Canton Smart Connect 5.1

Five centimeters high, an aluminum chassis that fits in the palm of your hand, yet the capabilities of a complete home cinema system. Canton’s Smart Connect 5.1 is an AV preamplifier that refuses the usual bulk of multichannel amplifiers. It can drive up to six active speakers via cable and eight wireless speakers from the Smart range, enabling configurations from simple stereo up to 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos.

A modular wired and wireless architecture

The Smart Connect 5.1 occupies a unique position: it is not an amplifier (it contains no power stages), but an audio preamplifier and processor that communicates with your active speakers or power amps via six RCA outputs. Canton has developed a proprietary radio protocol that allows up to eight speakers from its Smart range to be paired wirelessly, with transmission up to 24-bit / 96 kHz. Latency, a sensitive issue for wireless home cinema systems, is handled by this in-house protocol, which synchronizes channels within the same room.

This wired/wireless duality allows for hybrid installations. You can, for example, connect passive front speakers via an external power amplifier, while placing the surrounds and subwoofer on a wireless link. Or you can transform an existing stereo system into a home cinema setup by gradually adding Smart speakers.

Audio processing and format decoding

The onboard DSP supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and PCM streams up to 24-bit / 192 kHz. A Dolby Surround virtualizer can simulate multichannel rendering from just two speakers, which expands the possible uses in small spaces. Manufacturer specifications state a harmonic distortion of 0.003% and a signal-to-noise ratio of 101 dB, figures that place the unit firmly in dedicated DAC territory.

Calibration remains manual: distance setting, per-channel level adjustment, crossover management for the subwoofer (frequency and phase), and an equalizer with room correction. Canton has not integrated an automatic calibration system with microphone, which requires a bit more involvement at setup but leaves full control over all parameters.

Connectivity: HDMI 2.0b and multiple sources

Three HDMI 2.0b inputs accept 4K HDR streams with HDCP 2.2 protection, covering UHD Blu-ray players, game consoles, and streaming boxes. The HDMI eARC output (featured on the S2 version) sends video to the TV while retrieving audio from the TV’s built-in apps. This evolution compared to the first version (which only offered standard ARC) makes it possible to recover Dolby Atmos soundtracks from streaming services directly from the TV.

For standard analog and digital sources, the rear panel provides one optical S/PDIF input, two coaxial inputs, and one stereo RCA input. The latter allows you to connect a turntable (with external phono preamp), a CD player, or any other analog device.

Streaming and multiroom

Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, and Apple AirPlay 2 are integrated. The device appears as a target in compatible apps and can join multiroom groups via Google Home. Network connection is via Wi‑Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) or Ethernet. Bluetooth 4.1 with A2DP and AVRCP profiles allows quick pairing from a smartphone, but is limited to the SBC codec.

Supported streaming formats include FLAC, WAV, MP3, AAC, and OGG. Canton has provided shortcut buttons on the remote control to store Spotify playlists, speeding up access to everyday music.

Build and footprint

With dimensions of 24.5 × 5.2 × 14 cm and a weight of 1.23 kg, the Smart Connect 5.1 slips onto a shelf without taking over the space. The brushed aluminum chassis is topped with a glass plate integrating touch controls. The front LED display is understated (three alphanumeric characters), complemented by an OSD menu that appears on the TV connected via HDMI.

The supplied remote stands apart from the usual bricks that come with AV amplifiers. Compact and weighty, it brings together the essential functions on about twenty buttons. The Canton Smart app lets you manage settings from a smartphone, including wireless speaker configuration and acoustic adjustments.

Use cases and limitations to be aware of

The Smart Connect 5.1 fits into several scenarios: extending an existing stereo system into home cinema, discreet integration in a living room where space is tight, or controlling Canton Smart active speakers in an all‑wireless setup. It also works as a DAC to connect a traditional hi‑fi system to the home network.

A few points deserve attention. The lack of automatic calibration means you’ll need to take the time to measure distances and adjust levels manually. The RCA pre‑out sockets require power amplifiers or active speakers downstream. And wireless compatibility is limited to Canton’s Smart range: active speakers from other brands will need to use the RCA outputs.

Technical specifications

General information

• Type: multichannel audio processor and multiroom player
• Active wired channels: 6
• Compatible wireless speakers: up to 8 Canton Smart speakers
• Audio transmission: high resolution
• Surround virtualization: Dolby® Surround
• Dolby Atmos® compatibility: yes (compatible and Atmos virtualization)
• DTS-HD® compatibility: yes
• Integrated surround converter: Dolby® Surround

Audio performance

• Frequency response: 10 Hz – 450,000 Hz (+0 / -1 dB)
• Signal-to-noise ratio: 101 dB
• Channel separation (1 kHz): 93 dB
• Total harmonic distortion (THD+N, 1 kHz, 1 Vrms): 0.003%
• Nominal output level: 1 Vrms / 600 Ω
• Maximum output level: 3.4 Vrms
• Maximum gain: 17 dB

Supported audio formats

• HDMI formats:
  • Dolby Atmos®
  • Dolby TrueHD®
  • DTS-HD® Master Audio
  • DTS-HD®
  • Dolby Digital®
  • DTS® Digital Surround
  • PCM up to 24-bit / 192 kHz
• Streaming formats: FLAC, WAV (LPCM), MP3, AAC, HE-AAC, OGG

Audio and video connectivity

• HDMI inputs: 3 × HDMI 2.0b (4K, HDR10, HDCP 2.2, CEC)
• HDMI output: 1 × HDMI eARC
• Audio inputs:
  • 1 × optical S/PDIF (TOSLINK) input
  • 2 × coaxial S/PDIF inputs
  • 1 × stereo RCA analog input
• Audio outputs: 6 × analog RCA outputs (multichannel pre-out)
• Other connections:
  • 1 × USB-A port (service)
  • 1 × RJ45 Ethernet network port

Wireless connectivity and streaming

• Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
• Bluetooth®:
  • Version: 4.1
  • Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP
  • Codec: SBC
• Supported streaming protocols: Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, UPnP

Signal processing and calibration

• Individual speaker volume adjustment: yes
• Individual distance adjustment: yes
• Equalizer with room correction: yes
• Bass / midrange / treble controls: yes
• Advanced bass management: yes
• Subwoofer phase adjustment: yes
• Dynamic range control: yes
• Lip-sync adjustment (LipSync): yes

System functions and control

• Audio presets: yes
• Playlist presets: yes
• Infrared learning: yes
• Direct input selection: yes
• Input configuration and renaming: yes
• Automatic power on/off function: yes
• Automatic Bluetooth playback: yes
• Wireless speaker pairing: yes
• Maximum number of wireless speakers: 8

Physical characteristics

• Dimensions (W × H × D): 24.5 × 5.2 × 14 cm
• Weight: 1.23 kg
• Chassis: aluminum
• Power consumption: max. 10 W
• Power supply: 100–240 V ~ 50/60 Hz