The Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition – First look
Don’t even ask.
They only come in black. And I’m guessing that’s a part of how Dynaudio can offer this much speaker for this price – they don’t have to build four color combinations. Utilizing the same Esotar 3 tweeter as the $13k/pair Confidence 20 that is a personal favorite and a personal reference here at TONE, the Contour 20 has a similar but unique (to this model) 7-inch woofer.
Playing material with limited bass extension, it might be tough to tell the two apart at first listen, but the more expensive Confidence 20 plays louder, deeper, and with more authority. Let’s suffice it to say that Dynaudio has given you as much of the Confidence 20 in a similarly styled (but lighter) cabinet as they can at this price. Dynaudio’s top qualities: ease and smoothness, while retaining a high level of resolution – combined with the ability to create an enormous soundstage are all intact here. Also worth noting, these speakers are designed and built in Denmark.
As with every Dynaudio monitor we’ve reviewed, we suggest adding their stands to the package. They are custom-fit to the speakers, easily filled with sand or your favorite media to increase mass (suggested), and they look great. Why dilute that Danish style with something else?
The Contour 20s have only been here for a few days, but playing 24/7 to get hours on the clock reveals a highly musical character that should be ideally suited to small to medium-sized rooms. Do you need a subwoofer? That depends on the size of your room, how much drive your amplifier has, and how loud you need to listen. Though the sensitivity spec (86dB/1-watt) might have you guessing these require big power – it’s all about quality. With excellent results, they have already been used with a few integrated amplifiers in the 30wpc to 80wpc range.
We’ll have a full review shortly, but the initial take is highly recommended.
$8,000/pair Stand 20 stands/ adapter plate $599/pair (optional)
