Scott Wilkinson

Back in October 2009, I profiled <A href="http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/ultimate-gear/crystal_blue_persuasion/">Dy... Sapphire speakers</A>, a limited-edition, high-performance model created to celebrate the company's 30th anniversary. Next month, the last pair&#151;serial number 1000/1000&#151;will be sold to the highest bidder by Danish online auctioneer <A href="http://www.lauritz.com">Lauritz</A>, and the entire proceeds will go to <A href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org">Doctors Without Borders</A>, an international charity that provides humanitarian medical services in nearly 60 countries.

As a musician, I'm well acquainted with Steinway pianos, but until recently, I was unaware that the company had entered the home-audio business with a subsidiary called <A href="http://www.steinwaylyngdorf.com">Steinway Lyngdorf</A> in collaboration with Peter Lyngdorf of <A href="http://www.lyngdorf.com">Lyngdorf Audio</A>. Among its super-expensive speaker offerings is the LS line, a modular in-wall system based on the concept of a line source, in which a vertical stack of drivers delivers smooth horizontal dispersion and sound levels that fall off more gradually with distance than point-source speakers. As a result, the difference in volume between the front and back rows is less than it otherwise would be.