Anybody heard Canton Ergos? (902DC specifically)

dougy

...just curious as I've always admired Cantons but never had the opportunity to hear a pair. The Ergo line has been around forever, so I would guess there to be a strong sonic similarity between the 902 and the other floorstanding models, so if you've heard any of them and would share your impressions, that would be great. Thanks!

sucks2beme

dougy wrote: »

...just curious as I've always admired Cantons but never had the opportunity to hear a pair. The Ergo line has been around forever, so I would guess there to be a strong sonic similarity between the 902 and the other floorstanding models, so if you've heard any of them and would share your impressions, that would be great. Thanks!

I've heard several Cantons, all with Yamaha HT. Not the best way
to experience them. The Yammies all sound forward and bright. And that's
what I heard from the Cantons. The quality of the speakers build is very good.
There is(was?) a local dealer here in North Dallas. I never went back to try
to get a better demo. They were a HT shop, and getting a good 2 channel
demo wasn't going to happen. I don't know why there aren't that many dealers
out there. I wish I had better input, but the dealer was interested in a quick sale.
So I crossed that dealer off my list and moved on.

dougy

Thanks for the reply. I didn't expect there to be many who had heard them.

I've always been a little puzzled about their relatively low profile in the US. I always thought they were gorgeous and from what I can tell, a high quality product (which you seem to agree with).

I've always been a sucker for their looks and design. I just never had a chance to hear them. They may suck prodigiously.:D A used pair might be a good way to find out.

...But I really like the LSi-9's I just bought, and I'm kinda behind the ol' 8-ball expense-wise, so I dunno... If I got'em, it'd be a battle between them and the Polks as to which pair stayed and which pair went on the auction block! I'm torn...

sucks2beme

dougy wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. I didn't expect there to be many who had heard them.

I've always been a little puzzled about their relatively low profile in the US. I always thought they were gorgeous and from what I can tell, a high quality product (which you seem to agree with).

I've always been a sucker for their looks and design. I just never had a chance to hear them. They may suck prodigiously.:D A used pair might be a good way to find out.

...But I really like the LSi-9's I just bought, and I'm kinda behind the ol' 8-ball expense-wise, so I dunno... If I got'em, it'd be a battle between them and the Polks as to which pair stayed and which pair went on the auction block! I'm torn...

I've never been afraid to look at all those "odd" brands. Dallas is a hotbed of
odd speakers. I regularly see Allisons, Norman labs, and about every other
brand ever made show up on the local CL. I've seen Dunlavy's up close and personal.
And owned more oddball speakers than I can count. I am
the world's biggest sucker for good looking speakers. My goal now is to
stick to a pair that works. Do yourself a favor, and stick with the 9's.
Do the crossover mod. And enjoy. They can keep up with many of those
premium brands.

okiepolkie

In most cases, Canton would like Germany's Polk Audio. They offer good performance as a mass market speaker, and are a house brand there, similar to Polk here.

As you mentioned, there is a big following here.

In the price range of the Ergos, I would probably try something else.

dougy

okiepolkie wrote: »

In most cases, Canton would like Germany's Polk Audio. They offer good performance as a mass market speaker, and are a house brand there, similar to Polk here.

As you mentioned, there is a big following here.

In the price range of the Ergos, I would probably try something else.

I've always been of the impression that Canton was more comparable to B&W than Polk...but that's just my uninformed impression.

"Price" is probably the main reason I've never owned a pair of Cantons...price and availability. I just never see them.

dorokusai

Pass.

dougy

If anybody is still with me here, let's look at this another way: Which would be preferable: new Polk RTi-A7's, or used Canton Ergo 902DC's? ...assuming either ones could be had for about the same money.

dorokusai

Polk.

dougy

Care to elaborate?

I would guess the Cantons to have a more expensive crossover and more expensive drivers...and probably a better finished cabinet. Geez, they ought to give you something for over three times the new list price! (Polk RTi-A7 / $1100 ---Canton Ergo 690DC / app $3500.

okiepolkie

Your best bet would be get a listen to them if you want to form your own opinion.

I would elsewhere as well. The Polk's are a great sounding speaker for the money, and the LSi's aren't much more money for very good sound.

If you are looking for a new sound, there are quite a few choices in the $1100 range, and especially at the $3500 range.

Are there very many dealers in Springfield? How far from Tulsa, KC, or St Louis are you?

If you were closer, I've got a few good pairs to listen to as well.

sucks2beme

For that kind of money there's a lot of choices. Canton has had several
highly rated speakers in the past that Stereophile liked. They have more
higher end choices than Polk. But once you get in that price range,
listening is key. Don't trunt any ears but your own. Take a day off
and drive somewhere to listen. And always check other brands.
The $3-4k range covers a lot of great spekers, even more if you find a
demo pair or trade in.

dougy

Whoa there hosses...Dougy ain't shopping fer no $3500/pair loudspeakers anytime in the forseeable future! He's too po'!! I was comparing a used pair of Cantons that if new would be around $3500. They were on eBay for a $1000 BIN. I was comparing those to a pair of Polk RTi-A7's, which are also around $1K brand spankin' new. So that was the comparison: Five-year-old Cantons vs. new RTi-A7's ...So which would y'all rather have? A used Caddy or a new Chevy?

Doc99

I owned Canton Ergo's and Karats. Very nice quality build and sound. Do I think they sound better then Polk? Not really. Very Over priced. IF I owned those german speakers, why do I have some Polks in my room now? To me, you can not get better sounding speakers for the money then POLK. They have a magic about them. POLK....how do you do it?

dougy

OK Doc, that's what I'm wanting to hear! I love the looks, design and quality of the Cantons, but I don't want to spend 2-3 times the money of Polk/Klipsch/Paradigm, etc unless the sound quality is definitely better too. I suspect a lot of the high price of Canton and B&W and others may be in the relatively high priced labor; and of course the transportation cost.

Doc99

dougy wrote: »

OK Doc, that's what I'm wanting to hear! I love the looks, design and quality of the Cantons, but I don't want to spend 2-3 times the money of Polk/Klipsch/Paradigm, etc unless the sound quality is definitely better too. I suspect a lot of the high price of Canton and B&W and others may be in the relatively high priced labor; and of course the transportation cost.

They are made in Germany, and so you pay for that. Every Canton speaker I owned always had the same issue with loose binding posts. I would have to unscrew the terminal plate on the back and tighten them up from the inside. Strange? The Karats were fantastic sounding speakers, no doubt. Still one of my favorites. For a while I had checked out a few other speakers to compare to including JM LAbs 806, B&W 601, Energy C-3(those were good) and Wharfedale Evo. The Karats would win every time. The build quality on the Ergos however were better. Much heavier, solid cabinets. After I did my shootout with the Polk RtiA3, I just preferred the Polk sound more. They have a something special to their sound to me(all Polk), that other companys can't mimic. Here is a picture of my Canton Ergos. These pass the knuckle test with flying colors!

Hawking821

havent had them.. but herd they were pretty good