I keep seeing posts across different threads suggesting that the Canton upgrade isn't worth the money and that the quality isn't very good.

 

From my perspective, there's no way I'd go the aftermarket route, so I'd only choose standard or the Canton upgrade. The car we've got on order has Canton.

 

I'd be interested in hearing people's thoughts and experience. Some questions to think about:

 

Is the Canton system really as bad as people are saying?

What are the specific issues with Canton speakers?

How does it compare to the standard speaker system?

If I get a call asking to remove Canton in order to speed up delivery, is it a no brainer to take that?

My car came with a $6500 Premium Package that included many features including DCC, Heads-up Display and Drive Mode Selection I cared for and "Premium German Canton sound system (12 loudspeakers, digital equalizer)" and others which I was indifferent to. I had never even heard of Canton.

And my 70 year-old ears have seen better days so I am not that picky about sound - so long as there is enough treble to compensate for my loss of high frequency response.

Anyway I am quite happy with the Canton sound system although I never use the equalizer, cannot detect the sub-woofer and never turn the volume up past 50%. And the sound sources I use are either DAB or Youtube Music so probably not the highest of fi!

 

I don't think I would have ticked a box to pay $AUS 1500 or whatever is the equivalent of what you guys paid just to get the slight sound improvement over our 6-speaker VW Golf Alltrack.

Just as I would be very disappointed to have paid specifically for the crap voice control, or the almost crap SatNav, or the Park Assist and Lane Assist that I dare not use, or the automatic Matrix LED lights that people still flash me for, or the ability to customize the ambient lighting.

 

Nor would I pay for the 19 inch low-profile wheels that it comes with. Would be happier with 18 or even 17 and any of the available wheel designs. Less road noise and cheaper to replace.

 

On the other hand I would trade all of those for a return to buttons and knobs and straight-forward menus and instant starts and reliable operation and no need to reboot the system to restore functionality.

 

At least it is so nice to actually drive.

 

 

I have it in my Mk3 as an option and I won't be having it again. 

 

I think that you really need to be an audiophile to know what the difference is from a standard system, especially with the road noise etc and unless you have your music encoded very high bitrate or Hi-Definition in which case I don't think that the system will play unless they've now got the necessary decoder installed into the system.

 

Save money as you won't get a return on it when it comes to resale value. 

I’ll let you know when I pick mine up in the next 2 weeks! I’m sure there will be an improvement similar to the HK BMW speaker upgrades. Much happier to have it, than not, as it’s a relatively low cost option and I’m planning to keep my Octavia for a long time ... and I would have always wondered “what if” if I’d omitted it. 

here is the comparison between canton and standard speakers.  

Unfortunately (as far as I can tell) that video only demonstrates the standard sound system. It'd be nice to hear a Canton system with the same mic setup and the same song for comparison.

the Canton is not available anymore so...

This talk about the Canton made me listen to mine more critically this week.

I realized that what  I notice the most, and appreciate, is the speaker in the centre of the dashboard, bouncing up against the windscreen.

That is what provides the most clarity to me, just as a central speaker does in a typical TV sound setup.

 

I went back to the articles and brochures and came up with these:

1. Review of the standard 8-speaker setup which also mentions the Canton: https://totallyev.net/skoda-octavia-iv-estate-audio-review-canton-system/
2. German brochure for Canton that seems to only offer 10 speakers: https://www.canton.de/en/skoda-en
3. The Australian brochure and others describe it as having 12 speakers: (attached)

 

4 hours ago, DaveFromSydney said:

This talk about the Canton made me listen to mine more critically this week.

I realized that what  I notice the most, and appreciate, is the speaker in the centre of the dashboard, bouncing up against the windscreen.

That is what provides the most clarity to me, just as a central speaker does in a typical TV sound setup.

 

I went back to the articles and brochures and came up with these:

1. Review of the standard 8-speaker setup which also mentions the Canton: https://totallyev.net/skoda-octavia-iv-estate-audio-review-canton-system/
2. German brochure for Canton that seems to only offer 10 speakers: https://www.canton.de/en/skoda-en
3. The Australian brochure and others describe it as having 12 speakers: (attached)

 

Should be 12 speakers. Front doors have 6, rear doors have 4, sub and mid speaker.

Canton is very bad on Octavia 4. My personal opinion is that is on the same level as STANDARD system of Octavia 3, car i previously owned. it seems that the amplifier located under the driver seat doesn't push the speakers as it should be. maybe because Skoda doesn't want to change on warranty speakers or subwoofers. also doors insulations is very bad as always i can hear cracks and rattles. as soon as possible i will professionally do a sound treatment for the doors and change the amplifier and the subwoofer.  

Well I’ll find out tomorrow because my IV has arrived at the dealer this week (July Order) with Canton fitted. One of the last orders fulfilled I imagine 

good for you but that really not fair, mine was ordered in june and will be delivered only in january without that option...

Edited 6 December, 20214 yr by zorglub

I don't know why you are so worried about it, it's nothing special unless you are an audiophile and even then you're more likely to get a bespoke speaker system installed into the car.

 

I think it's overrated and not worth the money for what it is and you won't get any money back by having it installed. 

sure, i ll probably do something myself about this sound setup since i spend a lot of time inside it

I am finding it way better then my golf 7.5 standard audio

 

but not as good as the dynaudio I had in my golf 7

 

canton seems to be lacking bass to me, the subwoofer seems a bit limp, so much so I actually checked to see it was physically there in the boot!

Edited 6 December, 20214 yr by Gingernick70

6 hours ago, Gingernick70 said:

I am finding it way better then my golf 7.5 standard audio

 

but not as good as the dynaudio I had in my golf 7

 

canton seems to be lacking bass to me, the subwoofer seems a bit limp, so much so I actually checked to see it was physically there in the boot!

It's indeed a shame they made Canton so "bad" compared to the Dynaudio. Even if the sub is 5.25" on both, its quite different.

Depends what do you listen. As we owned in parallel 2 x O3 with standard system, O3 RS with Canton and now O4 with standard system, Canton is definitely much better, at least how it costs. O4 standard system on Style with Columbus is better then standard on both O3 we’ve owned. Spotify on O4 really sounds great.

 

Yeah, woofer on Canton for O3 is thin, but it is complementary to the complete sound picture, it makes a difference if you change its volume separately while listening to any sound which has those frequencies. Not all sound material is utilizing it enough.

 

I like what that did with it, especially in this price range of the vehicle. It is not even close to audiophile criteria, simply this is way under that budget range, but it is decent and I enjoy it. Never regret of configuring it.

Thanks Nidza... exactly as I expect to find it. Collection on 03/01 so will let you know 

I would love to see a decent after makret system fitted and how it was achieved, either in the Mk3 or the newer model,

On 11/12/2021 at 04:15, Zedboy said:

Thanks Nidza... exactly as I expect to find it. Collection on 03/01 so will let you know 

How are you finding Canton? 😄

Well I’m 2 weeks in with my OV plus Canton. Cat is predictably excellent and I’m loving manual gearbox shifting again. 

The Canton is brilliant. Significantly better than my previous Audi system. I am still playing with the settings, but it is delivering above my expectations 

Oh, awesome news. It's nice to hear some positive feedback about Canton for once 👍

I think it works good for what it is too. 

Just my humble opinion on the Canton in my Kodiaq. It has a couple of quirks that can be a PITA sometimes but otherwise, in comparison to the standard system it's night and day.

 

I adjust the very simple EQ  depending on what I listen to but to get the best of the system you really need to be turning the bass way down and putting the Subwoofer volume on around 6/7. It also makes a huge difference changing the "Focus" not the balance/fader to "Front" instead of "All" and turn all bluetooth/loudness etc to off. This makes the system come alive and being that you won't be listening to music loud with kids in the last row, no one else will be missing out anyway.

 

The connection method makes a difference too. I'm lucky enough to have a separate work and personal mobile phone, one android the other iPhone. Both phones by bluetooth are acceptable but the iPhone quality is marginally better although doesn't go as loud.

 

If you really want it sounding it's best the source needs to be good. The best so far is either Amazon Music HD or Tidal through Android Auto, because then the in car DSP is decoding the sound and not your mobile device. Spotify works ok, but at almost full volume can get a little sharp or harsh at the top of the range. No such issues using Tidal.

 

Just my two pennies. Sounds is a very subjective topic but if I had the option again I would add Canton in a heartbeat (it's the ONLY option I picked other than adaptive cruise). Saves messing with paying silly money to have someone take your car apart to fit a professional system, especially if it's on lease or PCP....

3 hours ago, BigWaller said:Sounds is a very subjective topic but if I had the option again I would add Canton in a heartbeat (it's the ONLY option I picked other than adaptive cruise). Saves messing with paying silly money to have someone take your car apart to fit a professional system, especially if it's on lease or PCP....

Great comment and one I totally agree with, especially after spending January tweaking my IV Canton system too. It’s great value for money.