Has anyone here listened to it? Any good?

The one in the Octavia is very good value for money, and the Superb has a few extra speakers I believe so it should sound even better.

On the MkII it is very good and much improved over the standard system IMO. On be MKIII I believe it is further improved so should be worth it I think.

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On the MkII it is very good and much improved over the standard system IMO. On be MKIII I believe it is further improved so should be worth it I think.

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You could never get Canton on the Mk2.

 

It should be good on the mk3 however. Some disagree but the Canton on O3 is worth the outlay, far better than the factory 'sound system' upgrade I have in the Yeti anyway and as suggested, this one should just offer 'more'. More speakers, more output and a slightly larger sub iirc (although saying that, the O3 sub is on the small side).

 

This was what Skoda said at time of launch:

 

"A total of twelve individual loudspeakers unite in the new ŠKODA Superb for completely balanced sound. Ten are located in the doors (high, mid-high and woofers in the front doors, high and mid-range speakers in the rear doors). A centre speaker is positioned on the dashboard, and a large subwoofer with a 2 x 100-watt output is housed in the boot.

The components are controlled by a 12-channel DSP amplifier, which is installed under the driver’s seat. The abbreviation DSP stands for Digital Signal Processors, with which each speaker’s sound can be adapted to its individual acoustic environment."

You could never get Canton on the Mk2.

It should be good on the mk3 however. Some disagree but the Canton on O3 is worth the outlay, far better than the factory 'sound system' upgrade I have in the Yeti anyway and as suggested, this one should just offer 'more'. More speakers, more output and a slightly larger sub iirc (although saying that, the O3 sub is on the small side).

This was what Skoda said at time of launch:

"A total of twelve individual loudspeakers unite in the new ŠKODA Superb for completely balanced sound. Ten are located in the doors (high, mid-high and woofers in the front doors, high and mid-range speakers in the rear doors). A centre speaker is positioned on the dashboard, and a large subwoofer with a 2 x 100-watt output is housed in the boot.

The components are controlled by a 12-channel DSP amplifier, which is installed under the driver’s seat. The abbreviation DSP stands for Digital Signal Processors, with which each speaker’s sound can be adapted to its individual acoustic environment."

I have the upgraded canton system on my MKII albeit it's not as sophisticated as what you're describing above for the MarkIII, it doesn't have the subwoofer and has 10 speakers as opposed to 12. It's still a good improvement over the standard system though and has digital equaliser.

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One of the aspects I'm looking forward to rying on the Canton system in the Mk III is the active road-noise cancelling.

The updated "Sound System" on the Mk II doesn't have the subwoofer, or the noise cancelling (AFAIK).

I have the upgraded canton system on my MKII albeit it's not as sophisticated as what you're describing above for the MarkIII, it doesn't have the subwoofer and has 10 speakers as opposed to 12. It's still a good improvement over the standard system though and has digital equaliser.

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You have Canton on a Mk2? Id love to see a photo  Where is the sub placed? Maybe it was a special for your country.... before Skoda had the Canton affiliation... all we got over here was the flat sounding mulit speaker 'Sound System' upgrade as I mentioned above - I have it and its nothing near as good as the o3 Canton let alone what I presume the S3 Canton will sound like.

You need to read the quote you have posted. Superb170 states that he doesn't have a subwoofer.

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You need to read the quote you have posted. Superb170 states that he doesn't have a subwoofer.

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So... its not Canton then.

You have Canton on a Mk2? Id love to see a photo  Where is the sub placed? Maybe it was a special for your country.... before Skoda had the Canton affiliation... all we got over here was the flat sounding mulit speaker 'Sound System' upgrade as I mentioned above - I have it and its nothing near as good as the o3 Canton let alone what I presume the S3 Canton will sound like.

It is still a Canton system (Canton is just a brand like Bose or Harman Kardon etc) but just not as advanced as what can be found on the new Superb or Octavia 3.  I think the 'sound system' you are referring to is what I have, like this..http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah146/skodasuperb170/superb-i06-sound-system-01_zpsx8dzzcat.jpg.  There are further additions to this system in the MkIII such as different modes, voice equalisers, sub etc.

It is still a Canton system (Canton is just a brand like Bose or Harman Kardon etc) but just not as advanced as what can be found on the new Superb or Octavia 3.  I think the 'sound system' you are referring to is what I have, like this..http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah146/skodasuperb170/superb-i06-sound-system-01_zpsx8dzzcat.jpg.  There are further additions to this system in the MkIII such as different modes, voice equalisers, sub etc.

no, it isn't Canton I'm afraid it's just what Skoda could come up with as a more advanced setup compared to the eight speaker setup. Canton is far better in terms of quality of components which results in better separation, focus and general quality. Octavia mk2 was never available with Canton unfortunately.

I think that now I'm only doing a 2 year lease, it's not worth splashing out on a Canton upgrade...

I'm going for the 2 year lease option also, but couldn't resist the lure of the Canton system - despite it's additional £22-odd monthly cost!! No I haven't heard it, yes I may be seen as mad by some, but as skoda finance are kind enough to provide metallic paint as no cost option I thought I'd treat myself... Let's hope my high hopes are rewarded when new wheels eventually arrive at end November.

I really want to hear it!

I've possibly located one in a dealership not far away... Hopefully will be able to audition it at the weekend

Well, I went for a listen. Quite good, but the gutless amplifier lets it down. I will really miss the Pioneer audio from the Volvo. A shame that modern cars don't have ISO radio slots...

I also listened to the regular system. Disappointing!! So rather than good and excellent, I would rate regular/Canton as poor/good.

Edited 12 September, 201510 yr by thewinelake

I've possibly located one in a dealership not far away... Hopefully will be able to audition it at the weekend

which dealership has the canton equipped car?

Letchworth - it's in an L&K - standard for an L&K, right?

Edited 12 September, 201510 yr by thewinelake

BTW - I didn't drive the car and so couldn't test the noise-cancellation feature, or even get a really good idea of how it sounds when on the move, which is a bit of an omission from my tests, but the dealership were very busy and I could tell they didn't want to give me much time. I should have arranged it for a non-busy time.

 

So in summary, for a 2 year lease, £600 is a lot of money (OK, I can get a bit of a discount from that - see below, but it's still a lot) that might be better spent elsewhere. Maybe would make sense for a 3 year lease, but I'm thinking that with a 3 year lease, other factors come in (like having to replace tyres) and also I might be bored of the car by then!

 

BTW, the Canton system claims 610 Watts (not sure if that includes the 2x100W of the subwoofer).

What's the standard system?

Beginning to think that the extra £436 for the Canton (which is what it works out as for me) might actually be worth it. I was so enjoying listening to music today in the old car, that I really don't want that austerity ;-)

Edited 12 September, 201510 yr by thewinelake

Interesting feedback... It'll be a while before I'm able to test for myself, but my money's on the Canton system taking a while to loosen up, in much the same way good home audio speakers need time to run in.

That said, I did sit in the one of the local dealers demo cars before placing my order to have s good listen to a standard sound system (armed with the Newton Faulkner 'Hand built by Robots' album) and have to say I wouldn't rate that experience as poor. Admittedly it wasn't perfect, but for a standard set-up I found the sound more than acceptable after a little tweaking of the sound controls.

Each to their own I suppose... I just hope I get to find out this side of Xmas!

I was listening to Chopin Etudes, so somewhat different! I agree that sound does improve as the system beds in. No idea why this should be so...

...and it's always a question of "compared to what?"

Edited 12 September, 201510 yr by thewinelake

Letchworth - it's in an L&K - standard for an L&K, right?

fantastic, it's my next nearest dealer so I'll have to sort out a test drive/listen. Yes, L&K get it as standard - it should have had visible spiller canton badges all over the speaker grills.

Well, I went for a listen. Quite good, but the gutless amplifier lets it down. I will really miss the Pioneer audio from the Volvo. A shame that modern cars don't have ISO radio slots...

I also listened to the regular system. Disappointing!! So rather than good and excellent, I would rate regular/Canton as poor/good.

what adjustments did you make to the factory settings to make it more acceptable to your highly tuned ear?

Mmmm....  Well, I like to listen to audio systems without boosted bass & treble at first, so I put it on flat EQ and play something dynamically challenging such as piano music. What I then look for is a sense of musicality - does the music make you want to dance? (or at least nod your head). Do you want to turn the volume up more? That's something my current system does better (certainly than the standard version in the Skoda) IMHO. But it was only a fleeting audition so I wouldn't put great store by it. I have decided to go with the Canton anyway (wouldn't want to risk harming my H.T.E.s!) and will obviously get a better chance to see how it goes with time.

Edited 12 September, 201510 yr by thewinelake

The defence (which has not even heard it) rests!