Description

That drive unit array may look straight out of the £600 Emit 20 (or even the Contour 1.1 from over a decade ago), but it’s actually based on the drivers used in company’s high-end Confidence C1 model that retails for ten times this price.

Build and compatibility

Dynaudio didn’t just plonk in the units from the C1 – the drivers have been fettled, with markedly improved results.

The engineers worked on improving airflow and damping behind the 28mm tweeter dome – the idea is to reduce back-pressure as the diaphragm moves, increasing detail and lowering distortion. The motor system has also been tweaked.

That 17cm mid/bass unit still uses the company’s traditional MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) cone – it’s a one-piece cone using the large dome in the middle to aid rigidity. But much else has changed, from the suspension to voice coil former and magnet system. Special Forty review samples aren’t brand new, so it doesn’t take long for them to come on song. Positioning is simple – we end up with them placed on solid stands, a metre or so from the rear wall with just a hint of angle towards the listening position.

Sound

How do the Fortys sound? We keep coming back to three words in our notes: confident, muscular and subtle. We start with Holst’s Mars and the Special Fortys respond with glee.

They sound far bigger and more authoritative than a speaker that stands 36cm high has any right to.

There’s a natural fluidity to this speaker’s midrange dynamics, and we admire their ability to tie a multitude of instrumental strands together in a convincing and musical way.

They’re surefooted when it comes to timing and rhythms too, rendering the changing momentum of a piece well while keeping our toes tapping.