Kanto YU powered speakers review

Canada’s own Kanto Audio has a well-deserved reputation for designing high performance, self-powered speaker systems. Its YU series in particular has reached iconic status among those who want quality, stereo audio performance in a stylish and minimalist system that doesn’t require the space, complexity, and expense of a component amplifier. The latest in the YU series drops the numbers—it’s simply the Kanto YU. The YU is a compact, powered, bookshelf speaker system that delivers the audio the series has made famous, but does so at a much more affordable price.

 

How did Kanto make YU speakers more affordable? 

Kanto Audio recognized there was a demand for high quality, stereo audio from a demographic that either didn’t need all the bells and whistles of other YU series speakers, or simply couldn’t afford its more expensive options.

That’s where the new YU speakers come in. The great thing is you don’t give up the basics that make the YU series so popular. The speaker enclosures are still MDF instead of plastic. They still have a potent combo of 4-inch Kevlar woofers, 1-inch silk dome tweeters, and a powerful Class D amplifier with 70 Watts RMS power. They still have the front-mounted control and handy remote. And they still offer both RCA input and Bluetooth 4.2 wireless. They even keep the subwoofer output.

Kanto YU powered speakers reviewSo how did Kanto shave the cost down? Extras that are available on various other YU series speakers have been left off. No choice of colours, no glossy options, and no wood veneer—these are matte black. Kanto’s YU5 powered speakers offer additional features like dual optical inputs, a USB charge port, an AUX input, and larger 5.25-inch woofers. Other models in the series even feature an integrated PHONO pre-amp.

The Kanto YU speakers offer the solid basics and the ability to connect virtually any audio source (physically or wirelessly), but in a more compact package that skips the extras … I suspect most people who would want a good pair of powered bookshelf speakers won’t miss any of that, but they’ll still be able to enjoy great audio at a very affordable price.

Kanto YU powered speakers, key specifications:

  • Two-way bookshelf speakers with 4-inch Kevlar drivers and 1-inch dome tweeters
  • Class D amplifier with 70 Watts total RMS (140W peak power)
  • MDF cabinets with tuned rear bass port
  • Subwoofer output
  • RCA input
  • Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX
  • Front-mounted volume/input/standby control
  • 1/4-inch mounting hole
  • Each speaker is 14 x 19 x 22 cm
  • Includes remote with batteries, power cord, 16 feet (4.9 metres) of speaker wire, 8 rubber feet

Easy setup, with flexible connectivity

Setting up the Kanto YU powered speakers is easy. You won’t need any tools or any knowledge about stereo systems. The amplifier for the system is built into one of the speakers, so all you need to do is connect the two speakers with the included cable and plug in the power cord. There’s no power brick to deal with either—the power supply is also integrated in one of the speakers.

Kanto YU powered speakers review

I’ve evaluated other powered bookshelf speakers that connect to each other with a proprietary cable. Just plug the cable into a jack. This is convenient, but I much prefer Kanto’s approach. The YU speakers are equipped with standard speaker binding posts, and they connect with standard speaker wire (Kanto includes 16 feet of it in the box). This takes a few seconds longer, but it’s still pretty easy—insert the red half of the speaker cable into the red binding post and tighten it, then do the same with the other half of the speaker wire and the black binding post.

The advantage of using standard speaker wire is that you can buy it inexpensively at any time. This gives you the flexibility to buy longer cable if you want to place the speakers further apart, or you can use a shorter chunk to cut down on bundling up extra wire. Standard speaker wire is also easy to tuck under baseboards to keep it out of sight.

You can easily connect any Bluetooth device wirelessly to the speakers. So you can play your favourite streaming music from a smartphone, tablet, or PC. Just like a wireless speaker! There are also RCA inputs to physically connect an external source. You’ll need the RCA cables, and if your source only has a 3.5mm AUX output, you’ll need a 3.5mm to RCA cable.

Kanto YU powered speakers reviewThe heart of a compact, stereo, audio system

The Kanto YU powered speakers are a great way to get great, stereo sound in a compact space. The amplifier on my desk measures 40 cm across. Besides adding to the cost, that takes up a huge amount of space. With powered speakers, you skip the amplifier altogether.

So you can create a true bookshelf stereo system with a CD player or turntable plugged into Kanto YU powered speakers. The YU speakers don’t have an integrated PHONO preamplifier (that’s one of the ways Kanto kept the costs down), but most consumer turntables these days have their own. Check out my buying guide to record players and turntables if you want to learn more about connectivity options.

Kanto YU powered speakers review

The Kanto YU speakers cost about what a decent portable wireless speaker goes for. However, they seriously outperform that wireless speaker. The key is stereo separation. You get true left and right channel stereo sound, with a much wider soundstage—portable speakers rely on DSPs to simulate this effect, but it’s never the same. The woofer and tweeter (as opposed to the full-range drivers and radiators most portable speakers use) provide more nuanced audio. MDF cabinets instead of plastic add some warmth. These even have decent bass, thanks to 4-inch woofers. And with 140W of peak audio power, these have the volume to fill any room with music.

Also great for upgrading your PC audio

My focus in testing the Kanto YU speakers was as part of a bookshelf stereo system. However, Kanto speakers have always been very popular for use with PCs. Connect the YU powered speakers to a PC or laptop and you’ll be rewarded with a serious audio upgrade for your gaming, video streaming—and even video conferencing.

For that matter, you can physically connect these speakers to any device that has analogue audio output capability, including many TVs and game consoles. Even devices with optical output (another extra that was cut on these speakers) can usually still be connected with an optical to RCA converter.

Kanto YU powered speakers reviewHow to make these speakers sound even better

These powered speakers sound pretty amazing for the price, especially once you get some distance between them to make the most of the stereo separation and soundstage. To take things to the the next level, there are two improvements you might want to consider. 

The first is the use of speaker stands. Small speakers like these benefit from being elevated. Even if they’re placed on a desktop or bookshelf, a tilted stand like Kanto’s own low profile option adds a bit of tilt for more effective audio dispersion.

The second is a powered subwoofer. You can connect any powered subwoofer to the YU for much more impressive bass rumble. Kanto also offers its own powered subwoofer if you want to coordinate the system.

Kanto YU powered speakers reviewThe perfect, budget-friendly speakers to upgrade your sound

Kanto’s YU powered speakers are a great choice for adding true stereo sound to virtually any system. They are perfect for everything from listening to your vinyl collection to turning your PC into a multimedia powerhouse. Add in Bluetooth streaming audio support and these compact, affordable speakers are tough to beat.

If your home audio setup could use an upgrade but you want to keep it small, check out the wide selection of powered bookshelf speakers at Best Buy. You’ll find all the top audio brands, including Canada’s own Kanto.

Brad Moon
Brad Moon
Editor Computing solutions
I’m a long-time electronics and gadget geek who’s been fortunate enough to enjoy a career that lets me indulge this interest. I have been writing about technology for several decades for a wide range of outlets including Wired, Gizmodo, Lifehacker, MSN, About.com, Kiplinger, and GeekDad. I’m in my 10th year as a senior contributor for Forbes with a focus on reviewing music-related tech, Apple gear, battery power stations and other consumer electronics. My day job is with the Malware Research Center at AI-native cybersecurity pioneer CrowdStrike.
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402 COMMENTS

  1. I would love to listen to podcasts like the ones from The Office girls when I’m in the kitchen

  5. I would listen to 80’s music streamed from my smartphone – catch the tunes all over my yard.

  10. I would use these to listen to my vinyl records. Like that they are smaller and will fit on my bookshelf.

  12. Life as it seems never quite works the way you want it to. I recently had to move, sadly my stereo system didn’t survive. I’ve had to start from scratch. I have an amp and CD player. The turntable needs a new needle and the speakers crackle and sound horrid. Much like food, music is my life’s blood. My rent is outrageous and there is no way in the foreseeable future that I will be able to afford anything second hand let alone new. I miss listening to Tom Waits, Ricky Lee Jones, Aretha Franklin and various pop music. I use headphones now as there is no other option. You know how speakers have that kinda accordion feature with the bass, well that is ripped apart I tried to fix with cotton wool but it just doesn’t work.
    I thought I would try to win a new pair. But really these contests don’t work for the down and out. They are rigged for people richer and more eloquent. It was worth trying. Be well and be safe.
    Tks
    For whoever wins, just know that someone who actually needs as opposed to someone who just wants for the sake of having another pair for the dining room, kitchen, library, back deck
    I hope you will be satisfied. As things go you will probably put them in the trash in a year because you found something better. That’s the way life goes.

  19. I will listen to Canadian rock band Stuck on Planet Earth, streaming their music from Spotify on my iPad, connected to the speakers by Bluetooth, in my kitchen/living room while I cook.

  24. Great Contest and even better speakers! I love all genre’s but the first thing I would listen to on these Kanto Yu bookshelf speakers would be the new Taylor Swift Album Folklore!

    Thanks have a great day! 🙂

  32. I would hook up these awesome speakers to my old record player and pump out some great classic rock!

  33. These would be the perfect speakers for my little apartment!! I’d use Bluetooth and stream my favourite Classic Rock tunes while I did my cleaning & when cooking & cleaning up dinner.. Thanks #BestBuy for the chance!!

  35. I will listen to my original vinyl records, so will be hooking the speakers to my turntable. These speakers seem to be a perfect combination of quality and flexibility.

  42. These would be great for listening to some 90s hip hop in the kitchen. They would be excellent for streaming to from my phone while cooking supper! Thanks for all the giveaways best buy they are really good ones.

  46. These sound awesome! I’d love to hook them up to my Laptop to watch/listen to music videos on You Tube 🙂 Led Zeppelin of course!

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