Canton Vento vs Chrono SL (models with ceramic tweeters)

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Bkid23

Audiophyte
In search of an upgrade from my current SVS Ultra & ML Motion systems and stumbled on this corner of the internet. Curious if anyone can compare those lines to Vento / Chrono bookshelves and if those would be a noticeable leap forward?
 
S

snakeeyes

Audioholic Ninja
In search of an upgrade from my current SVS Ultra & ML Motion systems and stumbled on this corner of the internet. Curious if anyone can compare those lines to Vento / Chrono bookshelves and if those would be a noticeable leap forward?
I believe @KEW has compared the Ultra to his Cantons before.
 
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Gryph

Gryph

Audioholic
In search of an upgrade from my current SVS Ultra & ML Motion systems and stumbled on this corner of the internet. Curious if anyone can compare those lines to Vento / Chrono bookshelves and if those would be a noticeable leap forward?
I’ve no experience with SVS but my guess is you’d likely have to move to the Vento Ref 9.2 stand mounts or the crazy expensive 9k’s to get more than the Ultras are likely giving you.
At that price point the Philharmonic BMR and others start to come into play as well.
I love my 9.2’s and they serve my audio needs, but I’d still love to try the BMR.
Best of luck in your search.
 
V

VMPS-TIII

Audioholic General
I’ve no experience with SVS but my guess is you’d likely have to move to the Vento Ref 9.2 stand mounts or the crazy expensive 9k’s to get more than the Ultras are likely giving you.
At that price point the Philharmonic BMR and others start to come into play as well.
I love my 9.2’s and they serve my audio needs, but I’d still love to try the BMR.
Best of luck in your search.
I totally agree. I ordered a pair of BMR's and they're scheduled to arrive Friday. One of the first things I plan to do is compare them next to my Canton Vento 9.2 Reference speakers. The winner stays in my office. :)

I also want to compare them against the Sierra Towers in the main listening area. Everyone raves about BMR's so it will be fun to try them next to these other great speakers.
Tweeter Wars
Canto aluminum ceramic oxide vs BMR RAAL 64-10 vs RAAL 70-20

111.png
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
I have heard both the SVS and Cantons. Not in the same room, not at the same time. Both speakers are Outstanding Performers at their price point. They both use quality Drivers, Tweeters and Internal components. They both have excellent build quality and Visual Appeal.

Is one better then the other? That question is purely subjective to each individual. If one is better then the other it is only slightly better and not blow you away better.
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
I believe @KEW has compared the Ultra to his Cantons before.
I have no doubt that of you have these two speakers in the same room at the same time, you will recognize the Canton as the better speaker.
Two aspects will be readily recognized:
1) More midrange detail
2) Cleaner in the highs - objects like a triangle or symphonic chimes will have fuller, clear sound. The Ultra tweeter is very good and I would never detect that it was not clean, but if I get it in the same room as the Canton ceramic tweeter or RAAL, or Focal's Be, the Ultra's tweeter just isn't that good!
 
B

Bkid23

Audiophyte
Just received my first ever Canton. Was able to snag the Chrono-SL 556.2 center with ceramic tweeter. Initial impression was a bit congested, but it now appears to be opening up 15hours in. Anyone else notice a break in period on their Chrono-SL ?
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
You are more likely to need the break-in rather than the speakers. Just use them....
 
B

Bkid23

Audiophyte
Chrono-SL ceramic sound is very good/smooth so far. Must say though, quite dissapointed these are marketed as 6” by Canton. They are barely 0.25” larger than my Martin Logan Motion 15s which are sold as 5.25”.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Chrono-SL ceramic sound is very good/smooth so far. Must say though, quite dissapointed these are marketed as 6” by Canton. They are barely 0.25” larger than my Martin Logan Motion 15s which are sold as 5.25”.
What are you measuring? It's often width of frame or mounting holes....
 
redboat77

redboat77

Enthusiast
I totally agree. I ordered a pair of BMR's and they're scheduled to arrive Friday. One of the first things I plan to do is compare them next to my Canton Vento 9.2 Reference speakers. The winner stays in my office. :)

I also want to compare them against the Sierra Towers in the main listening area. Everyone raves about BMR's so it will be fun to try them next to these other great speakers.
Tweeter Wars
Canto aluminum ceramic oxide vs BMR RAAL 64-10 vs RAAL 70-20

View attachment 40695
Did you make the comparison? Is there a link? Thanks!
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
Did you make the comparison? Is there a link? Thanks!
I don't know where he is he hasn't been around in a couple of weeks and you can't look at his previous posts at least I can't. But from what I remember he said the BMR's or more revealing, more Detailed then the Cantons. But the Cantons where fuller w/ better mids.
If I remember correctly that's what his thoughts were hopefully he'll be back to comment
 
N

natetellis

Audiophyte
So, based on the conversation in this thread and the many contributions by @KEW and others, I bit the bullet and bought a pair (notably, the last pair) of the Chrono SL 596 DC (note NOT the .2) from Accessories4Less. It seemed like $800 each was a bit low, and after speaking to the sales rep, apparently that was an insane, deep sale.

I learned some interesting things speaking to A4L as well - apparently Canton is aiming to open more storefronts in the US, where they can sell these and the rest of their line at list, and has terminated their relationship with A4L. This is a shame, as A4L was one of the only reliable places it seems to buy Cantons in the US, and would frequently have great rates.

I'm very, very curious to see how the 596s will perform. Most reports I have seen are of the bookshelves, or in German. I, for one, am not overly worried about the ceramic/aluminum tweeter divide. A more detailed, brighter high end is more of a stylistic choice it seems. I am upgrading from a pair of Technics SB-A53's (yes, you read that right), so there is really nowhere to go but up.

When they arrive, I will be sure to post a full listening report!
 
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Gryph

Gryph

Audioholic
So, based on the conversation in this thread and the many contributions by @KEW and others, I bit the bullet and bought a pair (notably, the last pair) of the Chrono SL 596 DC (note NOT the .2) from Accessories4Less. It seemed like $800 each was a bit low, and after speaking to the sales rep, apparently that was an insane, deep sale.

I learned some interesting things speaking to A4L as well - apparently Canton is aiming to open more storefronts in the US, where they can sell these and the rest of their line at list, and has terminated their relationship with A4L. This is a shame, as A4L was one of the only reliable places it seems to buy Cantons in the US, and would frequently have great rates.

I'm very, very curious to see how the 596s will perform. Most reports I have seen are of the bookshelves, or in German. I, for one, am not overly worried about the ceramic/aluminum tweeter divide. A more detailed, brighter high end is more of a stylistic choice it seems. I am upgrading from a pair of Technics SB-A53's (yes, you read that right), so there is really nowhere to go but up.

When they arrive, I will be sure to post a full listening report!
Sad times ahead without AC4L’s Canton pricing.
I certainly won’t be buying any more Cantons at full retail, I’d rather go internet direct with Salk, Ascend, Philharmonic, etc..

This is what you’d have had to look forward to if you hadn’t bought when you did.
Enjoy your new speakers.

 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
So, based on the conversation in this thread and the many contributions by @KEW and others, I bit the bullet and bought a pair (notably, the last pair) of the Chrono SL 596 DC (note NOT the .2) from Accessories4Less. It seemed like $800 each was a bit low, and after speaking to the sales rep, apparently that was an insane, deep sale.

I learned some interesting things speaking to A4L as well - apparently Canton is aiming to open more storefronts in the US, where they can sell these and the rest of their line at list, and has terminated their relationship with A4L. This is a shame, as A4L was one of the only reliable places it seems to buy Cantons in the US, and would frequently have great rates.

I'm very, very curious to see how the 596s will perform. Most reports I have seen are of the bookshelves, or in German. I, for one, am not overly worried about the ceramic/aluminum tweeter divide. A more detailed, brighter high end is more of a stylistic choice it seems. I am upgrading from a pair of Technics SB-A53's (yes, you read that right), so there is really nowhere to go but up.

When they arrive, I will be sure to post a full listening report!
I hope they work well for you!
You might consider getting the Chrono SL 536.2 for $650/pr or $700/pr (depending on color and stock) while you still can, You can use them as surrounds (assuming you are doing HT) and you can compare the difference in the tweeters.
I hope the Al tweeters work for you (they are good Al tweeters, just not so good as the Ceramics), but I know for me, as long as I have a sub in the mix, I would be happy to run the bookshelf speakers as mains!
 
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snakeeyes

Audioholic Ninja
Hmm. Is Sound Approach also just importing until an official US distributer of Canton is set up? Or are they the exclusive distributor?
 
benorg

benorg

Audiophyte
Hmm. Is Sound Approach also just importing until an official US distributer of Canton is set up? Or are they the exclusive distributor?
BlueBird music is the new distributor. Canton has taken a terrible approach to the US market and is now using a b&m strategy at double or triple the cost. Bad choice. A4L used to be my go-to but now it appears Canton products will be much harder to come by in the coming years.
 
Gryph

Gryph

Audioholic
BlueBird music is the new distributor. Canton has taken a terrible approach to the US market and is now using a b&m strategy at double or triple the cost. Bad choice. A4L used to be my go-to but now it appears Canton products will be much harder to come by in the coming years.
Agreed, on the plus side I suppose my current Cantons will better hold their value to some degree.


 
N

newbie_audiophile

Audiophyte
I just wanted to set the record straight on the difference between the Vento and Chrono SL models that have the Ceramic tweeter!
I have both, the Vento 820.2 and the Chrono SL 536.2. These are bookshelf models which have the same driver complement except the Chrono has a 7" woofer while the Vento has a 6" woofer.
I attempted to disassemble them and got a good look at the crossover for the Vento after removing the woofer. The Chrono SL came out later after they started using a trim-ring on this woofer that I was not comfortable removing without cosmetic damage to the trim piece. However I could use an inspection mirror to compress the fiberfill dampening material and look around from the terminal plate opening which I could remove.
Doing this, I saw that the exact same number of components located in the same positions was used in both crossovers (the Vento XO was located on the terminal plate, the Chrono XO was mounted on one of the cross braces for the cabinet). The components were not identical, but I would not expect them to be, given different woofers.
Next, I compared these in an A-B configuration with instant level matched switching while listening to a wide array of music.
As far as I am concerned, these are sonically equivalent speakers (except that every now and again the larger woofer of the Chrono made a lower-bass distinction). But for upper-bass, mid-range, and treble, the Chrono SL matched the Vento too closely for me to notice any differences in the sound!
I am pretty convinced that the only difference between the Vento and the Chrono SL (models with the ceramic tweeter) is exclusively the cabinet! The manufacture of the Vento cabinet which is steamed and pressed into the curved shape is expensive, and while it is a very good looking cabinet, I believe that a standard box with judicious bracing can effectively match it for sound quality.
It is not surprising that Canton is doing this. That is exactly what they did with their Reference speakers and their A45 Anniversary Edition (which offers their Reference drivers in a standard box at a substantial reduction).
I believe these are an exceptional value because the Canton ceramic tweeter (which is clearly better than the very good ceramic tweeter used by Infinity in their Reference Series) is in the same class as the RAAL and Focal Be tweeters (which are more expensive to produce). IOW, Canton has developed a tweeter that delivers World Class performance at less expense. The one caveat is that the Canton tweeter is made with a fairly aggressive wave guide, while the RAAL and the Focal Be offerings are designed with broad dispersion. IME, the advantage/disadvantage of the wave guide depends on he type of music and room. For me, in my room, comparing the Vento against my Philharmonic BMR with different music content gets roughly a 60%/40% preference for the BMR. My room is more acousticly lively than ideal and I suspect that ratio would bias even more towards the BMR with room treatments (absorption).

Surveying Accessories4Less for the Chrono SL models that use the Ceramic tweeter gets:
Tower:
Chrono SL-596.2 @ $1280/pr (white only)
Bookshelf:
Chrono SL-536.2 @ $520/pr
Chrono SL-526.2 @ $440/pr (white only)
Center:
Chrono SL-556.2 @ $400/ea.
On-wall:
Chrono SL-516.2 @ $400/pr.
Most of the above indicate low stock, but I expect there will be more inventory arriving next year (I noticed these models listed as "Coming Soon" on the A4L site on 12/26/18). This year was the first that the version of the Chrono SL with this ceramic tweeter made it to the US/A4L!
(they also have in-wall and ceiling speakers with the ceramic tweeters, but the model numbers are totally different and I have not heard any of them, so consider them outside of the scope of this post)

If anyone in the Atlanta area want to listen to a pair of these, let me know and we'll set it up. I'll even let you take them home to compare with your own (after you sign over your first-born as collateral)!:)

I would consider any of the above a great buy because you are getting Vento equivalent sound at a greater discount and I know most of us are not too distraught over missing out on the curved "bug-shape" cabinets as long as the sound is not compromised.
I know this is an old thread, but is there a recommendation for or against using

1. Canton - Vento 816.2 On-Wall Speakers
2. Canton - Chrono SL 556.2 Center Speaker (Want to have the center speaker of less than 7" height to be able to fit in current setup)

Is that a wise option? As some recommendations are to use the same brand AND same series.
 
S

snakeeyes

Audioholic Ninja
I know this is an old thread, but is there a recommendation for or against using

1. Canton - Vento 816.2 On-Wall Speakers
2. Canton - Chrono SL 556.2 Center Speaker (Want to have the center speaker of less than 7" height to be able to fit in current setup)

Is that a wise option? As some recommendations are to use the same brand AND same series.
Yes that combination would work well together

I have the Vento 836 with the chrono SL 556.2 and chrono SL 516.2 and Vento AR800.

These all use the same ceramic coated aluminum tweeter.
 
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