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Canton Vento 826.2 Speaker Review

Rate this speaker:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 12 5.2%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 126 54.8%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 79 34.3%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 13 5.7%

  • Total voters
    230

dogmamann

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Exactly, also the current Vento series uses different mid/woofers which possibly have improved on that issue.
Canton had been using this drivers for quite a long time. Most people who demo the cantons would compare it against several other brands before making a call. If this was an “audible” issue this would have been noted by the audience and experts from 2013 itself. And it would have affected their sales. I guess it’s an ignorable issue
 

tomtoo

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Is there a software that can calculate in room bass response, if you feed it with spinorama data ? Something easy where you provide room sizes, and can position the speakers in the room, then can see predicted in room bass FR?
 

thewas

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Canton had been using this drivers for quite a long time. Most people who demo the cantons would compare it against several other brands before making a call. If this was an “audible” issue this would have been noted by the audience and experts from 2013 itself. And it would have affected their sales. I guess it’s an ignorable issue
Like the measurements show it is level dependent, so at typical listening volumes I agree that is probably not really audible but when things get loud this can change.
 

DanielT

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I would say so. With a metal cone if there are no other measures to control it, then it will exhibit complex vibration modes with a fairly high Q, one reason paper and polymer are often used instead since they are much more lossy and do a better job of damping the resonances if the cone and material are properly designed and selected.

Edit: For what its worth the resulting distortion is actually at a lower frequency than the woofer resonances since there are overtones being excited which then produce the distortion. I would say that is the likely mechanism for why there is distortion showing up, and there is correlation between the woofer distortion and nearfield measurements showing the woofer resonances:

index.php


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The first peak is at 2.5 kHz, which corresponds to 7 kHz for the 3rd harmonic. The next one is at 3 kHz, or 9 kHz for the harmonic, etc. These fall in the region where the woofer is showing resonances. The resonances die out after about 15 kHz, which then sets the upper limit for 3rd harmonic distortion at 5 kHz.
My guess, considering the metal material in the bass driver diaphragm. Probably strong break up modes higher up in frequency. This can be reduced via notch filters and , or with really steep crossover filters. When you do that, the distortion is reduced. See here:


But note this is just a guess. For these speakers in this price range, Canton should have added, for example, a notch filter if needed. Canton of course has the technical knowledge to solve it and a notch filter is neither expensive nor complicated to build and insert into the crossover filter.
It would be interesting to see what the Canton Vento 826.2 crossover looks like.:)

Otherwise, good job Amir. Speakers are the most fun "review, listening tests and detailed measurements" to read, I think anyway.:)

Edit
And Purifi white paper shows that a series notch can decrease breakup distortion:
Screenshot_2022-12-29_145136.jpg


 
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DanielT

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Poor implementation of bass-reflex port with strong resonances near crossover point, I guess. It should be fixed at this price point. Thank you Amir for a most excellent review!
I think that is strange. It is not the first time and unfortunately certainly not the last time we read tests showing problems with poor implementation of bass-reflex port. That with speakers from otherwise good manufacturers. Strange that the manufacturers don't do anything about it? They have test equipment and knowledge.

Even worse if that is the case with port resonances if we are dealing with relatively expensive speakers of course. As you point out: ". It should be fixed at this price point"
 

Trell

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think the best value is to get 896.2s for 899 each. :)
I bought the smaller 886.2 four years ago about when they where released and got 30% off as I recall. They do look nice in Cherry finish.

Living in Sweden I’ve imported Canton speakers from Germany and could get much better prices than buying here, so I’ve had Canton speakers for over 15 years in a HT setup (first Ergo series and then Vento). To me they’ve been good value.
 

Another Bob

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I read that Canton was once again distributing speakers in US and Germany. But as of now, I could not find any sellers in US and hence the EURO pricing. Don't know if they changed their mind and they are no longer being sold here.
The Music Room (www.tmraudio.com) in Erie, Colorado sells Canton. The only Vento bookshelf speaker I see on their site is the model 20 at $1,695.
 

Laserjock

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Ok, I also thought that my M106 didn't weigh that much. But I guess my perception is skewed due to the fact they replaced DIY speakers that were only slightly bigger (but same size woofer) than the M106 but were almost double in weight.
Canton listed at 6kg, Revel at 7kg and 8kg for the M105 and M106 respectively.

Multiply by 2.20462 to get pounds.
 

Thunder22

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Thanks Amir for the review. I believe I bought the pair for $400.00 US at the end of Accessories4less distribution. FWIW the tweeter is ceramic and the driver is titanium. I have never listened to them but have the 896.2 in my main listening area.
 

YSC

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it looked really nice to me, as for the port tuning, I am guessing it could be the delibrate choice to roll slowly to 50hz and drops sharp, so for such small speakers, likely to be used really close to the front wall in near field, the wall boost could make it's in room no EQ frequency nicer?
 

dogmamann

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it looked really nice to me, as for the port tuning, I am guessing it could be the delibrate choice to roll slowly to 50hz and drops sharp, so for such small speakers, likely to be used really close to the front wall in near field, the wall boost could make it's in room no EQ frequency nicer?
canton has some circuitry they call DC.

May be that

From their website : Canton Technologies​

DC technology​

The DC technology ("Displacement Control") developed by Canton prevents the membrane of the bass speaker from deflecting uncontrollably with low tones. It also suppresses subsonic (ie inaudible) frequencies and at the same time lets the bass sound noticeably tighter and more precise.
 

AudioSceptic

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This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the Canton Vento 826.2 2-way stand-mount speaker. It is on kind loan from a member and costs 1,000 Euros.
View attachment 253164
The German manufacturer knows how to deliver a high quality enclosure and finish that is required at this price point. Not much to see in the back:

View attachment 253165

I read that Canton was once again distributing speakers in US and Germany. But as of now, I could not find any sellers in US and hence the EURO pricing. Don't know if they changed their mind and they are no longer being sold here.

For the measurements you are about to see, the reference axis is the lower part of the tweeter ring. Using the tweeter center as I normally do, created a broad(er) dip in the middle of the measurement range. The grill was not used.

Canton Vento 826.2 Measurements
Let's start with our usual frequency response measurements:
View attachment 253166

As you see, the frequency response is more or less flat. Alas, the port seems to be tuned low causing a drop of response below 120 Hz or so. There is also some tilting up of the response in upper treble or conversely, the aforementioned dip in the lower range.

Early-window response is good thanks to good directivity control:
View attachment 253167

Predicted-in-room response then is reasonable:

View attachment 253168

Although admittedly, I did not know how to quite draw the trend line.

Near-field response shows two strong resonances: one coming out of the port and the other likely caused by the woofer:
View attachment 253169

We can see the rather low port tuning. I wonder if it would have been better if it was at higher frequency.

Distortion measurements show a problem unfortunately with the woofer break up/resonance:

View attachment 253170

To confirm that is the woofer, here is the near-field distortion measurement of the woofer:
View attachment 253171

During the sweep, I could easily hear the woofer complaining at 96 dBSPL -- much more so than many speakers I have tested.
View attachment 253172

Beam width has some variations but is typical of this class of speakers:
View attachment 253173
View attachment 253174


View attachment 253175


Impedance dips pretty low so somewhat stressful for an amp:
View attachment 253176

CSD waterfall shows the resonances we have already noted in the frequency response measurements:




View attachment 253178

Finally, here is the step response for fans of that:
View attachment 253179

Canton Vento 826.2 Listening Tests
I focused in a couple of areas: bass response and overall tonality. On the former, sub-bass output was not there. Then again, that is typical of small 2-way speakers. On overall tonality, I thought I found it somewhat bright. Equalization was hard given that the response errors are small and spread out. So I substituted the Revel Performa3 M105 which is similar size (though heavier) and price to Canton. Immediate impression was a warmer sound due to flatter bass response. I found it much more enjoyable to listen to for that reason.

Conclusions
The Vento 826.2 is beautifully finished speaker and with manufacturing in Germany, is priced right. Overall frequency response is close to target but could use some fine tuning. Power capability and bass response are weak point, something that was noted in the listening tests. So best to compliment with a sub with appropriate equalization.

I am torn on whether to recommend the Canton Vento 826.2. Overall objective performance is good but there are enough flaws that make me hesitate. Certainly there are better bets out there in US for that price. For those of you in Europe, those options may not be available in which case, the Canton may be a good candidate.

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You say you had a job drawing one of the trend lines. Have you thought of applying a least-squares straight line, say 100 Hz - 10 kHz? That would be more objective, yes? I'm assuming you have the data to hand for this, of course, not just the graphs.
 

ssashton

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IMO it makes sense to have a roll-off in the bass for a non-adjustable passive speaker that is intended (probably) for use in European brick built rooms of small-medium size. A speaker that is flat in an anechoic environment would have significant excess bass when room gain is factored in.
 

enricoclaudio

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If a M105 weighs more than this then this must be extremely light? I was surprised at how light my M106's were when I got them. I was going to vote for "Fine" until I saw the distortion numbers. You don't expect distortion like that at this price point.

I have M105s and M106s in my bedroom setup and most definitely they are not light weight speakers. Regarding CANTON, thanks @amirm for another great review. I have had listened to a couple of CANTON speakers in the past and while their finishes are very nice, I didn't like their tonality. Of course, this is a personal preference....
 

ririt

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I have M105s and M106s in my bedroom setup and most definitely they are not light weight speakers. Regarding CANTON, thanks @amirm for another great review. I have had listened to a couple of CANTON speakers in the past and while their finishes are very nice, I didn't like their tonality. Of course, this is a personal preference....
Enricoclaudio, may be an off-topic question but I am curious to know how KH150 compares with Revels speakers…
 

dogmamann

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IMO it makes sense to have a roll-off in the bass for a non-adjustable passive speaker that is intended (probably) for use in European brick built rooms of small-medium size. A speaker that is flat in an anechoic environment would have significant excess bass when room gain is factored in.
I had a canton 890 before the references. Despite having 2 8 inches in each box, in a European room, it hardly produced any reasonable lows. All I heard was somewhere around 70hz. Then with reference 7k in the same room, damn thing was going down to 35 easily despite the smaller woofer size. The 826 is from the family of ventos, I assume it must be aneamic, but they have now a vento 100 with 2 10 inches with larger cabinet volume. Imo, it should be how a budget floorstander should be.
 

dogmamann

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I have M105s and M106s in my bedroom setup and most definitely they are not light weight speakers. Regarding CANTON, thanks @amirm for another great review. I have had listened to a couple of CANTON speakers in the past and while their finishes are very nice, I didn't like their tonality. Of course, this is a personal preference....
Graphs says they aren’t much different.
 

don'ttrustauthority

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Recommendation would depend on what your are using it for. As a low level monitor it's fine, go above 90 db and you need a subwoofer and the distortion at 2k to 5k will bother you.

I think with Focal in Europe they'll do just fine.
 

enricoclaudio

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Enricoclaudio, may be an off-topic question but I am curious to know how KH150 compares with Revels speakers…
I haven't done any direct comparison yet. I'm waiting for a miniDSP FLEX TRS to be delivered today so I can properly time align and EQ my Rythmik Audio E22 subwoofer with the KH 150s. Then I would be able to decide if going with Neumann's MA1 software, Dirac Live or miniDSP plugin (with REW filters). As of now, Neumann's MA1 app is doing OK but pretty sure Dirac Live and even miniDSP plugin with REW filters are going to do a better job regarding integration and bass management of course. After EQ and time alignment is done, I can do a direct comparison with the M106s switching speakers in and out.
 
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