Напольная акустика — Canton GLE 80

The GLE 80 is a GLE series tower from Canton with a passive three-way design, the German brand's range aimed at stereo pairs and home cinema front channels. It sold at EUR 549 per speaker in Black Decor and White Decor finishes and now appears on Canton's site as no longer available, with the GLE 80 S2 named as its successor. The item number for the black version is 04341.

Key specs that matter

The GLE 80 carries four drivers in a three-way bass reflex cabinet. Two 174 mm woofers with Aluminium Titan Black cones handle the bass, a third 174 mm driver of the same material works as a dedicated midrange, and a 25 mm tweeter with an Aluminium Black dome covers the treble. Crossover points sit at 300 Hz and 3,200 Hz. Canton gives a transmission range of 23 Hz to 40,000 Hz, a nominal load capacity of 130 watts and a music load capacity of 280 watts. Impedance is 4 to 8 ohms, and efficiency is 89.5 dB at 2.83 V and 1 metre. The cabinet is 19 cm wide, 100 cm high and 30 cm deep, and each speaker weighs 17.6 kg.

Engineering and use context

Unlike a 2.5-way design, the GLE 80 hands the midband between both crossovers to a driver that does nothing else, while the two woofers below it are free to concentrate on the lowest octaves. The woofers use double cones and, together with the midrange, wave surrounds. A transmission front plate is part of the driver mounting. Its reflex opening faces backward, an arrangement Canton calls Backfire. Unit feet are fitted to the base of the cabinet, and the oval fabric cover attaches by magnets. The terminals accept banana plugs. Canton grants a warranty of up to 5 years, and the GLE 80 ships on a pallet. Canton also lists reinforced polycarbonate baskets and powerful magnets, and the surrounds are of the triple-folded wave type.

Pairing

The good efficiency lets moderate amplifier power drive the GLE 80, and the impedance falling to 4 ohms means the partnering amplifier needs a rating for 4 ohm operation. As part of the GLE series, the pair can act as the front speakers of a multichannel system that adds a matching GLE centre and surround models.

Alternatives

Canton's GLE 70 is the 2.5-way floorstander of the same series, using two woofers without a separate midrange in a slightly shorter cabinet.