Kanto Yu5 Speakers – Back in May I published a post highlighting my voiceover and podcasting setup. In that post, I mentioned that I recently switched from a KEF Egg wireless digital music system to the Kanto YU5. I noted that it seemed like an odd choice given how ridiculous the KEF drivers were, but the added flexibility made possible by the YU5’s connectivity options convinced me to do so.
The Kanto YU5 offers Bluetooth connectivity with an auxiliary input and a stereo RCA input. The speakers also offer dual optical inputs, subwoofer output and traditional non-proprietary speaker connections. There is a USB-port on the back of the cabinet, although it is only used for charging.
Kanto Yu5 Speakers
Needless to say, the amount of versatility these speakers offer is a big reason why I considered them in the first place. In this area, the Kanto YU5 delivers well.
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For my podcasting setup, I use a Mackie Onyx Blackjack mixer. This mixer has monitor outputs that allow you to run TRS to RCA cables to the main YU5 speakers. Such a connection allows me to monitor through the speakers, which is very important for my particular application.
Another thing I appreciate about the YU5 is that it has privacy-free speaker wire connections. This means that even though the Canto comes with a higher price tag, I can use aftermarket speaker wire and run the connection to whatever length I think is best for my setup. Again, the running theme here is flexibility.
If used as a computer accessory, you might consider the YU5s a bit bulky. Each hand-built acoustic MDF cabinet measures 6.8” W x 8.4” D x 10.6”. The active speaker weighs about 10 pounds, while the passive speaker is closer to 8 pounds. Needless to say, these are large and heavy speakers, so you’ll need a large table to accommodate the footprint.
Although Kanto makes the YU5 in some piano gloss finishes, I felt that such a finish would look more impressive on my desk. Fortunately, Kanto also offers some soft matte options that won’t cause reflections and appear a little less low-key than their glossy counterparts.
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I have been using these speakers for over a month now and am satisfied with the durability. My desk is always overflowing with new products to test or build, and things keep changing. I broke the microphone boom arm on one of the YU5 speakers.
I prefer the look of the YU5 to the KEF egg, though the egg design is an artful conversation starter. I’m a very traditional person when it comes to design sense, and I love the simple look of the YU5.
Of all the YU5 cabinet colors, I think white matte is the best (matte black looks nice too). The white stands out especially with the black 5.25″ Kevlar driver. Looks modern without being over the top.
Even the back of each cabinet looks good with its 2″ rear bass port and Kanto YU-5 logo written in white on black MDF. It’s a no-nonsense look that lays out all the different connectivity options in an elegant way.
Kanto Living Yu5 Powered Speakers (pair, Matte Black) Yu5mb B&h
If I could make one tinge against the Kanto YU5’s design, it would have to be the remote control. While the YU5’s speaker cabinet design looks modern, the remote control feels like something from the early 90s.
The YU5 is powered by a Class D amp in its powered speakers, delivering 40W per speaker. Each speaker has a Kevlar woofer and a 1″ silk dome tweeter.
A 2″ bass port increases bass response performance, and most bassists will be satisfied with these speakers alone. If you’re looking for extra bass, you can hook up a subwoofer via the YU5’s auxiliary output. Kanto sells a subwoofer designed to connect to its speakers, but you can connect any powered accessory to its output.
The YU5 sounds very loud, and can easily fill a medium-sized living space with sound. At higher levels, you’ll hear some distortion, but that’s to be expected for speakers in this price range.
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Highs and lows can be adjusted with the bass and treble settings on the YU5’s remote control. The midrange, while affected by these settings, is not as clear as my KEF Egg. Again, that’s to be expected given the price difference and KEF’s almost obsessive focus on sound quality.
The YU5 features Bluetooth for wireless music playback, and it works as expected. Bluetooth sound quality isn’t as good as a hard-wired connection, but Bluetooth is generally a more convenient option
YU5 can connect to multiple Bluetooth devices, and simply press the Bluetooth reset button to easily switch between connected devices.
Despite its old design, the remote control offers a wealth of functions. It can be used to play/pause, skip and return to previous tracks along with Bluetooth connections.
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Most importantly, the remote can be used to adjust volume, treble and bass settings, balance and mute. The remote has two reset buttons to quickly reset the bass and treble settings to default levels.
The YU5’s remote certainly isn’t the prettiest to look at, or the easiest remote control to use, but it does a good job of offering a variety of sound adjustment and input switching settings.
Kanto’s YU5 is a mid-range powered bookshelf speaker with input and output options, wireless Bluetooth connectivity, and the ability to drive woofers and tweeters very loudly.
I’ve found these speakers, with their flexibility and good looks, to be a great addition to my podcasting and voiceover setup. If you have space on your desk and you’re in the market for something new, you might want to consider the Kanto YU5. The speakers come in a variety of piano gloss and matte colors, and are available on Amazon for ~$350 or less.
Review: Kanto Yu Powered Bookshelf Speakers
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Apple Pushes New MacBook Pro and Mac Mini to 2023: New iPadOS 16 Weather app iPhone 15 Pro may not get this camera update… How to get 60 hours of battery life with Apple Watch Ultra In March, Canada’s Kanto Audio released a new version. Powered bookshelf speaker. The Kanto YU is positioned as a “compact, high-value” stereo speaker system, priced at an affordable $249.99. I had the opportunity to test the review model for a few weeks. I’ve seen Kanto speakers before, and they always get more than a glance due to some good quality and impressive results – but this is my first hands-on with a system.
The naming is a bit confusing. Kanto has popular speakers in the YU series, including the YU2, YU4, and the $399.99 YU 6. However, these are simply “YU.” The company decided to offer a more affordable version of the $349.99 YU4.
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That meant cutting some features to keep the $100 price down, but the company did so while maintaining the performance and core capabilities of the YU4 speakers. The YU speakers are the same size and form factor, with rear-ported MDF speaker enclosures. They are equipped with the same Class D amplifier driving the same 4-inch Kevlar woofer and 1-inch silk dome tweeter. They have RCA analog input, subwoofer output and Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX. You get a remote control in the box – and batteries included!
Kanto’s YU powered speakers come with 16 feet of speaker wire and remote (includes batteries … [+]). No power brick required.
The YU speakers drop the YU4’s integrated PHONO amp, optical inputs, 3.5mm AUX input and USB charge port. And instead of color options like Gloss Teal and bamboo veneer, the YU is only available in black.
Kano YU speakers are powered. That means one speaker is slightly heavier than the other (6.1 pounds instead of 5.2 pounds) because it has a built-in amplifier and power supply.
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Setup is straightforward. Plug in the power cable – no big brick to worry about. Some powered speaker systems use proprietary cables that provide plug-and-play convenience. Instead, the YUs are connected via standard speaker wire that connects to the speaker posts (the condo comes with 16 feet of wire in the box). It takes a little more effort to get the cables into the posts and tighten them, but you can use any speaker wire you like. You can cut the cables short
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