Auditioned these this weekend and I was truly floored. Imaging, Detail, Sounstaging, and a overall fullness are delivered by these speakers. Low end response was full, natural, and tight. The highs sounded different from most of what I have listened to. Very pleasing. Definately need a strong clean source. Recomended in my book.
Associated Equipment:

Bryston Amplifier
Balanced Audio Technology Pre
Meridian 508 CD
Cardas Speaker Wires and Interconnects
Target Stands

Creates the illusion of real musicians and instruments better than many (and more $$$) full range floor-standing products, and other monitor types I’ve heard and owned, imaging is overwhelming, sounds are never fatiguing, size and ease of placement are very user/house friendly. Couldn’t expect anything better for a speaker of it’s size and price.

none

Please remember, any audio component is only as good as the “system” that it has to live in. So here is where the Dynaudio 1.3SE’s live:

Plinius 8150 Integrated Amplifier(see Review AudioReview)
Dynaudio 1.3SE (Special Edition) Loudspeakers
Rotel 971 CD Player
Transparent Audio MusicWave Super Interconnects and Loudspeaker Cables
Sony DVD Player, Sony 32” TV
Target 24” speaker stands, sand filled – very dead and heavy.
Room Dimensions: 15w X 20l X 9h, wall to wall rug, 3 windows w/drapes, 2 couches, 2-door ways (one at each end of room), bookcase, wall hangings, etc.

It was time to address my “lack of pure listening enjoyment” that was occurring while listening to my current 2-channel system. (75% 2-channel, 25% Dvd playback). I knew I could get more out of my loudspeakers. I had done numerous upgrades over the past 10-14 years, but was not entirely pleased with my results. So I did my homework, and decided to upgrade the speaker section of the system. I have owned and auditioned many loudspeaker systems (owned over 20+ pairs) over the years. I read the reviews ( here and in the press ), talked to many different dealers, spoke with fellow music/audiophile friends, and knew my budget. However, after the dust settled – my wife and I couldn’t have been more shocked with the results we got from the company called Dynaudio.

I had been an avid B&W fan for many many years… but my brand loyalty was out the window the day I heard the Dynaudio Contour line. (It also helped that I couldn’t quite stomach the “bright-edginess” of the new Nautilus Tweeter no matter what equipment and cabling I tried) To be fair I will say that I had many countless hours of enjoyment from my B&W Matrix805’s and B&W Matrix 802sIII’s as well as my WilsonAudio Witt’s ( too big and heavy for my house and required too much breathing space ). So I got a new pair of Dyn’s 1.3SE’s, hooked-up, and broke them in for approx. one week of low, then medium play volumes.

The next following weekend my wife and I sat down to what we thought and hoped would be a “better than what we were use too” listening experience. Our expectations were high and I had hoped that my wife ( with very discriminating ears ) would not be quickly turned-off. She usually knows very quickly when auditioning loudspeakers whether they are “keepers” or not, and she hadn’t had the chance to audition the 1.3SE’s in the stores. So we set-up, played some music, a few favorite tracks, some jazz, pop, instrumental, vocal, and soundtracks – then we stopped.

We were totally dumb-struck. We were at a loss for words. But – we both knew instantly that the 1.3SE’s had hit the mark. What we experienced was : a clarity of sound, with such a natural presentation that we were absolutely stunned. What we heard and continue to hear daily is: “realism”. With the 1.3SE’s there is a sense that when an instrument plays – it actually sounds like the instrument; i.e. it doesn’t sound like a loudspeaker at that moment. This is a pretty difficult illusion to pull-off successfully. We also noticed that there were many more “musical layers” happening vertically and depth-wise within the recordings that we had not heard before. Bear in mind we have lived happily with these 1.3SE’s for almost 1 year and are constantly suprised with every new cd we try. ( In comparison to the Nautilus 805 which at first use had some very “exciting” behavior – but not for long term enjoyment. Our initial excitement with the N805 quickly diminished as we listened for longer periods of time and at louder volumes, needless to say we sold them off within a couple months… )

The 1.3SE’s have depth/height/and especially very wide imaging, a true soundstage well beyond the physical size of the box, a very quick articulate lower bass response – much lower than you could reasonably expect from such a small box, unbelievable high frequency reproduction, and I hate to sound cliché’ but: it actually does sound like a window has opened up at in our living room to the recording studio… and one of the best characteristics we both have heard without a doubt over and over, is the “texture” and “realism” of instruments and vocals. We have been “startled” many many times when something comes through the 1.3SE’s(and system) and sounds REAL, it’s kinda spooky. Additionally the speakers sound just as good at low to medium volumes, and are easy to drive.

In comparison to other Dynaudio Contour models and the Confidence 3 – here’s what we both thought.

Contour 1.8mkII – good for the $, the 1.8mkII didn’t image nearly as well as the 1.3SE’s, and the lower mid-bass of the 1.8mkII’s was not as clear or articulate as 1.3SE, and 1.8mkIItop end was not nearly as “magical”.

Contour 3.0 – possibly more bass than the 1.3SE but hard to really tell (not a night & day difference), 3.0 are more power hungry and would require more power and $$$ for additional amplifier watts, imaging was very nice, however physical size and placement would be too much for our living room – plus they are over $2k more in birds-eye-maple.

Confidence 3 – a lot of coin ($8,800 in the birds-eye-maple ), the drivers and technology in the 1.3SE’s are newer than the older Confidence design, which might give the 1.3SE’s (for the money) an advantage… but I don’t think these Confidence 3’s were fully broken-in when we auditioned them, so a comparison might not be fair. But what we did hear was a tad bit different than the 1.3SE’s. The 3’s have the tweeter under the 8” driver which sits above the tweeter – this had the effect of “lowering the height” of the vocal sound stage. Definitely a different experience that would need a little time to get use to. I had hoped to be blown-away with the Confidence 3 but with that particular system it just didn’t come across as being worth almost $9k.

In summary: the Quality of Sound from the 1.3SE is the most Natural and Realistic that we’ve had in our house, almost shocking at times. Don’t let the size fool you – bigger is not always better. These little buggers sound better than a lot of floor-standing exotics we’ve heard and owned. We have owned many a loud speaker(s) system, many of them more expensive and exotic – but we never listened for such long periods of time, and enjoyed listening to all kinds of music and recordings as we do now with the Dynaudio 1.3SE.

The Dynaudio 1.3Special Editions are highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Owned: WilsonAudio Witt, B&W Nautilus 805, B&W Matrix 802sIII, B&W Matrix 803, B&W Matrix 804, B&W Matrix 805, and a few others.

Absolutely everything. Best strength is that it has no weaknesses. Tight, fast, detailed, and with very dynamic presentation. Also extremely neutral in the best sense of the word. Voices sound like voices, if you know what I mean. Excellent for acoustic rock/blues with plenty of detail.

none what-so-ever!

I can only agree with the reviews below - or at least the ones that have given the 1.3 SE top scores for value and performance. This little gem is one of the best speakers I´ve ever heard - at any price! Yes. At any price. Pair it up with the very best in audio equipment - it will never be the weakest link. I´ve heard them with Krell KAS-100, and Wadia CD/preamp, ant the result was incredible.
The Contours are neutral in the very best sense of the word, with fantastic detail and incredible dynamic capabilities. Treble, midrange, bass - they are all so good as to be above comment. There are no faults, no weaknesses, nothing wrong anywhere. The very best aspect of these speakers is their resolution and "tightness" - nothing is left out, and nothing lags behind. Dynamic, detailed music is presented as good as I´ve ever heard from any speaker.

Listen to them seriously, even if you are prepared to spend 10.000$ or more! These speakers paired with a good Sub like Velodyne HGS-12 or Genesis Servo or a Rel ST-series will cleanly outperform most full-range speakers above 20K!
I´m serious. I´ll never leave them!

Similar Products Used:

Totem One, B&W 805, Morten Design Monk, some Sonus Faber models.

deep and tight bass for a small monitor speaker, uncolored

efficiency

A very well designed speaker which plays all kinds of music well . I have used it with a Densen DM/20/30 pre. power combination for over 1 year and the results were very satisfactory .I have decided to upgrade my amplifier to Accuphase e 307 and I am at this moment waiting for its delivery.Anyway it will be interesting to know how the two perform together .
In conclusion:
if you have at least 100 w per channel of clean good power and medium size room this is a very good value .

impulse response is awesome, fast, detailed, crisp yet very smooth and natural, excellent imaging, astonishing output for such a small box!

need a powerful amp, or they might sound bright

At this price, there is not a better speaker on the market today.
The treble is simply world-class - detailed, smooth, crisp and never any hard edges, unless your amp is too weak. They really sound their best with amps that can deliver some hundred watts or more, and with plenty current capability. With the right amp, there seems there is no limit to how loud these little beauties can play.
Midrange is state of the art! I have not even heard electrostatics like Martin Logans "the Quest" produce such a chrystal clear, tonally neutral and effortless midrange. Voices never take on any artifacts like resonances or coloration. They are neutral in the best sense of the word.
Bass is extremely tight, dry and lacks nothing in impulse response. The frequency response is good down to approximately 40-45 Hz.

These speakers have not really been heard until you hook them up to a good subwoofer. They might sound a bit "perfect but just a bit lifeless" on their own, but when you add an audiophile grade subwoofer, things start to really happen!!! That last octave and a half, down to 15 Hz or so (!) adds life and richness to the presentation, and it seems stereo dimensionality, imaging, smoothness, timbre, etc, only gets better.
I use a REL Stadium III subwoofer (approx $2500) which is one of few subs that can really match the Dynaudios´ in terms of impulse response - it makes them sound even faster! The result is that of a full range system without any of the weakneses usually found in large full range systems such as Infinity, JM-Lab, Von Schweikert etc. These are never quite as fast and accurate as the Dynaudio/REL combo!!!
Would I trade my combo for a pair of Wilson Audio Watt/Puppies? NO! ...

These speakers really deserve to be hooked up to only the best in hifi equipment. I think many who use them are not hearing what they are really capable of, because they use them with a weak amp or in an untreated room with interference problems. If you are not planning on spending at least $2.500 on a powerful amp, then you should probably pick a less demanding speaker. They have low sensitivity and will lay bare any weakness in the rest of the playback chain. My system costs about $15.000 all in all, and the speakers are definitely not the weakest link!

Equipment:
CD: CDFix, Swedish Audio Technology
AMP: Thule IA-250B
Cables: Harmonic Tech and Clou Cable
Room Treatment: Tubetraps from floor to ceiling in all corners, and wall panels on walls and in the ceiling at first and second reflection points
Sub: REL Stadium III

Similar Products Used:

B&W 805, Acoustic Energy, Marten Design Monk, Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mkI and mkII

Natural, fast, image, detail, depth, etc

Needs a fine amplifier and good cables to do its best. Breakin time.... 5 month or so?

System used:
Speakers: Dynaudio 1.3se
Amplifer: Quad99pre, 909pwr
CD player: Quad 99cd
Speakercable: 3m Clou Cable 610 Triol Royale, splitted ver
Interconnect: Quadlink
Dampingfeets for electronics: Solid Tech - Feet of silence
Voltage filter: Voltex

These Speakers are great if you listens to alot of kinds of music. They are pretty easy to place and does not demand a big listeningroom, but they take forever to break in (the quad electronics were tough ones too). They do sound fine fresh from the box, but the natural high-end sound didnt appear just like that. I had to play all days and even all nights on low volumes for some weeks before things started to happen. But its worth it. If I ever change these speakers it will be for a pair of Quad Esl989 in a larger room, but I really dont know. When playing rock music on these babies you get up and dance, thats it! Just imagine the Quads terrific way to handle drums on the dyns. You cant tell the difference from the real thing.

Compared to electrostatics they are not that natural but they are pretty close for being a dynamic speaker.

Compared to Carlsson 52.2, 1.3's are faster (yes they are) and they are far more detailed. If Carlsson sounds live, the 1.3se's sounds studio. The 1.3's are not as good as Carlsson's when playing blues and folkmusic, but the 1.3's handles pretty much everything else better.

The Audiopro A4.14z (with I used to have) and the B&W series didnt really catch my heart. With the B&Ws nautilus it might have been the amplifier or something else, because I know the Matrix series did sound good.

The Keilids are far behind, even with active filters and top Linn electronics.

Similar Products Used:

Linn Keilidh, Carlsson 52.2, Carlsson 50.2, Quad ESL63, Audiopro A4.14z, most B&W nautilus speakers.

Simply amazing speakers! I only listened to them for a short while, but they just sounded more real than any other speakers I have heard. How much of this was the amp, cd player, etc. I can't say for certain. I compared them to the Audience 70's and 80's, and NHT Super2's and 2.5's and was quite impressed. Their bass went VERY deep and was of extremely high quality(the highest of the 5 I listened to). They were very detailed but I did not find them at all bright or fatiguing. Imaging was excellent as well. Compared to the audience and NHT speakers, the bass was much tighter and the soundstage more spacious. The other speakers were set up in a different room with cheaper electronics though so I think they are worth another listen(5 speakers in one sitting is probably too many anyway).
I would like to provide some background information on myself to put this review in context. I have only just begun to listen to higher quality audio components in preparation for upgrading. So far I've listened to Pinnacle AC650's, Martin Logan SL3's, Proac minimonitors(not sure which model), Paradigm Atom's, and the above mentioned speakers. My current speakers are Polk S4 bookshelf's with a cheap Panasonic CD-carousel and a 7 year old Sherwood receiver. Since I do not have a lot of experience comparing systems thusfar, I was expecting/hoping not to be able to hear a huge difference between $1000 and $3000 speakers. This was certainly not the case and it has made me reevaluate whether I would like to gradually climb the audiophile price ladder or start directly with a high-end system that I won't upgrade for a long time. My music preference is classical and this is what I listened to them with. Very highly recommended!

I've owned a pair of 1.3SEs for about a month now, and they're world-class compact speakers by any definition. Since the drive units and crossover are all new, the SE is effectively a completely new design built into the 1.3Mk2 enclosure and deserves to be looked on as more than just a customised version of the excellent original.
As a long-standing enthusiast for the Dynaudio sound (I hankered after 2.8s for some time, but didn't have the space) the basic balance didn't come as a surprise. The smooth, refined and perfectly integrated mid and treble sit with a bass that's tight, solid and extremely well-extended given the modest size of the enclosure / main-driver. The speakers sounded deeply uninteresting out of the box, and it took two weeks of hard use before the treble opened up, the bass filled-out and their astonishing imaging and resolution began to lay bare any recording played through them.

The SEs require a high-class source, high-mass stands and lots of power; 80W is the recommended minimum for medium sized rooms, and it's no exaggeration. Whatever the partnering amplifier, it should have a robust peak current delivery, and my own 150 watt power amps are a fine match. Assuming that your system meets these requirements, the listening experience is genuinely remarkable. The SEs throw a huge soundstage, with breadth and depth extending to the boundaries of the listening room, and imaging is the best of any of the Contours I've heard (including the 3.3). The realism and naturalness of instrumental timbres and vocals is superb, cabinet resonance totally absent and other forms of colouration undetectable. All this is quickly taken for granted because it's so obviously...right. It's only when listening to the many less capable box loudspeakers in comparison that the latter's irritating balance anomolies and distortions become obvious.

Dynaudio haven't somehow come up with the perfect transducer, of course. The mid is very slightly more reticent than it should be (at least for my tastes), and there's no doubt that the SE prefers to be driven at `realistic' playback levels. It's also undeniably expensive for its size, and while the build and veneer-work is excellent, the restrained styling and modest dimensions won't shout the size of your investment to the world. However, the quality of engineering and performance more than justifies the price premium over the Mk2, and I expect the SEs to be my reference to all other loudspeakers for some years to come. An easy five stars.

Excellent imaging.

Need powerful clean amplification. Expensive.

These speakers are among the best shelf speakers available. They are detailed but not bright or fatiguing. Bass extension is very good for shelf speakers. The imaging is superb and the sound stage is very realistic. They are demanding of high quality associated components as they are very revealing of the shortcomings of the rest of the system. Especially important is the amplification, requiring a high quality amp. They need room to breathe and for optimal bass reproduction have to be placed at least 3 feet away from the wall. The cabinet quality is excellent, but also requires heavy stands. They are pretty expensive. For $3,500 you could buy a very good pair of floor standing speakers that may give you a fuller sound but I doubt that you will have better imaging at this price.

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio contour 1.3, B&W N805

dynamic,detailed uncolored sound.

this is a standmounter so obviously not fullrange.

system.
wadia 8 transport wadia 12 dac
linn sondek tt ittok lv2 dynavector 17d2
metaxas marquis mk3 pre-amp
metaxas solitaire 130wpc poweramp
rel stentor subwoofer.
duntech crown prince speakers.

i have a system here that im very happy with
however a local dealer who im on good terms with
had a pair of contour 1.3 special editions come in.
As my duntechs use dynaudio drivers {2-10 inch bass.
2 -5 inch scanspeak midrange and a dynaudio d28 tweeter}
i was qurious to hear speakers fully manufactured
by dynaudio.
siting them on 28 inch high concrete pillars left over
from my proac days i fired them up .
These speakers are fast and detailed without ever
sounding hard or harsh even when played loud .
in my fairly large room.{28 by 17 by 9 }
bass depth is astonishing for such a small speaker
imaging and bass detail are also first rate.
Ihave since auditioned the dynaudio craft ,
great top end poorly integrated with an overblown bass
and the contour 3.0,slightly deeper bass than the1.3se
but i believe the 1.3se to be better balanced overall
with a cleaner sounding midbass.
With the rel stentor results are stunning ,these speakers
deserve to be partnered with the best high end systems.
In fact anyone considering speakers at any price
range should audition these before parting with
big dollars.
Needless to say i bought the dyns and my
much loved duntechs are gathering dust !

Similar Products Used:

owned pro-ac studio3. tdl studio 1 m. sonus faber concerto.
duntech crown prince.linn isobarik etc etc auditioned at home proac response 2. acoustic energy 1&2 .dynaudio craft