Mike Redd

Canton Speakers with Kenwood reciever?

I recently purchased these Canton speakers based on reccomendations and some reviews I'd found:

(I am new to this forum and it wont let me put the link here. You can find the speakers by going to canton[dot]de, click English, then scroll down to "Movie 10-MX II"]

I've been trying to do some research to understand more about speakers and I found that low SPL required more power? These speakers are listed at 85dB. I've bought a Kenwood reciever to power them but I'm not sure if it will work well with these speakers.

Here is a link to the kenwood speakers:

[ kenwoodusa[dot]com, home, recievers, page 2, "VR-707"]

Can anyone here shed any light on my confusion?

I apologize for the hassle of going through those sites instead of links.

Thanks,


Mike

Wayne Ernst

Mike,

That sensitivity rating seems a bit low when compared to other speakers. It may take quite a bit of power to get those speakers up and rocking. The "in room" SPL should be about 3dB higher for efficiency, so we could look at 88dB. However, there are many other speakers out there with efficiency ratings of 89 - 91 dB, before adding the "in room" improvements.

However, if you love the Canton speakers because they sound great to you and you don't desire to push them to their highest levels all the time, they might be some of the best speakers for you - even with the Kenwood that you would drive them with.

I know in my situation, 90% of the listening that I do is not even at moderate volumes. I'm sure there are very few situations where you'd reach the power limit with your Kenwood.

However, I'd be intersted in the other speakers that were on your list before you decided on the Canton speakers.

\"My reality check ... just bounced\"

Mike Redd

The reason I bought those speakers, what because they are so small. I live in an apartment now and I will be living in apartments for at least 3 or 4 more years. So I needed something that would not take up alot of space.

In most of the reviews I had read, they say these speakers sound great at low volumes. I rarely turn volume up loud enough for my neighbors to hear.

The only other speakers I was considering were the single speaker bose setup. But that was about $700 while I got the cantons for $400.

So, I guess this reciever will suit my needs.


Mike

Wayne Ernst

Mike,

I guess when I first read your post, I didn't realized that you had already purchased both the receiver and speakers.

At this point, the only thing you can do is set everything up and see how they perform to *you* in your listening area.

Finally, to get some speakers that sound great at lower volumes, you'll want to utilize something to boost the range a bit - maybe a loudness button on a reciever (?) to give you a fuller sound. Also, there is the option of enhancing the crossover to make the drivers sound better.

However, since your living environment involves lots of consideration for your neighbors, I doubt if you'll max out your receiver when driving those speakers - unless you were throwing a party or an event where you needed really loud music.

\"My reality check ... just bounced\"

Danny Tse

Comes down to the size of your room and how loud do you use your system. Your Canton speaker system comes with a powered sub, right? Since reproducing bass eats up a lot power, your Kenwood receiver is essentially just powering your satellites. If you don't crank your system up to concert-level volume, then I think you will be fine.

I have a speaker with a 86 dB rating (NHT SB2) and "only" 65 watts from a Cambridge Audio integrated amp, and I don't think the volume knob ever went past the 10 o'clock position.

Mike Redd

Great! Thats good news!

BTW. How do the specs on the Canton speakers look?


Mike

Danny Tse

Specs aren't everything. But checking out the 10-MX II on Canton's website, I think it will do fine in your situation. Canton speakers have a well-deserved reputation. Just make sure you calibrate the system and exercise good placement.

Wayne Ernst

Danny,

You've made a good point. I've also read where some manufacturers have "fudged" their sensitivity ratings for their speakers a bit anyway. So, even if the Canton speakers have a sensitivity rating of 85dB and brand "X" has a sensitivity rating of 91dB, it's hard to tell how much difference there actually is - unless you have both speakers in your home to test them.

\"My reality check ... just bounced\"