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Dynaudio Contour s1.4 LE


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Has anyone heard the Dynaudio Contour s1.4 LE speakers yet?

I don't have any shops nearby where I can audition a s1.4, neither the old one, nor the newer LE one.

 

I have heard the Dynaudio Focus 160 and Confidence C1 Signature, so it would be great if someone could compare against those.

 

I liked the 160, apart from a slight edge on the treble one a few songs, but on most songs this didn't happen. This is slightly under budget, but I'd have bought it if it wasn't so ugly.

The C1 didn't have the issue at all, and is breathtaking in the mid range and treble, and digs deep in the bass, kicking hard. It's too expensive though.

I love the look of the new s1.4 LE, so if it has what the 160 has without the treble spikes it would be great.

 

I listen to almost all kinds of music, so it's important to me to have an all rounder.

 

If someone hasn't heard the C1 or 160, maybe they could compare against one of the ones below:

 

Speakers that sounded good on my amplifier (the one I'll likely run these on):

Dynaudio Confidence C1 Signature

Vienna Acoustics Bach Grand SE

Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand SE

Linn Majik Isobarik

ATC SCM 11

ATC SCM 19

PMC Twenty.23

Jamo D830

Spendor SA1

B&W PM1

 

Speakers that sounded OK on my amplifier:

PMC Twenty.24

Dynaudio Focus 160

Dali Rubicon 2

AudioPhysic Classic 20

Spendor A5

Spendor D7

B&W CM9

B&W CM10

Sonus Faber Toy Tower

 

Speakers that sounded bad on my amplifier:

Proac Response D18

Linn Majik 140

PMC Twenty.22

Naim Ovator S400

Sonus Faber Cremona

Spendor SP3/1R2

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I have a fixed budget (based on retail price) to avoid getting an unbalanced system where one part is held back by everything else.

So I don't ever upgrade to a different price point, I just buy different gear at the same price. (plus inflation)

 

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Yeah I understand but this is roughly the same as retail of the contours. I know the contour Le and id be choosing the c1s especially if you know they already sound great in your system.

I'd be buying these c1s myself if they didn't have the silver surrounds. I much prefer the newer colour matched c1s

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I meant my budget is based on retail price, so I'd consider the C1 as $13000, even though this pair is $5500.

If I don't stick to this, I'm more likely to have an unbalanced system, and feel the need to upgrade my amp. (which is not nearly in the same league as the c1)

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Yeah I understood. But if you know already that they sound good on your system as is and better than cheaper speakers I say why not?

I'll leave you alone now to your own decisions with your money haha. Sorry if I we have been intrusive.

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Not a problem :) I know they sound good, but I also know they'll sound better with a lot of $13k amps, and I'll want to upgrade the weak link.

My solution to not falling into that trap is to have a budget and not having weak links. (at least not major weak links)

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Yep it's a good idea.
The LE's are very surprising. In the right room the bass is very punchy and solid. They have the dynaudio sound and don't really do anything wrong. I liked them and would happily own them myself.
I'd probably say I like them more than the pmc 23 and I'd have a hard time between them and the VA Mozart Grand SE
Definitely in another league from focus 160

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Guest rogerthat

I have not heard the LE version but have the heard the original s1.4 vs the C1. In my view they have a very different presentation. Here is a similar discussion from the past:

 

I prefer the ATCs you have (curved?) to the s1.4s that I heard. The tweeter on the C1 might be one of the reasons people are trying to push that C1 in the classifieds on you. It's just sublime. Amplification for the C1s does not necessarily need to be 10k+. You just have to be careful with matching if you want the best out of it. I saw a Simaudio Moon i3.3 from the classifieds recently that went for $1500. A perfect match for the C1.

 

 

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Guest rogerthat

This combo of yours must be sublime. Can't imagine you would be adding much with a set of dyns.

 

Naim ND5 XS

Naim Nait XS2

ATC SCM 19

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3 minutes ago, rogerthat said:

I have not heard the LE version but have the heard the original s1.4 vs the C1. In my view they have a very different presentation. Here is a similar discussion from the past:

 

I prefer the ATCs you have (curved?) to the s1.4s that I heard. The tweeter on the C1 might be one of the reasons people are trying to push that C1 in the classifieds on you. It's just sublime. Amplification for the C1s does not necessarily need to be 10k+. You just have to be careful with matching if you want the best out of it. I saw a Simaudio Moon i3.3 from the classifieds recently that went for $1500. A perfect match for the C1.

 

 

Thanks, yes I have the curved SCM 19, they have a very revealing mid range with tons of detail, but their treble isn't perfect. It's good though. The bass is good too, but doesn't go nearly as deep as my 23s.

The C1 tweeter is superb, but the LE is supposed to have better treble than the 160 because of a better coating on the tweeter as well as better crossover.

 

Back in 2009 the 3.3 went for 2700 GBP, not sure how much in AUS$ when it was last sold.

I'm guessing the newer version is the 340, which goes for around $6500. I doubt it would sound as good as something in the same price as the C1, but I can't say without hearing for myself. :) 

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2 minutes ago, rogerthat said:

This combo of yours must be sublime. Can't imagine you would be adding much with a set of dyns.

 

Naim ND5 XS

Naim Nait XS2

ATC SCM 19

They are good, but in some ways the 23s are better.

I like to swap out and compare, so it's not to replace the 19s.

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Guest rogerthat

Actually, if you went for the c1, I don't think the preamp/amp or integrated is really the biggest issue. As long as it has the drive and you like the flavour, it will suit. It is still a standmount so does not need big big $$$ spend on all the watts you need for floorstanding/ multiple driver dyns like the c4. I think the biggest issue is DAC and source. It was for me anyway. Finding the right DAC and source good enough to make that tweeter sing took me a while. 

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2 minutes ago, rogerthat said:

Actually, if you went for the c1, I don't think the preamp/amp or integrated is really the biggest issue. As long as it has the drive and you like the flavour, it will suit. It is still a standmount so does not need big big $$$ spend on all the watts you need for floorstanding/ multiple driver dyns like the c4. I think the biggest issue is DAC and source. It was for me anyway. Finding the right DAC and source good enough to make that tweeter sing took me a while. 

I don't know, I have found at least with the speakers like the ATC SCM 19 or Jamo D830, there's a massive gain from a $2k amp to a $4k one with the same power.

You might not need the power, but you'll likely to gain transparency and a better tonal balance.

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Guest rogerthat

Yes I agree with you there but there are some pretty poor $2K amps in my opinion. There are not many poor $6-8k amps. 

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3 minutes ago, rogerthat said:

Yes I agree with you there but there are some pretty poor $2K amps in my opinion. There are not many poor $6-8k amps. 

Yes. I still expect to find the same gains when moving from $6k to $13k though. :)

I haven't listened to many components (or speakers) at that price, so can't comment as well as on the ones in my own budget.

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Guest rogerthat
1 minute ago, audio_file said:

Yes. I still expect to find the same gains when moving from $6k to $13k though. :)

I haven't listened to many components (or speakers) at that price, so can't comment as well as on the ones in my own budget.

Unfortunately you won't find similar gains. The law of diminishing returns is in full swing by then.

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6 minutes ago, rogerthat said:

Unfortunately you won't find similar gains. The law of diminishing returns is in full swing by then.

Really?

I'm surprised, because I can hear an immense difference between the Naim NAP 200 and Naim NAP 300 ($4400 vs $16000). And that's not even considering a pre amp of the same value on them.

I have also heard a massive difference between my Cyrus Pre2 DAC + Stereo 200 and the Cyrus DAC XP Signature + 2x X300 Signatures ($5100 vs $15500).

I thought the diminishing returns would only start to become obvious somewhere higher than that.

I realise these two examples are of a larger difference than $6k and $13k, but I'll be surprised if I can't hear a difference.

The other aspect to keep in mind is that you won't notice the difference in amplifier if the speaker isn't revealing enough.

Also if diminishing returns applies here, it should be the same for the C1 compared to the s1.4 LE, shouldn't it?

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What's your budget? I can't figured it out after reading through the entire thread. 5.5k? 

 

The Contour has a better overall coherence sound compared with Focus range. While the Confident just takes it to another level. Incremental improvement on drivers, crossover and cabinetry as you go up the Dyns food chain. Thats my personal experience anyway. You ears is already telling you the C1 is the way forward. :love

 

There will always be better amp, better source, better in everything else. You might as well quit SNA while  you're at it....:D

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Contour s1.4LE is now discontinued. Have you tried the new Contour 20? 

 

Dynaudio use a slightly different tweeter in their upper models (Esotar 2) which is excellent .  I believe the new Contours have this tweeter.

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19 minutes ago, Tony B said:

Contour s1.4LE is now discontinued. Have you tried the new Contour 20? 

 

Dynaudio use a slightly different tweeter in their upper models (Esotar 2) which is excellent .  I believe the new Contours have this tweeter.

Yes, but those are above my budget. I currently have a chance to get a set of LE models.

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Guest rogerthat
1 hour ago, audio_file said:

Really?

I'm surprised, because I can hear an immense difference between the Naim NAP 200 and Naim NAP 300 ($4400 vs $16000). And that's not even considering a pre amp of the same value on them.

I have also heard a massive difference between my Cyrus Pre2 DAC + Stereo 200 and the Cyrus DAC XP Signature + 2x X300 Signatures ($5100 vs $15500).

I thought the diminishing returns would only start to become obvious somewhere higher than that.

I realise these two examples are of a larger difference than $6k and $13k, but I'll be surprised if I can't hear a difference.

The other aspect to keep in mind is that you won't notice the difference in amplifier if the speaker isn't revealing enough.

Also if diminishing returns applies here, it should be the same for the C1 compared to the s1.4 LE, shouldn't it?

 

I understand what you are saying.

 

All I am saying is that if you found an adequately powered integrated from Luxman, Accuphase, Hegel, Simaudio, Plinius, Leema or even the beautiful Marantz PM11 (just to name a few), no one is going to tell you that that amp is the bottleneck in your system (with any dyn standmount).

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