We’re going to give an exclusive first-look at four brand-new products during this year’s High-End show in Munich – as well as showing off some exciting developments in our immersive and automotive line-ups.
If you’re going to be at the show, come to see us at K3, Foyer 4. You’ll be able to have a nice sit down and listen to Contour Legacy and Confidence 20A, plus get a closer hands-on look at the tech that powers our speakers. See you in Munich!
The Heritage Collection gets bigger
First up is a new member of the Heritage Collection. Contour Legacy is a beautiful floor-standing 2.5-way speaker that echoes the look of 2020’s best-selling Heritage Special. It tips a nod to the original Contour speakers from the 1980s and 90s, while bringing everything up to date with our latest driver know-how and acoustic technology.
It uses our top-level 28mm Esotar 3 soft-dome tweeter (including the Hexis resonance-defeating inner dome); dual 18cm woofers derived from the classic Evidence range (tweaked and souped-up to an even more amazing level); plus a beautifully elegant crossover packed with select premium components.
Contour Legacy is hand-made at our headquarters in Skanderborg, Denmark. It’s finished in sustainable American Walnut, with each piece of veneer carefully chosen and matched for every individual speaker (when you see them, you’ll realise just how well-spent that time was). The production-run is limited to 1000 pairs worldwide; each comes with its own pair number for posterity.
Confidence goes active
The new Confidence 20A is an active version of our flagship Confidence 20 standmount speaker. If you’re a listener, all you need to do is plug in your pre-amp (or use a source with a volume control) and you’re good to go.
Confidence 20A is designed to be discreet – with the amplifier hidden inside the stand, and the settings-controls on the back. Analogue and digital connectivity is via XLR. It's a super-sleek way to get to the apex of the Dynaudio listening experience.
The speakers’ amplifiers are provided by Pascal, which also makes the amps in our Core professional reference speakers – giving Confidence 20A a solid line right back to the source in the studio. On the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) side, you can configure room-boundary compensation filters, input sensitivity, tonal balance and more.
And since Confidence 20A’s technology has been taken directly from those pro speakers, it means you can get the purest possible digital signal path (something that’s crucial in high-end studios). It’s also possible to turn sample-rate conversion off for that straight-through path, or on for the best compatibility with digital sources.
All added up, it’s reference-level technology for uncompromising audiophile ears.
Contour 20: the new black
Our long-standing – nay, legendary – Contour family has a new member. Contour 20 Black Edition is a super-premium version of the award-winning Contour 20i.
Its tweeter has been upgraded from the already-stellar Esotar 2i to a full-on Esotar 3, also found in the Heritage Collection and our top-of-the-tree Confidence range. It has improved motor and spider designs, and its crossover has been given a full makeover. Everything from resistors and capacitors to internal cabling and even wire coils has been given a boost.
Contour 20 Black Edition will be available in a mirror-like Black High Gloss finish, which nicely complements the black anodised baffle and the new black powder-coated tweeter front-plate and mid/bass-driver basket.
Cross-continental collaboration
And now for something completely different. The Bookshelf is a joint project between Dynaudio, Keiji Ashizawa Design of Tokyo and Karimoku of Japan.
The collaboration explores the aesthetic relationship Denmark has with Japan (you might know it as ‘Japandi’ design, from ‘Japan’ + ‘Scandi’). Both countries share traditions in soft minimalism, respect for honest materials and care when it comes to hand-crafted pieces.
The cabinet is made from Japanese oak that’s been sourced sustainably from the beautiful Hokkaido prefecture in the north of the country. The wood is dried and prepared for between three and six months at Karimoku’s facility near Nagoya, before being carefully cut, constructed and finished at the company’s factory in Gifu. The design is tactile and organic (just try to resist running your fingers along the bevelled ridge surrounding the top and sides), and the optional stand has been created to make the whole ensemble sit right at home in a high-end minimalist living-room.
Up-top, The Bookshelf has our top-tier Esotar 3 tweeter, and the mid/bass driver is the same as you’ll see on the flagship Confidence 20 standmount speaker. Inside the cabinet you’ll see a beautiful, traditionally simple Dynaudio crossover. It’s all been tested and tuned at Dynaudio HQ in Denmark – including being put through its paces in the world-class Jupiter measuring facility deep in the heart of Dynaudio Labs.
While The Bookshelf isn’t a limited-edition speaker, it will be rare and exclusive: we and Karimoku expect only a small quantity to hit the shelves every year.
New hi-fi products: availability and price
All four new products on display at the High-End show are preview models that will be launched for sale later in 2024, and might not be exactly the same in spec as you’ll see at the show. There will be information on prices in Munich.
Everything you need to hear
Venture into the special pro-audio area of our room at the MOC, and you’ll see (and hear) Core 5 and Core Sub Compact, the newest members of our Core professional studio range. The 7.1.4-channel Dolby ATMOS rig will be playing – and available on request for you to sit and listen to in all its full immersive glory.
Immersive audio is more important than ever in the professional world, with streaming services publishing ever-increasing amounts of content – both for multi-channel rigs and stereo set-ups. Studios, though, are only getting smaller. Core 5 and Core Sub Compact are made specifically for these hyper-focused environments.
King of the road
Hi-fi isn’t just about listening-rooms and easy-chairs; a large proportion of listening is done on the move. That’s why we’ll also be showing off our Evidence sound-system in the Yangwang U8 luxury electric off-roader. Its 22 speakers and advanced user-interface place the focus firmly on authenticity and sound that simply feels good: reproducing nothing but what was recorded in the studio, as simply as possible. You’ll be able to sit in the car and hear the system outside Foyer 3 at the show.
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