Canton Reference 5

When a well-established company like Canton uses words like 'intricately built masterpiece', 'epochal sound quality' and 'perfect craftsmanship' to describe its new top-end Reference series, we have to take notice.

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• Floorstanding speakers

• £8499

As we unpack our Reference 5 review samples, it seems the brand's confidence has solid foundations if the exceptional build quality and interesting engineering of these floorstanders are anything to go by.

The Reference 5 is the step-up floorstander in an eight-strong range that includes a dedicated subwoofer and centre speaker alongside a range-topper, the Reference 1, that retails for £20,999. Despite coming in as one of the early rungs of the Reference ladder, the 5 floorstander packs in all its big brother's essential technical ingredients. One of the highlights is the formidable-looking driver array, particularly the trio of 17.4cm BCT units; two are used for bass, leaving frequencies above 170Hz for the dedicated midrange driver. BCT stands for Black Ceramic Tungsten, which is described by Canton as a composite material where the drive unit's aluminium cone is partially (25 per cent) converted into a ceramic structure and loaded with tungsten along with other metal particles. This process is claimed to deliver an optimal blend of low weight and high rigidity, and gives the material its distinctive black colour.

High frequencies (3kHz onwards) are handled by a 25mm BC (Black aluminium oxide Ceramic) dome tweeter and again, low weight and rigidity are the claimed benefits. The tweeter's dispersion is governed by a carefully shaped asymmetrical waveguide, which helps integration to the midrange, too.