Subwoofers — Canton SUB 1500 R

The SUB 1500 R is an active 12 inch subwoofer from Canton Elektronik of Weilrod in Germany, in production since 2015 and still listed by the maker in black high gloss (item 03678) and white high gloss (item 03679). The R in the name refers to the radio remote control packed in the box, which lets the owner change every setting from the listening seat. At launch the German recommended retail price was about EUR 2,159 per unit. Canton files it under its free-placement active subwoofers, alongside the Reference Sub, the SUB 650 and the Power Sub 12 in the same catalogue.

Key specs that matter

Canton gives 500 W rated power and 750 W music power from a Class D amplifier stage, with soft clipping in the signal chain. Frequency response runs from 18 Hz to 200 Hz, and the low-pass filter can be set between 50 Hz and 200 Hz in 10 Hz steps, with phase switchable between 0, 90 and 180 degrees and volume set in 1 dB steps. The front-firing active driver measures 308 mm and uses a titanium cone with Canton's wave surround. The cabinet measures 38 cm wide, 50 cm high and 50 cm deep, and the unit weighs 26.7 kg without packing. Standby draw is 0.82 W.

Engineering and use context

Rather than a port, the enclosure uses a bass reflex principle with a passive diaphragm of the same size, mounted in the base and firing down at the floor. A passive radiator tunes the cabinet like a port but has no air column, so there is no port noise at high excursion and the box can stay compact for its low-frequency extension. Titanium gives the cone high stiffness for little mass, and the wave-profiled surround is Canton's way of keeping the cone travel linear at long strokes. The remote works by radio instead of infrared, so it does not need line of sight to the cabinet, and it includes one-touch switching of the unit. An automatic on and off circuit wakes the amplifier when a signal arrives. Height-adjustable feet with preparation for spikes carry the cabinet, and a magnetically attached fabric cover hides the driver.

Pairing

Connection is flexible - two low-level RCA inputs take the LFE or pre-out signal of an AV receiver or preamplifier, and two high-level speaker-cable inputs with banana-compatible terminals accept the speaker outputs of a stereo amplifier that lacks a sub output. A low-level output allows a second subwoofer to be daisy-chained. The power reserve and deep extension suit large floorstanders in stereo systems as well as home cinema setups in rooms of 20 m2 and more.

Alternatives

The Canton Reference Sub is an active subwoofer of the Reference line with a Black Ceramic Tungsten cone.