I got my Dynaudio C2 confidence speakers which I had previously purchased last year finally repaired with 4 brand new (and … quite expensive) Esotar 2 tweeters, and now back at home
They are running in, but they do sound good, and most importantly, convey the music much better than my previous Focus 260
There is no comparison with the F260 at all, these are in a different league… will report more later.
Are they the original C2s, the Signature or the Platinum revisions?
I’ve had my C2 Platinum now for seven years, and have no desire for change (unless I get a pair of C4 Platinum).
Original C2
Playing them continuously… soundstage and clarity improved with running in
Those Esotar2 take a very long to run in, 300-400 hrs. As they run in some days they’ve sound fantastic and some days they sound harsh. Then all of a sudden they will be dialed in and perfect. I’ve been down that road with them twice.
I’m sure you spent quite a chunk of money to replace all four. When I bought a pair for my previous Contour S3.4 about 10 years ago just the one pair retailed for about $1800.
yes it was quite expensive I prefer not to remind myself how much it cost (it is one thing that esotar 2 are expensive, but then there are 4 of them !) … still running in, it will take a while to reach 400 hours 
I’ve just traded my HS for a pair of Contour Legacy.. I’m just 2 hours in , but sounding good so far 
I don’t know what they’ve done with the Esotar 3 to make it sound even better, but they seem to have done something. Or maybe still running in..
A lot of loosening up to go!
Did you keep the ones that dried out? You can have them refilled with new ferrofluid and sell them for a premium price!
@JosquinDesPrez & @Analogmusic . Could you please advise if all these Esotar 2’s were replaced because of failure, or because they degrade over time? I’ve only had mine for a couple of years (Sapphire’s - 2009 approx.), so would not have observed much change over such a short period.
Next, and possibly a silly question, but when new tweeters are needed, can Esotar 3’s be used to replace Esotar 2’s…without other significant upgrades?
One had failed, but it seemed wise to replace all 4 even though very expensive because of the age of the tweeters.
Esotar 3 cannot be used instead of esoatar 2 totally different design.
Some might disagree but I prefer esotar 2
Thank you. Good to know.
I’ve never heard of needing to replace Esotar2 tweeters due to age. My C2s are from 2018 and still humming along just fine.
When I had my previous Contour S3.4 I upgraded the Esotec tweeters to Esotar2. When I sold them I restored the Esotec tweeters and sold the Esotar2 tweeters separately.
Being from 2028,I guess they won’t be dated for quite some time. I guess the ride in the Delorean didn’t do them any harm
hah…fixed
This is what dealer had advised me these speakers are the the original C2
Maybe sometimes I think only one tweeter really only needed a replacement but it’s done now
The technician at the dealer told me a test was done to measure the outputs of each tweeter and they were not up to normal specs. Visually they looked old and tired with many pet furs on each of the 4 tweeters
Ho hum.
The Esotar 2s in my Contour 60s are about 10 years old now and no problem at all with age. Great tweeter.
If you have to replace a Esotar2 tweeter, you need to do both of the stereo pair.
However, if I had to replace one in my C2s I would replace the corresponding one in the other speaker, but not all four, unless they were proven to be defective too. It’s not quite like you have to match the two in each speaker exactly, since they cross over at different frequencies. In other words, its more like a 2 1/2 way system: woofers, upper E2 tweeter (crossover 8000 Hz), mid E2 tweeter (crossover 2200 Hz).
Thanks.
I didn’t realize that the Banana connectors on the C2 were loose, therefore not allowing the superlumina speaker cable to be inserted all the way in.
I made them tight, and now the superluminas are making proper contact.
It made quite a difference to the already good performance, turning it into great.
It is quite a fun speaker when driven by a Naim amp, I ran it a loud volumes, and the 250 didn’t get remotely warm at all.
All in all, it sounds really great now. Much much better than the Focus 260.
Hello Dynaudio fans/friends
Have anyone been able to compare a Focus 160 to a special 40? @GTaudiophile
I still have my Focus 260, thinking of selling that and getting a Special 40
Currently have an excite 16 which served me very well for many years now, for my second system in my living room (202/200DR/Chord 2qute) which is also an AV system.
I could place my Focus 260 there but it is quite a big speaker, but other than bass not really a day and night difference over my X16. A tad bit more clarity and seems more composed, but not day and night stuff at all.
The C2 I just repaired though is quite a step up. I was thinking of finding a used C1, but there are very rare to find. Hence my query about the Special 40…
But if it is going to sound the same as my F260, there is no point. but would it, even with better tweeter and bass driver?
What source/pre/power equipment are you using?
I recall comparing S40 to Focus 160 when S40 came out, some 8 years ago now! I want to say they were 85-90% similar with the edge going to S40 due to its slightly larger cabinet and improved tweeter. S40 was also harder to “bottom out” than F160, but I was nonetheless still able to bottom out S40 with intense bass tracks! At the time, I would have considered S40 a side-step from F160 and a downgrade from F260! If you recall, I owned F160 and then F260. I ended up buying Contour 20 as my upgrade due to space concerns and felt it was an upgrade from F260 in most ways except for the deepest bass extension. Everything else was an upgrade. While I still own Contour 20, boxed in the closet, I currently use Special 25.
Some people swear by S40 as one of the best speakers Dynaudio has ever made. It no doubt has wide appeal and brought a lot of new customers to the brand, but I was never tempted by it. I was not tempted by Heritage Special either, after demoing it three times or more.
On the USAM website, I am seeing a used (9/10) pair of Contour Legacy for 55% off of MSRP for $6500! Insane bargain. Contour Legacy is probably the BEST Dynaudio speaker I have ever heard.
Contour 30 is another amazing speaker; I see a (9/10) pair in black piano finish on USAM for $2975. There is another Contour 30 (8/10) pair in Ivory Oak for $2500. Note: if priced equally then purchase Contour “i” instead of the non-i version. The “i” versions are much more difficult to find on the used market because I think they sold them in far fewer numbers versus the 2016 OG Contour models. I would say that the “i” versions are worth maybe a 5-10% price premium over the non-i versions, but no more than that.
I also compared Evoke 30 against S40 and preferred the Evoke but only if the Evoke is priced equally or less than the S40, otherwise the S40 wins.
I’ve owned the F160 and F260. I had the F260 for 3 years. I’ve also owned the Contour 20, Special 40, and now the Heritage Special for the past few years.
The F260 beats the Special 40 in scale only. Nothing else. I’d take the Special 40 without a doubt over the F260.
@GTaudiophile There have been a lot of scam ads on USAudioMart lately. I’d be cautious with that Contour Legacy ad. The scams have usually been a newer account with no feedback listing an item for way below normal secondary market value.