Canton Reference Any opininion?

Well its 2023 and I figured anyone looking for gear now and stumbled upon canton would get a new entry update. Sooo

I own the 9k reference model for many years and they look and sound as new, which is as instruments and music sound. 

I recently heard a pair of Reference 5K powered by an Esoteric DAC/streamer and F-07 integrated amp. 
- impressive build quality
- beautiful
- very detailed and resolving sound, unfortunately that became very grating at anything above 80 dB or so at listening position
- the issue to my ears wasn’t from frequency response aberrations, as that seemed pretty neutral, but rather from the tonality of the drivers. Perhaps this is a byproduct of using ceramic and metal for each driver. I’ve had this issue with other speakers using metal drivers like those from KEF and Paradigm.

Definitely not for me. I’ll also note that the resale value of Canton is horrible in the US.

what do you think about the 9.2's?

I have the 9.2 DC reference stand mounts. I don't know if that helps...

Bump.

Anyone owns the Reference 3K?

Anyone heard the canton 1k ?

What are you using to drive your Cantons?

In early 2011 i decided to revive my lost hobby of home audio. I knew the place to start was speakers and i wanted to emphasize imaging and transparency.
I listened at length to Canton Ref 5.2, Paradigm Signature S8, Revel Studio 2, B&W 802D, Magico v2, Aerial 7B, Canton Ref 3.2 DC and briefly to several Focal products, Wilson audio, Monitor Audio, Polk, and a few others. Yes, i know amps were a variable here, but all used were high end solid state. In the case of the cantons it was mcintosh 300 and 400 wpc current versions (solid state).
5.2 had great imaging but was a little thin in musical bass frequencies. S8 had amazing imaging and some potentially pleasant tonal colorations. Studio 2 was very transparent but had poor imaging that was very dependent on listening position. 802D had weak imaging and a softness that eliminated them from consideration. B&W seems to get too much love for past accomplishments.
Magico v2 was amazing but dated in appearance and very expensive. 7B was good but didn't have the soundstage i was expecting. Wilson audio Sasha (new watt/puppy) was simply amazing but best performance was evident only in a specific listening location. I would have considered the new sophia's but the wife didn't like the looks.
focal tweeters tend to be disconnected from the lower frequencies. I wanted to listen to a sonus faber product but never got there.
A second listen to the Canton Reference 3.2 DC and a small discount from the dealer compelled me to purchase. This speaker looks great in piano black. It is by far the most forgiving in placement. It just kind of disappears. soundstage is persistent from a surprising range of listening positions. Other reviews accurately describe the tonal performance. almost perfect. Very, very listenable. Not sure how Canton does it, but i like it. Very alive presence.
My next choice to buy was the S8's. Great looks and superior imaging. I like the berylium tweeters on the most recent (v3?) model. Lower price. I suspect some of the minor mid range colorations would not have been noticed after a few weeks in my living room. Third choice was Wilson Audio. Strong presence and great bass extension. American made. Expensive though and i would have had to battle with the wife because of the looks.
Now I need an amp.
My story is no substitute for your own listening experiences. Listening to speakers is never time wasted.

I have owned over 30 different pairs of highend speakers and worked in the audio business for 10 years. I own the Reference 9.2s and they are phenominal!

They are excellent speakers.

I have owned Canton speakers about 10 years ago, moved on since then but not because of the value of the speaker they where one of the best speakers I owned. I bought them because they where warm not overly so, and had very tight and accurate sound reproduction that is still present today. I was also studying music at the time and doing alot of listening and couldn't find many flaws. Also there customer support was great.

Canton Ref is a great speaker. I rep them in NYC and am proud to do so.

I have the Canton Reference 9 monitors. I've only had them for a week and haven't fully broken them in yet, but they're already a huge improvement over my B&W 7nts...

Disclosure: I retail Canton speakers, focusing on the Reference and Vento series. Canton is one of the largest loudspeaker manufacturers in the world, they've been at it for almost 40 years and have around 40% of the German market. The technology, engineering, build quality and finish of these speakers rivals anything out there. There's a reason they've been so successful.
As a company, they are almost completely vertically integrated, i.e. they make their own dirvers, cabinets, key parts, etc. Very little "off the shelf" stuff here.
These speakers are not for the analytical/microscope ruthlessly revealing crowd. All the resolution is there, but its presented in a balanced, natural, coherent way. Very low fatigue factor with these speakers, they're one of the few that really allow you to forget about the gear and get lost in the music. I've owned a lot of speakers, at and well above the price points of the top tier Canton's. They are a more than viable alternative in the class they compete in. They deserve to be better known and more widely heard in the U.S. (which is what I'm trying to do!). FYI - Canton will be partnering with me (Departure Audio) at this years Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in October. We will be demonstrating one of the Reference series models.

I have used the Karat M-70(pre-curser to the Ref DC series)for 10+ years in my main A/V system.Thus far,nothing has been able to displace them.I have also hauled them down to my 2 channel room where they aquit themselves quite well.They may be the best all-around speakers that I have heard.My wife loves the way they look(slim,tall floorstanders with side-firing woofers in cherry wood veneer finish).I face the woofers inward.

I like Canton's speakers. I had the Ref 3.2 DC's and still have a full 5.1 Vento system. They have a lush warm sound to them with solid bottom end, you even get surprising bass from the small models and the finish on the References is exceptional.