Kanto YU4WALNUT Bluetooth Powered Speakers - 140 Watts - Phono Preamp (Walnut)

This is a preliminary review of the Kanto YU4 after 24 hours of using them. I am using them in my bedroom where previously I was using a Roku Stream Bar sound-bar with my television. I was growing dissatisfied with the muddy sound of the Roku (which is still vastly better than the TV speakers), so decided to make a change by moving to powered speakers and an ONN 4K Pro for streaming (check them out, they are awesome and now available in Canada at Walmart). I chose these speakers after reading/watching several stellar reviews and seeing the deep discount currently offered at Amazon. I am also happy that Kanto is Canadian. Thing I love: These are truly beautiful speakers. I chose the Walnut finish and they are stunning. Kanto offers these speakers in multiple colours and finishes so matching the style of your space will be a breeze. They feel extremely solid and hefty and the rounded corners adds an element of mid-century elegance. You will not be disappointed in how they look in your room. While lacking in deep bass due to their compact size, they still sound excellent with superior definition and clarity. The out of the box EQ is spot-on, but they also provide bass and treble controls on the remote to tweak the sound to match your personal preference. There are just powerful enough to become uncomfortable at max volume, which means they are perfect for the space. I am honestly impressed with how these sound and they are a big upgrade from the Roku sound-bar. I may add a small subwoofer in the future to extend the bottom end, but I am tickled with their sound quality thus far. The number of inputs (on the left speaker) is impressive. There is an RCA input with a ground post that can be switched between standard line-level or a built-in phono pre-amplifier. There is an AUX input that uses a 3.5mm (1/8") jack. There are also two optical inputs and Bluetooth. In addition, there is a USB that is only for charging devices, a subwoofer output and, speaker binding posts for powering the right speaker. I am using only one of the optical inputs for my TV and Bluetooth with my phone. Connecting was a breeze. The speakers come with a well designed remote that includes discrete buttons for every input, Bluetooth playback controls, as well as bass, treble, balance, volume and power. Things that could be better: These are seriously overdue for a Bluetooth upgrade. They are stuck using Bluetooth 4.0, which was released way back in 2009. They sound pretty good overall, using the aptX codec, but the low bandwidth compared to more modern Bluetooth versions is hampering them from reaching their full potential. 6.0 was released last year, but even 5.0 from 2016 paired with aptX HD, LDAC or even aac would be a a big upgrade. It occurs to me that if it is a genuine concern for someone, they could upgrade the Bluetooth themselves by buying a $20 adapter from Amazon and connecting it to the AUX jack. Personally, I will not bother as any streaming I do will be with the ONN player. It is slightly disappointing that the USB is for power only and not another digital input. That somewhat reduces their usefulness as computer speakers, although it does not affect me and my use-case in the slightest. This is a very minor nitpick, but I wonder why they opted for a second optical input instead of a coaxial one, which is by far the more common digital output on a blu-ray or DVD player. Mind you, in 95% of cases, the player would be connected to the TV via HDMI and the TV would then send out the sound via optical or RCA/35mm to the speakers/sound-bar. HDMI-ARC might be a nice option, but there is no difference between that and optical when it comes to stereo output. A non-issue. Things to know: These speakers CANNOT handle a digital multi-channel signal. Why would they? There are a stereo pair. Make sure you set all of your devices, especially the TV, to output stereo only. Otherwise you are going to end up with some pretty harsh digital noise. The included speaker wire that runs from the left (power) speaker to the right is very, very long. That is great if you want to place the speakers far apart, but you might want to cut-it to length, or use your own speaker wire, to avoid having wire draped all over your floor. Summary: I am deeply impressed with the Kanto YU4 powered speakers. They do everything I could possible want and sound amazing. The biggest flaw, the old Bluetooth version, is not enough to dissuade anyone from purchasing these or impacting my rating. The included phono input makes me think about getting another turntable just for the bedroom. I also may decide to add a small subwoofer in the future. If I do either, or if I run into any issues, I will update this review. For now, I am as happy as a clam. Peace. EDIT: wanting to stream audio, especially from my plex server, without needing to turn on my TV, I picked up a Wiim Pro. What a great companion for the Kanto. I used the second optical input to connect it and because the Wiim Pro has its own optical input that passes through the digital signal, I don't even sacrifice inputs. For example, I have the SMSL PL100 CD player connected as a transport being passed through to the Kantos. The Wiim also has Bluetooth 5.0, so it effectively upgrades the Bluetooth on the Kanto. The Wiim App is well-designed and streams basically everything including from my NAS and Plex server over wifi or ethernet with.no need to pass through the TV. It is the perfect partner for the Kanto YU4. 4 months later I still absolutely love how they sound, FYI

Not crazy loud, but crystal clear sound

Leider rauschen die Lautsprecher, wenn kein Sound läuft. In ruhiger Umgebung kann das stören, für diese Preisklasse ist das nicht akzeptabel. Am meisten überzeugt bei den Lautsprechern die Optik, die schon besonders ist. Die Verarbeitung ist in Ordnung, weist aber auch kleinere Mängel auf. Der Sound ist relativ neutral abgestimmt und okay, aber für die Preisklasse auch nicht besonders gut.

Being an audiophile, I was very impressed with these speakers. Lots of depth and detail with a great soundstage. I added the Sub8 from Kanto as well for more low frequencies. Build quality excellent as well.

Edit: I’ve had these speakers plus Sub6 for a few days now. Hooked up as my computer audio system, I almost returned them due to the limitations of the YU4 inputs. Specifically, the YU4’s lack USB in, this is a HUGE mistake by Kanto. Digital optical audio out of Windows 10 machines has a know issue where a distinct ‘pop’ is heard before and after the audio card is activated every time sound is started and stopped. This is jarring, consistent, and reported throughout the interwebs. Also, the Kanto YU’s can’t be connected to computer via analog without a ground loop isolator - the company knows this and told me the instant I contacted them, but doesn’t alert the customer to this prior to purchase. The amount of baseline white noise you hear using analog connection to computer is criminal. Kanto told me this is due to the analog inputs of the YU4 being grounded. Today, a USB to digital optical converter arrived. Hallelujah!!! The YU4’s plus Sub6 sound AMAZING!! The audio quality is superb, even better than the digital optical straight out of the computer. And no cursed constant stop/start on/off pop. I can’t praise the audio quality of these speakers plus the Sub6 enough, truly amazing. But please Kanto, add USB audio input! Initial Review: I purchased these Kanto Yu4’s to pair with a Sub6 at my main desk connected to my PC. Sound quality is amazing. They are simple, elegant in design in person. Smaller than I expected. Also, the walnut is lighter than all the images suggestion, but they have a muted understated look. Fantastic speakers.