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.
So 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:
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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.
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.
The 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.
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.
How 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.
The 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.
Table of Contents
- How did Kanto make YU speakers more affordable?
- Kanto YU powered speakers, key specifications:
- Easy setup, with flexible connectivity
- The heart of a compact, stereo, audio system
- Also great for upgrading your PC audio
- How to make these speakers sound even better
- The perfect, budget-friendly speakers to upgrade your sound
Would love to have it
I’d blast Bobby Darin from my mini-desktop
I will play swing dance tunes through the speakers and dance away in the living room.
Movies. Will set this up in the living room and use it with my home pc and phone.
These would be a great addition to my home office. I’d stream LoFi beats from my laptop over bluetooth.
My current PC needs new speakers so i’d treat myself and use these to replace them. The first thing i’d play is Renegade Snares (Foul Play Remix).
I would stream some country tunes through Bluetooth from my laptop.
I will listen to 90’s rap and hip hop on blast streaming from my laptop with wifi!
I would use these speakers down at our bar connected to our tv (in our new house…moving end of this month) and pump some classic rock!
bring ’em home
I would listen to Taylor Swift’s Folklore album
I would listen to my Bob Marley songs and keep them in our living room for a great sound experience.
I would listen to 2000s throwbacks streaming from Spotify on my phone using Bluetooth in my living room! They look like great speakers you can use anywhere in the house or even outside.
I’ll listen to some Christian Rock online radio stations streamed from my phone using the Bluetooth connectivity.
I would use the speakers in my living room, to listen to “oldies” music. I am an old hippie!
Looks like a good way for me to upgrade audio experience when watching Netflix
My Dad recently gave us some old country music vinyl that belonged to my Mom – we’d love to listen to those on the turntable we bought, just so we could listen to her old faves!
Being at the lake the deck or the dock is a favourite place to listen to tunes. My granddaughter is hanging with us at the lake so we are listening to whatever she listens to…it varies a lot!!!
I would listen to the NHL playoffs and I would put the speakers on my deck.
I’d listen to classic music from my iPhone over Bluetooth
I would connect these Kanto YU speakers to my iPod via bluetooth and stream some of favourite internet radio stations from overseas.
I would stream my Spotify favourites using bluetooth.
I would listen to our local rock radio station while out on the deck.
I would steam music from my phone.
I could use these for the living room to improve the tv sound and rock out to some tunes as there is no stereo.
Bluetooth abundance frequencies with my iPad
I would connect my projector to these speakers for an little extra punch watching movies and playing video games.
My TV could use better speakers, so I’ll use these instead of the built-in ones.
Those sound like a great addition to the basement – we’re slowing making it a more livable fun space.
I would play my spotify playlist in my bedroom
I would be using these speakers for my PC or to listen to music!
I’d be using these speakers for my PC to listen to some Punjabi music when I’m not using it for gaming.
This would be good for movies, music and games.
We have been on lockdown and find ourselves(myself, husband, 3 kids24,22,17) enjoying more time at home…hosting the kids friends(mostly)! As we are building our new pool cabana(who knew this would turn out to be a summer long project), we are swimming in the sunshine with drinks and of course MUSIC(and lots of it)!!! Being we all are a variety of ages…we all like something different. Using a good old stereo in our garage or the kids use their phones – wireless speaker. So, we could really use an upgrade Using these Kanto YU speakers would really make a statement and a great impact as we enjoy our backyard vacation this year!
I would connect these Kanto YU speakersto my laptop and rock some pop tunes from the 1980s and 2000s while I am WFH.
This would be great to play my Apple Music, jamming to old school songs and enjoying the moment.
Listen to my spotify playlists
Grandma needs these for her desktop – movies and music!
I would listen to country music through my bluetooth/laptop.
I’d listen to some Tool on these bad boys! I’d do this via bluetooth.
I would definitely connect it to my smart phone to listen to Spotify !
I would set these speakers up to connect to my smartphone, so that I can control whatever I want to listen to in the palm of my hand, whether it be news, podcasts, or play-by-play / commentary from live sporting matches. This pair of speakers definitely works for me. A true thing of beauty!
Thanks Best Buy Blog! Hope I am one of the two lucky people who will win and take home this prize. Could for sure use a new set of speakers in the house right about now.
Grandma needs these for her desktop – movies and music!
I want to stream my rap songs from my andriod cell phone….
I would listen to Metallica and connect it to my iPhone. Probably jam out to tunes on the patio!
Listen to my spotify playlists
Hook them up to my TV
I would use them on our patio and listen to The Beach Boys!
These look amazing! In honour of my dad who loved jazz, I would listen to a lot of Dave Brubeck as well as Ferrante & Teicher. These would sit on my desk in my bedroom as I stare at spreadsheets and endless emails…. They would be much appreciated!
I’m sure they would amplify the sound of my iPhone It would be great to listen to some david Bowie or some queen..
I would connect the speakers to my smartphone and use them for everything. Examples include : blasting my music from spotify or youtube music (and dancing around the house of course), listening to podcasts and audiobooks. These amazing speakers would definitely be utilized daily.
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