Напольная акустика — Canton Reference 7

The Reference 7 is the slimmest of the five floorstanding models in the Reference line from Canton Elektronik of Weilrod, Germany, and carries the lowest power rating of the towers, below the Reference 1, 2, 3 and 5. Production began in September 2023. The German list price was EUR 6,000 per pair, with walnut adding EUR 600, and in North America the pair costs USD 10,000 per pair for the lacquered versions and USD 11,000 for walnut.

Key specs that matter

Four drivers are arranged in a passive three-way layout with a reflex port. Two 154 mm woofers and a 154 mm midrange of the same diameter use Black Ceramic Tungsten cones on wave surrounds, while the 25 mm tweeter has a dome of aluminium oxide ceramic. The crossover divides the signal at 190 Hz and 3,200 Hz. Canton quotes a range of 23 Hz to 40,000 Hz and an impedance of 4 to 8 ohm, and an efficiency of 84.5 dB at 1 W and 1 m. Load capacity is 160 W nominal and 320 W music. Each speaker is 28 cm wide, 99 cm tall with its base and 43 cm deep, and weighs 33 kg. Buyers pick between a black piano surface, walnut veneer and a white semi-gloss coat.

Engineering and use context

With two woofers sharing the lowest band, the midrange cone starts working only above that point, which keeps its excursion small. The MDF cabinet is made in several thicknesses - about 51 mm at the front baffle, 38 mm at the rear and 19 mm elsewhere - and its baffles are curved. Internal stiffening was optimised by computer, and a special damping fleece lines the walls. The reflex port fires downward into a Bass Guide system at the foot of the cabinet, so no port opening appears on the front or back. Canton states that the crossover uses hand-picked components with tight tolerances to keep the impedance curve even and the impulse response of each driver accurate. Midrange and tweeter levels can each be changed in 1.5 dB steps at the rear. Two pairs of WBT nextgen binding posts, linked by gold-plated copper bridges, allow bi-wiring or bi-amping. A fabric cover attaches with magnets, and Canton gives a 10-year warranty on passive Reference speakers.

Pairing

The low efficiency figure and an impedance that dips to 4 ohm point to transistor amplification that holds up into 4 ohm and delivers ample current rather than a low-powered valve design. Owners with two stereo amplifiers can run the woofers and the upper section on separate channels through the split terminals, and a Reference Center and Reference Sub extend the setup to home cinema.

Alternatives

The Canton Reference 5 is the next floorstander up in the series, rated at 370 W music power in a 30 x 102 x 46 cm cabinet.