How much difference between Dynaudio C1 & Contour 1.3SE?

I never heard the the 1.3's but did own the C1 and later the C1sig's for about a total of 5 yrs and will say as you move up the Dyn lineup you will hear more layers of resolution. The Esotar2 tweeter is very detailed yet non fatiguing. 

Don’t forget to consider the new Contour 20s or 30s in that price range; they use the Esotar2 tweeter as well

Hi
xti is right.

how much I love the 1.3se, the C1 is much better.
soundstage, mids and bass is like the c1 is 3 times bigger speaker.
you get more detail and texture.
Tweeter is a little soft, i recommand to find the mk2 version if you listen
low levels.
Also not to difficult to drive, but they provide more potential,
and bigger amps gives you even more control.

But i understand why 1.3se is, i tnink, one of the most wanted ;).

Simaudio moon p5 / p5.3 / 350p.

i used my 1.3se and  c1 with 350p and 330A: excellent music, build to last.

I wouldn't say the C1 is more polite but more resolving. As far as the S25 it was a specialty speaker and with a more forward/lively sound. C2 is still a 2 way and really a pair of C1's in a larger cabinet with the DCC

C1 design is more modern and made to create that big soundstage.
Also, unless you have a 2 times larger than average living, C1 will
give you plenty bass.
But you will not keep the C1 for it's bass qualities only.

faust168
The S25 is a specialty speaker. It will be a punchier/livelier sound. IMO the C1 is a more refined sound. To me the S25 - Sapphire and Consequence UE sound killer for about the first 1/2 hr. After that I personally start to get fatigued. Some will say the C1 is too laid back but I could listen to mine for days on end. Just depends what your preferences are. The driver for the C1 was derived from the Evidence Temptation and the S25 came from the Evidence Master. So the S25 is a larger driver. Personally I think the C1 is a more evenly balanced sound. Two very different presentations yet retaining that Dyn house sound. 

That said the original C1 had 1 drawback IMO. The sound only gets better as you turn up the volume. So when the MKII/Sig was announced I bought a pair of Sig's without hearing them (I really wanted the Mocca cabinet). To my surprise they didn't need to be turned up as much to sound their best. Platinums hold that same trait.

I haven't heard the new Contour's but the way some folks have described it may be more like a blend of both the S25 and the C1 sound. Do you have a local Dyn dealer? I would highly recommend demoing the C1 Platinum vs the Contour20. Heck bring your 1.3's to get a better feel for the differences.

Xti: Tks. for your detail explanation. According to the dicsussion in the audio board here in Taipei, some regards that S25 has more tendency toward audio performance and the 1.3SE has more music smell.  That is the description from the discussion here. I will try to find chance to hear the C1, but the new one is quite expensive here. Even the 2nd hand C1, it costs about US$4,000 and the C1 signature costs US$6000 here in Taipei. They are imported from U.S.A. by the audio trade merchandizer not the distributor. The distributor price is beyond reached.  

FWIW The C1 and MKII had a 5 yr warranty where the Signatures had a 10 yr warranty. Not sure about the Platinums. I would also say the Dyn stands should be used. The Stand2/4 posts screwed directly into the bottom of the speaker (top plate wasn't used). So if a previous owner had either stand2 or 4 you will see rings on the bottom of the speaker where the post touches the bottom. The Stand6 has an adapter plate the speaker mounts to.

Again the difference in sound quality between the original C1 and the MKII/Sig/platinum is very hard to hear tonally it's with the later versions sound better at lower listening levels.

The S25 Fatigued' what amp were you running . My S25,s our being powered by the Accuphase A65 and they are far from sounding fatigued.
Of course their our many other factors that create that fatigued sound, source, cables, ac power, room acoustics or lack of. you don't see as many S 25s for sale as you do the C1,s for example in fact the last time I saw a pair of S25s for sale on AG was at least 4 months ago.

yes I'm a S25 fan.

At my dealer and he was running Sim Audio separates - Octave and Burmester with Nordost Valhalla cables. I thought the same with the Sapphires and Consequence UE.  For me the mids and highs were just too forward compared to the C1's and Contours. S25's like Sapphires were limited production. The S25's even had a second run. The thing about Dyns is they had both forward and laid back sound sounding speakers yet they all retain the 'Dyn House' sound. Everyone has their own tastes and expectations when it comes to what they prefer. I've read where some folks thought even the Sapphires were too laid back. Had a friend who had C2's and he thought they were too laid back and traded them for Sapphires.  About a year and a half later he traded those for C4 Signatures.

Audio appreciation spend lots of money............

I would not run the Nordost Valhalla speaker cables on S25,s , they have a reputation for being thin and fatigue sounding over time. The S25 s need a more organic cable like Purist, WireWorld, Crystal Cable, Crystal Clear. Sim Audio while certainly good I would stick with high powered SS Class A amps or high powered tubes.

The S25,s our special but they need a little more attention to equipment and speaker placement to shine , yes they our punchy and lively but with the right stuff they can sound quite nice.