Canton sound system, worth it?

[V6Jules]

I think the canton system is well worth it. Whilst it's not going to blow you away it's considerably better than the naff standard system.

I'm guessing the HK system in the new BMW's has improved a bit since the e46 as I had it in mine and it was rubbish although the standard system in them was bloody awful.

[GoneToBeemer]

I think the canton system is well worth it. Whilst it's not going to blow you away it's considerably better than the naff standard system.

I'm guessing the HK system in the new BMW's has improved a bit since the e46 as I had it in mine and it was rubbish although the standard system in them was bloody awful.

I had an E60 5 series which just had the BMW Upgraded system in it which was good! When it was in for service I had an E90 3 series for the day as a courtesy car and the standard system in that was awful, and so was the one in my F20 1 series!

[susi]

Try moving the sound focus to the driver or just the front, put the bass up slightly and turn the subwoofer to about 7...sounds pretty bassy with the right song!

 

+1  I use this set-up.

 

Switching the focus away from the driver loses "something" for my ears.

 

Glad I specified Canton. Price v. Quality is ok in my opinion.

[aki78]

I use the same setup as well.

[bytterga]

+1  I use this set-up.

 

Switching the focus away from the driver loses "something" for my ears.

 

Glad I specified Canton. Price v. Quality is ok in my opinion.

i use the same setup as mentioned and the sound is way better set to front or driver.

have no regret's about ordering the canton.

[GoneToBeemer]

I think if you have it with Columbus you can play with the sound focus in more detail - sure when I was on my first test drive the car I was in had Columbus / Canton and you could do more.

[Exeterj]

I have canton in the vRS but as the Scout is lease we didn't bother with it - but i do notice the difference and miss it when i drive the scout. I think the wife would have liked to have it now we've done almost 5k miles in the scout.

 

The bass with the canton does very much depend on the quality of the source, sometime its very lacking but sometimes its too much - generally though its well balanced.

[pipsyp]

Is wager with MIB2 there is little wrong with the stock system. The rock solid door cards and lack of sound deadening is what rather hurts the accoustics on the Mk3. The canton doesnt resolve that.

I have MIB2 Discover Nav with stock speakers in my GTD and to my ears it sounds nicer (a fuller sound) than HK on an F21 1 series. The door build and sound deadening on the Golf is considerably better than the Octy.

The HK goes louder with more clarity (as it should with the amplification on offer) but lacks low bass which is strange given it has dedicated 2 x 8" bass transducers under the front seats.

Edited 29 January, 2016 by pipsypreturns

[cherry evo]

Is wager with MIB2 there is little wrong with the stock system. The rock solid door cards and lack of sound deadening is what rather hurts the accoustics on the Mk3. The canton doesnt resolve that.

I have MIB2 Discover Nav with stock speakers in my GTD and to my ears it sounds nicer (a fuller sound) than HK on an F21 1 series. The door build and sound deadening on the Golf is considerably better than the Octy.

The HK goes louder with more clarity (as it should with the amplification on offer) but lacks low bass which is strange given it has dedicated 2 x 8" bass transducers under the front seats.

 

Just ordered my Octy vRS and have specified Columbus & Canton. I have been seriously considering having sound deadening (dynamat or equiv) fitted inside the doors, under the carpet, etc. The thought of stripping out a brand new car is a bit scary though......

[Exeterj]

Just ordered my Octy vRS and have specified Columbus & Canton. I have been seriously considering having sound deadening (dynamat or equiv) fitted inside the doors, under the carpet, etc. The thought of stripping out a brand new car is a bit scary though......

 

...and needs to be done carefully by someone who knows about the pressure sensors in the front doors, so not to trigger the air bags.

[cherry evo]

...and needs to be done carefully by someone who knows about the pressure sensors in the front doors, so not to trigger the air bags.

think I'll leave well alone!

[octavarium]

I have test driven an Octavia Mk3 Greenline a couple of years back and I was very disapointed in a stock sound system. I've listened only radio source though. So I was thinking, a Canton upgrade is a must, but I couldnt test it at any local dealer. One dealer had it though, but the car was on the display and its battery drained. Then I went to a car show and find that all Skodas with Cantons had their infotainment systems locked and I was unable to test it again.

   About a month ago I was testing the new, facelifted Octavia, with a stock system and Bolero unit and I must say I didn't find anything realy wrong with it. I've tried different sources (USB, bluetooth streaming, SD, FM radio) and they all sounded quite pleasing with a good amount of bass, treble had to be rolled back quite a lot and mids somewhere around the middle point. It also went resonably loud without much of a distortion. Satisfying for a factory system, I must say. They must have done something to it, since it is a notisable difference from 2013 model.

   I have ordered a Octavia estate with a Canton system anyway, because I'm a bit of a audiophile freak and I realy hope I would not be disapointed though. I know it is not a B&O class system, but I do hope for the money It would be at least decent.

   My current car is a '02 VW Passat with a SQ install/setup that is worth more then the car itself now (Rainbow Profi Line speakers in custom made pods, big sub in the back and a bounch of expensive amps) so I kinda know a thing or two about the sound, specially in a acousticly unfriendly envirement a car is.

[auditek]

I decided on the Canton with my car, and no regrets at all. The quality of sound is awesome, whether you are playing DAB or your own music...You'll love it :-)

[Lingnoi]

I had a BMW e90 with the BMW Professional system in it and the basic system in my 63 plate Elegance is actually not too bad. The sound quality was definitely better on my e90 but the Octy's one is far from objectionable. I suspect that the quality of the interior build and materials on the e90 played it's part (mine had leather) and the subwoofers under the front seats were excellent.

[Ryan90VRS]

I've got Canton in mine and couldn't believe how good it was considering the mixed reviews online. 

 

 

[Item]

15 minutes ago, Ryan90VRS said:

I've got Canton in mine and couldn't believe how good it was considering the mixed reviews online. 

 

 

 

 

Nice!

 

I wish I had the system in mine, but as an ex-demo, it sadly wasn't an option.

 

I like the Canton stuff...I have these in my lounge currently:

 

[norsko]

1. The biggest problem with Canton (or rather sound quality and quantity) is the car that lack sound proofing

2. The Canton subwoofer does play bass lower than 50hz. The -3dB point is around 30hz - in car.

3. The Canton sound system is balanced and has a flat frequency response. For those who has big subwoofers in the trunk that is not what they are used to, and they will say it lacks (low) bass.

4. £4-500 is very little money in the world of car stereo. You can get much better sound, but not for less money.

5. Canton uses digital signal from the head unit to the amp, so its not straight forward if you want to upgrade

6. Canton uses 8 ohms speaker and the amp shut down channels if the impedance is getting low, that also makes it more difficult to upgrade

7. The sub amps has power enough to drive a couple of better woofers, if you choose some with high impedance and high sensitivety.

[octavarium]

6 hours ago, Ryan90VRS said:

I've got Canton in mine and couldn't believe how good it was considering the mixed reviews online. 

 

 

I have also read mixed reviews and I don't know what to expect. I am glad you like it.

[heynick]

I've had my MKIII Octavia RS for about 6 months now and I must admit I still find the Canton disappointing. Seems like I might be in the minority, but I find the sound quality very hollow and tinny and just lacking real depth. I've experienced Bose systems in the Mazdas, the Macintosh in the Subarus, I've had after-market head units and speakers in previous cars (Kenwood and Pioneer mostly) and I honestly feel the Canton is one of the weaker of all I've experienced. Like most above, after a lot of experimenting I've set the sound to the front, turned down the mid and treble and upped the bass to find the optimum configuration. I find the mid is where it's really lacking... turned down and you just lose that clarity.. turned up and it just gets really hollow sounding that's not enjoyable. I had to drive my wife's car recently for an extended period and the stock, unbranded system in there sounded better I reckon. But i also agree with the others that the source file plays quite a significant part in sound quality... a poor quality file will really show up. Certain styles also struggle a bit with the Canton... i like rock and metal and find the Canton doesn't generate great sound for this type of music. Unfortunately though, my daughter's "Frozen" soundtrack sounds fine. 

[octavarium]

If a poor quality source, like a bad mp3 file, really shows on your system, it can point either to a very good and detailed sound system or, like in most cases, a bad and unefficient frequency reproduction.

   Rock and metal are all about guitars, and they dominate midle frequency spectrum. If you don't have right mids in your system then it will never sound right. You just can't distribute guitar sound on tweeters and woofers, without stong midle speakers. Belive me, I play guitar for many years and I know what kind of speakers are used in a guitar cabinets (more effective in the mid range).

   I would think that the center speaker, with equalized treble and mids, would help, specialy in rock music.

[nidza]

2 hours ago, heynick said:

I've had my MKIII Octavia RS for about 6 months now and I must admit I still find the Canton disappointing. Seems like I might be in the minority, but I find the sound quality very hollow and tinny and just lacking real depth. I've experienced Bose systems in the Mazdas, the Macintosh in the Subarus, I've had after-market head units and speakers in previous cars (Kenwood and Pioneer mostly) and I honestly feel the Canton is one of the weaker of all I've experienced. Like most above, after a lot of experimenting I've set the sound to the front, turned down the mid and treble and upped the bass to find the optimum configuration. I find the mid is where it's really lacking... turned down and you just lose that clarity.. turned up and it just gets really hollow sounding that's not enjoyable. I had to drive my wife's car recently for an extended period and the stock, unbranded system in there sounded better I reckon. But i also agree with the others that the source file plays quite a significant part in sound quality... a poor quality file will really show up. Certain styles also struggle a bit with the Canton... i like rock and metal and find the Canton doesn't generate great sound for this type of music. Unfortunately though, my daughter's "Frozen" soundtrack sounds fine. 

 

Have you played with Canton optimization processing? You can optimize the sound:

1. For driver

2. front speakers

3. all speakers

 

It significantly changes bass experience and sound clarity. Severe impact has canton surround option too (there is a slider). I have tried manually to set the sound, but this is absolutely impossible to achieve same effect.

 

Most of the time it stays optimized for driver. It is horrible in the back seat, enormous amount of bass for the passengers, but if they complain you can switch optimizations easy.

 

I really enjoy my Cantons. It is definitely a worthy upgrade and has more then enough value for money. On the remark side, when it is optimized for the driver, I find lack of strength in the amplifier, distortions start too early - or maybe it is an issue of over-processing.

Edited 11 May, 2017 by nidza

[Mallettsmallett]

3 hours ago, heynick said:

I've had my MKIII Octavia RS for about 6 months now and I must admit I still find the Canton disappointing. Seems like I might be in the minority, but I find the sound quality very hollow and tinny and just lacking real depth. I've experienced Bose systems in the Mazdas, the Macintosh in the Subarus, I've had after-market head units and speakers in previous cars (Kenwood and Pioneer mostly) and I honestly feel the Canton is one of the weaker of all I've experienced. Like most above, after a lot of experimenting I've set the sound to the front, turned down the mid and treble and upped the bass to find the optimum configuration. I find the mid is where it's really lacking... turned down and you just lose that clarity.. turned up and it just gets really hollow sounding that's not enjoyable. I had to drive my wife's car recently for an extended period and the stock, unbranded system in there sounded better I reckon. But i also agree with the others that the source file plays quite a significant part in sound quality... a poor quality file will really show up. Certain styles also struggle a bit with the Canton... i like rock and metal and find the Canton doesn't generate great sound for this type of music. Unfortunately though, my daughter's "Frozen" soundtrack sounds fine. 

 

I think you need to let it go.

[Mallettsmallett]

Seriously, I think a lot is down to lack of soundproofing. Sit on your drive with the car stationary and ending off and see how you feel about it. Often the stereo is ok, it's just struggling to overcome ambient noise on the move.

[ahenners]

Another thumbs up for Canton from me. As @nidza pointed out, it helps if it's optimised for driver and you've played around with the equaliser, turned off the canton surround and turned the adjusted the subwoofer volume.

 

I played a track on the system the other day and almost immediately recognised that it was only 192kbps and not 320kbps MP3. In a lesser system, I wouldn't have noticed it, but with a decent source and good quality, I really enjoy the way Canton sounds. It's not perfect, nor is the environment with a lack of sound deadening, but for the money it's good and I'm certainly glad I have it.

Edited 11 May, 2017 by ahenners

[nidza]

Try FLAC instead of MP3. Little by little, I have replaced all my music to FLAC. Memory cards costs peanuts these days.