CES 2017

CES 2017 was the occasion for the North American debut of Dynaudio's Contour series of loudspeakers. There are four models in this range, all manufactured at Dynaudio's newly expanded R&D and manufacturing facility in Skanderborg, Denmark. According to Dynaudio's Michael Manousselis, the new Contour models utilize a new Finite Element Method-optimized woofer construction, and have completely redesigned midrange and bass drivers, with the tweeter representing a further development of the famed Esotar2 soft dome. The model being demonstrated was the Contour 60 ($10,000/pair), the flagship of the range. The system included an Octave preamplifier and monoblock power amps, with a Moon by Simaudio DAC. Manousselis played an audiophile favorite, Jazz at the Pawnshop—as a Scandinavian recording, it seemed a very fitting choice to play on Scandinavian speakers—and I was particularly struck by the Contour 60's delicate but revealing rendering of the treble.