Free of straight edges.
The Canton Reference 2 have curved cabinets no matter how you look at ’em—free of straight edges. What’s more, the 4 drivers fit flush on the rounded front thanks to the use of “new three-dimensional ASW (Asymetric Waveguide) cover rings made of polyoxymethylene (POM).”
The Reference 2 are a 3-way bass reflex design with a driver compliment consisting of a 25mm aluminum ceramic oxyd tweeter, 174mm black ceramic tungsten midrange, and a pair of 219mm black ceramic tungsten woofers all told covering 19-40,000 Hz of the frequency range according to Canton. Woof! These drivers live “in a 3-chamber system, offering perfectly sized volumes for each branch of the 3-way speaker design.”
The Reference 2 come equipped with 2 sets of WBT Nextgen binding posts allowing for bi-wiring and bi-amping. You’ll also see level adjustments for the midrange and tweeter that raise or lower the associated SPLs in 1.5 decibel steps to suit room and taste. While a bit too dark to see in this photo, there’s a down-firing radiator with an opening around back in the speaker’s base.
Canton, the company, was founded in 1972. Their company headquarters is in Weilrod, Germany with production facilities near Tachau in the Czech Republic. Canton employs about 120 people so we’re talking about a company and looking at a product that comes with over 50 years of speaker building experience. I mention this because it’s relevant.
The Canton Reference 2s have a rated 88dB efficiency (2.83V/1m) with a 4-8 Ohm impedance. I will share that the review Octave Audio V 70 Class A Integrated Amplifier (more info) and its 50 or so Watts is already driving the Canton’s to Barn-rattling heights. Nice.
Stay tuned for more…
Canton Reference 2 Floorstanding Speaker
Price: $22,000/pair
Company Website: Canton
North American Distributor Website: Bluebird Music
Specifications
Acoustic principle: 3-way Bass reflex system
Principle passive resonator: Bass reflex
Radiation direction resonator: Downfire
Tweeter quantity: 1
Tweeter size: 25 mm
Tweeter material: Aluminum ceramic oxyd
Midrange driver quantity: 1
Midrange driver size: 174 mm
Midrange driver material: Black ceramic tungsten (Wave surround)
Woofer quantity: 2
Woofer size: 219 mm
Woofer material: Black ceramic tungsten
Nominal load capacity: 370 watts
Music load capacity: 630 watts
Transmission range: 19…40.000 Hz
Crossover frequencies: 160 / 3.000 Hz
Impedance: 4…8 ohm
Level adjustment: yes
Efficiency 2.83V/1m: 88 db
