About us

Contrast audio was founded in 1996 by a group of audio engineers and enthusiasts in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Their passion was to bring back the dynamics and immediacy of speakers designed in the late 60s and early 70s, but using modern design and engineering techniques.

Crucial to this sound, they believe, is the removal of as many components as possible from the audio chain after amplification. Thus was born their "crossover-less" ethos.

The only internal components of their speakers are renowned Mundorf capacitors which act as a first order high pass filter. There is only one of these capacitors in each 2-way speaker to prevent low frequencies damaging the tweeter, and only two in their 3-way designs.

To ensure the wide frequency response needed from each driver in this scenario, Contrast audio set about designing and building their own drive units that would provide the gentle natural frequency roll off needed. In keeping with their quest for natural sound, they chose to use only natural materials for these. Bass drivers are made of carefully selected balsa wood. The midrange/mid-bass is a proprietary paper compound with solid timber phase plug. Both of these use pleated cotton rather than rubber or foam as a roll surround.

Their wonderful silk dome tweeter is also in-house designed and built. The benign impedance presented by these driver complements also make Contrast audio speakers an easy load for most tube amplifiers, including lower powered single ended designs.

Finally each speaker created by Contrast audio is built and finished by hand, in house, in any one of dozens of superb piano gloss colours. The result of all this obsession are speakers with extremely low phase shift characteristics and higher than average sensitivity, that exhibit remarkable dynamics and realism, but with a smooth, relaxed presentation that is refreshingly different to most others available today.