DYNAUDIO Contour 20
Stand mount monitors
If Dynaudio decides to upgrade a product line there must be a reason - especially when the Contour line is discussed. The predecessor, the Dynaudio Contour 1.4 had been produced for 12 years and had become an affordable audiophile standard. The successor surprised me with different styling and different voicing.
Function and form
Some things seem to be eternal with Dynaudio. Once again the silk dome of Esotar2 tweeter and magnesium-silicat-polymer (MSP) midrange driver is used. The coil has shrunk and got longer, thus one of the visual trademarks of Dynaudio's drivers, the high diameter coil, disapeared. The former of the new voice coil is made of glass fiber. Dynaudio also employed variable thickness of the cone to optimize its pistonic behaviour and there is no dust cap - it has become a part of the cone. Both drivers are affixed to an aluminum sub-baffle that is fitted into the MDF cabinet.
The new looks are departure from the previous Contour line. Dynaudio offers walnut, rosewood, bubinga wood, white oak and black and white gloss.
Bass management
Despite their compact size the Dynaudio Contour 20s can pressurize even a big room. There was not the "physical" bass present - the one you would feel in your stomach - yet they delivered convincing bass fundament with great macro dynamics that were explosive. In the real room I could hear the bass down to around 40Hz. However, the speakers were placed far away from the room boundaries so in actual conditions at home the bass is supposed to get even lower, which is quite an achievement for a standmount monitor.
Clarity & delicacy
I did not expect anything but silky sophistication from the Esotar tweeter and I got it in spades. Inheritly the Dynaudio's dome has soft roll-off towards 20kHz which makes the sound comfortable. The Contour 20 may not be sufficiently 'extended' for your ears if you like the brilliance of beryllium or diamond tweeters, but the highs are open and resolved in a kind of relaxing way. The Contour 20 had quieter background comparing to the Contour 1.4 which helps microdynamics shine. I suspect that this loudspeaker's task is to test the market for the new Dynaudio's direction - let's wait how the innovated Confidence line will sound.
Tonal accuracy
The tonal accuracy of the Contour 20 made a big leap forward. The colours and timbres of acoustic instruments are harmonically rich and correct, the textures are believable. The Contour is neutrally voiced and does not try to impress by any lift on bass or highs; its performance is based on midrange that is resolved, perfectly locked and timed. With good recording the 20s sounded as a one-point source, similarly to KEF's UniQ concentric driver.
Spatial resolution
If properly placed in the room, the Contour 20s throw spacious soundstage with realistic depth. I remember how I was impressed by the Confidence 1's spatial accuracy and their disappearance in my room; the 20s are at least as good as that.
I was surprised how authoritative the Contour 20s sounded in the rather big room (>200m2). The equation of Dynaudio monitors = near field monitoring does not apply here. I listened to them from 5m distance at high loudness levels and I liked the sound.
Recommended resellers
Audiostudio s.r.o., Olomouc, tel. +420 608 752 475
Manufacturer's website: http://www.dynaudio.com
Associated components
- Sources: NAD M50.2 High-Res Audio Digital Music Player
- Amplifiers: NAD M12 digital preamplifier and DAC, NAD M22 monoblocks
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Chord
- Venue: A 'private' listening session at HEM2016 introduction
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