Canton DM 75 review

This is still a superb soundbase, but new rivals sound more solid and assertive... Tested at £450

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Best soundbase £300+, Awards 2014. This is still a superb soundbase, but new rivals sound more solid and assertive

Pros

  • +

    Big, open soundfield

  • +

    Balanced and insightful

  • +

    Expressive and exciting

  • +

    Weighty bass

  • +

    Smart design

Cons

  • -

    Lacks the sonic solidity of some rivals

  • -

    Treble can verge on brightness at volume

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    No HDMIs

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Canton has a good reputation when it comes to soundbases – this DM75 won our pricier soundbase Award category in 2014, while the smaller DM50 scored an easy five stars and remains an excellent buy.

The DM75 is simply a bigger version of the DM50 – either for those people with TVs too big for the dinky DM50, or for those with the space to go bigger.

MORE: Awards 2014 - Best soundbars and soundbases

Build and design

Make sure you have (or have the budget for) a big enough TV rack to support the soundbase

Make sure you have (or have the budget for) a big enough TV rack to support the soundbase

While the DM 50 is best suited to 40in or smaller tellies, the 73cm-wide DM75 is less restricted and can cater for almost any size. TV weight won’t be a deciding factor either – Canton claims both models can take up to 40kg, which should allow you plenty of choice.

Canton also allows you colour options of black, silver or white, which is refreshing in a sea of black boxes. It’s a smart, if modest, design with a textured matt chassis and a metal front grille that hides two 5cm midrange drivers and two 25mm tweeters.

Underneath the unit you’ll find four 10cm woofers, double that on the DM50, while on the front panel there’s a welcome blue LED display that’ll only light up when you use the remote.

The Canton has several connections but lacks HDMI inputs

The Canton has several connections but lacks HDMI inputs

It displays basic information, such as volume level and input, and makes controlling the DM75 quick and easy.

Speaking of the remote, Canton’s effort is better than many of its competitors, suitably chunky and well made, plus the buttons are well labelled and nicely laid out for ease of use.

All good news then, but if there’s anything we’d like more from at this price, it’s inputs. You’ll get optical and coaxial inputs alongside a pair of analogues, but there are no HDMIs for those who need them.

There is a subwoofer output to add more bass to proceedings, but we wouldn’t have thought you’d need it, plus there’s aptX Bluetooth on board for streaming music to the DM75.

Performance

Four 10cm downward-firing drivers add plenty of weight to the sound

Four 10cm downward-firing drivers add plenty of weight to the sound

We fire up After Earth to put the DM75 through its paces, and that Canton family sound is immediately evident – it’s rich, balanced and full of insight.

It’s a big, room-filling sound that’s also open and airy, offering more space to a movie soundtrack than the Bose Solo 15 would allow.

This brings with it both strengths and weaknesses, delivering a more expressive midrange that’s great for insight, but at the expense of a little solidity.

That’s not to say the bass isn’t impressive – it is. Take the skydive scene in After Earth, and there’s a satisfyingly weighty rumble as Kitai swoops past rock edges, with plenty of punch to it when required too.

Consider the DM 75 if you have a large TV and want a considerable boost in power, pace and weight

Consider the DM 75 if you have a large TV and want a considerable boost in power, pace and weight

When Kitai dives into the waterfall to avoid becoming eagle prey, the sound of falling water is crisp and enveloping, with plenty of fine detail to give it depth and texture rather than being one mass of sound.

Highs are clear and sharp, but amid new competition can teeter on the edge of brightness at volume. It’s not uncomfortable, but it does add to the slight feeling of fragility when compared to the likes of the Solo 15 and Geneva Model Cinema.

Action movies are most at home on the DM75, with plenty of attack and expression here to deliver excitement and pace in spades.

It’s a masterclass in dynamics, making sense of any soundtrack you throw at it, and dialogue proves just as successful, cutting through action-packed scenes with plenty of clarity – if not as richly as the Geneva.

Verdict

There’s no doubting the Canton DM75 is an excellent soundbase – we gave it an Award after all – but with the introduction of some fresh new rivals, there are now some things that put its fifth star on shaky ground.

While we love its open and expressive nature, the sense of fragility it brings to the midrange as a result makes us crave the solidity of the Geneva Model Cinema, which is available, alongside other improvements, for £100 more.

MORE: Best soundbases 2015

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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