Contour 1.3

"If Stradivarius was alive today, his name would probably be Strådivårisen."

For more than three centuries, experts have been trying to discover the secret behind some rather good sounding small boxes from Cremona, Italy. Over the last few decades, some small wooden boxes from Skanderborg, Denmark, have turned out to be just as puzzling! That's according to Børge Jensen, a Dynaudio engineer for eight years.

Yes, a great loudspeaker can be small. For the Contour 1.3, the successor of the legendary Contour 1, the classic small high-end speaker, let’s start with the drive units. Having optimized them for a mere 16 years, we think they define a new, true state of the art.

The tweeter combines elements of our unsurpassed Esotar T-330D with features from our new Esotec D-260 for a combination of power and musicality which is new in this class. With a Ferrofluid-damped resonance and an aluminum voice coil, which we would like to call light as a feather, except it weighs even less. This results in unlimited dynamics and a linear frequency response, free from peaks and dips, even above 20 kHz.

The further improved bass driver sets new standards especially for the reproduction of low frequencies. It features an oversized voice coil that assures perfect control of even the most minute membrane displacement. With a flat, linear group delay membrane geometry, our famous magnesium polymer membrane material with exactly defined damping characteristics, and a vented center magnet system. Thanks to a frequency-dependent active surface, it offers a very homogenous off-axis response and extreme dynamic capabilities.

The Contour 1.3’s enclosure has been further stiffened at the resonance nodes. Computer-calculated reinforcements allow for a completely uncolored reproduction of the all-important midrange. The final result is an even-tempered musicality in all frequency ranges and with all kinds of music. Even if the signal source is less than perfect, the Contour 1.3 can be run with medium power (and price) amplifiers. This justifies the not quite so low price of this exceptional compact speaker, as does its sound quality, which far surpasses what you’d expect in this class and from a speaker this size.

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