Dynaudio Contour 60
Posted by: eagle3333 on 17 July 2017
I just spent a few days demoing these speakers at home with a 252/250DR and thought my observations might be of use to anyone curious about them. I have no affiliations. I take pictures of things. The report is thanks to a recommendation from Mr. Halibut (thank you HH) who suggested I check out the 60's in my quest for the right speaker for me - my backstory being a tedious 2-year quest to solve issues of glare and harshness. The foregoing observations are all the product of this set-up, my ears, my room.
The Contour 60's showed no signs of glare whatsoever. Period. Great result for me. They presented a sound packed with delicate detail and texture throughout the range and not just in vocals, but those leading edges and female vocals suffer no harshness and are just beautifully rendered.
The 60's presentation is not in your face and up front. They are more laid back. They deliver the music a little further back from the speaker plane and so lack the in-your-face thrill factor, in that sense, possessed by 'hooligan' speakers with more slam. (I like hooligan slam too..) They generate their emotion and excitement through the wonderful detail (I haven't heard before) and reproduction that feels very close to the real thing; as opposed to using front-of-stage positioning to try to achieve a sense of reality. Voices are the most lifelike I've ever heard; I can hear delicate intonations in words and phrases which I haven't previously. Katie Melua almost reduced me to tears.
While the 60's don't really do too much exciting bass 'slap', they reproduce percussion as I understand it to sound in real life; you can hear the texture and changing tone of bass notes. Drums and bass can sit a little further back on the stage, which might lessen the excitement of a more forward presentation, but you gain a greater sense of depth and 3-dimensionality. I'm not saying there is little bass - it goes down to 28hz. It's just less cricket-bat-in-the-face and more 88mm shell detonation. But it's not loose and boomy; it's tight and controlled. My room is 12' x 24'. They are pretty well behaved, but I wouldn't want to put them in a smaller space. I have them 3' off the back wall, 9' apart and 18" off the sidewalls. I threw out all the acoustic panels save for those on the back wall. The 250DR seems to drives them well enough but I'd love to hear them with a 300.
Vast soundstage top to bottom, side to side, front to back and no sign of the speakers.
I'm conscious of more happening in the music than I have been. I imagine this is partly down to the extra detail; the appearance of subtleties; partly down to the shining vocals/midrange and partly, perhaps, because they're not distracting me with anything heavy handed in any one area - everything is in perfect, well-spaced balance. I could describe the 60's as polite and sensitive. They are. But they rock, too; just in a sophisticated way that isn't in your face. Aston Martin as opposed to Ford Focus RS. Being glare free in this company, they also stand listening-to for hours without fatigue. I found their presentation in these circumstances 'musical', utterly beguiling and addictive. As with everything, they won't suit everyone, but I'd recommend a try at home if you're looking to change. Especially if you suffer any degree of glare!
Philosophical footnote :
I've come to learn (the hard and expensive way) that what we seek is, ultimately, all about synergy. One great unit will sound awful in one context, wonderful in another. HH suggested Dynaudio and Naim are said to have synergy. In the case of the 252/250/Contour 60, they really do. Other things really don't. My journey has also made me take note of just how important are speakers. There's a lot of focus here, naturally, on black boxes and sources, wires etc etc. But I now appreciate the fundamental differences different speakers bring to music reproduction. Just because they're at the end of the chain doesn't mean they should be dealt with last. Some elements make only subtle differences; speakers completely redefine our sound. Whether it's for better or worse is down to that synergy - in each person's own context.
Glad you're pleased Eagle. Personally I've never really been taken by Dynaudio's but I heard the Contour 30's at the Acoustica hifi show earlier this year and struggled to tear myself away. They were on the end of a NDS/555, 252, 300, Superlumina set up. I would agree with most of your descriptions for the 30's as well, although they produced pretty thundering, beautifully controlled bass when required. They would definitely be on my future audition list, money permitting. I would assume the 60's give even more of the same qualities possessed by the 30's 
From what my dealer said of the 30's, yes, more of everything seems about right, MW I wish I could stretch to the 300 but just sorting out the speakers and bringing a 252/SC back into the fold will break the bank..
HH didn't recommend them per se - he recommended I try them Because, as I recall, he said others had said they were reputed to work well with Naim.
Yes, I agree with all you observe, especially re: the driver. I wonder whether it's got anything to do with it being soft dome material rather than metal.
If I hadn't listened to all the same tracks in the same room and set up on both sets of speakers, I wouldn't be calling the Dyn's more laid back. (N.B. 'more' and not 'laid back' per se. What I meant was they're more laid back than they are forward) But, parts of the music are reproduced in a more recessed fashion than is the case with my Sopras in this set up and room. It's a pretty controlled environment. However, this isn't necessarily a negative, for reasons I point out above.
Thank you, yes they certainly are; my decision is made and I wish I'd found them sooner.
yes, the drivers open up more, and it does sound better
Oh dear. I went back to the old thread. Sorry - it wasn't you HH. You actually recommended Ovators - much more likely. It was actually Badlands. I'm losing memory cells at an alarming rate these days.. Thank you, Badlands
(I'm assuming the reference to Dynavector was a deliberate illustration of just how foreign to you are Dynaudio!)
Yes, been a long time coming and many false dawns; but I do think this time we're there.
I know you're also against using wires to tune in/out an effect (in my case, glare.) Without wanting to get into that whole debate and for info' only, I did try some TQ Black Diamond on the Sopras. It produced a much-reduced-glare, silky smooth sound which I liked a lot. But I concluded that a bi-product was to nip a little bit off the top-end detail - in my context. Which put me off. Others won't find this and will love it; which is great. For me, I'm glad I persevered and arrived here.
NJB posted:No quarter posted:Great write up,I am also a Dynaudio user,I have XD 600's and excite 12's.This week I should be receiving my new special 40's,and I have also owned focus 160's and C1 mk11's.Analogmusic,your focus 260's are known to be more up front presentation compared to the Contour line,either way,ANY Dynaudio speaker sound fantastic to me,I have yet to hear the new Contours though.By the way,I also use the 272/250/XPSDR,with which,the Dyn's shine.
I have Focus 160s on the end of my 282/200 combination. I found them a step up from the Excite X12s and they are a beautifully balanced speaker. If I upgrade, then it will be to another Dynaudio model, I have great faith that they are producing quality products.
Yes the focus 160's are a great speaker,and definitely a step up from the excite 12's...I normally use my 12's as surround speakers for home theatre.The special 40's share the same basic cabinet as your 160's,but with the top of the line tweeter and best mid/woofer that they make(a new design).I will post my impressions a while after I receive them.I recently moved to an apartment from a house,so these should be perfect for my situation
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