- WRITTEN BY DENOM
We recently had an in-depth listen to the Canton DM8.2 Soundbar, which is part of the Movie Series of Canton Models. Canton via their Movie Series, provides a rather compact, yet very high quality active speaker system that serves course primarily intended for relatively great sound while watching TV.
Unboxing: The DM8.2 came well packed in a pretty large carton. The unit was packed with sturdy thermocol encasing the unit securely. All the accessories were placed in little cut outs on the top thermocol packing itself. The items included in with the DM8.2 as follows: 1 Unit Sound Bar 1 Remote Control with Cell Optical Cable (1.5m) Owner’s Manual Packing Quality: 5 Stars
Appearance: The DM8.2 soundbar is quite substantial, having a width of 85 cm, a height of just 13 cm and a depth of 31.5 cm. It weighs around 12 Kg and the housing is substantial meaning that a Flat Screen Panel can be placed on top of the sound bar itself. Canton tech specs indicate four bass drivers with a 110 mm aluminum cone and two 25 mm tweeter with fabric dome drivers. These are powered by a Class D power amplifier with an output of 100 watts and are intended to cover a frequency range 40-22000 Hz. One can also connect an active subwoofer to augment the bass response of the unit. Canton indicates the crossover frequency of 150 Hz for achieving best results and seamless integration with the DM8.2. The exterior of the DM 8.2 was an all-black affair with matt lacquer polished surface, to enable it to fit easily into any living environment. The housing rests firmly on four solid footers, which are made of metal and thus visually set a nice contrast. The DM8.2 comes with an infrared remote control, which has option of changing between the three inputs, set the playback parameters of the integrated DSP and the volume can be controlled as well. The DM8.2 connection options include two RCA analog inputs, one optical input and a subwoofer output. At the front there is a metal grille protecting the drive units and the centre has a largish display for indicating source selected, volume and which preset equalizer setting is selected. The display is bright and legible having a pleasing blue back lit light, which is non adjustable. Surprisingly the DM8.2 has no HDMI inputs or USB for a flash drive or hard drive full of music/movies. With no WiFi or Ethernet built-in, it means the only way to connect the DM8.2 is via the analog inputs & solitary optical input. Strange for the present times indeed!
Build Quality: 5 Stars
Performance: The DM8.2 is remarkably sound in tonality and delivers very good mids and pleasing highs keeping its profile in mind. The bass is quite alright but when one is watching action movies, a sub will most certainly be required to helped flesh out gunshots and explosions to blend with the rest of the soundstage. For movies/tv channels viewing and music experience, you get a choice of four preset options. They are ‘Stereo’, ‘Surround’, ‘Loud’ and ‘Voice’. For music and speech, we found the DM8.2, to be very good with good vocals presence and pleasant performance musicality wise, as tonally it is very hard to find fault with. For movies, one might not appreciate it much and that’s where it has its limitations minus a sub woofer showing rather tellingly. We have to applaud Canton for its well-designed remote handset and the way it feels to hold, as it is well weighted, compact and performs flawlessly. The remote has a premium feel, is just the right size and weight, and has logically placed buttons that are instinctive to use.
Verdict: Simplicity and ease of use are the main advantages of the DM8.2. A good amount of current technology is surprisingly absent in the DM8.2, which might go against it, for most considering a sound bar purchase, but for what it does, one cannot find much wrong with its capabilities. If one is looking to boost the soundstage of a display and augment the sound for basic viewing and or listening to music, then one will be fully satisfied with the DM8.2. For persons expecting more, they need to either buy a separate active sub woofer to augment the effects for movies or simply are better off looking at other options available in the market.
Retail Price: Rs.56000/- Available at: M/s Innovative Information Technology Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai