Напольная акустика — Canton GLE 100

The GLE 100 is a three-way passive tower from Canton of Weilrod, Germany, and stood at the top of the GLE family in the generation that followed a full technical and visual rework of the range. Canton sold it at EUR 779 per speaker. It is no longer in production, and the maker now lists the GLE 100 S2 as its successor. The GLE family also offers a GLE 50 centre and a GLE 30 surround model, so the tower can anchor a multichannel home cinema layout.

Key specs that matter

The cabinet is a bass reflex type carrying four drivers. Two 220 mm woofers with titanium diaphragms handle the low end, a 174 mm titanium midrange sits between them, while a 25 mm aluminium-manganese dome takes the top. The crossover hands over at 170 Hz and 3,200 Hz. Canton quotes a transmission range of 20 Hz to 40,000 Hz, an impedance of 4 to 8 ohm and an efficiency of 90.5 dB measured at 2.83 V and 1 m. Load capacity is rated at 220 W nominal and 380 W music. The cabinet is 24 cm wide, 116 cm tall and 40 cm deep, and each unit weighs 33 kg.

Engineering and use context

For this generation Canton replaced the earlier aluminium cones in the bass and midrange sections with titanium units, aiming at faster transient behaviour. The midrange driver sits in its own sealed volume inside the cabinet, so pressure from the two large woofers does not act on its cone. All drivers use stable polycarbonate baskets, strong magnet systems and triple-folded wave surrounds that allow long excursion. A waveguide around the tweeter dome shapes its dispersion. The reflex port fires to the rear, which means the speaker needs some air between its back and the wall. Four feet are integrated into the base of the cabinet for a firm stance on the floor. Finishes are Black Vinyl with a matt black lacquered baffle and White Vinyl with a satin white baffle, and the fabric covers have generously rounded corners and attach with magnets. The terminals accept banana plugs, and Canton offered up to five years of warranty.

Pairing

With an efficiency above 90 dB the GLE 100 does not need a very large amplifier to reach normal levels, but its impedance dips toward 4 ohm, so a transistor integrated or receiver that is specified for 4 ohm loads is the safer choice. The backfiring port and the size of the two woofers suit a room of at least 20 m2 with some space behind the cabinets.

Alternatives

The Canton GLE 100 S2 is the updated successor floorstander of the same GLE line.