Ultimate Sound System

State-of-the-art is a hackneyed phrase but for once, it's appropriate. The Steinway & Sons Model D Music System, launched this month is the world's first integrated, fully digital music system, developed and manufactured by Steinway Lyngdorf. This innovative new Danish company is a collaboration between Steinway & Sons, maker of the world's finest pianos, and Peter Lyngdorf, Europe's pre-eminent audio manufacturer and it sets a new high for the audio industry. The Model D Music System is developed for the home as well as for the very top end commercial properties and it has swiftly become a must-have for the super-rich and their decorators. This is in a class of its own, a new, ultra-prestige category, the culmination of painstaking research and development in both electronics and acoustic performance of amplifiers and loudspeakers. The system incorporates an advanced version of Peter Lyngdorf's revolutionary RoomPerfect™ technology, which enables it to adapt to the acoustic characteristics of the listening environment. It gives unrivalled audio performance. At the time of installation, a Steinway Lyngdorf service specialist will utilize RoomPerfect™ to "voice" the Model D System for optimum audio performance. Precision-built and hand-assembled as a completely integrated music system, all components are selected and designed to complement each other perfectly. Each Model D Music System encompasses twin speakers, painstakingly crafted through more than 170 hours of precision machining. It takes approximately 7 weeks to assemble a single Model D Music System. The sleek design and glossy back finish offers the same distinctive Steinway & Sons piano lacquering and bespoke finishes are also available. Prices start about £75k but a great deal more for tailor made sound systems. You won't find the Model D in the high street. For more information visit the website www.steinwaylyngdorf.com Are you cool enough?

 
 
 
 

The Manor Clinic

One of the casualties of modern life is sanity. Depression and addiction are everywhere and far less glamorous than silly newspaper headlines suggest. Careers, relationships and health disintegrate. Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty are tragic losers, and celebrity rehab is not a walk in the park. Many high-fliers are nervous about clinics - and not just the fear of paparazzi at the gates. They're for the stars, not businessmen, after all. But how will treatment fit into the diary between board meetings and takeover bids? Many addicts put off seeking help because just when their needs are most urgent, admission is delayed by medical and legal processes that need to be in place. The Manor Clinic has come up with a sensible solution. Pre-Hab. You make arrangements to be admitted entirely at your own convenience, with all the permissions and assessments in place including S.A.S.S.I., a Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory, aimed at identifying individual problems. You can then be discreetly collected by chauffeur-driven Bentley from your home or office in your own time. A vast improvement on being collected, gibbering, from the police station. The Manor Clinic is a new healthcare group with an impressive track record among its senior consultants. They specialise in alcoholism and helping patients build a bridge back to normal life. Today's drinking culture is insidious: it's everywhere and the social norm. Each tailor made recovery plan will start with a seven-day assisted detox regime followed by one-to-one and group activities to deal with denial, shame, embarrassment, fear and the "poor me" syndrome. David Nott, the group director, and an immensely sympathetic man, has seen it all. He's seen every sort of person seeking help: CEOs, vicars, doctors, bricklayers and housewives. The normal programme at the Clinic is one month but Nott is so passionate about the treatment and helping people, he'll accept a patient for just two weeks if necessary. He has absolutely no time for "serial relapsers" insisting that high-profile addicts who yo-yo in and out of clinics are doing irreparable damage to their brains. Scary. One more good thing about the Manor is that it costs significantly less than London-based treatment centres. And you won't feel deprived. The centre in Hampshire is an18th century manor with a converted stable block and a comforting number of amenities like robes, slippers and toiletries and they serve decent food. It is a safe, residential environment with trained nursing and therapeutic staff on hand 24-hours a day. Mansbridge Road, Southampton, Hampshire, 02380 464721 www.themanorclinic.com