Напольная акустика — Canton Reference 3

The Reference 3 is a passive three-way bass-reflex floorstanding loudspeaker from Canton, part of the German company's Reference series introduced in 2023, which also includes the Reference 1, 2, 5, 7 and 9. It is made in Germany and priced at USD 19,500 per pair in black or white and USD 21,500 in walnut. Canton covers it with a 10-year warranty.

Key specs that matter

Canton fits two 192 mm woofers with Black Ceramic Tungsten cones, plus a 174 mm Black Ceramic Tungsten midrange and a 25 mm aluminium-oxide ceramic tweeter. Crossover points are 180 Hz and 3,000 Hz. Sensitivity is 88 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, impedance is given as 4 to 8 ohm, and frequency response spans 20 Hz to 40 kHz. Power handling is 300 W nominal and 500 W music power. Each speaker measures 320 x 1,090 x 490 mm including its base and weighs 42 kg. Finishes are black piano lacquer built up from 12 layers, white satin and walnut.

Engineering and use context

Black Ceramic Tungsten, abbreviated BCT, is Canton's cone material combining ceramic with tungsten, and it is used for all three bass and midrange drivers so that they share the same cone structure. The woofers and midrange driver are suspended on triple-folded Wave surrounds, which permit long cone excursion while keeping the suspension controlled. The base of the cabinet works as a bass guide, releasing low frequencies to the front and rear. The cabinet is curved and has no sharp edges, and asymmetric cover rings around the drivers act as waveguides to shape their dispersion. The crossover is built with air-core coils, metal-oxide resistors and film capacitors. Air-core coils avoid the saturation that iron-core inductors can suffer at high currents, which matters in the woofer section where currents are highest. Terminals are WBT nextgen binding posts for single-wire, bi-wire or bi-amp connection, linked by hard gold-plated copper bridges. The bridge connectors can also be set to raise or lower the midrange and treble level by 1.5 dB. Magnetic fabric covers attach without visible fixing points.

Pairing

With its moderate sensitivity and a 4 ohm lower impedance limit, the Reference 3 suits solid-state amplifiers rated for 4 ohm operation, and the high power rating leaves wide room for powerful designs. The WBT terminals accept separate amplifiers for the bass and upper sections when bi-amping.

Alternatives

The Canton Reference 1 is the larger model in the same 2023 series with three 8.5 inch woofers.