Canton Reference 9k opinions

Hello,

I am user of Canton Reference 9K for 2 years. Depending on the space available, they are excellent speakers, and require quality muscle electronics and immediately generate beautiful sound. As mentioned, it is a Neutral sound, well balanced, and very acceptable at low frequencies. If the path is to fill a larger space with the weight of low frequencies, a Canton Reference column is necessary. It is also an option to add the Reference 50Sub subwoofer that today and it is phenomenal...

I know this is an old thread but since it still pops up prominently in search results I thought I’d chime in, as I’ve had these for a few weeks now and have been running them in.

The comments above about needing 2 subs with these is absurd. They have some of the best, most authoritative sub-100Hz performance I’ve heard on any standmount under $10K. I have put these through some torture tests and believe the specs that say they reach to 25Hz, that is my experience. They soften a bit maybe below 40, but only slightly. Subs are absolutely optional with these--I’m a bass nut, so I’ll probably add 1 eventually, but again, entirely optional.

Also, I’d like to push back against audiotroy’s uncharacteristically incomprehensible reply (i like and respect much of your input, but not in this case)--I would put these Cantons in a comparison with B&W, Focal, and Sonus Faber, three brands I’m very familiar and current with. I love Focal best of those three, the Aria 926 were truly special, but they don’t remotely compete with these on the low end. The Arias are "sub mandatory", but do so much else right that they’re easy to love. I’m not quite as enamored of B&W and sF, but that’s just my personal taste.

These Canton are both refined and bold, neutral and engaging, go deep but not with boomy mid-bass bloat (I’m also running these with very good electronics that tend to the lean/neutral side, so it’s a great match).

The old cliche is that B&W are like sitting in the first row, Focal are like sitting in the 5th row, and sF are like sitting in the 10th row. I’d say these are like stage-diving. A whole different level of engagement with the music. I won’t go any deeper into my impressions of performance across the frequency range because my room is still in progress and not treated, but I’m used to it and can at least make relative comparisons. Zero criticisms at this point, at this price.

For the price these are a ridiculous bargain, and should be a top audition for folks looking for a sub-optional speaker.

I  contacted Canton in Germany asking what they would set the cross-over of the sub for the 9k reference they responded somewhere between 50 and 60 Hz.

wassaicwill

Excellent description, but wouldn't you put Canton and focal on one side and sonus faber and usher on another regarding what speakers sound more similar? If the gent likes the Ushers now wouldn't he fint cantons a bit unforgiving? I appreciate the time you took in your post and probably agree, Usher speakers are very good on their own but while the cantons might sound more exciting in the short term would be less forgiving in the long term.