Steinway & Sons P100 2.1

Description

Overview

The Steinway & Sons P100 2.1 is the processor Steinway Lyngdorf positions for smaller installations, with the P300 2.1 taking on the larger ones. Smaller here means channel count and scale, not ambition: the P100 decodes twelve channels natively, including Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D, and it can still address up to 256 loudspeakers through the Steinway Lyngdorf Digital Link. RoomPerfect room correction is built in, a full HDMI 2.1 video platform is on board, and so is a media player, which means a very capable cinema or music room can be run from one box and one remote.

Design & build

The chassis measures 14.0 by 45.0 by 35.9 cm and weighs 6.6 kg, and it can be rack mounted in four rack units or stood freestanding on a shelf. An SD card slot on the unit holds system software and a backup of the settings, which is a small thing that matters a great deal when a system has been carefully calibrated and somebody later needs to restore it. As with every Steinway Lyngdorf processor, the signal stays in the digital domain from input to amplifier.

Sound & performance

Native decoding covers Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX and Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS ES Discrete 6.1 and Matrix 6.1, DTS 96/24, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Master Audio and Auro-3D. For stereo and legacy surround material there is post-processing in the form of Dolby Surround, Auro-Matic, DTS Neural:X and DTS NEO:X, which lift two-channel and older mixes into the full speaker layout. RoomPerfect is calibrated through the XLR microphone input on the rear, measuring from several positions so that the correction holds across the seating rather than at one chair.

Key features

• Twelve natively decoded channels; up to 256 loudspeakers over the Digital Link.
• Three HDMI 2.1 inputs with HDCP 2.3 and two HDMI 2.1 outputs.
• Five Digital Link outputs, plus stereo analogue and coaxial S/PDIF outputs for a second zone and an HDMI audio output.
• Wide input set: AES/EBU, three coaxial and four optical S/PDIF, USB audio to 192 kHz and 32-bit, balanced XLR stereo, four RCA stereo inputs and a multichannel RCA input.
• Built-in media player: internet radio through vTuner and airable, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect with Dolby Atmos Music, Roon Ready, DLNA and FAT32 media storage.
• Control by RS232, IP, web interface, Ihiji and the Remote Control app for iOS and Android.
• Two IR sensor inputs, one IR output, one trigger input, four trigger outputs, Ethernet, two USB ports and an SD card slot.

Technology

Everything leaves the P100 over the Steinway Lyngdorf Digital Link, the brand’s proprietary connection between processor, amplifier and, on some models, the loudspeaker itself. It uses CAT 5e cable, so it is easy to run through a building, but it is not standard network audio and it is not an analogue interconnect. The amplifier terminates in Neutrik speakON connectors at the loudspeaker end. The video side accepts 8K30 in RGB or YCbCr 4:4:4 10-bit, 8K60 in YCbCr 4:2:0 10-bit and 4K120 at 4:4:4 10-bit, with VRR, Fast Vactive and ALLM, and it accepts HDR, Dolby Vision and HLG.

Specifications

• Channels: 12 native decoded channels; up to 256 speakers via Digital Link
• Formats: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital/EX/Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS ES 6.1 Discrete and Matrix, DTS 96/24, DTS-HD HRA, DTS-HD MA, Auro-3D
• Video: 3 × HDMI 2.1 in (HDCP 2.3), 2 × HDMI 2.1 out; 8K30 4:4:4 10-bit, 8K60 4:2:0 10-bit, 4K120 4:4:4 10-bit; VRR, FVA, ALLM; HDR, Dolby Vision, HLG
• Other: RoomPerfect; built-in media player with AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Roon Ready and DLNA; 4RU rack or freestanding; 14.0 × 45.0 × 35.9 cm; 6.6 kg

Who it’s for

This is the right processor for a media room, a snug or a well-judged cinema that does not need sixteen channels of decoding, and for a music room where the built-in player earns its place. Be clear on how the range works before you buy: a Steinway Lyngdorf loudspeaker cannot be driven by an ordinary power amplifier. It needs a Steinway Lyngdorf processor and an A1 or A2 amplifier, connected over the Digital Link. Plan the processor, the amplifier channels and the speakers together, and the P100 becomes the sensible middle of a complete system.

Why buy from Hidden Home Technology

We would rather demonstrate this than describe it. Hidden Home Technology designs and installs high-end cinema and music systems from Bath, and as a CEDIA member we work to the industry’s standards for design and installation. We will work out the channel count, amplification and cable routes with you, install the system properly and calibrate RoomPerfect on site once the room is finished. Get in touch to book a demonstration and a conversation about the room you have in mind.