I have had a pair of Dynaudio Focus 140's for a year and a half. The upgrade bug is nibbling. I am thinking of going to the Contour s1.4. Has anyone compared the two? From looking at Dyn's website it seems that they both have an Esotec tweeter. Are they the same or is Esotec a name for a group of drivers with different characteristics depending which speaker they are used in?
Esotec is the model of the driver. It's not a range. So it's the same driver as is in the s1.4. Personally, i appreciate what the Contour does well and there are aspects of it I wish the FOCUS140 had. Overall, I find the s1.4 has too much bass. If you decide to go for the upgrade ensure you can try it at home - it's a much bigger sounding speaker than the 140.
Frank, Thanks for your response. What aspects do the s1.4 have that are lacking in the 140? I am currently using a REL Strata III with my 140's. It sounds like the sub would not be needed with the s1.4's. Your comments are appreciated. Bill
Frank what is the minimum m2 size room for the S 1.4?
Is the bass response of the Contour S 1.4 similar to Focus 140? Focus 140 have a lot of bass but imho is less punchy in rock music that the Dyn 52 SE, 140 deliver plenty of low bas but the mid-bass slightly lacks impact. What about the basse response of the S 1.4?
The amplifier that I used to test 52 SE and Focus 140 was Krell 400xi.
Hi, Frank. I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but the s1.4 and Focus 140 do have a different tweeter version.
I found this information from Mick at Dynaudio a few months back:
"FYi, all dynaudio tweeters below the Esotar's are called Esotec and have been for quite some time(Decades), what you may not know is that our home speakers use versions of the Esotec tweeters that are usually a generation or two AHEAD of the pro versions. The BM series and Dynaudio Acoustics in general are ceratinly the best pro speakers available period and the amps that are built in are awesome class A/B amps but compared to something like the Focus 140 and an integrated or separates from someone like Bryston or Sim, etc. the pro products won't bring you the same level of enjoyment. The tweeters in the 52SE and 72SE are a step above what is in the Audience but a step below what is in the Focus and all of them fall below the Contour, Confidence and Evidence."
Directly for my situation, Al at Dynaudio stated, "Audience 72 uses a similar tweeter as the Audience 82...based on the D260 Esotec." The Audience 52 and 62 have a different tweeter version. The 122c have the same modified D260 Esotec as the 72 and 82.
Hope that helps. Of course auditioning is still key.
Well, I made the jump from my Focus 140's to the Contour s1.4. The difference is wonderful to my ears- tighter and more controlled bass, greater detail, a broader and inviting soundstage.