High-End Sound for a Flat-Screen Lifestyle

Canton’s CD 300 Series loudspeakers have outstanding sound quality and a slender, brushed aluminum design to compliment modern widescreen TVs and wall-mounted video displays.

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Canton has introduced the first of a new line of slender, high performance aluminum loudspeakers designed to sonically and visually compliment modern flat-screen video displays. The Canton CD 300 series combines technology derived from the company's high-end Karat line of loudspeakers with the sleek, brushed aluminum lifestyle design of its popular CD 100 series.

The current line consists of the CD 300 floor-standing tower speaker and the CD 360F, which includes the same driver configuration adapted for vertical or horizontal wall mounting. With their elegant design and silvery grills, these speakers create a dramatic presence while delivering sound quality that will please the most demanding audiophiles.

Both the CD 300 and the CD 360 F are sophisticated two-and-a-half way systems with four 4-inch aluminum cone drivers and an advanced version of the Canton's lauded ADT-25 one-inch aluminum-manganese tweeter. Two of the 4-inch drivers reproduce low-frequency bass signals exclusively, while the other two reproduce both bass and midrange sounds. For bass reproduction, this arrangement provides the equivalent surface area of an 8-inch woofer in a much narrower cabinet.

The remarkable Canton ADT-25 tweeter uses a one-piece aluminum-manganese dome and voice coil former that is vastly superior to more conventional designs where a separate dome and former are glued together. Not only is this entire structure much lighter and stiffer than two-part designs, but the dome provides a large surface area to radiate heat away from the voice coil. One of the key design elements of this tweeter is the use of a very narrow voice coil gap to increase the intensity of the magnetic field. Most other tweeters have relatively wide gaps to allow a margin of error for centering the coil in the gap, but even then a small displacement can harm the performance of the tweeter. Canton has overcome this by making it possible for quality control technicians to adjust the centering of the coils using test signals and to lock them in place only when the test is perfect. Additionally, the cross-section of the coil and former is much thinner than conventional designs. These factors provide for much higher output levels, high linearity, and excellent efficiency.

The four identical 4-inch bass/midrange drivers have aluminum cones with concave dust caps and powerful motor systems. The drivers are derivatives of the same top-quality midrange drivers used in Canton’s high-end Karat and Ergo speaker lines, and the wave system (cone, dust cap, and surround) is modeled on that used in the Karat Reference line. The motor structure has been subtly redesigned to accommodate the wider frequency demands of the bass/midrange application in the CD 300 and 360F.

Upon encountering the Canton CD 300 tower speaker, the first thing that is apparent is the speaker's unusual appearance. The 48-inch tall enclosure is less than 5 inches wide, has a depth of just over 6-inches, and is constructed of extruded aluminum with rugged pressure-cast aluminum end-caps and circular base. Bass performance is further enhanced by the use of bass-reflex topology with a single front-panel port. The careful and precise modeling of the flare on this port alone yielded a 6-dB improvement in system headroom.

The Canton CD 360F features the same basic design considerations and driver complement as the CD 300, but in a sealed cabinet that is just 23-1/2-inches long and a mere 4-inches deep. This makes it ideal for wall mounting and equally effective as a vertical speaker beside a wall-mounted video screen, or in a horizontal configuration for use as a center channel speaker. The speaker employs a sealed cabinet design to avoid having the port vent directly into the wall face. The CD 300 and CD 360F are a perfect tonal match for each other, so they can be mixed and matched within a system.

These loudspeakers are now available for suggested retail prices of $2,000 per pair for the Canton CD 300 and $800 each for the Canton CD 360F.

Canton is the largest manufacturer and best-selling brand of loudspeakers in Germany. It was founded in 1973 by a group of audio enthusiasts who defined their mission "to always develop the finest loudspeakers in their class." For more information about this and other fine Canton products, visit http://www.cantonusa.com or call 612-706-9250.

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Canton CD 300 and CD 360 F Design Details

When Canton was founded in 1973, the stated objective was to “produce the best loudspeaker,” and that mission has not changed. This directive is easy to understand but very difficult to achieve because everything in a loudspeaker is interrelated…change one thing, and you change the whole product. As a result, Canton has learned that, in the long run, evolution is more effective than revolution. This process of continual improvement applies to both complete systems and individual components, and the "secret" is a matter of setting the right targets.

In a dynamic loudspeaker, no single element functions in isolation. The transducers, enclosure, crossover, electronics, and even the listening room all interact with each other, and therefore, the designers cannot merely assemble a collection of good parts. The designers must set clear sonic and practical goals if they are to produce a product that both sounds good and is marketable. The targets for a given speaker are determined by customer need, application, and environment. These dictate the acoustic and aesthetic design and engineering criteria.

For the CD 300 series, the goals were clear: to create a high-performance loudspeaker that would visually compliment modern widescreen video systems, both floor standing and wall mounted. While this has already been accomplished to a significant extent with Canton’s popular CD 100 series, the company wanted to upgrade the sonic performance so that it would be comparable to some of the company’s more traditional floor-standing Karat and Ergo systems, something that is extremely difficult achieved in this type of enclosure.

Enclosure Design

The CD 300 and CD 360 F enclosure’s shape was carefully modeled to optimize the speaker's power handling, efficiency, and frequency response for the relatively small internal volume. These enclosures are machined from brushed aluminum extrusions that have no internal parallel surfaces and no hard corners. The thickness of the cabinet walls is varied, virtually eliminating standing waves and variations in cabinet bass response. The careful and precise modeling of the flare on the front-panel port alone yielded an improvement of 6 dB in the headroom of the system.

The 2-1/2-Way Crossover is Key

The crossover circuit used in the CD 300 and CD 360 F is one of the most important elements in this design because it makes it possible to use four small drivers to achieve performance that is the same as or better than a much larger woofer in a conventional speaker. It also allows the speaker to be mounted vertically or horizontally.

The CD 300 and CD 360 F employ a sophisticated 2-1/2 way crossover design that utilizes all four of the 4-inch bass/midrange drivers for deep bass, but routes signals above 400 Hz only to the lower pair of drivers. This configuration takes advantage of the increased power handling, bass response, and efficiency of using four bass drivers, while eliminating the problems of unwanted cancellations in the mid-bass and midrange regions where wavelengths are much smaller. Using two mid drivers also allows the speaker to benefit from improved dispersion characteristics, behaving more like a point source than another arrangement would afford. Additionally the 2-1/2 way design allows the 360 F to operate equally well in a vertical or horizontal orientation.

Like all Canton design elements, the crossover network has been engineered to achieve an ideal sonic balance between the driver elements and enclosure, and to achieve a very linear impedance curve for improved compatibility with power amplifiers. All components are of the highest quality with production tolerances of 5 percent or less and 100 percent quality control. The capacitors, resistors and inductors are either made by Canton, or manufactured exclusively for Canton to achieve specific performance and quality goals.

Canton ADT-25 Tweeter

The Canton CD 300 series speakers employ a dedicated version of the company's exclusive ADT-25 tweeter. This 1-inch dome driver is made from an alloy of aluminum and manganese for an extremely light and rigid structure that has excellent power handling and dispersion characteristics. The remarkable transducer combines the dome and voice coil former into a single structure for lower mass, much improved heat dispersion, and elimination of the problems associated with glued junctions in this critical area. The structure maintains its shape better at high frequencies and power levels than conventional metal domes, and resists break up modes and "oil canning" with even the most extreme source signal. One of the key design elements is the use of a very narrow voice coil gap to increase the intensity of the magnetic field. This enabled through the use of a physical alignment process during manufacturing that makes it possible to perfectly center the coil in the gap. Additionally, the cross-section of the coil and former is much thinner than conventional designs. These factors provide for much higher output levels, high linearity, and excellent efficiency.

Canton AM-130 Midrange/Bass Driver

The mid/bass and bass drivers in the CD 300 and CD 360F are a modified version of the 4-inch concave aluminum cones used in the company’s high-end Karat and Ergo lines. The wave system (cone, dustcap, and surround) is modeled on that used in the Karat Reference speaker, with a motor structure that has been subtly redesigned to accommodate the wider frequency demands the drivers must cover for the CD 300 and 360F.

These drivers also feature an unusual concave dustcap that helps to maintain greater linearity and better dispersion characteristics across a broad frequency range. The diaphragm and dustcaps are computer designed and tested for ideal construction, and are formed from the same material as the cones themselves, providing for multiple resonance paths to prevent the formation of clearly defined standing waves across the driver. The surround is formed from injected rubber, providing for better strength and UV resistance than foam and air sealing that is superior to that achieved when using silk surrounds. The drivers' treated fabric spider assemblies feature an improved weave geometry to aid longitudinal movement and piston stroke while minimizing unwanted lateral displacement. The entire driver structure is secured with a basket made of glass-bead reinforced polycarbonate that exhibits superior damping and stiffness across the entire operating range of the speaker.

After all these elements come together on the Canton assembly line, and are subject to 100% quality control, the results are two remarkable loudspeakers that clearly meet their aesthetic and acoustic goals.

Canton is the largest manufacturer and best-selling brand of loudspeakers in Germany. It was founded in 1973 by a group of audio enthusiasts who defined their mission "to always develop the finest loudspeakers in their class." For more information about this and other fine Canton products, visit http://www.cantonusa.com or call 612-706-9250.