Karat Reference 2 DC Cabinet Design
Cabinet Color
Our first impression of the Canton Karat Reference 2 DC speakers was somewhat perplexed by the non-conventional cabinet design and color. The silver satin lacquer finish which accented our sample speakers seemed to make them stand out and appear much larger then they really were. Just when I though I wouldn't like such a bright finish installed in my Reference System, my wife commented on how nice they looked , alluding to a high WAF, regardless of their size . For the three months that followed, everyone who saw them these speakers had nothing but positive comments regarding the beauty of these speakers. This struck me as odd since aside from their striking color, and the almost subtle trapezoidal shape (at least when viewed from up front) they looked almost identical to my black reference speakers (RBH-1266 LSE). It seemed everyone who saw them were mesmerized by the silver lacquer finish. But if you're not brave enough to step out of the ordinary and experiment with such a sleek silver finish, Canton also offers a beech and cherry wood veneer.
Canton designed the Karat Reference 2 DC cabinets as a trapezoid which ensured there were no parallel surfaces (other than top and bottom) thereby reducing unwanted standing waves. The trapezoidal shape also added to the beauty of these speakers as it prevented them from looking boxy or plain. The sides of the cabinet were clearly offset on an angle which widened toward the back. But the front and back surfaces were also nonparallel, although not as noticeable. The other advantage to this design was that it reduced the front profile where the drivers were mounted making the cabinet appear smaller from the front while contributing to their improved off axis response.
With such a mighty, well constructed cabinet, we pondered on an
internal feature.
Canton did not panel the internal sides of the cabinet with dampening
panels which was found in many other speakers we reviewed.
While the standing wave from the trapezoid cabinet design may indeed be
reduced, there are still internal reflections that occur.
The question is, how detrimental to performance are these reflections?
Many speaker manufacturers, coated the internal sides of the cabinet
walls with a self adhesive dampening material to absorb the side to
side reflections.
Canton did not implement this convention in their cabinet design,
perhaps for several reasons.
It's possible that the trapezoidal shape reduced detrimental
reflections from interfering with the drivers as there wasn't an easy
path back to the driver as in a boxy designed cabinet.
In addition, the cabinet was constructed of two different densities of
material including a High Density and Medium Density.
While this reduced cabinet resonance, it may also have helped absorb
some of the potentially detrimental reflections.
What ever the case, I'm reasonably sure Canton thought of this prior to
constructing such a rugged, sturdy well engineered cabinet.
The cabinet was constructed from 1 ΒΌ" thick multilayer HDF and MDF and coated in satin silver lacquer which Canton indicated that this was a tedious manufacturing process. This silver lacquer made Reference 2 DC seem surreal.
Without question, the Canton Karat Reference 2 DC cabinet was one of the best built cabinets I've seen thus far in a speaker at or under $10k. From the bracing to the coating and finish, it's easy to see how technically solid and difficult this cabinet was to build.
Cabinet Bracing and Baffles
Perhaps due to our engineering background which makes us wonder how everything works, or our general curiosity, combined with our desire to create a complete review, we took the liberty of dissecting the Karat Reference 2 DC by removing the drivers. It was only after the fact that we asked forgiveness from the Manufacturer, who was gracious in their response. Given their price, I proceeded with much caution, and enthusiasm. Upon removing all the drivers, I began my thorough examination of the foam and internal bracing.
The internal structure was a vast array of bracing and baffles creating five chambers all designed to dampen and stiffen the cabinet as well as reducing standing waves.
In between all the bracing was a dazzling amount of fibrous sound foam. A V-shaped baffle located behind the mid-ranges was an indication that Canton made notable attempt of reducing back to front reflections that can sometimes interfere with the performance of the drivers. Behind the V-shaped baffle was a wall which isolated the enormous cross-over electronics. The drivers were mounted with a foam surround gasket to further isolate them from the cabinet and reduce resonance. Upon examining the cabinets, it was easy to identify that these were not an easy-to-make assembly. Instead, I'm certain that it was pain staking laborious effort to hand assemble these robust, fortified cabinets.
Cabinet Base Plate and Shock Absorber
To me, nothing is more annoying than opening a pair of speakers, moving them into position, and then having to install spikes, especially when they weight almost 140-lbs each. What's equally annoying is trying to find coins, or some other sufficient item, to wedge beneath the spikes so they do not scratch, dent or mare the tile/hardwood floor. For those who share this dislike, Canton has provided the solution. The cabinets for the Karat Reference 2 DC are equipped with built in floor plates and shock absorbers making the installation of these speakers nothing more then locating them, and plugging them in. No spikes, no coins, no scratches, no balancing, just simply drop, plug and play. The base plate and shock absorbers provided sufficient decoupling of the speaker to the floor, thereby possibly potentially improving the performance of the speaker.
Grill Covers
One very unique feature of the Canton design was that there were no visible mounting holes for the grill covers. Canton cleverly implemented the holes in the mounting flange of the mid-range to make them non obtrusive for those "nudists" who prefer to go grill-less.
Driver Mounting and Connection
Another redeeming quality incorporated in the design was regarding Canton's method for mounting the drivers. Instead of using wood screws in the MDF material, Canton incorporated metal insert fasteners for all drivers and secured them with machine screws. This was especially useful for us when we removed the drivers and installed them back in place as we didn't have to worry about the MDF threads stripping. The foam gasket behind the drivers was a light weight, thin foam material unlike some of the rubber gaskets we've seen in other designs. But what was probably more important and commendable was that the wiring connecting of all the drivers were soldered instead of using lugs. Canton also used twisted triple wires for the + and - connections of each driver, thereby reducing resistance between the crossover electronics and the drivers.
