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Canto USA Announces Updates Rolling Out for the RETRO Series Product Line

Canto USA announces the upcoming release of the upgraded RETRO Series with the Fusion 2.0 and Passive 2.0. The product updates include interchangeable tops and an easier-to-install safety cable. Focusing on streamlining the product line, the RETRO-Classic will be discontinued at the time of the Fusion 2.0 and Passive 2.0 release.

The improved Fusion 2.0 and Passive 2.0 will now include field-swappable bases, allowing qualified reps and dealers to interchange between various electrical attachment options on-site. The Fusion 2.0 can also be outfitted with adjustable PAR rings and all the associated accessories. Additionally, the Passive 2.0 driver housing will be transitioned to the same black plastic shell as the Fusion, making it uniform with the rest of the RETRO line. To further facilitate an easier installation process and ensure the safe and proper use of the fixtures, the safety cables on the updated RETRO Series are now detachable.

“Our goal with the Fusion 2.0 and Passive 2.0 was to simplify the installation process while providing the best quality RETRO product. We listened to the needs of the industry and made the necessary updates,” says Shawn Harmon, North American Sales Manager. “This was the perfect time to make the updates. And we are happy to announce that both pending orders and new orders will be transitioned to the RETRO 2.0.”

The new Fusion 2.0 and Passive 2.0 will be available for order from your local rep or dealer on December 1st and will start shipping on January 1st, 2024.

The RETRO 2.0 Series Line of Products

RETRO-Fusion™ 2.0 

Canto Retro Fusion 2 Image

With the RETRO-Fusion 2.0 being lighter and lower profile, along with a beveled top edge, it is able to squeeze into more shallow fixtures without having the lens protrude from the front of the trim ring. That reduces any type of glare. Now featuring field-swappable bases and a removable safety cable. This new design opens up more opportunities and applications.

RETRO-Passive® 2.0 

Canto Retro Passive 2 Image

Being fanless, the RETRO-Passive 2.0 is perfect for sound-sensitive spaces like museums and concert halls. They also have heavier heat sinks to compensate for not having active cooling.

About CantoUSA

Founded in 2013, Canto USA is a manufacturer of houselight retrofits and followspots. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to our mission: “Our customers come first. In order to do this, we continuously train our team on the latest trends and needs of the industry, while at the same time becoming a trendsetter in the development of new products and technology that no other company has available.” 

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Canto USA’s RETRO Series is Something New at The Old Globe Theatre

The Old Globe Theatre is one of the most renowned professional regional theatres in the United States and one of San Diego’s finest arts institutions. Originally built in 1935 it was modeled after Shakespeare’s Old Globe in London. The Old Globe has gone through several remodels and expansions over the years. In that time it has been home to nationally acclaimed artists, designers, directors, and playwrights. It was the recipient of the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1984.

The Old Globe, along with most theatres, closed its doors temporarily early in the pandemic. This closure allowed them the opportunity to make needed upgrades to their mainstage venue halogen-based houselights and houselight control system. That hardware hadn’t been updated since a 1984 remodel, so they were long overdue for some much-needed attention. Considering the advances in LED the theatre thought it would be best to take advantage of the reliability and energy savings.

The Old Globe Theatre Canto USA RETRO-Passive Install Photo

The Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, CA – Photo credit, Ryan Osborn. Trouble In Mind, Delicia Turner Sonnenberg – director, Lawrence E Moten III – scenic design, Nicole Jescinth Smith – costume design, Sherrice Mojgani – lighting design, Luqman Brown – sound design, Chandra R.M. Anthenill – production stage manager.

Chris Rynne, Director of Theatrical Applications at OCS Lighting + Control, had previously worked at The Old Globe as lighting director so he was familiar with the layout and needs of the theatre. After presenting and testing out several houselight LED upgrade options, the Canto USA’s RETRO series was concluded to be the best fit. “Cost and function were the deciding factors. We loved the dimming, ease of installation, color quality, and even distribution,” said Chris.

Older fixture cans and wiring needed to be updated and adapted before the RETRO installation. Coinciding with several other upgrades the theatre was making, the installation of the 27 RETRO-Passive 300’s was finished up in about a week. Some of the older fixture cans and wiring had to be repaired, updated, and adapted before the RETRO installation.

The Old Globe Theatre Canto USA RETRO-Passive Install Photo

The Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, CA – Photo credit, Ryan Osborn.

Once completed both the production staff and audience were happy with the result. Everyone loved the color quality and dimming of the lighting. The retrofit to LED not only greatly reduced the houselight power consumption but the decreased heat output from the houselights reduced the work of the HVAC system. This translates to the Globe benefitting from substantial energy savings.  All of their houselight problems were solved.

“We were really happy with how the RETRO series performed.” Said Chris, “We hope to use it on the next project we’re working on.”

The Old Globe Theatre Canto USA RETRO-Passive Install Photo

The Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, CA – Photo credit, Ryan Osborn. Trouble In Mind, Delicia Turner Sonnenberg – director, Lawrence E Moten III – scenic design, Nicole Jescinth Smith – costume design, Sherrice Mojgani – lighting design, Luqman Brown – sound design, Chandra R.M. Anthenill – production stage manager.

The RETRO Series Line of Products

RETRO-Passive® – Absolute Silence

CantoUSA RETRO-Passive Series Product Photo

Being fanless, the RETRO-Passive is perfect for sound-sensitive spaces like museums and concert halls. They also have heavier heat sinks to compensate for not having active cooling.

RETRO-Fusion™ – Lighter & Smaller

CantoUSA RETRO-Fusion Series Product Photo

With the RETRO-Fusion being lighter and lower profile, along with a beveled top edge, it is able to squeeze into more shallow fixtures without having the lens protrude from the front of the trim ring. That reduces any type of glare. This new design opens up more opportunities and applications.

RETRO-Classic™ – Flexibility & Customization

CantoUSA RETRO-Classic Series Product Photo

The RETRO-Classic our original 0-100% phase dimmable (forward and reverse) variable wattage LED 2700K-6500K 80-97 CRI engine retrofit house light and most customizable RETRO in the entire RETRO family. They are heavier than the Fusion, yet lighter than Passive.

RETRO-PAR – PAR Lamp Replacement

CantoUSA RETRO-Par Series Product Photo

The RETRO-PAR is easy to replace/install, modular, and customizable. Customizable features include active or passive cooling, different wattage outputs, and different optical beam spreads. It comes in PAR 38, 46, 56, and 64 styles, as well as custom.

RETRO-HPL

CantoUSA RETRO-HPL Product Photo

The RETRO-HPL is a direct replacement for existing Source 4 PARs in the marketplace, especially those used for house lights.

About CantoUSA

Founded in 2013, Canto USA is a manufacturer of houselight retrofits and followspots. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to our mission: “Our customers come first. In order to do this, we continuously train our team on the latest trends and needs of the industry, while at the same time becoming a trendsetter in the development of new products and technology that no other company has available.” 

Have a custom job we did for you and want to be featured in one of our blogs articles?

Customizing RETROs to Your Needs

The RETRO series was designed and patented around the idea that it’s a singular, modular LED engine that we can make a wide variety of attachments to best fit the lights into your specific can sizes. We frequently do custom orders for all the unique needs of the different venues we provide lighting for.

The bases we offer are Edison (E26), mini candelabra (E11), and bare wire. We have short, medium, and tall E11 and E26 base options. We can also do custom extensions for all bases, and we offer E39 screwbase adapters as well as BA15D Socket adapters so that our units can fit into those fixtures. The slopes of the reflectors allow for different depths. PAR rings that we offer are PAR 38, 46, 56, 64. Color temperatures range from 2700K, 3000K, 3500K, 4000K, to 5000K.

If you let us know the dimensions you require and aren’t sure whether the RETRO will be a good fit, our custom department can build a sample for you to try. Rance Brewster, our Special Projects Coordinator, builds the demo fixture according to specifications, creates a serial number for it, and tests its light output for 24 hours. Rance uses several computer programs in his work in the custom department, including 3D Drafting, a 3D printing program, and a simulation-style program that allows him to make a 3D replica of clients’ spaces. The 3D simulations we run help to show our clients how much more light output they will be getting in their space. Additionally, the simulation allows us to remotely advise on optical layouts, selecting which reflectors need to go into which fixture. The fixtures’ foot-candle output and overall power consumption information is included in the documentation sent to the customers.

We at CantoUSA really enjoy the challenges of working on custom orders, and expanding our available options for you. If you have a special need or just want to give us a unique challenge, please feel free to reach out to our sales staff, and they will be more than happy to assist.

RETRO-Classic™

CantoUSA RETRO-Classic Series Product Photo

Want to learn more about the RETRO-Classic?

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RETRO-Passive®

CantoUSA RETRO-Passive Series Product Photo

Want to learn more about the RETRO-Passive?

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