Canton has added three new so-called high-performance loudspeakers to its flagship Reference line. The new models, which were announced last week, offer smaller and less expensive alternatives to the recently introduced Reference 3.2 DC, while sharing the same new ceramic dome tweeter and ‘triple-curve’ cone woofer/midrange design introduced with that model. The new models consist of the Reference 5.2 and Reference 7.2, which are three-way floor standing loudspeakers, and the Reference 9.2, which is a two-way monitor speaker designed for pedestal mounting.

The most significant engineering advancement in these loudspeakers is Canton’s new aluminum oxide ceramic dome tweeter, which replaces the company’s acclaimed aluminum-manganese dome. The use of aluminum oxide, which is second only to diamond in terms of hardness, allows for a smaller dome radius and significant improvements in power handling and distortion characteristics. Combined with a subtly flared transmission style faceplate, the dome’s tighter curvature gives the tweeter improved off-axis response linearity, and shifts the first-order breakup modes for the driver up to the 30 kHz range, well above the audible spectrum. These advances result in a substantial reduction in distortion and improved linearity, even at high frequencies and extreme sound pressure levels.