An attractive natural, exposed-wood finish. We put the Kanto YU4s through their paces at the same time as their big brothers, the YU6s. They share the same philosophy, features, connectivity and acoustic concept. However, because this pair is somewhat smaller and has a 4" woofer, its sound response varies somewhat compared with the other pair.
They perform well in studio and recording environments and other home audio applications such as TV, home theater or music listening, with interesting levels of quality. In this case the cabinets have bass and mids that are a little more nasal, and a response in keeping with a smaller cabinet and woofer. Their main advantage is how easily they fit into almost any environment (there's a wide variety of colors and finishes).
By the way, we took the opportunity to place them on a desk on Kanto S2 stands. We especially liked them, since their 16º tilt optimizes listening to the speakers on the desk, recovering frequencies that, if the speakers were placed flat on a table, would be scattered and "wasted." They're well built and have a damping system for perfect placement of the speakers on rigid surfaces.
Unboxing
A well-prepared package, with every detail exceptionally well looked after. The box contains the manual (in several languages, including Spanish), a power cable, an audio cable to connect one speaker to the other, a minijack cable, a remote control, batteries and adhesive rubber pads to put on our new pair to isolate them from the surface we choose to place them on.
The first thing that caught my attention was the rear panel and the connectivity it offers. This is one active speaker and one passive speaker. So the active one receives power, and then we connect (with the supplied audio cable) the signal from the active to the passive one. This gives us our stereo pair, in which the active unit controls most of the processes through its rear-panel connections and its internal electronics.
Connectivity
As I said at the start of the text, and since this pair is quite versatile, we can make use of the following connections
Optical input connectors 1 and 2
RCA inputs
Auxiliary minijack input (cable supplied)
Subwoofer output
Ground connection
USB charging output
Bluetooth
Phone / Line selector
System features and control
This is a pair equipped with the latest technology. Reducing cables by using an active speaker and a passive one that doesn't require power is especially interesting for quick placement in all sorts of locations. Add the Bluetooth connection, and the quick, clean setup is appealing. Plus you can connect any kind of source wirelessly (from computers to smartphones, tablets, etc.)
In addition, the active unit has a discreet power and volume control on the front. It also has two small LEDs that show the on/off status and the Bluetooth connection, if any, in the characteristic blue color. This makes the pair easy to control and use, even if the units are close to a wall (for example on a desk against the wall, with the computer and monitors on either side). From the front (and even more so with the remote control) we control every detail of the sound.
The remote control rounds off this ease of adjustment and control of the system. As well as power on/off, source selection (Aux, RCA, Bluetooth, Optical 1 or 2), volume, etc., it has interesting features such as balance control and separate control (this is what I liked most) of the bass and treble levels. So we can change the setting with a couple of presses, comfortably, from our remote. At the bottom it also has play, pause, next and previous track buttons for listening in Bluetooth mode.
Finally, thanks to signal detection for automatic standby and power-on modes, the pair will be ready as soon as the music starts playing.
Sound
When we saw that the pair could fit well into home uses such as movie / TV listening, gaming, hi-fi for tablets or smartphones, etc., we thought the manufacturer might perhaps be a little less demanding about the sound quality it delivers. Obviously a musician or producer requires certain features that the average consumer may disregard, or simply not notice. However, we were pleasantly surprised, because their level is higher than you'd expect from a pair of home speakers.
Consequently, after testing, we concluded that the Kanto YU4s can perform well in home studio contexts as alternative listening monitors, and we also found great potential for improving how you listen to your music, improving the stereo image of your movies, TV (even more so if you connect a subwoofer), gaming, etc.
In the studio they can be especially helpful for "broadcast" listening, podcasting, voice-overs for YouTubers and, of course, as a complementary alternative reference.
Good power for a small cabinet (140 W peak and 70 W RMS), good bass response (adjustable with the remote control +/-, just like the treble), which can also be topped off by connecting a sub (the brand itself offers them separately). Although they have the characteristic coloration of small cabinets with a 4" woofer, they also have clear treble definition.
Conclusions
Good quality and exceptional versatility. We found the YU4s to be good companions for a variety of situations: for getting started in your home studio, for improving listening in small spaces (ideal, for example, on a small desk with the S2 stands), for listening to your music, for gaming, for YouTubers and podcasters, for hearing the TV properly, as a multipurpose system, as an alternative pair alongside somewhat larger monitors, and much more.
About Kanto
Kanto is a Canadian brand of quality consumer electronics products whose mission is to improve its customers' digital lifestyle. Inspired by the vision of a symbiosis between sound and design, they offer a colorful selection of desktop and bookshelf speakers, sealed-enclosure subwoofers and exclusively designed speaker stands. They're a group of people who are passionate about what they do and why they do it. They call themselves consumer advocates; they are the brand's main customers. Their team is made up of people with years of experience in customer service, sales, product development, engineering and entrepreneurship. They promise superior customer service. They are committed to continually raising the bar when it comes to customer care, and are determined to guarantee total satisfaction for all their end users, always with someone available 24 hours a day to answer any doubts and questions. Kanto was founded in January 2007. Its founders had the vision of creating stylish quality products and offering customers excellent value throughout their life cycle. Many years designing and manufacturing OEM products for large consumer electronics companies gave them the passion and understanding they needed to create a new brand with outstanding potential. Today, that knowledge and passion, combined with their team of dedicated design engineers, are the driving force behind this success.
Approximate price YU4: €300
