That model - I don't know. Other Cantons where measurements are available on line seem to be respectable if not state of the art.
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Canton speakers.
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I think Canton's top of the line is Reference line and they are bashed over this site for very high distortion in upper midrange. If they are not 'respected' I wonder what from their line would earn the respect from this forum. @BrokenEnglishGuy Do you think Canton can be called state of the art now? There were a lot of discussions about it, but noone concluded whether they are good or bad. For the price I think there are better speakers available!
About 1985, I auditioned a number of speakers, buying an entirely new system. I had a modest budget, looking for bang for the buck. First, I should stress I wasn't kid looking for "impressive" sound, I was 29, classically trained pianist, active musician, I auditioned speakers with choral music, orchestra, and other well-recorded music, not Led Zeppelin.
The local audiophile stereo shop owner like Cantons for the value, the smaller bookshelves were in my target range. But then he played me the CT-1000, I expanded my budget. (I recall the CT-2000 were nice, just way beyond my budget.) I compared these with quite a few speakers, KEFs, B&W, and others, including at another shop. The Cantons were an easy win. I would have had to gone up significantly in price to match them. So at least in 1985, I disagree there were better speakers for the price available. Maybe somewhere in the world, not in the Los Angeles area that I could find.
In case you still think I mean these speakers were just "impressive", and not accurate:
A dozen years later, I was working on an audio product for a company, and the budget studio monitors they gave be were not flat enough for me to do my job. I told a co-worker involved in speaker measurement, who had worked on developing studio monitor for another major company, that I would bring in one of my Cantons, because they were flat. He chuckled, clearly amused, "They're not flat, people think their home speakers are flat, but they're not". I shrugged, brought one in the next day. He came into my office, put some material through them as he listened intently. The music ended, there was a pause of several seconds. Then the words, "They're flat." And we carried on without another word. (The company bought me a pair of Genelecs for my office and the problem was solved.)
I guess those with the speakers in-line are mkII, I have the ones with the midrange and tweeter side-by-side.
The local audiophile stereo shop owner like Cantons for the value, the smaller bookshelves were in my target range. But then he played me the CT-1000, I expanded my budget. (I recall the CT-2000 were nice, just way beyond my budget.) I compared these with quite a few speakers, KEFs, B&W, and others, including at another shop. The Cantons were an easy win. I would have had to gone up significantly in price to match them. So at least in 1985, I disagree there were better speakers for the price available. Maybe somewhere in the world, not in the Los Angeles area that I could find.
In case you still think I mean these speakers were just "impressive", and not accurate:
A dozen years later, I was working on an audio product for a company, and the budget studio monitors they gave be were not flat enough for me to do my job. I told a co-worker involved in speaker measurement, who had worked on developing studio monitor for another major company, that I would bring in one of my Cantons, because they were flat. He chuckled, clearly amused, "They're not flat, people think their home speakers are flat, but they're not". I shrugged, brought one in the next day. He came into my office, put some material through them as he listened intently. The music ended, there was a pause of several seconds. Then the words, "They're flat." And we carried on without another word. (The company bought me a pair of Genelecs for my office and the problem was solved.)
I guess those with the speakers in-line are mkII, I have the ones with the midrange and tweeter side-by-side.
BrokenEnglishGuy
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in my point of view, we need more measurements for the new series
I have no idea whats going in the industry, im a bit disconnected
The set I had a listen to cost the owner £100. He had to fix a damaged binding post, that was it.
I doubt it's possible to get a better speaker for that price!
Second hand prices are not real prices of the speakers. Back then it used to cost a lot more. Again, if you dig deep you might definitely find some other second hand speakers which could sound better than these. Depends on how desperate the seller wants to get rid of them.
true, thats what happens once we move to the KEF R series. No point in discovering something new. I still dont think there is anything that can beat my R11 at its price of may be even upto 10k
There are 100s of flat speakers, but with Cantons they still haven't nailed distortion. It creeps even into their newest speaker. There are literally 100s of German speakers which measure flat on axis. Canton is just one of them. Comparing them to B and W I understand! but with KEF? Both are in different leagues!
I'm talking about just shy of 40 years ago. The KEFs were OK, but to me the ones I listened to didn't sound right without more power, despite the salesman saying they didn't need more power (but sounded better when he switched to a bigger amp). Don't recall the price difference, they were higher. But I guess you're not talking about 40 years ago, because you say, "they still haven't nailed distortion". As far as back then, they sounded dam good, and had excellent low end. As far as distortion, I didn't test with sine waves, but they sounded great with anything I put through them. PS Audio IVH preamp, Perreaux PMF 1150 B amp. I didn't have unlimited funds, newly divorced with custody of a 2-year-old. I stretched for this setup, because it sounded really good. Musician and audiophile friends were in shock and awe when I cranked it up with show-off material.
If we're talking about buying 40-year-old speakers today, well, if someone gets a pair of speakers they like, dirt cheap, not much point in arguing that if they spent a boatload of cash they could get something much better today. Or if they hunted more they could find another 40 year old pair that was better then and same price today.
Honestly, I haven't had a new pair of home speakers since then. and they sit in a closet. I listen to studio monitors in my studio instead. I really need something for the house, though, since it's pretty awful listening to sound from my LG 77" C2 OLED (LOL). But I don't listen to music in the house. And dump most of my tech funds into the studio, so I'm only going to spend so much to make my TV sound better. I'll figure it out some day.
40 years back there were lot of other brands from Germany itself which measured better than the Cantons. My logic stays, if their current speakers cannot nail distortion, there is no reason to believe their older ones nailed it back then! Anyway without measurements, still there is no proof to what you claim. On the other hand KEF always showed their measurements and my R11 destroys anything under 10k easily.I'm talking about just shy of 40 years ago. The KEFs were OK, but to me the ones I listened to didn't sound right without more power, despite the salesman saying they didn't need more power (but sounded better when he switched to a bigger amp). Don't recall the price difference, they were higher. But I guess you're not talking about 40 years ago, because you say, "they still haven't nailed distortion". As far as back then, they sounded dam good, and had excellent low end. As far as distortion, I didn't test with sine waves, but they sounded great with anything I put through them. PS Audio IVH preamp, Perreaux PMF 1150 B amp. I didn't have unlimited funds, newly divorced with custody of a 2-year-old. I stretched for this setup, because it sounded really good. Musician and audiophile friends were in shock and awe when I cranked it up with show-off material.
If we're talking about buying 40-year-old speakers today, well, if someone gets a pair of speakers they like, dirt cheap, not much point in arguing that if they spent a boatload of cash they could get something much better today. Or if they hunted more they could find another 40 year old pair that was better then and same price today.
Honestly, I haven't had a new pair of home speakers since then. and they sit in a closet. I listen to studio monitors in my studio instead. I really need something for the house, though, since it's pretty awful listening to sound from my LG 77" C2 OLED (LOL). But I don't listen to music in the house. And dump most of my tech funds into the studio, so I'm only going to spend so much to make my TV sound better. I'll figure it out some day.
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While what you say sounds logical it doesn't need necessarily to be like that, as many things have changed in the last 50 years, here for example the fine distortion measurements (also due to their mid dome) of a compact model of their second generation loudspeakers from 1979:
Source of above: https://www.hifitest.de/test/vintage-hifi/canton-gle-50-bj-1979-vintage-21239
These measurements put even many current compact loudspeakers which are usually smaller 2-way systems to shame so not automatically everything is better today.
So what? Sheesh, I just don't get your dogged determination to tell people they made a bad choice. This was 1985, not today when I can look up measurements, buy anything I want from catalogs and get it delivered the next day. I went to the two local audiophile shops and used my ears and budget. You wanted me to buy KEFs? I didn't like them without more power, and they cost more. B&W have their faults and cost a whole lot more. Those speakers cost me $1200 with the stands IIRC, even the B&Ws cost thousands. Don't recall what the KEFs cost. I listened to a lot of speakers, my budget for them was $800, but I stretched for the Cantons, they blew away what else I could get for the money. If you wanted me to have less distortion and give up bass, or pay more money I didn't have—no.
Loved those speakers. Everyone is not you.
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But remember they were distorting harder than 95 db.While what you say sounds logical it doesn't need necessarily to be like that, as many things have changed in the last 50 years, here for example the fine distortion measurements (also due to their mid dome) of a compact model of their second generation loudspeakers from 1979:
Source of above: https://www.hifitest.de/test/vintage-hifi/canton-gle-50-bj-1979-vintage-21239
These measurements put even many current compact loudspeakers which are usually smaller 2-way systems to shame so not automatically everything is better today.
Saying that they are nice and having no measurements to show why they were nice is pointless here. Subjectively you can say anything you feel. In reality without measurements to back up what you claim, its hard to believe. If you looks at my KEF R11's measurement, its clear as water that its almost flawless in terms of distortion, directivity and freq. response.
Pointless for me to comment I liked them? In a thread in which the original post asks about people's experience with them? ("Any Canton owners here who like to chime in?")
Good luck with telling people what they aren't allowed to talk about in a thread "Canton speakers", while you go on and on about your KEFs.
And I've gathered, now, that you don't even know that my Canton CT-1000s had high distortion, you were just making a baseless claim. You don't even know they were not as good as KEFs of the same period, you just think they must have been. You're making an assumption from later speakers, even though Canton obviously changed market focus and manufacturing style in the '90s. In 1985 reliable measurements were not routinely available for speakers. I was telling my experience.
No measurements, no point of talk. Simple. The current Canton line has measurements. Current KEF line has measurements. KEF measures better now, they are better therefore. If after all this advancements, if Canton is not SOTA, then there is no reason to believe they could acheive it in the past. End of the story. Please bring the measurements of your speaker to back your claim that they are good.Pointless for me to comment I liked them? In a thread in which the original post asks about people's experience with them? ("Any Canton owners here who like to chime in?")
Good luck with telling people what they aren't allowed to talk about in a thread "Canton speakers", while you go on and on about your KEFs.
And I've gathered, now, that you don't even know that my Canton CT-1000s had high distortion, you were just making a baseless claim. You don't even know they were not as good as KEFs of the same period, you just think they must have been. You're making an assumption from later speakers, even though Canton obviously changed market focus and manufacturing style in the '90s. In 1985 reliable measurements were not routinely available for speakers. I was telling my experience.
LOL. So, I can't say a pair of speakers I bought 40 years ago were good and I enjoyed them. Brilliant.
If you mean no point of you talking to me, yes, please stop. I'll type as I please, though. Meanwhile, you're in the wrong thread, pushing your KEFs. The OP didn't ask for measurements, and didn't ask about KEFs.
But your claim that if a company doesn't make great speakers now, it's not possible they ever did at a different time in the market is just absurd. Personally, I never considered Canton again, as I saw them diverge in the '90s. Really happy with my choice in 1985, though.
You are free to say that, but to have some value about what you say, that its good, please provide proof. Otherwise, its only as good as What HiFi guys saying I loved the rhythmic impact of a certain speaker! Lol!
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