Review:

The subject of this review is Canton’s Ergo series line which is in the middle of their higher end speakers systems behind their Flagship model the Vento. The Ergo line is not a new system however late last year Canton announced that the line had been redesigned and included new drivers, crossovers, and cabinet improvements. The Ergo line includes a trio of floor standing models, three compact two way models, a 2 ½ way center channel, and a 350 watt subwoofer. All of the full range models incorporate Canton’s newest evolution of their highly regarded ADT-25 aluminum manganese dome tweeter. Canton’s latest design of the ADT-25 is said to extend the tweeter’s operating range all the way out to 40 kHz while simultaneously decreasing distortion.

The bass and midrange drivers in the line feature extremely stiff and lightweight black anodized aluminum cones for optimum response characteristics. The drivers are the same as those developed for Canton’s Flagship Vento series.

The new Ergo line incorporates the most significant change in it’s cabinet design in over two decades. The front baffle of all the models now incorporates a gentle curve across the face of the speaker. This design is said to improve off-axis dispersion characteristics and linear frequency response. A bottom plate has been added to the floor standing models to improve isolation from the floor. This, in addition to the improved baffle design is said to increase structural support and further decrease cabinet resonance.

The three floor standing models in the Ergo line feature Canton’s exclusive DC ( displacement control ) Technology. This system uses a proprietary high-pass filter to prevent signals below the audible frequency range from interfering with the unit’s bass drivers.

All of the models in the Ergo line are currently available in the company’s silver lacquer finish or real wood veneers of beech, cherry, or black ash. Grills are made of acoustically transparent perforated metal in either black or silver depending on the cabinet finish.



Canton forwarded a pair of the floor standing model 611 DC which is the flagship tower in the Ergo line, the 605 CM center channel, two 601 on-wall speakers, and the AS 650 SC 350 watt powered subwoofer. The review samples came in the cherry wood veneer finish and are simply stunning.

The units came via freight carrier and in total weighed in at just over 300 lbs.

The 611 DC is a three way bass reflex system which is ported in the front. The unit stands just under four feet tall and is solidly constructed. The knuckle rap test was akin to knocking on a concrete block! Around back are gold plated heavy duty speaker binding posts which includes two sets for either biwiring or biamping. I biwired them and connected them to my B&K amplifier. I positioned them 6 feet apart, two feet from the side walls, two feet from the rear wall and toed in 30 degrees. I wanted to give the speakers 30 hours of break in time before doing any serious listening. This is a recommendation from Canton and it gives the components ample time to reach their plateau. The CM 605 was placed on my center channel shelf which is located just below my screen and is 28 inches from the floor and positioned directly between the mains. The 602 surrounds were wall mounted to the sides of my seated position just above ear level and slightly to the rear. I positioned the AS 650 SC subwoofer between the left main and the center channel. It has a phase control which is variable. I set the phase to 90 degrees and the gain to 12:00 which is halfway. I connected it to my B&K Reference 50 Series 2 surround processor via low level connection to one of the RCA inputs. The unit has an adjustable crossover setting which can be set from 40hz through 200z. There is no bypass setting for the crossover which is a disappointment for a subwoofer at this price. To avoid having bass management applied by both my processor and the AS 650 I set the subwoofer’s crossover at 200hz. There is a room compensation filter which is controlled by a three way toggle switch with 3 settings, Normal, wide, and narrow. The unit has a 12 inch black anodized aluminum cone powered by a 350 watt digital amplifier. It can be set to always on or can be powered on when a signal is present at one of it’s inputs.

All units were connected via banana plug connectors with the DC 611’s being the only units offering biwiring terminals. The entire line is solidly constructed and came supplied with silver plated carpet spikes.

I began my listening tests with Diana Krall “ When I look in your eyes” on SACD (set to stereo). It was immediately obvious that the Ergos were very adept at female vocal reproduction. Not all speakers reproduce female vocals well and an indication of those that have trouble is evidenced by sibilant high frequencies and a noticeable increase or change in pitch when certain octaves are struck. These problems were not an issue and Krall’s voice was rendered smoothly with no reticence or harshness. Imaging was excellent as was instrument placement within the stereo sound field. Detail was superb as every instrument could easily be discerned. Initially I had the 611’s toed in toward the listening position. I found that having them that way caused a slight collapse in the front soundstage and a heavier edge in the mid frequencies. Opening them up and toeing them out even slightly made a difference. It took some experimentation to find the sweet spot but it paid off greatly.

The 611’s continued to impress when I cued up Madeleine Peyroux’s Careless love CD. Her vocals remind me very much of Billie Holliday. Track 2 “Don’t wait too long” features her warm vocals backed by acoustic bass, piano and percussion. As conveyed by the Canton’s her vocals sounded open, textured, and pure in quality. There was no hint of midrange coloration or that metallic hardness which can sometimes be detected in the treble. Instead the 611’s made it a point to simply step back and make you believe that they were not present. This left only the music.

I moved on to the Yellow Jackets “Blue hats” which is one of my favorite jazz recordings. Track 6 “Savanna” is a poppy jazz piece which has plenty of mid level dynamics. Jimmy Haslips’s fretless bass and Kevin Kennedy’s percussion filled the room with bass that was quick and punchy. Bob Mintzer’s tenor sax was perfectly placed within the center of the soundstage. It came across smoothly with no hint of grain or unwanted hard edge which can sometimes make the treble call attention to itself.

I wanted to open the 611’s up a bit so I reached for Clannad’s “Anam“. Track 1 “Ri Na Cruinne” features rich layered vocals along with synth bass, drums and keyboards. It has some very dynamic low level sonic details and is one of my favorite pieces for demonstration. The Cantons truly blew me away with their ability to play at higher levels while still maintaining composure. Bass was rich, tight and deep without sounding bloated or boomy as it filled the room. I took this a step further with Poulenc’ Organ Concerto, on Chandos. The 611’s never hiccupped even when the pipe organ reached down into the lower 30 Hz region. In listening it was very easy to forget that what I was hearing was music that was being reproduced artificially. In my mind that is what a good speaker is supposed to accomplish.

I put the rest of the system into action with Multi channel high resolution audio in the form of DVD Audio and Super audio CD. Steeley Dan’s Two against nature DVD Audio is a great start. Track 6 “Jack of speed” features layered vocals, synthesized keyboards, bass and drums. The system came to life as the center channel and surrounds culminated to create an enveloping and dynamic surround field. Instruments seemed to float in space as the vocals blended within them making the Cantons seem to disappear. My seated position had me perfectly placed within the soundstage. This was evidenced by imaging which seemed to properly place backing vocals and supporting instruments dead center rear when called to. The As 650 SC delivered the goods with bass that was tight, deep and quick. I set my Denon DVD 3910’s crossover at 80 Hz and all the speakers to small. This sent all LFE to the subwoofer and produced the best blend with the Ergos.

Norah Jones’ Come away with me on SACD is an excellent recording and can be very revealing of speakers that are not up to the task. This did not prove to be a problem for the Ergo system. Her sultry vocals backed by piano, guitar and percussion was detailed, open and had a fluid transparency. Vince Gills “High lonesome sound” DVD Audio offers a wide variety of instrumentation. Listening to the blend of violins, acoustic and electric guitars, percussion, piano, and keyboards through the Cantons it was quite easy to see that these speakers are capable of reproducing them all while maintaining the integrity of the recording.

Movie soundtracks is where you separate the men from the boys. The Ergo system is quite astute at music reproduction but would it be as capable with digital movies?

I wasted no time and went right to what has become my favorite 5.1 DVD movie torture soundtrack, War of the worlds, starring Tom Cruise. Take your pick from any of the scenes starting with the lightning storm in chapter 4. When the first alien vessel emerges from it’s burial place the soundtrack can virtually crack the plaster. The Ergo system literally shook the room as the pavement cracked and heaved just prior to the emergence of the alien vessel. The DM 605 center channel is a perfect sonic match with the 611s. Dialogue was articulate, crystal clear and smooth. Front soundstage pans were seamless. The 601s while not able to offer the surround envelopment of my reference dipole surrounds easily handled the rip roaring punch delivered by the 5.1 DTS track on “ I, Robot “ during the tunnel chase scene.

Careful and delicate details were easily discernible during the Dolby EX soundtrack on the Adam Sandler “Punch drunk love” DVD. Everything from the “plink” of the keys on the small piano to the violent car crash that preceded him finding the piano in the street. “Sin City” is a great film to test the abilities of a center channel speaker. There are parts of the film that rely heavily on a center channel’s need for accurate vocal playback during scenes which have narration over background audio. Apocalypse Now Redux is another example of this and the CM 605 excelled at handing the varying tones in Martin Sheen’s voice as he described the forward and backward progress of his mission in Vietnam.

The AS 650 SC was definitely up to the challenge and provided bass which was rock solid and deep. It faithfully reproduced bass which extended down into the lower 30 Hz region with no signs of reaching it’s excursion limits even when pushed hard. It played quite loud while do so. It was not able to reach down to the lower depths and reproduce some of the lowest bass frequencies during the scene from War of the worlds in chapter 5 where the first alien vessel emerges. That scene has bass which easily dives down into the mid 20 Hz region. The AS 650 SC reproduced the bombastic highway tractor trailer chase scene from the Matrix Reloaded with aplomb. It’s large port is located on the bottom of the unit. When pushed hard the subwoofer did not yield any noticeable port noise.

Surround effects heavy soundtracks like the Matrix series, Lord of the Rings, and Sin City were reproduced with excellent presence and imaging via the 601 surrounds. Spatial cues and surround pans were revealing and accurately placed. The 601’s are a perfect tonal match with the rest of the system. I placed the 601’s on stands and ran them as the front left and right channels along with the CM 605 and the AS 650 SC. They could easily be utilized as the mains, center, and surrounds in a smaller room, along with a powered subwoofer.

Conclusion:

To say that the Canton Ergo system impressed me would be an understatement. The system offers superlative performance, good looks and a strong heritage. Those who have the room for full range tower style speakers could consider using a pair of the smaller DC siblings as surround speakers to mate with the excellent 611 DCs. The AS 650 SC offers enough bass to handle most medium sized rooms, all in a cabinet which is only 14 inches wide. The CM 605 is a strong center channel whose performance belies it's size.

The Canton system may not be considered inexpensive in the eyes of some however I can guarantee that once you hear them you will easily find them well worth every penny.


Ratings:

Value - 4 Paws
Performance - 4 Paws

MSRP:

611 DC - $4000 ( pair )
DM 605 - $1000
601 - $1000 ( pair )
AS 650 SC - $2000

For complete specifications on the entire Canton Ergo line visit their website at http://www.canton.de/index.php?flash=1&cntry=us

Evaluation system:

Philips ProntoNG TSU3000 Remote control
B&K Reference 50 Series 2 System controller
B&K Reference 200.7 S2 7 Channel amplifier
Parasound New Classic 7100 Surround controller
Parasound New Classic 5250 5 channel amplifier
Denon DVD3910 DVD Audio/Video/SACD player
Sony DVP-CX995V - 400 disc DVD/SACD Changer
Audioquest, Wireworld, and Belden/Canare interconnects
Esoteric Speaker cables - Canare connectors
Sony VPL-HS51 LCD Front projector

Features: