CES 2004 : Canton

12 janvier 2004


Quatre Karat

Parmi les nouveautés que présentait ce salon, nous retiendrons la célèbre marque Canton, qui bien qu’elle propose une très large gamme de produits Home Cinéma et Haute Fidélité, dévoilait lors de cette édition du CES, des nouvelles enceintes venant enrichir l’actuelle série Karat.

A la carte donc une Principale Reference 6 DC, un caisson de graves actif AS 500 SC, une bibliothèque L 100 et une centrale la CL 400 viennent compléter le catalogue Home Cinéma du constructeur allemand.
De finition « métallique » (coffret de couleur argent, HP en aluminium…) chacune des enceintes reprend donc le design actuel chiosi par la marque. Toutefois on notera que les évolutions se situe au niveau de la conception elle-même de chacun de ces nouveaux éléments (Changement de le câblerie à l’intérieur, révision du coffret pour optimiser la charge, nouvelle génération de Haut parleurs, nouveau filtre…).

Canton qui annonce donc une disponibilité immédiate de chacune de ces enceintes commercialisera : la principale Karat Reference 6 DC à 3500$, le caisson AS 500 SC à 2000$, la bibliothèque Karat L 100 à 700$ et la centrale Karat CL 400 à 900$.


Reference 6 DC

AS 500 SC

L100 & CL400

Communiqué de presse

Reference 6 DC LAS VEGAS (1/8/04) -- Canton has introduced the Karat Reference 6 DC, a new floorstanding loudspeaker in its acclaimed signature Karat Reference line. The three-way loudspeaker partakes of the same advanced circuitry, design features, and driver engineering as its larger sibling, the Reference 2 DC, but in a compact enclosure suitable for more modestly sized rooms.

The Karat Reference 6 DC is a no-holds-barred full-range loudspeaker that is the result of over 30 years of Canton's experience with loudspeaker and driver design. It's heavily braced enclosure is constructed of multiple-density laminate that is 1-1/4 inches thick, and features a unique trapezoidal shape that gives it a narrow front baffle for highly accurate imaging, while still maintaining a relatively large volume for ideal bass response.
The system transducers are performance re-engineered versions of time-tested Canton exclusive designs, featuring enhanced diaphragms, more powerful magnet structures, enhanced shielding, and improved venting. The massive 16 pound crossover network features high-end components such as ICW capacitors, and is mounted in its own sealed enclosure to provide optimal microphonic isolation from the speaker's mechanical and acoustical parts. The speaker uses premium grade Fast Audio 6M cabling, and features gold-plated bi-wiring/bi-amping terminals.

"The Karat Reference series is the sort of project that reminds me why I became a loudspeaker designer in the first place," said Frank Göbl, Canton's head of Research and Development. "We had a green light to do whatever we thought was best for the sound, with the entire focus and only consideration being that of producing the ultimate means of sonic reproduction." He adds, "of course, no one wants their child to be an eyesore, so we also made it as beautiful to the eyes as it is to the ears."

Bass reproduction in the Reference 6 DC is handled by a side-mounted, high output 9-inch cellulose/graphite woofer, and a custom-designed passive radiator on the opposite side. Thanks to extensive analysis, matching. and integration of the drivers, crossover, and enclosure, the loudspeaker is capable of delivering clean and musical bass all the way to the bottom of the audible spectrum. Careful application of Canton's Displacement Control (DC) technology, which filters unwanted infrasonic (below 20 Hz) signals, is also employed to substantially lower harmonic distortion in the audible range and extend the low-frequency response of the system. The cabinet's unusual trapezoidal shape and three-chamber design mean that there are virtually no parallel surfaces, preventing unwanted standing waves that are so problematic for conventional box-shaped designs.

The front baffle of the Reference 6 DC features a pair of Canton's highly responsive 5-inch midrange drivers, and a modified version of its lauded 1-inch aluminum-manganese dome tweeter in a D'Appolito configuration for ideal imaging and smooth off-axis response. The tweeter features the company's signature one-piece dome and voice-coil former for improved linear coupling and heat dispersion. For the Karat Reference 6 DC, it also benefits from a more powerful neodymium ring magnet, and improved internal venting to minimize backpressure that can adversely affect dynamic response. As with all Canton loudspeakers, all of the transducers used in the Reference 6 DC are designed and manufactured exclusively by Canton.

The Karat Reference 6 DC is available in the Karat line's signature silver lacquer finish, or in real wood veneers of either Cherry of Beech. It is currently available at a suggested retail price of $7,000 per pair.

Karat AS 500 SC
LAS VEGAS (1/8/04) -- Canton has introduced the Karat AS 500 SC, the most powerful subwoofer the company has ever manufactured. It features a massive 12-inch high output driver and matching passive radiator driven by a massive internal power amplifier capable of generating 600 Watts of power. Thanks to Canton's SC (Subwoofer Control) technology, the subwoofer is capable of extremely precise and musical bass reproduction well below the limits of human hearing.

The Karat AS 500 SC uses a long-excursion 12-inch cellulose/graphite driver in a bass reflex enclosure. For extended deep bass response, rather than use a traditional port, it makes use of a passive radiator mounted on the opposite face of the enclosure. This design eliminates distortion due to port noise or unwanted pipe resonance, while improving the speaker's efficiency and generating increased sound pressure levels (SPL).

The Canton Karat AS 500 SC also incorporates the company's exclusive SC Technology, which redefines the relationship between the size of a subwoofer's housing and its transmission range. Canton engineers have designed an active electronic filter that is custom tailored for the AS 500 SC, based on complex computer-aided analysis and design, and integrated into the unit's amplifier between the preliminary and output stages. This circuit provides compensation for the acoustic characteristics of the housing and driver, adjusting the amplifier's response curve for optimum linearity. This both blocks unwanted infrasonic signals, which can cause excessive driver excursions, and improves the speaker's output response across the frequency range. The resulting increase in efficiency and stability, and the subsequent decrease of harmonic distortion, allows the subwoofer to reproduce bass more precisely, and to carry a heavier load with more clarity.

The Karat AS 500 SC was designed to complement the Karat Reference and L-class loudspeakers both sonically and visually. It features the same acoustical suspension base as found on the line's large floorstanding models, acoustically decoupling it from the floor to isolate it from vibrations that can cause unwanted distortion. It is magnetically shielded to allow for placement near displays, and includes rear-panel controls for adjustment of level, crossover frequency, and phase, and is available in real wood veneers of Beech and Cherry, or in the Karat line's signature silver lacquer finish.

The Canton Karat AS 500 SC Subwoofer is currently available at a suggested retail price of $2,000.

L100 et CL400
LAS VEGAS (1/08/04) -- Canton has introduced two new full-range speakers in its Karat L-Class, the Karat L 100 two-way bookshelf monitor, and the 2-1/2 way CL 400 center channel. These models are the largest bookshelf and center channel in the Karat line, and were designed to complement the highly regarded L 800 DC floorstanding speaker introduced at CES 2003.

The Karat L 100 and CL 400 both feature the same Canton-developed 7-inch concave aluminum mid/bass driver. This is the same extremely light and fast diaphragm used for midrange reproduction in the L 800 DC, and features a concave voice-coil cap that improves the symmetry of acoustic dispersion, and prevents the standing-wave modes that can develop with conventional dome dustcaps. The use of aluminum makes the driver extremely rigid, and also acts as a heatsink for the voice-coil, allowing the speakers to play very hard without strain or distortion.

For the upper frequencies, the speakers each employ Canton's acclaimed wide dispersion aluminum tweeter. This 1-inch transducer's dome and voice coil former are constructed as a single structure, giving the driver a lower mass, and greatly improved heat dissipation characteristics. The diaphragm is also much less susceptible to deformation at extremely high frequencies, allowing it to deliver immediate and clear linear response all the way out to 30 kHz, far beyond that of most tweeters. The CL 400 center channel speaker is a magnetically shielded 2-1/2-way design optimized for horizontal mounting above or below video displays. It features a centrally mounted tweeter flanked by a pair of the aluminum drivers, one driving only the bass frequencies and the other driving bass and midrange. This configuration prevents wide variations in off-axis response due to cancellation between paired woofers, and improves midrange linearity. This overall design provides linear frequency dispersion even at listening angles as far as 30 degrees off-axis.

The two-way Karat L 100 bookshelf speaker features a single woofer and tweeter in a bass reflex enclosure that is suitable for mounting on bookshelf, or on either of the optional LS 60 or L 65 stands. The L 100 features two pairs of sturdy gold-plated binding posts for those who wish to biwire or biamp the speakers.

The Karat L 100 and CL 400 speakers are both currently available in real wood veneers of cherry or beech, or in the Karat line's signature silver lacquer finish. The Karat L 100 has a suggested retail price of $1400 per pair, and the Karat CL 400 is $900 each.

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