Anyone hear the new Dynaudio Contour S1.4?

Hi Jay,

I'm not too sure about the new Contour range myself. They're beautifully made, as you'd expect. The 1.4's have a very big sound with much more bass than you'd credit for the size. They're easier to drive than the 1.3's were too. So there are lots of good things about the 1.4s, but I have my reservations about the sound. Where the 1.3's were clean and solid and fast, the 1.4s sound a little too much like a ported speaker to me. Don't get me wrong, they are still well worth a listen since they have much better resolution and drive than the 1.3s, but the presentation has changed significantly such that they are somewhat overblown in my view. That said, we have major problems in our main demo room in terms of bass resonance so it could just be that they set the room off. Listen, but carefully.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Thanks Frank-

Your imprssions make me rather cautious. Any speaker that sounds like a ported speaker does not do well in my room because of the room's concrete and cinderblock construction. If you remember a few years back, I had terrible problems with the 1.8's. The 1.3's work VERY well in my room with placement well away from the walls. They are also one of the few speakers that work well when placed close together and no toe in.

Is there anything in the Dynaudio range that will be an improvement over the 1.3's without making the trade-offs you describe?


Thanks,


Jay

Jay,

Is there something the 1.3's are not doing that you'd like improved? I ask because if they 'do it for you' then I don't see the point of changing. The 1.4's are typical Dynaudio in terms of placement so they like to be square and close together. They are very capable speakers indeed but I advise caution and a home demo.

The thing is, if you have a pair of speakers which works well in your room, it makes more sense to fix the rest of the system than to mess with them. The speaker/room interaction is one that you can only get right through trial and error (as you found out) so once you've found a combination which works, you're better off looking elsewhere in the chain until the electronics chain is so far beyond the capabilities of the speakers that you have to find the next best combination.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Frank-

Sounds like wise advice. I was attracted to the increased transparancy of the 1.3SE's. I did not audition them against the 1.3 mk II's though and wonder how they stack up "bass wise"?

Since 1994, I lived with four different speakers that all performed sub optimally in my room. Either they created too much bass resonance (Contour 1.8 mk II) or needed to be placed further apart then my room could handle, given short wall placement (Thiel 1.5,Thiel 1.6, Sonus Faber Signums) , so I am cautious.

There is lots that I can do outside of speaker changes. I just changed from an LP12/Lingo/Linto,Arkiv A to a Rgea P9,DV17DII/DVP75 w/o regret. I have just changed my IC's to Cardas Golden Reference (I am using Ayre electronics who recommend Cardas) and will be changing speaker cable. Maybe I should focus on how everything settles in before getting new speakers?


Thanks so much!



Jay

Jay

certainly sounds like things should be allowed to settle for a few months before you go making any changes. The 1.3SE was a bit like a 1.3 on steroids in all the good ways - a fabulous speaker in many ways.

However, it is the blend of strengths and weaknesses that make your current speakers such a successful match with your room. If you consider the change, do it carefully - especially given the notoriously fickle nature of your room.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.