High End Munich 2024 begins later this week in Germany and we have some news to share from Danish manufacturer, Dynaudio, which has a rather interesting new mix of loudspeakers for the home, recording studio, and high end car audio segment. The eCoustics team will be covering the show this year for the first time and we will update this story with images from the floor.
Contour Legacy
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 1990s, while bringing everything up to date with its latest driver and acoustic technology.
It uses Dynaudio’s top-level 28mm Esotar 3 soft-dome tweeter (including the Hexis resonance-defeating inner dome); dual 18cm woofers derived from the classic Evidence range (which feature a number of range specific tweaks); plus a new crossover built from premium components.
The Contour Legacy is hand-made at Dynaudio’s headquarters in Skanderborg, Denmark. It’s finished in sustainable American Walnut, with each piece of veneer carefully chosen and matched for every individual speaker. The production-run is limited to 1,000 pairs worldwide; each comes with its own pair number for posterity.
Confidence 20A Active
The new Confidence 20A is an active version of Dynaudio’s flagship Confidence 20 standmount speaker. The speakers’ internal amplifiers are provided by Pascal, which also makes the amps in Dynaudio’s 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, settings are provided for room-boundary compensation filters, input sensitivity, tonal balance and more. Also get the purest possible signal path by turning sample-rate conversion off. Or flip it back on for the best compatibility with digital sources.
All added up, Dynaudio claims reference-level technology for uncompromising audiophile ears.
Contour 20 Black Edition
The newest member to the Contour family is Contour 20 Black Edition, 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 Dynaudio’s top-of-the-line 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.
The Bookshelf
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 Dynaudio’s top-tier Esotar 3 tweeter. Its mid/bass driver is the same as on the flagship Confidence 20 standmount speaker. Inside there’s what Dynaudio calls a “traditionally simple 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 labeled a limited-edition speaker, it will be rare and only a small quantity will hit the shelves every year.
Pro Audio
Venture into the special pro-audio area of Dynaudio’s room at the MOC to hear Core 5 and Core Sub Compact, the newest members of the Core professional studio range designed for smaller studio environments. The 7.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos rig will be playing – and available on request to listen to its full immersive glory.
Evidence Car Audio
Lastly, Dynaudio’s Evidence car audio sound system in the Yangwang U8 luxury electric off-roader will be on-site for audition outside Foyer 3. The EV SUV includes 22 speakers and an advanced user-interface, culminating in an in-vehicle listening experience that Dynaudio says simply feels good.
Pricing & Availability
All 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 seen at the show. Pricing should be revealed at the event. This article will be updated as we learn more.
See more of what’s new at HIGH END Munich 2024.
