Canton Chrono Series Speaker System

The Canton Chrono Series seems to have a split personality. With the grilles off, you can�t help noticing the gleaming diamond etched aluminum trim rings that hold the almost equally flashy aluminum drivers. With the grilles on, the floorstanding models become impassive black totems, complemented by equally self effacing centers, stand mounts, and subs. The only hint of style is a glossy lacquered fiberboard baffle that twinkles slightly on close inspection under a bright light. This personality shift carries over from looks to sound.

With the grilles on, the Cantons are suave, smooth, and the soul of moderation. With the grilles off, they take on a more aggressive personality, with a livelier top end. If you want your speakers to look and sound flashy, the Chronos will do it. If you want them to cut out the nonsense and disappear into the music, they�ll do that too. It�s not unusual for speakers to sound different with their grilles on and off, of course. The interaction of aesthetics and grilles must have made me more than normally conscious of it.

High End Technology
The Canton family includes a dozen product lines. Setting aside various niche products, there are a half-dozen orthodox speaker lines in a full range of sizes. The Chrono Series is fourth from the top, outranked by the Vento, Karat, and Ergo series but lording it over the more modest GLE and CD series. Like many astute and creative speaker brands, Canton likes to let materials and ideas trickle down from their upper lines to their lower ones.

Thus, the Chrono employs technology and design criteria from the higher priced Ergo line specifically, premium drivers and an optimized crossover encased in cabinets similar to those in the lower priced GLE line. The Chrono uses aluminum cones for its woofer and midrange drivers and those things aren�t cheap. Aluminum is stiffer and faster than the plastics or papers found in most woofers, often providing more focused imaging, but the stiffness can also make it less responsive.

Canton uses an improved spider and surround that allow up to 40 percent more excursion and 3 decibels more output than in the higher-end models where the driver originates. In the floorstanding models, a high pass filter prevents subsonic frequencies from shaking the driver. Canton calls this Displacement Control, and they�re apparently proud of it �DC� finds its way into the model numbers of both Chrono floorstanders.