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Lyngdorf Audio introduced the passive SB-75 stereo soundbar at ISE 2026, targeting true hi‑fi stereo performance without bulky floorstanding speakers.
Unlike powered soundbars, SB-75 uses a fully passive architecture, letting owners choose amplifiers while optimizing efficiency and high sound pressure levels.
Ultra‑slim, rigid enclosure is acoustically tuned for wall mounting or placement behind acoustically transparent cinema screens.
What sets the SB‑75 apart is not the form factor itself, but the acoustic philosophy behind it. Lyngdorf’s wall‑bound tuning approach—borrowed from the FR series—treats the wall as an extension of the baffle rather than an acoustic problem to be damped away. This changes how the speaker loads the room, shifting the design priorities toward controlled directivity and predictable boundary gain. The sealed alignment favors transient accuracy and linear group delay over brute-force extension, implying that the SB‑75 is meant to integrate cleanly with external low‑frequency systems rather than simulate subwoofer output through DSP tricks. In practice, this suggests a soundbar that behaves more like a pair of compact on‑wall monitors than a lifestyle AV accessory.
The passive architecture also opens up interesting system‑matching discussions. Without onboard amplification or DSP correction, the SB‑75 relies on electrical damping and current delivery from the chosen amplifier to control its multiple parallel low‑frequency drivers. This places real importance on amplifier stability into complex loads—an angle often ignored with active soundbars. From a purist perspective, this is a deliberate trade‑off: fewer internal compromises, but greater responsibility on system design. It also means crossover implementation remains entirely analog, avoiding latency and processing artifacts that can creep into digitally managed bars, especially in stereo listening.
Visually understated, the SB‑75 leans into architectural integration rather than visual statement, yet the availability of custom dimensions hints at its intended role in high‑end cinema installations where symmetry and screen alignment matter as much as tonal balance. Compared to mainstream soundbars chasing virtual surround algorithms, Lyngdorf’s approach reads almost contrarian—prioritizing phase coherence, mechanical rigidity, and predictable acoustic behavior. For listeners who value stereo image stability and timbral consistency over feature lists, the SB‑75 positions itself closer to traditional loudspeaker design than to the soundbar category it nominally occupies.
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