Over the last few years, I’ve become increasingly vocal about the fact that the hi‑fi industry has too many companies for the market being served. I’ve often said that if we cut the number of speaker companies in half, we’d probably still have four times too many. You could apply that logic to other product categories as well.
Of course, all markets are self-correcting. These days, it’s not unusual to see companies go out of business, not just new brands, but also well-established ones. That’s often sad to witness, but that’s life for you—predators everywhere, and only the strongest survive. Business is a battle.
What I don’t like seeing is a good company struggle simply because not enough people know about it. Case in point: Canor, an electronics manufacturer based in Prešov, Slovakia. Founded in 1995, the company began with a single product—the TP101 tube amplifier—under the brand name Edgar. In 2007, it rebranded as Canor and has since grown into an enterprise that employs more than 80 people. Today, Canor offers over a dozen products, both tube and solid-state, all manufactured in its Slovakian facility.
Just as important, Canor designs and often builds products for other well-known brands—some of them considerable in size. I’m not at liberty to name them, but anyone inclined to do some digging could likely figure it out. That kind of OEM activity doesn’t happen unless you have serious engineering and manufacturing capabilities.
From what I can see, Canor is on a solid footing. It’s fairly well known in Europe—I’ve often seen the brand often at shows over there. But in North America, the brand has struggled to gain traction. I’ve seen it dip a toe into these waters before, with limited success. That’s one reason I’m writing this piece—building awareness is often half the battle. And Canor is now offering two new products that should interest value-conscious audiophiles: the Virtus I4S integrated amplifier and the Verto D4S digital-to-analog converter.
Ivan Bosnovic, Canor’s sales director, traveled from Slovakia to represent the brand in Florida. He told me that both the Virtus I4S and the Verto D4S sell for $5000 each in the United States. “They look good on the outside,” he said, “but they have guts inside.”
I agreed on the first point immediately. Both components feature low-profile casework with matte-finished, bronze-colored top and bottom panels sandwiching a black center section—though panels of black or gray are also available. They’re distinctive without being flashy, and they appear feature-rich.
The Virtus I4S integrated amplifier is rated at 75Wpc into 8 ohms or 120Wpc into 4 ohms. It includes a built-in phono stage that supports both moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges. In addition to the pair of RCA phono inputs, there are two pairs of single-ended (RCA) and one pair of balanced (XLR) line-level inputs. A headphone output is also provided. The centrally placed volume knob incorporates a display that shows volume level and other user information.
The Verto D4S is built around two ESS Technology ESS9038Q2M DAC chips in dual-mono configuration. it has six digital inputs: USB‑C, AES/EBU, coaxial S/PDIF (RCA), two optical S/PDIF (TosLink), and HDMI. It includes a 7″-wide display screen for user feedback.
According to Bosnovic, these products are intended to help put Canor more firmly on the North American map—through a combination of features, performance, build quality, and price. Interestingly, however, whenever I visited the room during my three days at the show, neither of these new models was in use. Instead, Canor was demonstrating much larger, higher-end components that people familiar with the brand probably know already. When I was asked why that was, I was told it was because the speakers being played are of a higher price, so it made sense to combine them with the company’s more expensive offerings. I’m not sure if I agree with that logic.
Still, I give Canor credit for showing up with someone directly from headquarters to represent the brand, and bringing along a small, attractive printed catalog detailing the company’s history and listing its full lineup. In a market as crowded as home audio, you can’t assume anyone will automatically recognize your name. If you want to swim instead of sink, you have to make an effort.
Consider Canor’s participation at the Florida show part of that effort. Here’s Canor—a company with serious manufacturing capability, a 30-year history, and a couple of well-specified, attractively priced new components—making another push on this side of the pond. I hope they stick around.
Doug Schneider
Founder, SoundStage!
