Kanto - Entry level audiophile desktop speakers thumbnail

Alright, let’s get into it! Today, I’m talking about the brand Kanto Audio and the numerous bookshelf speakers they offer! Kanto has a great selection of speaker stands, some of which are quite unique, a subwoofer, and bookshelf speakers ranging from the YU2 3” speakers up to the YU6 6” speakers. Some of their models come in both Passive or Active, with the Passive speakers obviously being lower priced than their active powered counterparts and the active models being much more popular because they have built-in phono preamps, Bluetooth capabilities, and versatile inputs. At Sound Approach, we carry only the Active models of speakers because these are the most popular sellers for us, so I’ll be focusing only on these options today. I think the major selling point for these speakers, Passive or Active, is obviously the price. Kanto Audio has been able to manufacture a good sounding set of speakers at a very affordable price and perfect for beginner level listeners! 

For example, if you go with the YU2’s you shouldn’t expect to be blown away by the sound quality or clarity that you would normally expect with bookshelf speakers. Mostly because these aren’t bookshelf speakers. These are designed for and best used as computer speakers and have the highest sound quality when you’re sitting within just a few feet of the speakers. This isn’t surprising given the size of the speakers at 3” and 50w peak power per channel, but when you look at the starting retail price of around $230 (as of this video shoot), and that these are active speakers, you get a good bang for your buck. All you need to get started is a source, i.e. Your computer, and you’re ready to go! I think these would work wonderfully for a beginner who knows next to nothing about the audiophile world or isn’t very concerned about the specifications as much as the cost, ease of use, and experience. And they are absolutely a step up in depth and sound-clarity from the plug-in speakers that most people use with computers, so new listeners can’t go wrong with this model.  

Moving up to the YU4 and YU6 however, gets you into the realm of good sounding bookshelf speakers able to handle a larger space with better sound quality, again at an affordable price. These are better sounding given the increased diameter of the woofers and additional power handling. The crossover network is also more refined on these larger units and gives you higher fidelity sound over a wider dispersion. I really enjoyed the YU4’s especially with the addition of the Bluetooth capabilities, because they’re a plug and play system. You connect the power, the speaker cables, pair it to your smart device and you’re off and running in 5 minutes. It takes literally no time to set up. And the performance difference between the YU2’s and YU4’s is night and day given their different design. You get a huge jump in performance and quality.

After doing some testing on the YU4 & YU6 specifically within the office, the biggest complaint was that there wasn’t a USB connection from the speakers to the computer included, like there was with the YU2’s, and that to connect with a computer you had to plug into the Auxiliary port with the included AUX cable or you can connect with an optical cable which isn’t included. It seems that the USB port on the back of the unit is designed for charging rather than connection to a source. This makes some sense if you’re charging your smart device while streaming, but the major selling point of Bluetooth is the lack of connection so it kind of defeats the purpose in my opinion. While there are optical ports on the larger speakers, there isn’t an optical cable included in the box, which would have been a nice inclusion to provide this connection option right from setup. In my mind it would make more sense to include the USB connection to a source rather than add a charging port on the speakers. Or include an optical cable for an additional connection option.  

Anyways, moving on, for an added layer of performance capabilities and sound improvement you can also add the SUB8 subwoofer to your speakers, which gives you those deeper tones and subtle bass response. However, the subwoofer is not especially strong and isn’t as striking as the performance from the bookshelf speakers themselves. It improves the sound and is affordably priced as well, but the power it puts out isn’t very comparable to many of the other subwoofer brands that we carry like SVS or Velodyne, for example. So it feels like comparing apples and oranges in that regard. If you’re looking for power, if you’re looking for super strong bass, this isn’t the right solution for you. Again, for a beginner audiophile just dipping their toes into the ocean that is audio, it’s a simple entrance piece and does what it advertises, which is provide subtle bass in addition to the mid-range of the speakers, integrating simply and seamlessly in the setup. It works especially well in a small area that needs little dispersion or a massive amount of power. However, I think the sound quality would improve dramatically if you invested in a higher quality subwoofer cable than what is provided in the box.

Aesthetically though, I think Kanto nailed their lineup! They have simple and sleek designs that can be matched in numerous combinations between the black, white, and walnut finishes offered as well as the bamboo, which is currently being phased out by Kanto. I believe any of these finish choices would work for almost any design aesthetic which makes it a very versatile collection from Kanto. Most of the units come in three finish options, black, white, or walnut, suit a listener’s aesthetic. Some of you Kanto fans may remember more colorful finish options and while this is the case for the YU2 still, the rest of the lineup is limited to the black, white, and walnut finishes. However, there is a new speaker, the REN, coming out later in 2024 that will also offer cream, burgundy, and green. We’ll have to keep an eye out for how this looks when they’re released!

Diving into the power, it’s important to note that the specified power handling on most of the units is for peak or total power of the system. Meaning you’re adding up the total power of each channel into a nice round number. This means, that you’re looking at lower handling capabilities with RMS being a better judge of the acoustical performance of the speakers rather than the peak or total power of highest operating frequency and the lowest determining factors. This isn’t unusual and many companies rate their speakers this way, but I did want to point it out. To learn more about power handling, check out our most recent discussion topic with DJ Taylor where we delve into the importance of understanding power specifications.  

Most of the speakers are rated between 100-300 W at peak power and about anywhere between 35-150 W RMS power per channel. You do have to dig into the specifications a little bit to find this information. However, since all the models are available as Active speakers, matching to a power amplifier or receiver isn’t important or necessary and these aren’t the type of speakers that will be used in systems that need to be overly concerned about power handling requirements. If this is a concern for you, then definitely check out the Passive options and make sure you’re pairing your power properly against the RMS measurements and not peak or total power.

Again, Kanto is a great brand and offers a great product at an affordable price. We have carried this brand on our website for many years and several of us in the office have these at home hooked up to our computers or paired with a simple setup in a small area. It’s easy to recommend these as an option to our beginner audiophiles because of the price-point and given the performance metrics you would expect at these prices, I can comfortably say you won’t be disappointed with these speakers.