Contour 20 from Dynaudio
It’s sweet-toned Esotar2 soft-dome tweeter has been a legend in its own right for years. It’s commonly regarded as one of the world’s best-ever drivers – and because of this position, Dynaudio felt it just had to give it another outing.
The extended-excursion 18cm woofer, though, is brand new. It’s powered by a lightweight aluminium voice-coil and a vented dual-ferrite magnet system.
It’s made from MSP – a material developed by Dynaudio, and have been using since 1985. MSP gives exactly the right combination of stiffness and damping – which you’ll hear as exactly the right combination of power, finesse, and control. Just what a Contour speaker should have. But, they’ve taken it further and varied the diaphragm’s thickness across its surface, which gives even greater control over its sound.
Making a Contour without its signature baffle would be all-near impossible. But, there’s always room for improvement. The new baffle is made from a solid piece of aluminium and set into the cabinet. Its chamfer is included in the driver’s basket – which not only looks great, but also reduces unwanted high-frequency diffraction effects for clearer treble, and provides a solid foundation for the drivers to do their work. A solid foundation means improved high-volume performance at low frequencies.
And although Dynaudio might have changed the cabinet’s shape, the new design tips a respectful nod to older Contours. Look at it from the top; you’ll see the old baffle design in its shape. But, it isn’t just for show – the new shape marries those aesthetics with cutting-edge acoustic physics. Its multilayered construction is extremely well-damped, which means the Contour’s sound goes exactly where it’s supposed to: forwards.
They have also redesigned the internal wiring and crossover. You won’t see what we’ve done, but you’ll hear the effect: amazingly clear sound, even off to the sides of the speaker