Canton Reference ? any comment?

I like these a lot.  In Germany, Canton dominates the marketplace and is a huge brand.  The Ref line is very, very good.  So good I have been considering taking on the line.  I would say they go toe to toe with B&W and Kef at the relative price points and deliver different sound but equally appealing.  Only issue is that break-in time is a bear.  The spiders and surrounds are very stiff and it is estimated that 200 hours are required for everything to relax properly.

How would you define the canton sound?

I find them brightish, very similar to B&W or Revel’s BE tweeters so amp pairing is important.  Not quite as bright as Paradigm or Kef.  I feel like B&W is probably the closest speaker to it from a tonal perspective.  
The soundstage to me comes together more easily than B&W and with the right amplification, they are not forward.  Precise  with good bass response based on relative size of the speaker.  Probably a hair less detailed than B&W.  If detail is your concern, B&W is probably a better choice. If soundstage and experience is your concern, Canton.

my personal opinions and worth what you paid for it.  Like I said, I am considering the Canton line but I am not a dealer.

I have the Canton Reference 9.2 DC. Very nice speakers for the money and easy on the eyes. A surprising amount of bass for their size. I would call them neutral, maybe even a little on the warm side, but that was with class D amplification.

What is your idea of other "hi-end" speakers. Most brands have a number of models at different price points.

I like my Harbeth P3ESRs better than the Cantons. My KEF reference 1s are in a completely different league than my Cantons, but moving up the Canton food chain might give the KEFs some competition. 

I've had a pair of Ref 9Ks for almost four (4) years, which is longer then I've owned any other speakers in the past 30yr. It took a while to find an amp with good synergy (Accuphase E-280 was a bust, Bryston 4BSST was much better, Cary Rocket 88 was terrific, as is my current Pass Labs INT-25). I have the Canton stands (filled with sand & lead shot - a definite help) and bi-wire with WW Silver Eclipse 7. They do an excellent job of imaging with a great sound-stage, both width & depth. I do not & have never found them to be 'bright' and find them very balanced with the classic jazz, classic rock, blues & classical I listen to. To my ears they do an excellent job on vocals. The do not become congested on orchestral works as do many 2-way speakers. Moving from the 20wpc of Class-A tubes to 25wpc of Class-A SS gave noticeably better control & deeper bass. The fit & finish is outstanding (mine are piano black). I'm speaker shopping, but they remain so enjoyable that I'm in no hurry and am considering simply getting a pair of Canton's smallest floor-standing speakers, the Ref 8K, which should also play well with 25wpc of Class-A at the 75-80db listening levels I prefer.

Traded my 9K towards a pair of Triangle Duetto, then a pair of Devore 0/93 followed by the Magnepan 1.7i. Of these, the Maggies were the best to my ears. However, long-term, none bruoght me the listening pleasure od the 9K. As a result. I've ordered a pair of the new Ref 9 and should have by the end of April.