Contour 30 steps it up a notch from the 20. Of course, it still treads the same path ‰ÛÒ one of honesty, transparency and sheer entertainment, but it puts it all in a bigger package.

Like the rest of the new Contour i family, the 30i has the all-new Esotar 2i tweeter ‰ÛÒ complete with the Hexis inner dome found throughout our flagship Confidence range and also in the Core series of professional studio reference monitors (trickle-down tech is an amazing thing, isn‰۪t it‰Û_). Esotar 2i also gets a new, larger rear chamber. This, together with Hexis, helps to reduce unwanted resonances and smooth out the frequency response for even clearer, sweeter high-frequencies.

We‰۪ve endowed Contour 30 with two 18cm MSP drivers, as well as doubling up on the rear ports. Behind the scenes we‰۪ve tweaked the spider suspension (the springy ring that keeps the woofer in the right place when it‰۪s at rest, and controls it in the right way when it‰۪s moving). This one is made from aramid fibres, and retains the ingenious structural properties from before (the ribs are of varying width to give even finer control over the cone‰۪s excursion).

Contour 30i continues to use aluminium voice-coils, too. We can make them extremely light ‰ÛÒ but also bigger than the old-style copper units you‰۪ll find elsewhere. Lighter weight allows larger diameters with more windings, yet low weight, which means we have more control over the cone movement. And that means more control over the sound ‰ÛÒ especially at high frequencies and high volumes ‰ÛÒ exactly what you need in a mid/bass driver. Sure, we experimented with small voice-coils on the new Contour ‰ÛÒ the size other companies might use. The measurements said they should work for Contour. Our ears said otherwise, so we went big. Our ears were right.

And, as with Contour 20i, the flatter frequency response from the improved tweeter and mid/bass drivers means we‰۪ve been able to simplify the crossover. Not that it wasn‰۪t elegant before ‰ÛÒ but now‰Û_ well, we‰۪ll let you judge.

The improved crossover no longer needs impedance correction circuitry to optimise its performance ‰ÛÒ that‰۪s all now done in the driver itself, simply down to the physical properties of the materials we use. Fewer components, cleaner signal path, better performance.

While our engineers and designers were hunkered down listening to everything from jazz, to classical, to metal, to electronica, the team in our on-site factory were scouring sustainable sources for high-quality materials and finishes. They make sure all Contours are furniture-grade: perfectly built, perfectly finished and perfectly packaged.