Kirk Midtskog has posted a review of the Canton Vento 820 Loudspeaker ($2400/pair, stands $600/pair) at AVuide. His conclusions:
Despite all of the 820's positive attributes, at the end of the day I never did become truly immersed in the musical performances. The 820 covered some hi-fi bases reasonably well, but it also tended to blunt the contrasts among the unique moods of different music. The 820 could carry a tune and keep the beat at a basic level, but a pervasive underlying dryness prevented it from expressing the ineffable human qualities that I know other speakers at its price level can deliver.
The whole business of value is a tricky one. The 820 offers an aesthetically attractive package with some commendable performance qualities. The combined speaker and stand price of $3000 falls in a zone with some compelling competition. In my direct experience, the Dynaudio Excite X32 offers a more musically rewarding set of qualities, including greater detail retrieval, dynamic range, and bass extension. I remain a fan of small, stand-mounted speakers, but based primarily on sonic performance; readers should audition the Canton 820 carefully before making a decision.
You can read the full review here.
