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Dynaudio Contour 1.1 or Dynaudio Focus 160

I have been working on my room per member suggestions. Some room treatments and sound anchor speaker stands and am pretty happy. In fact a friend heard my equipment and bought my Dynaudio x32's that were too big for my room. I like the x12's that I still have but have an opportunity for a pretty good deal on some Contour 1.1's (probably 10 years old but sound great) or a new pair of the Focus 160's. Have not heard the Focus but he said both would be an upgrade of my x12's. My room is 9 x 12 with 8 foot ceiling. I don't listen very loud but like the clear Dynaudio sound. He also carries Harbeth but they seem really expensive to me. Using Primaluna separates (40 watts per channel), marantz 6005 CD player and Oracle Alexandria turntable. I like acoustic music, some rock and jazz. My room is pictured in my profile now. Thanks.
128x128dylanfan
17 responses Add your response
dylanfan's avatar
dylanfan OP
139 posts
 
I figured out the rake. Thanks. Need to play with them more I guess. Never thought about tilting them up or down..
dylanfan's avatar
dylanfan OP
139 posts
 
Thanks Lowrider57. I understand toe in but what is rake??
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
Can't compare them to the older Contour 1.1, but they sound very natural and fluid. Playing with toe-in and rake is recommended.
dylanfan's avatar
dylanfan OP
139 posts
 
Well I bought the Contour 1.1's and got to hear them at home. They sounded great. I also tried some Cardas micro twin speaker wire with them and they sound very natural. Fooled around with placement and 3 feet from my back wall and they sounded like live music. The bass want not overwhelming either. Acoustic music sounded really good too. Saxophone was great. Actually a little bass shy with no subwoofer so now I am wondering if I could use these in my other room and try the Focus 160's in my room. Back to the original question. Will the Focus 160 be as natural sounding as the contour 1.1 but improve in any area besides bass. I can get a killer deal on the Focus 160's if I am interested. Would I just be buying the same speaker with a little more bass or does everything improve over the older Contour 1.1?
dylanfan's avatar
dylanfan OP
139 posts
 
Will do.
egoben
56 posts
 
Congrats, I'm sure they are great speakers. Remember to tell us how it turned out!
dylanfan's avatar
dylanfan OP
139 posts
 
I ended up buying the Dynaudio Contour 1.1's. They sounded so smooth. They have a smaller driver and the older tweeter. They aren't as bright as my x12's but have a much more even sound from top to bottom. I haven't got them home yet but am excited to hear them. I was worried that he bass might be too much after the comments.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
Dylanfan, Egoben raises a good point; getting the bass tight. I doubt you will need bass traps, but probably a couple of panels for low to mid frequency absorption placed on the wall behind you.
egoben
56 posts
 
Dylanfan, you wrote that the x32 where too big for your room. Was that because of the size or the sound? The Focus 160 goes much deeper than expected in my opinion, but my room creates booming sound if the speaker goes down to 50 Hz or below. If you don't have any issues with that kind of thing it might work fine in your room. It is a great speaker. I've heard it in a much bigger room than mine with powerful tube amp (Audio Research) and it was fantastic, but not in my room which was a bit sad for me. I had to sell and get something smaller. The Harbeth P3ESR doesn't have any issues with booming sound but they shouldn't have since it only goes down to 75 Hz or something (for many people that's not enough). Just wanted to clarify a little.
dylanfan's avatar
dylanfan OP
139 posts
 
Thanks Lowrider57. My x12's sound good but not as smooth as the 1.1 I heard. Just worried the 160 might have too much bass but the driver is so small I can't see how that would be the case.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
The Focus 160s will provide a surprising amount of bass in your 9 x 12 room. In addition to having the smooth highs and mids of the Focus line.
dylanfan's avatar
dylanfan OP
139 posts
 
Thanks Egoben for your help. I like the x12's I have but to me they have very little bass. I figured the 160's would give me a more balanced sound. The Contour 1.1 sounded great. Not quite so trebly more natural so I was hoping the 160's might do the same since they are apparently very similar in the line albeit updated. He decided he did not want to sell the contour's so they might be out of the picture.
egoben
56 posts
 
For me the Focus 160 where too big in my 16 sqm room, a bit boomy, the sound is lovely but I really don't like when the bass takes over. But all rooms are different. If you get a really good deal you can of course buy and try and sell if you dont't like them.

The Harbeths a completely different in sound, soft treble on both yes, but the Dynaudio's goes a lot deeper! But are not as punchy and "fun" and "real" in the midrange. I like both but they are different!

I like my Harbeths and I listen to jazz, rock and Dylan! :-) I have Harbeth 30.1 too, they are more similar to Dynaudios than the small P3's. What I've of the Dynaudio X Series they don't go as deep as Focus but might be more punchy in bass, smaller in sound... Writing on phone, sorry... Can't explain better now. Good luck!
dylanfan's avatar
dylanfan OP
139 posts
 
Not going to be able to try the 160's before I buy them. They are on close out. Getting a pretty good deal if I want them.
dylanfan's avatar
dylanfan OP
139 posts
 
Hard for me to believe the Focus 160 would be too big for my room. They are just a little bigger than my x12's. I just thought they would do everything a little better. I noticed you have the Harbeth P3ESR speakers. I have not heard them yet but they seem so small.
Are they better for my room?
egoben
56 posts
 
I used to own Focus 160, they are great speakers but in my opinion they require a big room and very powerful amplifier, at least 100 watts. The sound stage is huge and the bass is deep, you should try them at home before buying I think.
dylanfan's avatar
dylanfan OP
139 posts
 
No opinions? The Contour's are used and the Focus are brand but recently discontinued and getting low on stock. Is one far superior to the other?
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