These Destroy their Competition! Do NOT Sleep on the Kanto ORA!!

[@cheapaudioman]

Kanto ORA bit.ly/3s3GbiB check out my other channel www.youtube.com/@cheapwatchman_official Intro graphics by johnvilardi.com Support the Channel! Shop on Amazon amzn.to/3W8vsgK Crutchfield shop-links.co/cguPK8XEGmt Join the best hifi community out there! patreon.com/cheapaudioman TRY ROON www.rofjdjk3ns.com/33G977/2CTPL/ Tidal Deal bit.ly/3siuqSF Amazon Unlimited Music Trial amzn.to/3DRAVj9 Crutchfield shop-links.co/cguPK8XEGmt Best Buy Deals shop-links.co/cf9yDZeYtUH amzn.to/3GkNaop CAM Store (New Products!) bit.ly/30Lgu4K apos.audio?sca_ref=552340.TY98BPcZ6P

[@codyl1992]

Just got these for my desk and at the price and for the size, they are astonishingly good. And I have heard a lot of speakers over the years.

[@whitsbrain]

I've had a pair of Kanto YU4 on my desk, no sub, with the Kanto stands, since buying them new in 2021. That's the same price as the current ORAs. They are spread 4 ft. apart with two computer monitors in between them and are angled inward. I sit exactly in the center which is ideal, but I am so impressed with L/R separation. I actually listened to them without the stands initially and was stunned when I added them. My computer is connected via optical to a $99 Schitt Modi, and the Modi is connected via RCA to the YU4s. I am very impressed with the sound.

[@BobDoherty]

I have the YU's which are the same as YU4 but without phono preamp and other connections. Mine have two monitors between them and are onthe 9" stands. It's like wearing headphones! The sound comes from right in front of me. I liked them so much I bought a pair of YU Passive 5.25's for my main listening setup. Selling my Klipsch 600mii's in preference for the Kanto's.

[@akyhne]

Me and my son found the YU6 to be recommended by Andrew Robinson. My son bought them and had them for almost a year, before I got a chance to hear them. He studies long sidstance from me. I was blown away by the sound quality. So much sound for the money. But anyway, we did a few calibrations with REW and he now loves them even more. Downside for me, would be the size. They don't fit well with a 2 monitor setup.

[@brandonkealiher5572]

Fantastic work on this. You swayed a couple of hours of research into a high-confidence purchase of these. As a complete beginner in this space, I appreciated your approachable and unpretentious presentation.

[@frankbrackney]

IMHO the Vanatoo Tzero's are the benchmark for "desktop" active speakers in this size for both sound quality & features (I love mine!). Curious on how these compare side-by-side..

[@NotFound-ll5kc]

'Active' and 'powered' are straight synonyms. Any distinction is spurious, with the possible exception for a speaker that has inbuilt DSP for room correction, etc. I *guess* we could call that active "active" in comparision to a non-DSP "powered", but then, "Speaker with onbaord DSP" is a lot more descriptive.

[@carljung9230]

usb-c input is digital, so yes, it has a DAC. also if there is DSP going on, there is a DAC. this is pretty basic stuff

[@bpalpha]

Those are beautiful. Simple and elegant. I still use a Klipsch thx promedia 2.1 and I'm embarrassed to say how amazing the simple system is. Kanto also makes great inexpensive powered subwoofers. Great system for small rooms.

[@DingelstadJohn]

How do they compare to the Vanatoo Transparent Zero Plus you recently reviewed?

[@RyanFeeley]

Bonus is that connecting a subwoofer automatically engages the high pass filter relieving the speakers of sub 100hz duty. I have heard this in effect and was impressed.

[@dravago17]

I appreciate good quality audio from a hifi system but most of my time listening is spent at a desk so good quality speakers for the desk set up is appreciated, and my desk speakers have been acting weird so I may take a look at these. Thank you good sir

[@tomf1dublin1]

Kanto make great speakers and this is probably first new one for a few years . They also make great subs and actually do sell little tilted stands for all their speakers .

[@JazzinBlues]

I'll tell ya, back in the day Logitech computer speaker systems were top notch... often rivaling conventional "cheap audio" systems at the time!

[@ramonbmovies]

Yes. But now Logitech is way to cheap of a sound. I bought a pair years ago that I thought had a tweeter and a woofer. Turns out the tweeter is literally just for show as I discovered last year. There's something to make it look like a tweeter, but it's just a cheap piece of plastic. Only the woofer produces sound. And their website doesn't mention that it's just a "dummy" tweeter. When I found that out I vowed to boycott all Logitech speakers. They make decent mice w/ cool designs, but as for speakers, they're worthless.

[@NightFlight1973]

Left mine withe the Ex-wife. I was getting out in a hurry and they weren't considered. But now I'm sad. 😥

[@SyzygyNoon]

@@ramonbmoviesI have the Logitech Z906 5.1 system that has that piece of plastic you’re talking about. I knew it wasn’t a functional part of the speaker when I bought them, but I’ve never found the sound to be lacking, which is what really matters. Did you not like the sound of your speakers?

[@ramonbmovies]

@@SyzygyNoonI kind of did but also noticed sound quality to be lower than my taste. Plus, the sub it comes with not good at all - no punch, and it only goes down to around 50hz if I remember correctly. I was also kind of pissed off because many years ago I specifically got that system for having what I thought was a 2-way system, only to find out years later it was faked. The Kanto speakers I got are so much better, and even w/o the sub they go down to 50hz by themselves, and actually a little lower.

[@SyzygyNoon]

@@ramonbmovies Fair enough. Thanks for responding. (Sorry it took so long to reply.)

[@joeshmoe7485]

I just bought a pair of Kanto YU Passives and I like them a lot. Driving them with an Ayima D05 amp and paired with a Kanto Sub 6 and this little system pumps. I also own a pair of Kanto TUKs for a different room and they are really really good. Kanto is great.

[@M1lhaus]

I bought YU Passive 4 on a sale few weeks ago and paired them with some cheap 8inch Jamo sub for my desktop PC. I wanted something on a budget for both music and gaming. I was really surprised how well those passive 4inch sounds. They have slight dip around 2k, but overall a steal for the money. At least here in EU where I live. I DSP them together with the sub and I am getting superb 2.1 for reasonable price. However I would be really interested to hear how those bigger 5inch YU perform. Too bad I don't have the space for them :(

[@TDREXrx9]

Heck yeah I LOVE my Kantos. If you have a DAC or just want to use Bluetooth (although not the best on it) and your ok with a little bigger speaker you should check out the Kanto YU($350CAD) it a 4 inch power speaker set with RCA and Bluetooth The YU 4($480CAD) and ORA($400CAD) both have DAC and more ins and outs but the YU's are cheaper. I use it for my bed room set up paired with a SMSL C200 for better Bluetooth. The one thing I like is the potential to upgrade, because when I brought them into my main listening space and put them down in a treated room and a very good DAC they sounded amazing, I was showing my friends how the room matters and they both said they thought the Kantos sounded pretty close to my Focals at 12times the cost. they do really like a little bit of power filtering FYI and like randy said they also really should be Decoupled it makes a huge difference with speakers that small and powerful.

[@JoshColletta]

"I Wish." Great tune. Should have won the Grammy. Skee-Lo was robbed.

[@Zimmy_1981]

❤that song

[@D1N02]

They are 350 dollars. They shouldn't be compared to computer speakers, but with studio monitors. There are plenty of very good monitors for that kind of money. Been running a set of M-audio BX5a's for ten years now. Just XLR or TRS inputs. each speaker has it's own volume control and dual class A/B Amp (double as radiators in winter). Less than 200 dollars at the time. These are very light so bound the fall of your desk if you don't fix them ;).

[@keithjohnson2863]

In his review for one of the Vanatoo speakers, Zeos speculated that the D/A conversion was built into each of the spearer drivers, that could be the case for these as well. However there does need to be a traditional DAC for the sub output. 100Hz crossover is engaged when a sub is connected, so jack the crossover all the way up on the sub and trust the output from the master.

[@Feliciano12v]

For about $100 the pro media 2.1 is hard to beat. I can vouch for that.

[@philm6674]

I love Klipsch pro media 2.1. Have a set that’s 5+ yo. Bought one recently to do a bootleg solution for a non functioning console stereo.

[@Feliciano12v]

@@philm6674 awesome aren't they? Hooked up to an Amazon Echo makes a great rig.

[@dario891]

Great review! Will you be doing one for the Kanto Ora 4 that release recently?

[@daveg6092]

My desktop system is a pair of Kanto YU Passive 5.25 and a Modius/Gjallarhorn for power. They Make Great Speaker stands as well! Love the Kanto stuff!

[@cliffl9669]

“I wish I was a little bit taller “😂 good review

[@ilya_ash]

Hey, Randy! I wonder, how they compare with Vanatoo t0+?

[@glenzenaf]

I have the OG t0's, and I was wondering the same thing.

[@justinmorris6987]

Same here

[@carll2222]

Wondering as well. I own the Kanto YU2's and have been waiting for the Emotiva SE8 subs to come back into stock in order to have a sub with a high pass filter attached to them. I was also looking at the Vanatoo Transparent Zero Plus per his review and/or the Vanatoo Transparent One Encore Plus.

[@stewartdillard7199]

I have a set of Kanto YU Actives w/ a 8inch Boston acoustics sub hooked up to my Schitt stack's pre-out at my desk and they sound amazing. Handles gaming and music very well, so much so that I find I listen to them more than my headphones unless I'm seeking more immersion or am critically listening to music.

[@JoesirisReborn]

Love the “Wish I was a baller” moment!

[@JeffJacquesmd]

Tried these side by side with the Swan OS10s. I prefer the latter and they are cheaper. Hooked up to the Geshelli JNOG, Wiim Pro and the Leak CD Transport. Beautiful, small room filling, layered and nuanced sound. the Oras are back in the box and heading back home

[@jd_Panda]

I'm running these both side by side right now to figure out which I prefer(Ora's and OS10s). I initially thought the clear winner was OS10s, till I put the Ora's on stands(they were sitting on my desk while I was waiting for the stands to arrive) now I'm in between them. I know I can save some cash with the OS10s if I keep them, but something in the Ora's are catching me. However being the fool I am, I also have ordered a few other pairs of powered speakers to compare against lol.

[@RTR-96]

Thanks for all of your testing, and confirming that the Sub does in fact go down to 35Hz at a high dB LOL

[@Simon_Hawkshaw]

I guess it must be Kanto Ora release and sell-out day if the CAM loves them! They are tiny, but they can't replace my Ultras. 😂. Thanks for sharing and introducing this product to us all. Have a great week, Sir.

[@rabit818]

I have a pair of old Fostex aluminum speakers. Plays loud music in the shop. Black paint was pitting, sanded it, now it’s bare aluminum.

[@ladsonbeach5438]

Hey Randy, I’ve been following you since the beginning - great show. Published specs are one thing, but have you thought of using a test CD to determine just how low speakers can go, at least in your room?

[@chrisAclaes]

I’d definitely wanna hear how these stack up against their TUKs.

[@Powerpickle68]

They won't. The Tuks are much more of standmount while these are little desk top speakers. The better comparison would be with their YU4

[@s2photo]

The TUK’s are considerably larger/more powerful. Also AMT tweeters, aluminum woofers etc. very different.

[@nshandy]

Do you like these better than the Vanatoo Transparent Zero? You liked those too and they are about the same price.

[@fraserhenderson7839]

Little Kantos always had credible bass, not pushy but real...

[@calvinnapier9977]

I have the Kanto Sub8 so far, so good 👍 Use it with my JBL towers, wish I had room for a 2nd one.

[@pfslik]

I snagged a pair of OSD Trevoce 8's for 99$ each from their website for their autumn sale. Hands down smokes the two polk 10's that they replaced. The 8's are no longer on sale but the 10 and 12 inchers are still half off right now

[@95lovi]

Wow exactly ! in the 9 tys I had the little Logitec satelite subwoofger combo and i was dazzled ! at that time. Today is another day so Im listening ...

[@edholmwood]

Interesting product. Good brand. Nice video.

[@24yrukdesigner]

Seems like these would be the solution for a hardcore travelling gamer too :) They look pretty portable!

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

Kinda late, I already bought a Kef lsx to replace my Hivi Swan OS10, I was surprised with the kind of performance the OS10 had in in room so I choose to upgrade it. The kef is better, but lacking in bass, so I picked up a sub for it also. My room is small and I can't fit 5inch and up speakers in it so options is limited, I was in Headphone game before so I thought it's better to just buy the best I can and stop.

[@getinthespace7715]

Hmm. You can get some REALLY nice active studio monitors for less than $300. 160W Mackie CR8-XBT are on sale for $299. The 50W CR3-XBT 3" are probably more comparable to these for $119.

[@carewser]

I've been bugging you for a while to review active/powered speakers because there are a number of really good ones so i'm not surprised Kanto got these ones right, I have the Kanto Tuk's and they look and sound fantastic

[@Fleaurobeat]

These seem really nice! Have you ever tried the Audioengine HD3s? I'm wondering how these stack up against those!

[@jmsimple7916]

Hey! Yurts have great acoustics

[@4ujase]

The low end Adam Active monitor speakers (£300 pair - both monitors are active) like the T5V will send these Kanto's packing :)

[@SMccrate01]

I had a Logitech 5.1 system that sounded really good, I was using it as a 3.1 as it had a center channel that hosted the knobs and controls and the small sub as Randy mentioned. Then I got the Klipsch ProMedia at...um Costco...and I thought it sounded great (whudda I know?) until not a month after I bought it, I got on my knees under the desk to reposition the sub, reached around the back edge and my finger sparked a big static charge on one of the back plate screws. The system made a mighty POWWW sound and it was dead. Turns out the v2 version which this was does not have a replaceable fuse. It's soldered to the board (freaking really???). So I took it back to Costco who took it back no questions asked after Klipsch did NOTHING from a customer support perspective. I currently have the Edifier 350S something something and it works great for near field, but I am feeling like I've run up against the limits on it.

[@garamirezm]

Hi, did you test the Kanto Ora with your schiit Magni/Modi setup?

[@hifitommy]

i DO have the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 and the $150 pricing for a speaker that images unbelievably and its sub that is included which goes down to the 35Hz range, I don't see any motivation for these Kantos, even though they seem like they are great. they would have to be pretty spectacular for me to go that much for 100Hz cutoff. ...hifitommy

[@oliv4.schmidt]

Cool review and nice Omega Seamaster 300 ;)

[@crm484]

I am torn between Klipsch R-41 PM or Kanto Ora. There Will be a sub. Usage Will be for gaming and movies in a smaller office. Any advice?

[@SaffuillaKarman]

Not powered, but I have a set of Dali Spektor 1's (€184) hooked up to a BT20A Pro and connected to a Fosi Audio DS1 dongle DAC and a portable CP-08 BT CD player on my desk. All hooked up to my MacBook Pro. That's about €400. Great little system that I'll be building out, probably with a different DAC and separate headphone amp

[@bengleason508]

Welcome back to TX!

[@legendaryeats779]

Great review! Can you comment on these vs. the Kanto YU4? We already know they're going to be better than the YU2, but but can the DSP tuning and bi-amplification make up for the bigger drivers of the YU4? (Is there really a replacement for displacement?) I'm trying to decide between the two for my desktop. The YU4 is tempting b/c it can be had for cheaper, but I prefer the USB input of the ORA.

[@rickypelletier363]

I think the YU4 is going to be a better sounding speaker. I think other factors come into play. The YU4 is a big speaker for a desk setup. I would also recommend drops new speaker "DROP BMR1 NEARFIELD MONITORS". If you want the YU4 I would recommend speaker stand for both sides of the desk, but that depends on space you have.

[@BobGeogeo]

The speaker with the amp looks to be the right channel, in case that matters.

[@ryanchappell5962]

It has a DAC, in fact if you run something in through RCA, it’s going to convert it to digital and then back to analog again.

[@nshandy]

Why would it do that? And how do you know? Do other powered speakers do this?

[@SyzygyNoon]

@@nshandyI’m guessing it’s because of the onboard DSP that Randy mentioned.

[@mainetomass99]

Excuse my ignorance here, but are you saying there is both an ADC and a DAC and that both would be used in the case of RCA input use? When using the RCA inputs, the signal is entering the speakers as analog already. There is no need to convert it to digital via the ADC and then to analog yet again via the DAC. Did I miss something?

[@ryanchappell5962]

@@mainetomass99 yes, all these great active speakers use DSP for both crossover functions and also equalization. Analog needs to be converted to digital through ADC so the DSP can do its job.

[@geraldmcmullon2465]

Not all active speakers have anything digital inside of them. Not all powered speakers have anything digital inside. I have both as well as DSP active speakers. Many powered and active speakers also include streaming, some kind of room correction and use DSP to control the drive units and these do convert any analogue input to digital for correction and then back to analogue.

[@mjd3879]

Hi audio man! If I was overhauling my entire setup for my PC from my klipsch 2.1 media for $500, what is the best solution? Is it these and call it a day or a passive + dac + amp?

[@Bladoman]

Any good sub pairing to match with these in my office? Considering the Kanto Sub8, but seen some comments online that there are better alternatives.

[@quikspecv4d]

These look nice. I would consider them if I didn’t recently purchase the Swan OS-10. Those sound great and are only $100 but don’t have a sub out. Luckily for my situation I won’t need a sub.

[@JeffJacquesmd]

I did a side by side of these with the Swan OS10. The Swan are better and cheaper. You aren't missing anything

[@Charlago]

This might be a silly question but is there any way to decrease the increments that the volume knob changes the volume by?

[@cconnon1912]

I would love to see them up against the YU2, YU4, YU6, and TUK. I have the YU6 and am very happy with them for phono, TV and music. They can do a lot. 😅

[@scottlambeth]

Looks shockingly familiar to the Dayton MK402. I'd love to see you review the MK402 passive speakers BTdubya. I'm wondering if it is the exact same drivers different wrapping.

[@tubefreeeasy]

Kanto is badass. Please review the Tuks.

[@Weech.]

I've had the Klipsch THX ProMedia 2.1 for 11 years. The foam around the sub surround started to rot and I'm in the process of replacing it. I'm itching for something new but nothing too big for desk setup. I kinda wanna go crazy and get some Focal Shape 40s or some Genelecs, but my klipsch have been more than enough. Edit also payed 100$ for them over 10 years ago. Such a nice little desktop speaker Aio

[@CrashTestingAudio]

Whoa whoa whoa, I saw a little jab at CostCo! I love CostCo for meats (rated #1 by consumer reports). We need a CAM retailer shootout video for A/V!

[@cheapaudioman]

lol. I know it’s a very unpopular opinion about Costco…. Maybe that shootout will be coming soon

[@somejerk1520]

If you like Bill Gates lab grown meats, sure...

[@aaronfrench8322]

PreSonus Eris 3.5, $99. With Bluetooth $150. Best value for money that I have personally used. And they’re built well and they can take a hell of a beating! Very good sound for the price. I recommend them to Everyone!!!!

[@jdimart6586]

Just wondering how long is the speaker wire that comes with it. Wanted to use them as nightstand speakers?

[@TheSavageB]

I think it's 6 feet.

[@malteadotas4]

I hope you can review the FiiO SP3 too. I’d love to hear a comparison between those and these ORA

[@AlfaZuluAlfaTango]

It's a pity that I never heard the sound test of these monitors. Very interesting model, how does it sound live. I need a compact solution, as I often move and do not have a stationary studio. The only thing that bothers me is the price, too high for such crumbs.

[@ginom407]

Love me some Skee-Lo!!!

[@canarinis]

Kanto Ora, Vanatoo Transparent Zero Plus or Genelec G One?

[@Timewaits4no1]

What?! Did I just hear you right? You "hate" Costco?? Seriously, how can anyone hate Costco? That's just crazy talk. Do you hate saving money, and having access to the best return policy in the game? If so, that would explain it

[@Audfile]

Epic nosehairs. Nice.

[@riffraff9000]

I'll stick with my Monsoon MM-2000 4.1 setup (at least, until it dies) for desktop/near field.

[@starvingrtist8714]

Just think about this... how can a pair of speakers output sound from USB connection without a built-in DAC?

[@ramonbmovies]

I have the Kanto YU6 and they have excellent sound. I don't doubt the ORA sounds good too, but I'm willing to put my powered YU6 against the ORA. Still, the ORA seems like a good solution for a small room.

[@douglepong]

You might like the Klipsh Pro Media 2.0. You should do a review on those. :)

[@Brian_Romska]

My yurt could definitely use these, thanks Randy!!! Also my wife says you’re ‘wearing my shirt’, ha, but it’s ok cuz u pull it off better than I do so I’ll allow it 😊

[@Nordraw]

For 350 is should sound good. Lots of competition at that range

[@Vexterian]

Presonus E3 powered speaker at a fraction of the Ora price is amazing and much better value than the Ora.

[@calvinchann1996]

Would be interested in a comparison of these with the FiiO SP3 speakers.

[@Akina-vh5by]

do you have alternative for magnetically shielded speaker?

[@jacquesmertens3369]

In 1984, as a kid, I suggested to an engineer to split the digital signal and use a separate amplifier for each cone, something we know today as a digital crossover. Was I ahead of my age? When were the first digital crossovers on the market? And more importantly: why isn't that the standard?

[@Ineedtotakeabreak]

I don’t think you were the first to think of that 😊

[@MrMilanina]

How do these behave during low volume listening?

[@erniejade]

How do they do against the vanatoo transparent one? They seem to be in the same class.

[@RedSinter]

Awesome just heard about these...and with DSP!

[@BS513]

Nothing will beat Swan OS-10 in its price point

[@BS513]

No digital input and no remote. Swan os-10 would walk on mr4 anyday

[@JeffJacquesmd]

I tried these vs the Swan OS10. The Oras are back in the box and on their way back home

[@95lovi]

You should have a talk with your desk

[@Injectz]

These speakers have a coloured sound... And aren't true references speakers / monitors. The fact they don't have an eq sound tell you everything you need to know.

[@CosmicKnight1]

Heard the Elac Debut ConneX at CAF and was amazed. Anyone A/B those with these Kanto’s, Randy?

[@Questions4ALL]

I would like to buy the kEF LSX 2 for gaming on PS4/ps5 at my computer desk using a monitor what’s your opinion about them. Looking for a nice sounds at my computer space pls help

[@phildavis3105]

Still using the old pro media 5.1s on the computer.

[@Tealc2323]

So they seem to challenge the iLoud Micro Monitors at $350

[@ryanjofre]

ATTENTION Randy: Since you Asked during live stream recently. The deal fell through on the Nakamichi Dragon….next. You still haven’t told me what model of Nakamichi you have with respect ??😱 I can send you some very high quality and valuable Type II tapes and metal IV tape to experiment with. Cassette can sound amazing and truly dynamic to say the least. It’s all about high end decks. Great tapes and proper recording techniques 🙏🙏🇮🇱🇺🇸 It’s not rocket science.

[@1mctous]

My old Nakamichi 580 was among the few cassette decks that didn't limit the tape's performance level. It had manual bias and Dolby level trim pots preset for TDK tapes but I quickly discovered the optimum Maxell and Sony settings.

[@icemann1908]

I spent around $150 for a pair of passive Kantos (5 inches) and a topping mx3s (headphone and speaker dac/amp) for less than $200. Come on Kato.

[@Bucking-s4i]

Vanatoo T0 could also compete with them right

[@Crashbanksbuysilver]

These sound better than Edifiiers like the 1850b?

[@ruialex314]

Are the vanatoos transparent zero plus worth the extra money for desktop gaming use? No sub

[@peetiegonzalez1845]

Has anyone compared these to the Audioengine HD3? Similarly priced but seemingly a little more versatile? I'm very curious as I currently use the HD3.

[@danielbrrio]

Hey! All good? Why don't you put the equipment to play? It would be really cool if there was this on the channel. Don't feel compelled to do this for us. Hugs!

[@Ry-lx2kl]

At $350 a pair these speakers better perform. Lots of options at that price.