Dynaudio Contour Legacy Speaker Review
Dynaudio was founded in 1977. It is now the largest Danish manufacturer of loudspeakers and drivers. Following the success of its Heritage Special bookshelf speaker, the brand now presents the Contour Legacy, a new model with a revival spirit. Offered at around $13,000 a pair, it is part of a luxury craftsmanship approach.
Indeed, it is handmade, in a limited edition, at the Dynaudio workshops in Skanderborg. But this is not a flashy luxury product. On the contrary, the Contour Legacy is a modestly sized 2.5-way floorstanding speaker, a concentrate of high-end technologies and expertise that hides its true nature.
by Pierre Stemmelin
The Dynaudio Contour Legacy is a reissue of the Contour 1.8. That model was marketed in the early 1990s and was one of the Danish manufacturer’s best-sellers of the last century. Its price back then was just under 20,000 French francs per pair, which is equivalent to a little over $5,500 in today’s terms (in constant euro/franc). The Dynaudio Contour Legacy is a very reasonably sized floorstanding Hi-Fi speaker, able to fit into most interiors.
Its appearance is extremely close to that of the original Contour 1.8. Its cabinet, with parallel sides and square edges, is dressed in a beautiful American walnut veneer. It rests on a heavy cast iron base that ensures very good stability and can accommodate the supplied coupling spikes. Its baffle and front edges are highlighted by discreet chamfers. The look is therefore traditional and old-school, but, as we will see, the technologies inside are top-tier.
Exceptional electrodynamic drivers
In the 1990s, Dynaudio drivers were already known to be among the best and most efficient, thanks to their exclusive design not found elsewhere. The drivers of the Contour Legacy are their latest generation versions and maintain their distinctive character.
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The woofer of the Dynaudio Contour Legacy and its mid-bass driver are identical 18 cm models. They feature an MSP cone in polypropylene loaded with magnesium and silicate, as well as a robust metal chassis molded under pressure. Their specific feature lies in their motor design. The voice coil, which is very wide—about 7.5 cm in diameter—moves not in the center of the magnet, but around its outside. Moreover, the magnet is neodymium rather than simple ferrite, providing a large central ventilation chamber. This particular design allows for a stronger and more precise control compared to a conventionally built woofer.
Mounted on a large metal support, the tweeter is an Esotar 3 model with a 28 mm impregnated silk dome. It has an extremely powerful neodymium magnet and a complex rear damping system to avoid unwanted resonances and diffractions.
An old-school cabinet built with strict craftsmanship and a crossover using high-end audiophile components
The cabinet of the Dynaudio Contour Legacy is made of 19 mm thick MDF panels. You can see that they have a higher density and hardness. To prevent warping over time, each panel is covered with a wood veneer on both faces, inside and out.
A very thorough job of damping and reinforcement has also been done. Three horizontal braced panels are present, as well as small additional panels of about 8 mm thick particle board. The whole is completed by various inner foam and synthetic wool linings. The enclosure is bass-reflex tuned by two very long and wide rear-firing tubular ports, one at the top and one at the bottom. Foam plugs, to be used if the speaker is placed close to a wall, come with the Dynaudio Contour Legacy.
The crossover uses Mundorf and Duelund Coherant Audio capacitors as well as generously sized inductors. Note that all components of the speaker are bolted onto metal inserts.
Listening impression: who’s the boss?
In practice, the Dynaudio Contour Legacy speakers are not showy or aggressive. But it does not take long to realize that these are rather uncommon Hi-Fi floorstanders. Their sound is particularly square, precise, and rigorous. With them, it is best to have a good source, with excellent definition, and a solid amp, or else they will let you know. It’s not that their efficiency is too limited or their character too surgical, but rather that they do not over-interpret.
When driven properly, the Dynaudio Contour Legacy can go very deep in the low frequencies for their size, while also providing a very fine extension in the upper spectrum. Above all, they do this in an extremely clean way, with excellent power handling. That is one of their huge strengths. You can turn the volume very high, and the sound remains perfectly in place, never getting harsh in the highs, with no shouty midrange or booming bass. Distortion, resonances, and colorations are kept at very low levels. No matter the volume, the reproduction always stays calm, controlled, and analytical without being too sharp. It doesn’t feel like you’re overloading your ears, but rather that everything remains under control.
Sometimes this may give the feeling of wanting a bit more excitement, but one can only salute the very professional approach of the Contour Legacy. They have the qualities of excellent monitoring speakers, letting you hear everything for hours without listening fatigue. We appreciate the density, control, and depth of their bass, their midrange that is more matte than bright, and their treble of great finesse and precision. Tonal balance is subjectively slightly on the lower side, yet with excellent linearity. The stereophonic image is of the same ilk, right in the middle, neither narrow nor overly expansive. Whether at low or high volume, it remains perfectly framed and focused, without artificial projection forward or to the sides. __
Specifications
1) Type: 2.5-way floorstanding speaker
2) Drivers: 18 cm MSP woofer and mid-bass drivers, 28 mm Esotar 3 textile dome tweeter
3) Enclosure tuning: bass-reflex via two rear tubular ports
4) Sensitivity: 90 dB/2.83 V
5) IEC power handling: 300 watts
6) Nominal impedance: 4 ohms
7) Frequency response: 42 Hz to 29 kHz
8) Dimensions and weight: 208 x 995 x 352 mm / 32.5 kg
9) Finish: American walnut veneer
10) Manufacturing: Denmark
Verdict
The crossover components are generously rated. Note that all parts of the speaker are fixed using metal inserts.
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