Dynaudio Contour s1.4 LE

[audio_file]

Just to clarify: I'm not looking to buy speakers to fill a gap or to replace something else.

I consider getting a specific component/speaker every now and then if it ticks most if not all of the boxes.

Right now that speaker is the Dynaudio S1.4 LE.

It's these or nothing at this stage.

[ChupaChups]

The Contour 20 does have the esotar tweeter, new mid-bass driver, new crossover and cabinet. I have heard the bigger brother 30 driven by musical fidelity amp. According to the dealer he reckons is sounds better than C1. Is livelier and goes even deeper than C1.

[Guest rogerthat]

Is this the one? The price is pretty good, and they look awesome.

 

http://www.deniswhite.com.au/dynaudio-contour-s-1.4-high-gloss-black.html

[ChupaChups]

If these are still available, is worth a listen,

 

 

[Bunno77]

9 minutes ago, rogerthat said:

Is this the one? The price is pretty good, and they look awesome.

 

http://www.deniswhite.com.au/dynaudio-contour-s-1.4-high-gloss-black.html

They look great in that colour

[audio_file]

1 hour ago, rogerthat said:

Is this the one? The price is pretty good, and they look awesome.

 

http://www.deniswhite.com.au/dynaudio-contour-s-1.4-high-gloss-black.html

That's the one.

[audio_file]

58 minutes ago, Sirmorebeer said:

If these are still available, is worth a listen,

 

 

I have high regard for those speakers, but I don't like the aluminium on the driver frames, especially on cherry wood.

If they were black frames on cherry, it would look ten times better.

[audio_file]

1 hour ago, rogerthat said:

 

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).

The others aren't the problem, I am.

It's me who would want to upgrade the amp.

Edited April 19, 2017 by audio_file

[Guest rogerthat]

Here is a blogger review where the c1 Platinum and s1.4LE are compared directly:

 

"I also had the opportunity to listen to the older MK II and the new Contour 1.4 LE, which is around half the price of the C1 Platinum. The Contour actually gives you more: it goes deeper, so you get more bass impact, and the treble is a little more exuberant. But everything just seems a little less controlled. However if you like a more exciting sonic tone, the Contour may suit better, and give you more of the edge of your seat kind of tone. If HT is your game, or you have rather warm and smooth amps, this speaker may give you a little more treble shine. However after the initial impression, I found the C1 sound more easy to live with. The bass is more controlled, and the treble more forgiving, with better definition at all frequencies."

 

http://peteswrite.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/dynaudio-confidence-c1-platinum-review.html

 

 

[audio_file]

11 hours ago, rogerthat said:

Here is a blogger review where the c1 Platinum and s1.4LE are compared directly:

 

"I also had the opportunity to listen to the older MK II and the new Contour 1.4 LE, which is around half the price of the C1 Platinum. The Contour actually gives you more: it goes deeper, so you get more bass impact, and the treble is a little more exuberant. But everything just seems a little less controlled. However if you like a more exciting sonic tone, the Contour may suit better, and give you more of the edge of your seat kind of tone. If HT is your game, or you have rather warm and smooth amps, this speaker may give you a little more treble shine. However after the initial impression, I found the C1 sound more easy to live with. The bass is more controlled, and the treble more forgiving, with better definition at all frequencies."

 

http://peteswrite.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/dynaudio-confidence-c1-platinum-review.html

 

 

Hmm, I like the comment about the bass, but not the one about the treble. I quite like the smooth refined treble of the C1, and was hoping the s1.4 LE would be smooth as well, just not as controlled.

I've read that the old s1.4 was very smooth, almost dark compared to the C1. I'm surprised this one is perceived so differently.

 

There seems to be conflicting views about this speaker, I've read about both forward/exciting treble as well as smooth/laid back.

I might have to take a chance..

[Guest rogerthat]

Maybe @twwen2 can provide some insight?

[Tony B]

Hmm, I like the comment about the bass, but not the one about the treble. I quite like the smooth refined treble of the C1, and was hoping the s1.4 LE would be smooth as well, just not as controlled.
I've read that the old s1.4 was very smooth, almost dark compared to the C1. I'm surprised this one is perceived so differently.
 
There seems to be conflicting views about this speaker, I've read about both forward/exciting treble as well as smooth/laid back.
I might have to take a chance..

The old 1.4 is very laid back compared to most other Dyn models.

I feel the C1's are a tad treble shy although they do everything well across all frequencies and are completely balanced.

I personally would take a used pair of C1's over the 1.4LE.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[audio_file]

11 minutes ago, Tony B said:

I feel the C1's are a tad treble shy

To me the C1's treble is just right, but I'd be happy with a slightly softer treble too. Any more and it might annoy me and start overpowering the mid range.

[audio_file]

I'll probably have my Dynaudio Contour S1.4 LE set up for a good listening session by Saturday, but they might not sound great right away, we'll see.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

I remember my ATC SCM 19 were very bright and had no bass when brand new, but the woofer loosened up and now they have a decent kick to them. The treble calmed down a lot and is actually quite warm on my Cyrus amp.

 

I don't know if the same will happen to the Dyns, but time will tell.

[Bunno77]

All the dyns I have setup have taken a very long time to break in.

Sent from my JAZZ using Tapatalk

[audio_file]

8 minutes ago, bunno77 said:

All the dyns I have setup have taken a very long time to break in.

What changed to the sound?

[Tony B]

9 hours ago, audio_file said:

I'll probably have my Dynaudio Contour S1.4 LE set up for a good listening session by Saturday, but they might not sound great right away, we'll see.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

I remember my ATC SCM 19 were very bright and had no bass when brand new, but the woofer loosened up and now they have a decent kick to them. The treble calmed down a lot and is actually quite warm on my Cyrus amp.

 

I don't know if the same will happen to the Dyns, but time will tell.

Nice one!

We will expect a full run down with pictures.

[Bunno77]

8 hours ago, audio_file said:

What changed to the sound?

At first they are a little lacking in bass and a bit harsh in the highs. After time they free up everything smoothes out and become more coherent.

Not terrible at first but they definitely get better.

The easiest way I tested this was with DM2/6 and Emit 10 on A/B from Cambridge CXA80. They are basically the same speaker but it took a while for the M10 to catch up.

Experienced it with the Evidence Platinums too

[Class A Audio]

@audio_file

where is your location? We have full range Dynaudio here , including 1.4LE

[Al.M]

On 19/04/2017 at 5:08 PM, 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?

 

These kind of comparisons do give indications of price points vs performance gains, but IMO not always correct. The difference in equipment can simply result in perceived gains for various other reasons such as equipment matching, room acoustics etc. I can produce these kinds of differences or gains by going sideways, up and down and price performance and as well as using different typologies of gear like SS amp to tube by simply applying better or different equipment matching, not necessary through only throwing money around to achieve gains. At the low hifi end and going to mid and upper there is much difference but when a certain level of good hifi is achieved it can often be a matter of sideways and slight gains mostly but not always.

Edited April 22, 2017 by Al.M

[twwen2]

On 19/04/2017 at 5:54 PM, audio_file said:

Likely my Naim Nait XS2

 

I use a Nait 5si with my Confidence C1 II's and it's great. Your XS2 won't hold them back at all - it'd be a fantastic pairing. 

[audio_file]

22 hours ago, Class A Audio said:

@audio_file

where is your location? We have full range Dynaudio here , including 1.4LE

South Sydney, so not around you.

[audio_file]

6 hours ago, Al.M said:

 

These kind of comparisons do give indications of price points vs performance gains, but IMO not always correct. The difference in equipment can simply result in perceived gains for various other reasons such as equipment matching, room acoustics etc. I can produce these kinds of differences or gains by going sideways, up and down and price performance and as well as using different typologies of gear like SS amp to tube by simply applying better or different equipment matching, not necessary through only throwing money around to achieve gains. At the low hifi end and going to mid and upper there is much difference but when a certain level of good hifi is achieved it can often be a matter of sideways and slight gains mostly but not always.

It's not a perfect solution, but it's the best solution I could come up with to try to limit weak links in my system.

I agree a good match between $5k components can sound better than badly put together $10k components, as it becomes more than the sum of its parts.

Even components from different price points can make a good system and sound good together.

However, it is likely that you are able to form a better system from similarly priced components as one from different price points of the same total value, as it is likely the cheap one is the weak link.

There are exceptions, but other than listening to every combination out there, my solution gets pretty close.

 

[audio_file]

3 hours ago, twwen2 said:

 

I use a Nait 5si with my Confidence C1 II's and it's great. Your XS2 won't hold them back at all - it'd be a fantastic pairing. 

Glad you like it. I have heard the Contour S1.4 LE on my XS2 now, and it's not a big difference between it and the C1.

I'm convinced the C1 is a much better speaker though, so although it sounds good, I bet there are more pricey amps that would bring out more of its magic.

[audio_file]

On 21/04/2017 at 7:27 PM, Tony B said:

Nice one!

We will expect a full run down with pictures.

I'll take some pictures soon.

I listened quite a bit today and experimented with positioning too.

My listening was split between two systems:

Naim CD5 XS + Naim Flatcap XS + Naim Nait XS2 + Achtung silver DIN + Naim Nac A5 + Isotek EVO3 Sequel.

Linn Genki + Cyrus Pre2 DAC + Cyrus Stereo 200 + Chord Chameleon VEE3 + Ecosse NuDiva + Van den Hul CS-122 + Chord Power Chord.

 

At first the treble was a tad harsh, but this was slight, not something major annoying like on brand new ATCs or PMCs.

They had little bass on my XS2, but surprisingly had more bass on my Stereo 200. This is surprising because all my other speakers are more bassey on the XS2.

It only took an hour or so to get past most of the issue, and the treble got softer and the bass filled out a bit.

The tonal balance on the Cyrus system is spot on. The bass is strong, but doesn't bleed into the mid range, nor is it strong enough to overpower it. It has good timing too.

The treble sounds refined on this system, similar to how the C1 sounds on my XS2. The 1.4's treble is less refined on my XS2 though and is slightly spikey still. This is a tiny amount though, less than both my PMCs and ATCs.

The spikiness was not noticeable anymore after towing the speakers in so they point almost right at me, so it might just be a positioning issue. Although I haven't tried this position on the Cyrus yet, so not sure how that will sound.

I'd say the only speakers I've tried that beat these with treble refinement on my XS2 are the Vienna Acoustics Grand SE range, the C1, and the Linn Majik Isobariks.

By the end of the day the treble sounded good, only slightly lively on the XS2, and very even on the Stereo 200.

In the end they gained bass on the XS2 as well, and now they sound bassey on both amps, but not any more than the C1 was on my XS2.

The mid range detail and resolution was lacking in the beginning, but it got better as well. The mid range detail is close to my PMC 23s now, but still a bit behind my ATCs.

The sound stage is quite big, bigger than my ATCs, but still smaller than my PMCs.

It's definitely a relaxing listen, especially on the Cyrus, as I fell asleep during the one session.