Subwoofers — Canton Reference Sub

The Reference Sub is the powered bass unit Canton added to its Reference line launched in September 2023, and the only 12 inch woofer box in a series otherwise made up of five towers, the Reference 9 compact and the Reference Center. Its curved cabinet follows the shape of the passive Reference speakers so that it fits visually beside them. The German list price was EUR 3,500, and in North America it sells at USD 6,300.

Key specs that matter

A 308 mm woofer whose cone is made of Black Ceramic Tungsten fires forward, and a passive membrane of the same 308 mm diameter works on the underside of the cabinet. The built-in digital amplifier is rated at 500 W nominal and 750 W music power. The quoted transmission range is 18 to 200 Hz, with a low-pass crossover adjustable anywhere from 55 to 200 Hz. The cabinet measures 49 x 59 x 53 cm including its base and weighs 37 kg. Two finishes are offered - black piano lacquer built up from 12 layers and white satin. Canton covers the subwoofer with a two-year warranty.

Engineering and use context

Instead of a reflex tube, the box uses a passive membrane - an unpowered cone that the Reference Sub's active woofer sets in motion through the enclosed air. It extends output in the deepest octave in the way a port does, but avoids the chuffing that fast air flow creates in a narrow tube at high output. Firing downward, the passive membrane works together with a Bass Guide at the bottom of the cabinet. Both cones are held by triple-folded Wave surrounds of the latest generation, designed to allow long linear travel. Signal processing runs on built-in DSPs. Level, crossover frequency and phase are continuously adjustable on the rear module, and an automatic on and off function wakes the amplifier with the incoming signal and powers it down after the music ends. A wireless remote control is part of the package. Inputs cover low-level line and LFE signals as well as high-level speaker wires, and the low-level outputs pass the full-range signal on without filtering.

Pairing

With an AV receiver or processor, the LFE input takes the dedicated bass channel, which suits a system built from Reference towers and the Reference Center. Where a stereo amplifier offers no dedicated sub out, its speaker terminals can drive the high-level inputs, leaving the main speakers connected as before. The unfiltered outputs let a second unit or another device take the same signal.

Alternatives

The Canton Townus 12 Sub is a smaller active subwoofer with a 308 mm titanium driver, a downfire passive cone and a 380 W amplifier.