In terms of placement, there are pros and cons. There is no way to attach such a structure to the wall, which will no longer allow this form factor to be called a potential “soundbar killer”. But if you put the TV on a stand, the situation changes. We put a regular soundbar in front of the TV, and in half the cases it completely or partially blocks its IR sensor. Plus, modern designer TV supports are sometimes so intricate and wide that they do not allow you to place a soundbar close to the screen. You have to look for tricky stands with a special niche or invent other installation options, combining a stand and a wall mount for the TV. Plus, a subwoofer is another integral part of the system.
Having Canton DM 90.3, we place the audio device on the stand, and then place the TV on top. The design of the audio system case not only allows this, it is designed for this and will easily support any modern panel. Visually, the picture will be even nicer than with a regular soundbar, because the TV supports do not interfere. In addition, the IR sensor will be open. And if there is a special niche in the stand, it will be effectively used to its full depth, and there is no need to add a subwoofer. This approach fits in with the expectations of ordinary buyers of home audio equipment – it should be as compact, simple and at the same time of sufficient quality. All the prerequisites for this are there.
Canton DM 90.3 carries basic Dolby Digital and DTS decoders on board, and acoustically they are configured as a triphonic. In other words, we have not a full-fledged 5.1, but its emulation using a stereo pair. A good half of soundbars work on this principle.
Canton DM 90.3 have diffusers made using proprietary technology from aluminum. The 100-mm midrange and 25-mm tweeter are located coaxially, and the main part of the facade is occupied by four 110-mm woofers. The phase inverters are brought forward. Unlike DM 55, the older model received HDMI switching with three inputs and one output with support for the ARC audio return channel, which allows you to receive sound from a TV without additional cables and is compatible with the CEC control protocol.
It is worth mentioning that Canton DM 90.3 is made of high-density MDF, has a top cover made of tinted glass and a metal grille that completely covers the facade. As a result, on the one hand, the design looks modest, and on the other – solid and expensive. The design cannot be called neutral, it is difficult for me to imagine such a device in a classic interior, but it will be just right for modern minimalism or hi-tech. Among the subtleties, I will note the bright blue display, information from which is sometimes difficult to clearly read due to the fact that it, like the speakers, is hidden under the grill. On the other hand, if there were no grill, the bright glow of the display would hurt the eyes.
Despite its apparent simplicity, Canton DM 90.3 is quite functional and can be flexibly configured to suit current usage conditions. DM 90.3 has a built-in Bluetooth module version 3.0 with apt-X support, allowing you to listen to music from your smartphone in high quality. The system is actually stereophonic, but you can select modes using the remote control – stereo or surround sound. Note that the ability to listen to music is not nominal, an honest stereo pair can be obtained by pressing one button.
Canton also has special solutions for cinema. In addition to surround sound, the devices are capable of performing Lip sync correction in the event of a mismatch between the sound output time and the picture. Since the manufacturer cannot assume where exactly the soundbar will be placed (closer to the floor or high, closer to the listener’s ear level), the menu has three equalizer modes corresponding to different installation options.
Separately, I would like to draw attention to the ability to teach soundbars commands from another remote control. With this function, your own Canton remote can be replaced with a TV remote control. Without a doubt, this is more convenient than juggling remotes in search of the right one.
Everyone understands that a soundbar is a kind of compromise when you want multi-channel sound and quality, but do not want to furnish the room with speakers around the perimeter. In this case, we have a double compromise, when the user is offered to give up a little living space in exchange for improved sound quality. If Canton DM 90.3 could not cope with its task without an additional subwoofer, the event would not make sense. But German engineers managed to pack full-range acoustics into one case, and this is a much more interesting option.
Specifications Canton DM 90.3
System power 300 W
Frequency response 27 … 30,000 Hz
Crossover frequency 150 Hz
Woofer 4 x 110 mm, aluminum
Midrange 2 x 110 mm, aluminum
Tweeter 2 x 25 mm, aluminum
Connection
1 x HDMI® output (ARC)
3 x HDMI® inputs (with 3D, 4K)
1 x digital (optical)
1 x digital (coaxial)
1 x Analog (RCA)
1 x subwoofer output
Interface Bluetooth 3.0 (APT-X decoding for transmission in CD quality)
DTS Digital Surround decoder, Dolby® Digital, DTS TruSurround decoder
LED display on the front panel
Dimensions (WxHxD) 90 x 14.5 x 30 cm
Weight 15.7 kg
Power consumption (standby) 0.4 W
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