Canton Vento 830.2

[frenchmon]

Got my new Canton 830.2's from dealer today. I have them on the stands and just listened to Diana Krall. Right out of box they have much more bass detail and also carries more weight than my previous Canton's. The 830.2's have let me see what my system really can do. I would say about 2 hours on them towards brake in. I wont push them as they require low to slightly mid level on the volume...Break in is finished at 20 hours per Canton, but could be more. The 2M Black is truely a very special cart that I now understand was limited with the other speakers. Right out box, the speakers have a very lovely mid section with tons of detail....rich and warm sounding and a perfect match with tubes. It is truly lush in the mids. As said before bass notes are full, but not over powering. No smear in any of the bass notes no roll off and good weight, but nicely detail and very natural sounding. Now the tweeter is very special indeed. Canton took the tweeter out of their Reference line...which has the top speaker costing $35000 a pair and dropped it into the Vento line. Its that same ceramic dome tweeter technology and dome geometry of the Reference line. This tweeter is truly world class and features very extended frequency response, wide dispersion characteristics and high power handling. It’s just an incredibly smooth tweeter. No distortion or edge or pollution is heard whatsoever. And with Cantons wave guide technology, muisc just extends further in the room...a few pic minus the magnetized grills. These pictures do nothing for the beauty of the high gloss Cherry wood.


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[JohnMichael]

Wow those are beautiful. Sounds like the music they make is also beautiful. I can share your excitement when you have a new component that kicks your system up a notch or two. I think I will have to seek out a pair to audition. What is the MSRP on those beauties.

[frenchmon]

JM thanks....They retail for $2400 They perform like they cost much more. If you find a dealer who is willing to deal you may have them for around 2grand. I can assure you these are the best speakers I have ever heard. If you find them and listen, decide to purchase and the dealer wont budge off price, I can put you in-touch with my dealer. He will deal. THey come in high gloss black, high gloss cherry, and high gloss white.

A few years ago at Vinyl Engine I started a post asking why is it that speaker companies like Salk, ProAc, Devore, Harbeth and so many other smaller companies charge so much for their speakers when they only build their cabinet and outsource the speakers and drivers to Scanspeak, Vifa, Seas, and other companies. The obvious reason is they dont have the capital to higher engineers and build it all. I got all kinds of very good reasons why, but no one was able to give me the number one reason. It was because they are not a "Virtical company" which can give you a better product at cheaper prices while passing down the best technology for their top lines to some of the lower lines. The previous tweeter technology in the Vento was good, but when they took some of the technology from the Reference line and put it into the Vento line, it pushed the Vento to another level. Canton makes everything in that speaker sept grow the trees for the boxes. But they do everything else. If this same speaker with the way if sounds was from one of the above speaker companies, it would run about 4-5K. I think Joseph Audio has a speaker about the same size with Seas drives and maybe crossovers and it cost about 8K and I am willing to bet its not as safisticated as the new Vento 830.2's. I've contacted RGA to see if he can get any thing from the Vento line with the new tweeter to see if he could review it, but he never responded back too me. I would be interested in his opinion.

Me and Peabody was at the shoot out with the new Monitor Audio GX 100 and the 820.2's the little brother to the 830.2's and they just out classed the bigger GX 100's in every way, and the GX 100 is a good speaker. JM I hope you can find a pair and take a listen, I would be interested in your thoughts.

[Feanor]

Sweet, frenchmon. This is a model of speaker I'd need to check out if I wanted or need to replace my Magneplanars.

[frenchmon]

Sweet, frenchmon. This is a model of speaker I'd need to check out if I wanted or need to replace my Magneplanars.

Thanks Feanor....if you do find some Vento's, I think you will be in for a surprise. My dealer drove them with some Classical from the Reference Recordings label...vinly and CD's and it was like they where in the room. The speakers with the high gloss does not take attention from the music...they really draw you in by the way they let you hear every part of the music perfectly....the physicality of the speakers do disappear.

[TheHills44060]

Nice pickup frenchmon...now update your equipment list pronto! :-)

"Canton 400 STAND MONITORS" ===> Canton Canton Vento 830.2

[frenchmon]

Nice pickup frenchmon...now update your equipment list pronto! :-)

"Canton 400 STAND MONITORS" ===> Canton Canton Vento 830.2

Thank you sir!

[JohnMichael]

I have a question about the shootout with the Monitor Audio's. I have made peace with the RS6's and I am ready to move on. Now to my question the MA's seem to be more about the dynamics of the music and the OML1's are more about flow so would you say the Canton Vento's are more about the flow?

The dynamics were unrelenting with the RS6's and I think that is why I kept taking a break. The RS6's did not excell when the music was funky. Oh and the peaky tweeter was not fun long term.

[blackraven]

Very nice speakers Frenchie. I am sure that they sound great with that nice Vincent gear of yours.

Enjoy!

[RGA]

Canton was one of my finalists in my speaker hunt and performed well with tube amplifiers. The Audio Note AX Two ended up winning from my list of finalists.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Nice addition to your system. You've really been adding some equipment to your system lately. I need to find a Canton dealer near me so I can give them a listen. I just spent the last two weeks cruisng the Med and the closest thing I could find to a HiFi shop were a Bang and Olufsen shop in Barcelona and one in Rome.

[frenchmon]

Canton was one of my finalists in my speaker hunt and performed well with tube amplifiers. The Audio Note AX Two ended up winning from my list of finalists.

RGA...its funny you should say that it performs well with tube gear. I dont know why they allow me to hear more of that tube goodness as opposed to my previous speakers. These speakers seem to respond to electronic changes more so than anything I've heard. After listening to them at the dealers house with his SS for about 2 hours, and then hooking them up to the tubes, the change from SS to tubes was very very much noticeable right off the bat. I guess thats the way its suppose to be. But with my old speakers that simply was not the case. The Vento are so transparent.

Before with my old Cantons, I really could not hear when the tubes where nice and warm....you know when you can listen and hear the tubes when its at its peak and the music sounds so good? Well with the old speakers I did not notice that, but with the Vento's I can tell when the tubes are nice and ripe because the music really takes on that special tone where you feel it....it becomes very romantic and the mids in my opinion becomes outstanding.

Which Canton did you listen too?

[RGA]

I heard a couple of different ones but I did not write down the model numbers - I may go out there today and I can look at them again - or later in the week as I need to get a stereo stand or such platforms anyway.

[bajaed]

Late to the party here Frenchmon but wanted to say congrats on the Cantons!

When I upgrade speakers I was thinking Vapor Breeze but these just got added to the list. Glowing review from you and I know you have a discerning ear.

Since Vapor is in your neck of the woods I may have to work an invite from you to hear these if I can find time to make it over there this summer. I'll bring the Jasmine if I do.

And they are lookers too! Love that high gloss cherry. My Energy RC's and all the tables in the Man Cave are all cherry so those would fit right in.

A pair of those and a 2M Black and I could be set for a long time.

[frenchmon]

Raven...thanks. Yes they sound really good with tubes. I put the first 2 hours on SS gear at my dealers house, then bought them home and noticed the nice tube warmth right away. They respond to electronics greatly.

Jack....sounds like you had a nice vacation! Thanks for the propers. Im sure with all the audio shops in carolina, you will not have a problem finding some new Vento's or Reference.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Raven...thanks. Yes they sound really good with tubes. I put the first 2 hours on SS gear at my dealers house, then bought them home and noticed the nice tube warmth right away. They respond to electronics greatly.

Jack....sounds like you had a nice vacation! Thanks for the propers. Im sure with all the audio shops in carolina, you will not have a problem finding some new Vento's or Reference.

Sorry for the confusion, but I'm in Wilmington, Delaware. It was a nice vacation. Spain, France, Italy (Pisa), Italy (Rome), Italy (Naples), Greece (Mykonos), Turkey (Istanbul), Turkey (Ephesus), Greece (Crete), and Italy (Venice). But you must have to know where the HiFi shops are located, and all those stops in Italy and we couldn't find a decent pizza.

[frenchmon]

Sorry for the confusion, but I'm in Wilmington, Delaware. It was a nice vacation. Spain, France, Italy (Pisa), Italy (Rome), Italy (Naples), Greece (Mykonos), Turkey (Istanbul), Turkey (Ephesus), Greece (Crete), and Italy (Venice). But you must have to know where the HiFi shops are located, and all those stops in Italy and we couldn't find a decent pizza.

lol! My bad, I knew that!

Man, I know you have a ball! No decent pizza? Now thats a shame. I would suspect they would be all over the place.
You might be able to contact Canton US distributor and im sure they can direct you to the nearest one.

[frenchmon]

Been listening now for about two hours. The Vento's are a very well balanced presentation and does every thing really good, but I think it's ability in the core of the music is Exceptional. Right where the lower high frequencies meet the upper lower frequencies there is a certain rhythm and drive weather it's the bass notes and piano together or bass notes and drums or just some one singing back ground, you hear the small detail and pace that is normally over looked. I think this is what draws and pulls me into the music so much and holds my attention. Every thing is coming into it own, and clarity is excellent. The bass notes surprised me a bit. While this stand mount has excellent bass and deep bass, it's not like a Dynaudio bass note from one of its small boxes that has total thunderous punch on every note....this bass is lighter, more natural. Not saying the Dyns are not natural sounding , but that the 830.2 has that natural, sound but not as thunderous, but still can go pretty low. When the music calls for me to feel a low note, I can feel it from my chair in the middle of my chest...and it has happened with acoustic and electric bass. One characteristic of good gear in my opinion is when it's clear with no added pollution of its own....meaning no break up or distortion of its own and certainly no premature roll off but good decay.This tweeter is special. I see why audiophiles look for the best recorded music and the best labels weather CD, SACD, or Vinyl. Good gear if it's suppose to be transparent in its interpretation will show a bad recording. While this tweeter will hide hiss on vinyl, it will expose badly recorded and mastered CD's and VINYL. Well I've reached the end of my listening session...have to go off and be a dad and husband now.

[RGA]

"... I started a post asking why is it that speaker companies like Salk, ProAc, Devore, Harbeth and so many other smaller companies charge so much for their speakers when they only build their cabinet and outsource the speakers and drivers to Scanspeak, Vifa, Seas, and other companies. The obvious reason is they dont have the capital to higher engineers and build it all. I got all kinds of very good reasons why, but no one was able to give me the number one reason. It was because they are not a "Virtical company" which can give you a better product at cheaper prices while passing down the best technology for their top lines to some of the lower lines

Devil's advocate

While this is true to some degree the alternate argument to this is that these companies are buying drivers from some of the best driver specialists in the world. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel when companies like SEAS, Scanspeak, Vifa, etc are making the best drivers available.

These companies like the brands you list have to pay for the drivers which is an increased cost; however, they also don't have to pay the massive costs for the machines to build the drivers or the employee cost to have the drivers physical built. Instead these makers can spend their time designing loudspeakers and not drivers that again are already likely available by driver maker specialists.

The argument that in house drivers are better is a specious one. If they were making the best drivers in the world all other speaker manufacturers would beat down their doors to offer to buy them.

In house driver manufacturer on the one hand does mean more control but that to me is marketing blather and causes the end user potential problem. Why?

1) you make the driver and you can now charge the customer any sum you want - whether the driver is worth it or not.

2) many of these companies change models every 2-5 years. They may now re-tool for a new tweeter or woofer. If they do they won't make the old ones. If that happens and your speaker breaks lot's of luck getting a replacement.

3) in house doesn't allow for price comparison. 3 speaker makers all use the same woofer and tweeters you can ask why one speaker costs 4 times what the other costs. In house the tweeter may cost $3 to make but they can charge $400 because there is no "competitor" who uses the same drivers.


The notion of trickle down technology is also pure marketing. B&W is a prime example with their tube tapering metal dome tweeter on top technology. It's all very impressive.

They come out with a CDM 1SE speaker with a metal tweeter on top. It has ringing break-up behavior and doesn't integrate with the stiff Kevlar midwoofer. It sounds worse than the AN AX Two for half the price using Vifa drivers (paper and silk).

So B&W trickles down their better tweeter design in the new CDM 1NT - which is a marginal upgrade but still has the same problems - price goes up and the AX Two still sounds better.

B&W trickles down more of the 800 series into the new 705 which is better again but still has treble issues and still doesn't integrate properly and still has problems with the Kevlar woofer. Price goes up and it still sounds worse than the AX Two. It looks a lot better I'll give them that. I am using B&W as the example because the CDM 1SE and NT were speakers I planned on buying back in the day. I was a week away from purchasing them except I got laid off. Bad to get laid off but not bad to avoid buying those speakers. (B&W is a prime example of vertical integration and make their own drivers etc etc.)

The B&W tweeter creates it's own problems that a cheap ass AX Two Vifa tweeter doesn't create. The Vifa won't have the power or extension but it also has none of the nasty issues B&W's tweeters possess.

B&W sells them and then has the upgrade coming in the next line or the trickled down version. They even admit that the model up reduces ringing of their lower model. It's perpetual built in upgradeitus. The initial wow factor treble is wearing and you want the model up. The interesting thing is when B&W was interested in sound reproduction instead of the pure marketing of style over substance that they're into now they used to build good sounding speakers (Matrix and DM series). Indeed, I picked up a Hong Kong English newspaper the other day about home decorating and what do I see - a full page advert for B&W 800 speakers. It reminded me of seeing Bose and Bang and Olluffson in such magazines. Credit B&W for following some of the most profitable companies and realizing that Harbeth, ATC, Audio Note, and Devore Orangutan looking speakers will not sell in numbers no matter how good they sound. People want sexy curves, high gloss finishes, and whatever space age mumbo jumbo you can possibly throw at them.

Devil's advocate commentary over.

Now having made the above point I do not have any issue with either approach - I really don't care about whether they make the drivers or not. Some speakers I like do some speakers I like don't. Same with amps - some amps are OEM from other companies but it doesn't make it worse or better.

Speakers IME are more about the overall design than the specific drivers. 1-2 less expensive drivers with spot on cohesiveness beats 5 ultra pricey drivers that are all over the place even if each driver in the 5 way costs more than entire first speaker costs in total.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Been listening now for about two hours. The Vento's are a very well balanced presentation and does every thing really good, but I think it's ability in the core of the music is Exceptional. Right where the lower high frequencies meet the upper lower frequencies there is a certain rhythm and drive weather it's the bass notes and piano together or bass notes and drums or just some one singing back ground, you hear the small detail and pace that is normally over looked. I think this is what draws and pulls me into the music so much and holds my attention. Every thing is coming into it own, and clarity is excellent. The bass notes surprised me a bit. While this stand mount has excellent bass and deep bass, it's not like a Dynaudio bass note from one of its small boxes that has total thunderous punch on every note....this bass is lighter, more natural. Not saying the Dyns are not natural sounding , but that the 830.2 has that natural, sound but not as thunderous, but still can go pretty low. When the music calls for me to feel a low note, I can feel it from my chair in the middle of my chest...and it has happened with acoustic and electric bass. One characteristic of good gear in my opinion is when it's clear with no added pollution of its own....meaning no break up or distortion of its own and certainly no premature roll off but good decay.This tweeter is special. I see why audiophiles look for the best recorded music and the best labels weather CD, SACD, or Vinyl. Good gear if it's suppose to be transparent in its interpretation will show a bad recording. While this tweeter will hide hiss on vinyl, it will expose badly recorded and mastered CD's and VINYL. Well I've reached the end of my listening session...have to go off and be a dad and husband now.

Hey Frenchie, When you and Mr Peabody went and compared the Cantons to the Revel Performa F52, did you listen to the 830.2's at that time?

[frenchmon]

Hey Frenchie, When you and Mr Peabody went and compared the Cantons to the Revel Performa F52, did you listen to the 830.2's at that time?

No we did not. The 830.2's where not released in the States as of yet at that time. They are still fresh in the US market. The 830 where still out and had a different tweeter and crossover configuration, but I did get a chance to hear some Vento 807 DC with the old tweeter. Like the 830.2's, They have very good bass, not as thunderous as the Dyns, but just as detailed. On the Older models the Canton had a reputation for having a little hot tweeter. So system matching was very important. I never experienced any hot-ness in the tweeter With my old Canton 403's. I ran it throug tubes and did not experience any hot-ness., and before the Tubes I had Rotel and never experienced any. With the new ceramic tweeter, I don't know that to be the case. The tweeter is able to reach high frequencies, but its not hot. Its rather laid back. Its clear and smooth as can be ....at lease to my ears and every one who has heard it. In a head too head match up of the smaller 820.2 and the Monitor Audio GX 100, the Ribbon tweeter in the GX 100 was brighter. The mids and upper frequencies are different from what Dyns does in the Contour series.You will know the timbre of a Canton speaker as soon as you hear it, especially in the mid range with the lower high frequencies.

[frenchmon]

A "Devils advocate" is some one who takes a position they don't necessarily agree with for the sake of argument. So why argue? I sure dont want too.

Don't make B&W the model or standard for all vertical speaker companies. You would be foolish to do so.

Larger speaker companies like Canton and B&W, Paradigm, Revel, Monitor Audio, Dynaudio and now Dali after years of out sourcing their woofers, tweeters and drivers, but now are Vertical integrated, and a few others have the resources, drive and motivation as well as the will to do what they do. So its no biggie to them to switch out the equipment and tools for the what they want to do in a design or hire in a engineer to make their designs work. Does that make a Vertical company better than one who hires out parts? Yes and no. But I wont argue the pro's and cons here. I dont really want too argue.

But having said that, there is one advantage of a Vertical company like Canton that I know of...you wont find their parts in Parts Express. Is that a bad thing? Maybe not, but I just cant help wondering if that popular speaker that cost 5k a pair sounds close too or almost like another popular speaker that cost $500. I have read many accounts on different forums where the person stated his popular British speaker needed a new woofer. He takes the old one out, looks at it and the name of the speaker company is on the woofer, but the company who MADE the speaker is also stamped on the speaker. One such guy even called his dealer after the woofer stopped working and the dealer told him that if he order that woofer from the British company who purchased the drives for their product it would cost $600, but he would also be able to get that same woofer from Madisound for $70. He said its the exact same woofer with only one number in the model number changed. That was a good thing for the consumer who own the broken speaker....but I wonder about stuff like that.

There is a guy here in St. Louis who makes very nice speakers and sells them all over the States. Check his site out.

Vapor : Exquisite Audio Reproduction

I asked him one day if he uses top shelf from parts express or any other company that sells parts...or if has them design to his specs by Scanspeak or RAAL or who ever he buys from. He said it depends but most times he just buys from Parts Express.

So the moral of my little true accounts is while speaking for Canton and not B&W or any other company, is with a Vertical Integrated Company like Canton, you get a guarantee exclusivity. Once you get to know their sound, you wont hear it any place else in any body else speakers other than Canton... Is that a bad thing or good thing? Its all in the eye and heart of the believer...or should I say the audiophile....too each his own.


And speaking of the the Vertical Integrted Dynaudio, who at one time use to sell drivers at Parts Express and a few other parts companies, but now don't, I wonder what their motivation was to stop?.....hmmmm.

[frenchmon]

....I wrote Canton about the Vento before purchase and this is part of the reply I recieved from Canton.....So you telling me this is not true and is only marketing BS?

......The Vento series was recently upgraded and carries the “.2” designator. This means that Canton kept the form factor the same but upgraded drivers and crossover technology. In the case of the new Vento, the most important change (and it’s very significant) was the addition of the ceramic dome tweeter technology and dome geometry from our Reference series. This tweeter is truly world class and features very extended frequency response, wide dispersion characteristics and high power handling. It’s just an incredibly smooth tweeter. The woofers, midrange and crossovers were also changed slightly to reflect the overall balance – Canton designs each individual speaker as a system – so the driver parameters changed but the materials remained the same. ....

Also...it would be nice if you contacted them to see if you could get the Vento series in your room to review....My contact was Paul Madsen

[texlle]

Mmm...high gloss brilliance. Sounds like the new Ventos are a great match for your gear. You say you've also upgraded to the Ortofon 2M Black? What were you using before?

[frenchmon]

Mmm...high gloss brilliance. Sounds like the new Ventos are a great match for your gear. You say you've also upgraded to the Ortofon 2M Black? What were you using before?

I used a 2M Red. Thanks for the props...