen wall. The speaker is tuned for a wall behind it. We have seen no guidance from the maker on putting it behind a sound-transparent screen, so ask the dealer. Our notes on speakers behind the screen explain the trade-offs.
- ▪Subwoofers. The brand prefers subwoofers in the room corners, as the UK showroom team explained to us.
- ▪The room itself. RoomPerfect corrects what the room does to bass. A bare, echoing room still sounds bare and echoing. We advise correction and treatment together: see do you always need acoustic treatment.
Comparing it with cinema-first brands? Our best home cinema speakers guide puts this brand beside M&K Sound and other makers. Our survey of professional cinema speaker manufacturers covers the brands built for screening rooms.
Where can you hear Steinway Lyngdorf in or near Toronto?
We found no public showroom for the brand in the city. Its dealer finder lists one entry for the whole country: a distributor in Brantford, Ontario, called The Watershed Group. It has handled the brand across the country since 2020. A distributor supplies dealers, so call before you drive.
The find-dealer page says the company will match you with a dealer if your search finds none. In the UK, the company runs a demonstration suite in Essex, which we toured for our UK showroom visit.
We arrange demonstrations as well. Through our showrooms service, we match you to the nearest reference room for the brands that suit your project, and brief the showroom first. If you are planning a room in the city, start with our Toronto home cinema page.
Who is the Model O for, and who should skip it?
The Model O suits a music-first listener with a living room, library or snug, who wants the speakers against the wall. Skip it if you want an open dipole sound, a large dedicated cinema or the freedom to pick your own amplifier.
| Good fit | Poor fit |
|---|---|
| Speakers must stand close to the rear wall | Room allows speakers well out from walls: look at the dipole Model D, C or B |
| Living room or media room that also plays films | Large, deep dedicated cinema: the maker recommends the LS models |
| Buyer wants one matched system with RoomPerfect | Buyer wants to keep an existing amplifier |
| Finish matters: lacquers, veneers, gold detailing | Buyer needs a published price before a conversation |
On amplifiers, the spec page says the speaker is "designed to work seamlessly" with the maker's own digital amplifiers. The UK team told us other makers' amplifiers are not approved for Steinway-branded speakers. Budget for the whole system from day one.
What we have not tested
We have not heard the 2026 speaker. Every figure here comes from the maker's own pages and launch coverage, read on 2 November 2026. Our listening notes linked above are on the original. The maker has published no measured comparison of the two versions, only the percentage changes.
Where Zebra fits
Zebra is an independent advisor. We sell no speakers and install nothing. For a Model O, the useful advice is whether your room suits a wall-placed speaker at all, and which processor and amplifier choice sets the system price. When a project is ready to build, we open our list of vetted, trade-only integrators. The first conversation is free; see what we do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Steinway Model O speaker the same thing as the Model O piano?
No. The piano is a grand, first sold over 120 years ago as "the living room grand piano", according to the speaker's maker. The speaker borrows the name and the idea: big sound for a living room. It is built by hand in Denmark. It first launched in 2018, and a new version was announced on 26 October 2026.
Is the Steinway Model O a dipole speaker?
No. The maker says its Model D, C and B use the open-dipole design and work away from walls, while the Model O takes "a different approach". It is a two-way speaker with two front drivers and a hidden 10-inch passive radiator on the back. It is tuned to stand close to the wall, which boosts its bass.
When can I buy the new Model O?
The maker says it is on sale from the end of November 2026. If a dealer quotes before then, ask whether the price and stock are for the new version or the 2018 original. StereoNET reports the standard finish as black with gold detailing. Custom lacquers, metal finishes and wood veneers are options.
Can I drive the Model O with my own amplifier?
The maker designs it to run on its own digital amplifiers, one channel per speaker. Its UK showroom team told us other makers' amplifiers and processors are not approved for Steinway-branded speakers. The RoomPerfect room correction also lives in the maker's processor, so plan and price the speakers, amplifier and processor as one system.
Is there a Steinway Lyngdorf dealer in Toronto?
We found no public showroom in the city. The dealer finder lists one distributor for the country, The Watershed Group in Brantford. You can contact the distributor, or use the find-dealer page, which promises to match you with a dealer. We can also arrange a demonstration through our showrooms service.
Sources
- ▪Steinway Lyngdorf — Steinway Lyngdorf launches the new Steinway & Sons Model O loudspeaker (26 October 2026)
- ▪Steinway Lyngdorf — Model O product and specification page (read 2 November 2026)
- ▪Residential Systems — Steinway Lyngdorf launches Steinway & Sons Model O loudspeaker (26 October 2026)
- ▪StereoNET — Steinway & Sons Model O goes bigger on bass, not footprint (26 October 2026)
- ▪Steinway Lyngdorf — Freestanding speakers for stereo (read 2 November 2026)
- ▪Steinway Lyngdorf — Freestanding speakers for home cinema (read 2 November 2026)
- ▪Steinway Lyngdorf — Speakers for media rooms (read 2 November 2026)
- ▪Steinway Lyngdorf — A1 and A2 amplifiers (read 2 November 2026)
- ▪Steinway Lyngdorf — SP-1 stereo processor (read 2 November 2026)
- ▪Steinway Lyngdorf — P300 2.1 surround processor (read 2 November 2026)
- ▪Steinway Lyngdorf — Watershed Group becomes exclusive distributor (5 May 2020)
- ▪Steinway Lyngdorf — Dealer listing: The Watershed Group (read 2 November 2026)
