Amplifiers/Processors

A calibrated microphone hooks in at the rear, and using the included stand you position the mic at the main earlevel sweet spot, pointing directly forwards. RoomPerfect uses test tones to measure each speaker/sub from here, before telling you to move the mic and measure again.

You keep taking measurements from random positions in the room, at various heights and with the mic pointing in different directions, until RoomPerfect has built up a room knowledge of, says Lyngdorf, at least 98%. This is how its approach differs from room correction systems from Trinnov, Dirac or Anthem, which tend to concentrate on measurements around the listening position. The idea is to create an acoustical picture of the entire environment, compensating for aberrations related to placement or the room, while retaining a speaker's characteristics. Less of a problem with my neutral MK S150s, but a benefit if you favour a warmer sound.

The calibration process produces Focused and Global settings: the first is optimised for the sweet spot, while the second is designed to ensure everyone enjoys a superior sonic experience.

Lyngdorf's approach doesn't go for the graphical representation favoured by other systems, but it does provide the opportunity to adjust the voicing. This is an equaliser filter that can amplify or attenuate certain frequencies according to personal preference, and you can save up to 32. You can also backup all your settings to an SD card in the rear, handy if you ever have to switch units.

While RoomPerfect is user-friendly, it's also quite time-consuming. It took me over two hours, but in fairness I was measuring for 13 speakers and two woofers. But it's worth putting the effort in, because the results are simply extraordinary.

Picking Out The Pebbles
The first port of call was my trusty Blu-ray of House of Flying Daggers, with its thrilling drum sequence. This found the MP-60 making light work of integrating my two subs, and rendering the 5.1 soundtrack with exceptional precision and detail. As each pebble hits a drum, bass is unbelievably tight and exquisitely timed. The steering is also remarkable, not only tracking each pebble, but the corresponding drum too, eliciting a nuanced thump wherever it is in the room.

When Andy Lau hurls his bowl of pebbles at all the drums simultaneously, the processor corrals the amplification at its disposal; there's an eruption of high-frequency effects, followed by a tsunami of drums. This is the best I have ever heard this sequence in my own room, and put a massive smile on my face.

You can toggle RoomPerfect between Focused, Global and Bypass. Doing so immediately reveals the impact the acoustic correction is having, creating a soundfield that's cohesive, detailed, accurate and perfectly balanced. You get the sense that everything is arriving in the right place at the right time.

If you want to make the most of all speakers with non-immersive soundtracks, you can choose between Dolby Surround, DTS Neural:X and Auro-3D Auromatic upmixers. These can be very effective, but at present Dolby and DTS require that their upmixing apply only to their specific soundtracks. This mandate should be relaxed when the DTS:X Pro update is released.

The single-take conceit of war drama 1917 (4K Blu-ray, US import) lends itself to a highly directional Dolby Atmos mix. The MP-60 steers its audio objects around in three-dimensional space like a home cinema conductor.

The performance is totally evocative. Our heroes venture into no-man's land, passing dead horses surrounded by buzzing flies; you can almost smell the rotting corpses. Two bi-planes fly overhead, both distinctly moving from rear to front in the Atmos canopy. A collapsing bunker envelopes you in effects, and as flares fall through the sky during a nighttime scene, the precision of the Lyngdorf's performance is preternatural.

Actually, the MP-60 is so good that I found myself re-watching old favourites. The DTS:X mix on Jurassic Park (UHD BD) is a triumph in sound design, and none more so than the T-Rex attack. The bass impact of the approaching dino locks in with the telltale ripples in the cup of water, while rain pours down from my cinema ceiling. The beast's ear-splitting roar slices through the soundfield, while cables snap and ping, and again the output of subwoofers and speakers is expertly intertwined, giving the creature enormous weight and scale.

Best In Show
The MP-60 is a seriously impressive high-end AV processor that looks as good as it sounds. It's certainly not 'affordable', but the best rarely is, and it delivers an exceptional performance with Atmos and DTS:X mixes. RoomPerfect produces an integrated, joined-up soundstage. The bass management is flawless, and you don't need a PhD to get the most out of it. After living with the Lyngdorf MP-60 for quite some time, I've come to the conclusion it's the best home cinema processor I've ever heard.

HCC Verdict

Lyngdorf MP-60

Price: £14,400
www.lyngdorf.com

We say: State-of-the-art room correction combines with a staggering multichannel and object-based performance, ensuring this remarkable processor lives up to its billing.

Overall: 5/5

Specification

DOLBY ATMOS: Yes
DTS:X: Yes
IMAX ENHANCED: No
MULTICHANNEL analogue INPUT: No
MULTICHANNEL PRE-OUT: 16-channel XLR MULTIROOM: Yes AV INPUTS: 7 x digital audio (4 x optical, 3 x coaxial); 1 x AES/EBU XLR
HDMI: Yes. 8 x 2.0b inputs; 2 x 2.0b outputs with eARC
VIDEO UPSCALING: Yes. 4K (3,840 x 2,160)
COMPONENT VIDEO: No
DIMENSIONS: 450(w) x 370(d) x 147(h)mm
WEIGHT: 9kg

FEATURES: RoomPerfect room correction; subwoofer level assistant; 32 x adjustable voicings; high/low pass and parametric filters with adjustable gain; calibrated microphone; mic stand; web interface; remote app (iOS and Android); vTuner; AirPlay; Spotify Connect; DLNA; HDBaseT output; RS232; 2 x IR inputs; 1 x IR output; 1 x trigger input; 4 x trigger outputs; Ethernet; 3 x USB; 1 x SD card slot (backup storage); optional 16-channel AES/EBU inputs and outputs