First pair of Canton speakers (le 500)

[robiles]

Cantons have been on my watchlist for quite a while now, and quite a few of them have slipped between my fingers. Good deals are more often than not, but the models I have been looking for seem to be harder to get than all the rest (for example Quinto 540).

Yesterday i finally bit the bullet and went to pick up a pair of le 500's that have been on sale for a few weeks. Sat in a basement for 30 years or so, and I bought them from the original owners brother.

Not havin any experience with such speakers, there are a few things i an not so sure of:

- my impression is that the metall covers are glued in place, and all the internals are accessed from the back. The back should not be so hard to remove, just use a bit of heat and insert a thin metal object to separate the back plate from the rest of the cabinet.

- The speakers are black (from the factory and in not a great state (not that important as i will use them in my "shop") with modetarely deep but long scratches (only top layers affected). My idea was to remove all the paint and go for the wood look, but i do not know what is underneat all the paint. Is it possible that the paint is applied above the veneer, or is it applied directly to the particle board? Repainting is not really an option due to the skill needed to do a good job.

I did hook the up yesterday but did not have the chance to audition them, but all seems to be working.
I also saw there is a nice thread with information regarding the components and their values used in Canton speakers, and if I find something new and or interesting inside them, i will contribute to said thread.

Edit: according to my research, this is the last series before the "taunus sound" was introduced. Should be easy to confirm or deny by comparing them to the braun l620's, which is the opposite of taunus sound (integrated loudness vs. slight mid peak)

 

[nicholas.aro]

Cantons have been on my watchlist for quite a while now, and quite a few of them have slipped between my fingers. Good deals are more often than not, but the models I have been looking for seem to be harder to get than all the rest (for example Quinto 540).

Yesterday i finally bit the bullet and went to pick up a pair of le 500's that have been on sale for a few weeks. Sat in a basement for 30 years or so, and I bought them from the original owners brother.

Not havin any experience with such speakers, there are a few things i an not so sure of:

- my impression is that the metall covers are glued in place, and all the internals are accessed from the back. The back should not be so hard to remove, just use a bit of heat and insert a thin metal object to separate the back plate from the rest of the cabinet.

- The speakers are black (from the factory and in not a great state (not that important as i will use them in my "shop") with modetarely deep but long scratches (only top layers affected). My idea was to remove all the paint and go for the wood look, but i do not know what is underneat all the paint. Is it possible that the paint is applied above the veneer, or is it applied directly to the particle board? Repainting is not really an option due to the skill needed to do a good job.

I did hook the up yesterday but did not have the chance to audition them, but all seems to be working.
I also saw there is a nice thread with information regarding the components and their values used in Canton speakers, and if I find something new and or interesting inside them, i will contribute to said thread.

Edit: according to my research, this is the last series before the "taunus sound" was introduced. Should be easy to confirm or deny by comparing them to the braun l620's, which is the opposite of taunus sound (integrated loudness vs. slight mid peak)

Many moons have passed. I am wondering how you went with those cantons? In particular was there a nice wood veneer under that paint? Hard to remove? Could you get the front grills off without damaging the cabinets? Any pics?? Very curious to know!

 

[robiles]

In the end i did nothing to them, they have been left as they were and I gifted them to my father.
As far as I can tell not all grills are removable, as the drivers on some speakers are screwed in from the back. Others are removable, and velcro (maybe even magnets?) are used to fix them in place. I do not think that there is a veneer under the paint (when uncertain I always assume the worst).
If you need to access the drivers and crossover, rhe back cover can be removed with a bit of muscle as the back is glued to the rest of the cabinet. You need to remove all screws, and use a furniture screw (the ones with deep thread, similar to the ones used for example in most furniture from the cheap but evil furniture company.

 

[nicholas.aro]

Thanks for the reply Robiles, yeah it seems all those early Cantons are fixed grills, a bit of a shame really. And like you I too would assume the worst under that paint. However Canton being the quality manufacturer they were there could be a nice surprise?!

I guess if a good cheap set turn up near me I might take the plunge and strip them to see if I can expose some wood. Will let you know if I strike gold.

 

[Bratwurst7s]

The grills on your Le 500's should not be fixed. Ar least the Le 600's are not and no other Canton grill that I have seen is.

They should be held in place with a number of small strips of sticky fabric spaced along the grill edge and are pressed into the slot. It can be hard to remove them. A small wire hook works best, stick it in a side hole and gently pull. Repeat all around the grill a bit at a time.

Unlike Braun grills they should be steel and are pretty stable.


James

 

[sanford12]

The metal grills on my Cantons are friction fitt. I doubt that any are glued on. If they sat for that many years in a basement , they're probably just stuck especially if that basement was moist.

 

[Bratwurst7s]

The metal grills on my Cantons are friction fitt. I doubt that any are glued on. If they sat for that many years in a basement , they're probably just stuck especially if that basement was moist.

Ah yes, friction fit. Exactly.

You said it better than I my friend. I was looking for that term and couldn't find it.

It seems that after 28 years over here my English has been getting worse and my use of German has not been getting any better.
If I was a betting man I would say that I am just not very smart.

My children have been telling me that I have become a Super Mutant, and that my only superpower is that I am able do destroy both English and German with equal ease.


James

 

[ernieS]

My love affair with Canton started in a dirty old garage where the must neglected speaker I ever saw
was resting. The mighty ct-2000. Months later, new tweeters in, refinished. Metal grills are removable. Wonderful speaker.