Canton CT-120 speaker information?

[Lattiboy]

Hello all,

I am going to check out a pair of these locally and I was wondering if anybody could find a review or any driver information on them. It’s crazy how this speaker is memory holed online. There is this single audio karma thread and that’s about it.

They were apparently the TOTL Cantons in the mid 80s and are rated to 18Hz. They weigh 50Kg a piece and are almost 50 inches tall.

There is scant information online. I’ve attached a picture from the seller.

Technical Data

• Type: 4-Way Bassreflex, Floor standing
• Chassis:
  • Woofer: 310 mm
  • Midwoofer: 200 mm
  • Midrange: 37 mm Alu-Magnesuim-Dome
  • Tweeter: 25 mm Alu-Magnesium-Dome
• Loading (RMS-/Peak.): 200 / 350 Watt
• Sensitivity: 95,2 dB
• Frequency range: 18 - 30.000 Hz
• Crossover points: 250/1100/4600 Hz
• Impedance: 4 Ohm

 

[Laserjock]

Someone on Audiogon sold a pair about 3 years ago and has some active ads on there now.

Might give them a shout out to see what they say.

 

[Speaker-Inquisitor]

The frequency range stated by canton is, lets say it this way, creative...they are similar to Klipsch in this regard - the data are totaly worthless

 

[Lattiboy]

I went and picked them up because the seller was sick of no shows and “just wanted to be done with it” I got a pretty good deal.

They are absolutely bonkers!

I disconnected my subs and am running them in “pure direct” mode from my DAC and holy shit I’ve not heard a wall of sound like this maybe ever. Playing Symphony No. 7 right now at unsafe levels and I kinda get why these cost as much as a new car in 1986.

I haven’t done any EQ / DSP yet and have just been listening for maybe 30 minutes. I will update this thread for the hell of it once I get more listening in.

I don’t think 18Hz is right, but I think maybe 24Hz is. They go deeeeeseep

here’s them next to a 120” projector screen where they will live after I re-arrange the whole :

 

[Lattiboy]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Audyssey give this result before:

my room is untreated and square and huge, so I have dips and jumps all over the place. Also, the Audyssey mic is famously not very good.

PS I of course limit correction to 200Hz and below because I’m not a monster!

 

[Lattiboy]

I don’t wanna jump the gun here, but after many hours of listening I gotta say these are the best speaker I’ve heard by a pretty wide margin. Previously it was the Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy 5s I somehow got my hands on a few years back, but these are more enjoyable and easier to drive.

I was very on the fence about getting these as I’m used to very pretty, well built speakers being kinda disappointing sound wise. Boy is that not the case here.

Putting them through the ringer with really tough songs and they keep delivering in a way that feels almost impossible. Going from Kendrick Lamar to Beck to Maria Callas to ambient electronica and just destroying most everything I’ve ever heard in the process.

Honestly, I’m kind of overwhelmed as I figured I’d end up flipping these after a few weeks of listening.

I am giddy with excitement as I’m just using my Denon as a preamp. Going to pull out some of my decent vintage preamps and go fully analog tomorrow!

 

[Doodski]

Kewl deal on those Canton towers. They look like they would produce some nice thumps and top end from that 4 way arrangement.

 

[napilopez]

I'm glad you enjoy them! That's all that matters. But if you can ever get your hand on a Umik-1, it would be great to see more accurate measurements!

 

[thewas]

Am not surprised, Canton always made quite some very good loudspeakers, just from curiosity I bought few years ago a used pair of compact Karat 920 DC ones which according to a German measurements based magazine of that time where the most linear loudspeakers they had measured irrespectively of price! and also one of the very few which got excellent sound grading:



Oluv also bought and tested them after my recommendation.

 

[Lattiboy]

I'm glad you enjoy them! That's all that matters. But if you can ever get your hand on a Umik-1, it would be great to see more accurate measurements!

i happen to have one and after I get positioning and DSP dialed in I will get a REW reading to this thread. Honest to god I think it’s gonna be damn near perfect. Just listening right now and there is no blooming or unnecessary brightness or anything. Just an effortless tidal wave of sound.

Its also really weird coming off of dual subs to these full rangers! When a song is mastered to be “bass forward” (for example this awesome song) the bass is deep and rich and powerful, but a song like this, which has kinda muted, fast mid-bass doesn’t shake the house. When I would play the latter song with my NHT Classic Fours and the two subs it was like being in a nightclub. Now? It’s like being in a recording studio or a small live performance.

Accuracy AND enjoyable listening is, I guess, the goal of all HiFi and these Cantons deliver in a way nothing else has in my life.

 

[Lattiboy]

I'm glad you enjoy them! That's all that matters. But if you can ever get your hand on a Umik-1, it would be great to see more accurate measurements!

I got that done. Here’s two plots from the same spot. I changed audyssey correction for each set. First is 200Hz and below second is 400Hz and below. No subs, driven by Denon POA2200 using the preouts of my Denon 3600H.

GREEN is corrected, RED uncorrected. Gotta say, that 18Hz wasn’t THAT far off.

wrote a review too:

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/the-canton-ct-120s-are-the-best-speakers-i’ve-ever-heard-and-i’m-kinda-sad-about-it-completely-subjective.16507/