Floorstanding loudspeakers — Dynaudio Contour 60i

The Contour 60i is the only three-way model in the Contour i series from Dynaudio of Denmark, which also contains the Contour 30i tower, the Contour 20i standmount and the Contour 25Ci centre speaker. The Contour name dates back to 1986, and the i generation brought a set of engineering revisions across the line in 2020. In the United States the 60i sells for USD 12,000 per pair. Dynaudio lists Nordic Silver, Walnut Wood and Black High Gloss finishes.

Key specs that matter

This passive three-way tower carries a 28 mm Esotar 2i soft-dome tweeter, a dedicated 15 cm MSP midrange and two 23 cm MSP woofers. Crossover slopes are second order, with the midrange passing the upper band to the tweeter at 4,500 Hz. Rated response is 28 Hz to 23 kHz within 3 dB, sensitivity is 88 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, Dynaudio rates the load at 4 ohm and gives 390 W as the long-term IEC handling figure. The bare cabinet measures 255 x 1,330 x 420 mm, and with feet and grille the footprint grows to 343 x 1,359 x 454 mm. Each speaker weighs 50 kg.

Engineering and use context

The Esotar 2i tweeter gains the Hexis inner dome, a shaped insert behind the diaphragm that breaks up resonances, together with a larger rear chamber that Dynaudio says lowers distortion and flattens the response. A neodymium magnet drives the aluminium coil of the midrange unit. For the 60i the woofers received bigger magnet systems, a revised voice coil design and glass-fibre voice coil formers, and copper was chosen for the coils over aluminium because its greater weight adds moving mass. In the i revision the lower crossover point of the 60i was raised to improve midrange behaviour, and the crossovers across the series were simplified because the revised drivers already measure flatter. Internal damping takes lessons from the Evoke and Confidence projects. The multi-layer cabinet has curved sides and a black aluminium front baffle, and the bass reflex system vents through twin ports at the rear. One pair of binding posts is fitted.

Pairing

A low impedance rating and high power handling suggest solid-state amplification able to supply current into a low load, even though the good sensitivity means moderate levels need little power. Because both ports open on the back panel, leaving a gap between each tower and the rear wall is advisable.

Alternatives

The Dynaudio Contour 30i is the smaller 2.5-way floorstanding model in the same Contour i series, using two 18 cm drivers.