FS: Canton Karat Reference 2 Towers Speakers
VR3
Posts: 28,643
Introduction -
So, while I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to these and tweaking them a little here and there, I just am not a collector in my heart of heart and I prefer floor space over multiple speakers!
These speakers will easily**** provide you full 20hz to 20khz sound, they reach deep in the bass regions and with the Clarity Cap CMR/Path Audio components installed on the highs, they throw out an expansive soundstage with great air and ambiance. If I didnt have already fully modified Utopias, these would be tough to let go of. The crossovers on these speakers are already externally mounted in their own enclosure within the speaker. Each midrange has its own enclosure, as well as the tweeter. There are a total of 5 enclosures within this single enclosure!
The bottom plate is isolated from the speaker as well. A truly well engineered speaker!
Hand made in Germany with drivers made by Canton from the ground up
Condition -
I would rate these a conservative 7.5/10. I say that because while they are minimal marks, there are a few indentions here and there that are hard to photograph. The most notable mark is on the bottom plate of one speaker, photographed and one of the subwoofer grills have a small hole in them. Otherwise up close and from normal distance, they look and sound great!
Mods performed -
Replace tweeter caps and resistors with Clarity Cap CMR and Path Audio resistors. The midrange circuit I bypassed the series cap cluster with the Duelund JDM series and replaced the series resistors with Path Audio. All else is stock.
Reviews -
Stereophile wrote up an excellent review on these speakers, you can find it here -
https://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/755/index.html
Audioholics did one as well, you can find it here -
https://www.audioholics.com/tower-speaker-reviews/canton-karat-reference-2-dc
Specs are as follows -
Description: Three-way, ABR-loaded, magnetically shielded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) aluminum-manganese dome tweeter, two 7" (180mm) aluminum-magnesium cone midrange units, 12" (310mm) graphite-loaded paper-cone woofer, 12" (310mm) flat-diaphragm Auxiliary Bass Radiator (ABR). Crossover frequencies: 150Hz and 3.2kHz, 24dB/octave acoustic slopes. Frequency range: 18Hz-30kHz. Sensitivity: 89dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms (4 ohms minimum). Recommended power: up to 350Wpc.
Dimensions: 47.2" (1200mm) H by 11.8" (300mm) W by 20.9" (530mm) D. Weight: 139 lbs (63kg) each.
Finishes: Alder or beech veneers, or silver lacquer, with black fabric grilles.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: L 100024, R 100024.
Price: $10,000/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 350.
Manufacturer: Canton Electronik GmbH, 61276 Weilrod/Niederlauken, Germany. US distributor: Canton USA, 1723 Adams Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413. Tel: (612) 706-9250. Fax: (612) 706-9253. Web: www.canton.de.
Price -
I intend to list these elsewhere for $4,000. Club Polk price is $3,500. with paypal
Shipping/Delivery -
I will ship at buyers expense, would need to be freight/palleted due to size and weight. It would not be cheap. For the price listed above, I will drive up to 6 hours one way to deliver and setup OR to meet at a midway point at a public location. All funds must be paid in advance for deliveries.
Pictures -
So, while I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to these and tweaking them a little here and there, I just am not a collector in my heart of heart and I prefer floor space over multiple speakers!
These speakers will easily**** provide you full 20hz to 20khz sound, they reach deep in the bass regions and with the Clarity Cap CMR/Path Audio components installed on the highs, they throw out an expansive soundstage with great air and ambiance. If I didnt have already fully modified Utopias, these would be tough to let go of. The crossovers on these speakers are already externally mounted in their own enclosure within the speaker. Each midrange has its own enclosure, as well as the tweeter. There are a total of 5 enclosures within this single enclosure!
The bottom plate is isolated from the speaker as well. A truly well engineered speaker!
Hand made in Germany with drivers made by Canton from the ground up
Condition -
I would rate these a conservative 7.5/10. I say that because while they are minimal marks, there are a few indentions here and there that are hard to photograph. The most notable mark is on the bottom plate of one speaker, photographed and one of the subwoofer grills have a small hole in them. Otherwise up close and from normal distance, they look and sound great!
Mods performed -
Replace tweeter caps and resistors with Clarity Cap CMR and Path Audio resistors. The midrange circuit I bypassed the series cap cluster with the Duelund JDM series and replaced the series resistors with Path Audio. All else is stock.
Reviews -
Stereophile wrote up an excellent review on these speakers, you can find it here -
https://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/755/index.html
Audioholics did one as well, you can find it here -
https://www.audioholics.com/tower-speaker-reviews/canton-karat-reference-2-dc
Specs are as follows -
Description: Three-way, ABR-loaded, magnetically shielded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) aluminum-manganese dome tweeter, two 7" (180mm) aluminum-magnesium cone midrange units, 12" (310mm) graphite-loaded paper-cone woofer, 12" (310mm) flat-diaphragm Auxiliary Bass Radiator (ABR). Crossover frequencies: 150Hz and 3.2kHz, 24dB/octave acoustic slopes. Frequency range: 18Hz-30kHz. Sensitivity: 89dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms (4 ohms minimum). Recommended power: up to 350Wpc.
Dimensions: 47.2" (1200mm) H by 11.8" (300mm) W by 20.9" (530mm) D. Weight: 139 lbs (63kg) each.
Finishes: Alder or beech veneers, or silver lacquer, with black fabric grilles.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: L 100024, R 100024.
Price: $10,000/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 350.
Manufacturer: Canton Electronik GmbH, 61276 Weilrod/Niederlauken, Germany. US distributor: Canton USA, 1723 Adams Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413. Tel: (612) 706-9250. Fax: (612) 706-9253. Web: www.canton.de.
Price -
I intend to list these elsewhere for $4,000. Club Polk price is $3,500. with paypal
Shipping/Delivery -
I will ship at buyers expense, would need to be freight/palleted due to size and weight. It would not be cheap. For the price listed above, I will drive up to 6 hours one way to deliver and setup OR to meet at a midway point at a public location. All funds must be paid in advance for deliveries.
Pictures -
- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
Comments
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I have heard these. For the love of God somebody buy these before I do!
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Do iiittt! :-D- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Damn it! I want these! stupid bad timing! Well Hell, GLWTS.Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
Thank you, they can definitely bring a full range 2 channel experience!- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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I now own these and they are Fantastic!!!!! I have been using a Anthem 225 Amp and now have my custome built Odyssey Kismet Amp. These sounded great with the Anthem but this new Amp took these to a entirely different level.
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Welcome to the forum, staceywageman.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Hey Stacey, glad you are still enjoying the Canton and the odyssey delivered!- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Yes I have got the Odyssey Kismet amp now and is has improved the sound I am getting ready to upgrade to a Odyssey Candela pre amp can't wate to here the difference it makes.
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Also I am looking for a music streamer and DAC any suggestions
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Hi, Stacey. What is your budget?
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I highly recommend the lumin u1 mini with the sbooster... Can be had around 1800 or so used. The s booster is well worth it.
As far as a DAC, Tom has a tri visit ( that I think he wants to sell) that I am a huge fan of... Granted mine is heavily modded.
I tried the musical paradise dac a while back which was very good, just wasn't quite my taste, a little sharp on the top end. Tons of DACs out there.
The Auralic streamer/dac Tom has also sounded really good, the sound traits sounded really close to the musical paradise, a little sharp. Most likely a similar DAC section. I've only heard the auralic in two different systems and I had similar impressions of both.
World is your oyster when it comes to DACs!- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
....but both on speakers that....
(I'll shut up)
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
No doubt both configurations were on the bright side 😜- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Bright and Trey.....Hmmm.
Not a combination I would have thought would be a negative for you..... You are coming of age.
(I am NOT talking about Trey's ability or brainpower.....he can run circles around most of you, without a doubt)
You used to be about shattering ear levels of brightness and authoritative bass that shook the entire neighborhood and surrounding counties.
I see you are now more refined. Nice.
What I was saying is that you heard one of the one's you mentioned on a system you heard before (as well as the upgraded one on yours). You had a reference.
IMO, you never gave the MP a chance to break in, change different tubes and do what it is that you do.
The Auralic (Well, the newer one)? You have only heard that on one system and on brand new speakers with zero reference.
Knaw'mean bro'?
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Sure, I wouldn't say bright is a bad thing... It can definitely be a bad thing, we all know that. But the musical paradise had a sharp sound that I relate to the auralic sound I have heard. Not a brightness per say, but like an edge. Ultra refined. Detailed for the sake of being detailed. This is maybe OK if I wanted to build a system around that attribute but that was moving a direction I didn't want to go.
I gave the musical paradise as much chance of his return policy gave me. 7 days return policy is honestly to little when even the manufacture says the gear takes 50 to 100 hours to burn in. I have a job, family and stuff ya know? Lol What ultimately made me send it back is that after listening for 3 days, I put the tri Vista back in and even with cold tubes, the tri Vista was just so much more enjoyable to listen to, the old musical fidelity stuff is right up my alley.
I thought Joe was running an auralic? What I heard on his Elac speakers was awfully similar to what we heard on the L800 before we dived into the presets.- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
Different speakers, COMPLETELY different server. No reference, as I spoke of earlier.
I understand the 3 day to get things either returned or do your thing. I do. That's your choice, not mine.
"Sharp" is a new term. Hmmm. Glare, edgy, crisp, digital, annoying? Any of these ring a bell or are your observations a little bit different than what I am thinking?
Tom
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I think the best reason I returned the musical paradise was because it was different... Not better. I think in my mind, 20 years of technological improvements and the musical paradise was just going to wipe the floor with the modded tri Vista and that just wasn't the case.
At first I liked the difference, little different staging, little more detail, etc, was a fresh take on the sound. But after a while... That started to turn into "Glare, edgy, crisp, digital, annoying, sharp" where everything is so crisp, lacking decay and fast (regardless of the 7 presets I had to choose from and rolling in clarity cmr caps in the output stage) that I just was getting fatigued.
To put in perspective, I have listened to the tri Vista... For hours upon hours, was quite a shift.
The auralic is a great piece of equipment, no denying it. I just haven't heard it in a system that was fully calibrated for 2 channel in a long standing system.
The l800 after digging thru the presets sounded awesome with the auralic. They were still a tad lean and bright but heck we threw that setup together in 5 hours over a weekend with alot of alcohol flowing 😝
I have had the grande for months and I am not just now getting to where they should be! 2 channel rigs take time 😁- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
Amen to THAT brother. Amen....
You will soon (hopefully)
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I do....Tom has a tri visit ( that I think he wants to sell) that I am a huge fan of...
Tom
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I am extremely familiar with odyssey gear and the cantons.... The tri Vista dac will fit in perfectly. Those aluminum/magnesium drivers with the elevated top end of oddysey gear with the relaxed tri Vista signature.... Will be solid
Would also highly recommend duelund dca cables thru out- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
Tom what are you asking for the tri vista
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So I am fairly new to the this world I used to be about loud and party mode. Now I like instrumental acustic type music with defined vocals I want to hear and understand the words as well as be able to here each instrument with what I would say a warm full sound. I am learning this is not exactly easy to achieve. Nor is it cheap.
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A real rabbit hole if there ever was one!- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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@vr3, which musical paradise dac did you try?Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
Puritan PSM156 -
I did the newest one with all of the upgrade options except the vh audio caps. Had the ESS chip, higher priced tubes he offered, etc- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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staceywageman wrote: »Also I am looking for a music streamer and DAC any suggestions
Unless I missed it, what's your budget?
The Lumin U1 Mini gets you 85% of the full blown U1. I have the Mini and I'm VERY happy with it.
There's an "affordable" DAC in the FS section that pushes WAY WAY above it's price point.
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/195403/fs-north-star-design-intenso-dac#latest
If you find yourself digg'n the North Star house sound, I might be persuaded to part with one of my NSD Supremo's. Yeah I've got 2 of them. They are that good!
Factory certified previously own Lampizators can be had for a substantial discount. Check their site often, as pieces move quickly. Lampi's are a fantastic product.
I have their entry DAC offering and quite honestly, it's a destination piece for most people.
https://www.lampizatorpoland.com/pre-owned
So . . . what's your budget. We all wanna spend your $$$AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
Pre Cary SLP-05
Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
Mains Salk HT2-TL
Rythmik F12
