DYNAUDIO Contour S1.4
Stand mount monitors
Microdetails and delicacies appear only after proper burn-in. This is quite an important aspect of the Dynaudio's initiation - without that you only hear a half of what they are capable of.
Function and form
Without doubt the subpanel, on which the tweeter and midbass drivers are mounted, is the most polarizing element of the S 1.4's design. Either you like it or not. The subpanel is an anti-diffractionally shaped steel plate that is affixed to the Dynaudio's cabinet via a damping layer. Dynaudio says that the subpanel also helps to dissipate the heat from the drivers. It is an unusual feature as the speaker virtually looks like it was upside down. On the other hand, to make your S1.4s more beautiful, Dynaudio offers to cover the cabinets with a veneer of your choice, no matter how exotic it would be (for extra fee, of course).
The tweeter is traditionally silk-domed with modified elements to improve linearity and parasitic oscillations. The midbass is also a real classic: 13cm polymer cone with an oversized coil (75mm) with neodymium magnet assembly.
Bass management
The bass of the S1.4 is carefully integrated into their sound. So carefully that you do not notice it is there. It is and one can hear that with recordings that offer more than usual low frequency rumbling. When the S1.4's bass is called to action it delivers plenty of punch, articulation and reasonable weight. If bass is dry, the Dynaudios sound dry, if it is juicy and round, then the sound is juicy and round. For example, the bass line in Give It Away (Red Hot Chilli Peppers, original release), which is a funky bass statement, was absolutely thrilling and threated to pluck the buttons of my shirt. The same track on the newer Rhino remaster missed it, however. The very same bass line lacked the punch and ended up less enticing. The Dynaudios let you know that.
Clarity & delicacy
The amount of details that the Contour S 1.4 throws at the listener is sometimes slightly over the edge. The speakers are transparent yet the silk dome tweeter is quite revealing and one needs to take care not to make the detail too prominent by using wrong speaker cables. I got great results with - unexpectedly - Nordost Valhalla/Audio Research. With Kimber Bi-Focal/Bryston combination all three components introduced slight tilt in high frequencies which, pooled, resulted into overly brilliant sound that was difficult to relax to. At least for my ears - your ears may have a different preference.
Tonal accuracy
The sensitivity of the Contour S1.4 is average 86dB. The watts are cheap today so it should not be an issue to pair them with any good amplifier. The company recommends minimum power of 30W for medium sized rooms and 80W for big rooms. With 2x50 watts you should be safe for most standard rooms.
Spatial resolution
The bass reflex port of the Dynaudios fires forwards so it is quite easy to integrated the monitors in room. I reccommend to use original Dynaudio stands as they provide safe mounting for the rather unstable monitors. As with most speakers the farther the S1.4s were from room boundaries the cleaner and more 3D sound I was getting.
Recommended resellers
Audiostudio s.r.o., Olomouc, tel. +420 608 752 475
Manufacturer's website: http://www.dynaudio.com
Associated components
- Sources: Ayre cx-7e, Marantz S-11S2
- Amplifiers: Audio Research SP17 and SD135
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Nordost Valhalla
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