Kanto YU6
Couldn't load pickup availability
Free Shipping On All Orders, No Minimums.
We offer free 2-day shipping on most products within the continental US.
Weekdays - Orders placed by 2pm EST ship same day. Orders placed after 2pm EST will ship the following business day.
Weekends - Orders placed on Saturday and Sunday will ship Monday.
Orders requiring motor freight delivery may take more than two business days. Once your order has shipped, you'll receive a shipping confirmation email with a tracking number for easy tracking.
Orders that contain items that are currently backordered, special order, or out of stock will ship complete once all items are in-stock unless otherwise requested.
If you need it faster, you will have the option of choosing a quicker shipping option when you checkout on the website.
At this time, we do not ship internationally and orders to Hawaii and Alaska may incur an additional shipping charge. Please contact us at 888.899.8776 or email support@audioadvice.com to confirm.
Rerouting and Address Changes
We cannot make ANY address changes once an order is placed. If you are unable to accept delivery of your package as ordered, we will need to cancel your order, return the package to sender and have you replace your order through our website.
Keep the Box
We suggest you keep the shipping box or boxes for at least 30 days. It is actually a great idea to keep boxes for audio products for the life of the product. Having the box and all packing will increase the trade-in value should you decide to move up and they are handy to have should you ever need to send the unit in for repair.
How To Receive a Motor Freight Order
The trucking company will contact you to schedule a convenient time to deliver the order. Please note that you must be present for delivery.
Visually inspect the box to make sure you see no signs of damage. If you notice any damage at all, take some pictures with your phone and make a note of them on the delivery receipt the driver will ask you to sign. If it is obvious that the product is damaged, please refuse the order and contact us immediately at 888.899.8776 or email support@audioadvice.com.
Open your box as soon as possible and inspect the product for damage and contact us if you find anything wrong.
uShip In-Home Delivery
Due to current concerns surrounding COVID-19, uShip is able to offer THRESHOLD SERVICE ONLY at this time. To ensure everyone’s safety, uShip is advising carriers to refrain from making room-of-choice deliveries. Threshold service consists of the shipment being brought into the first door of the address or the lobby of an apartment/condo, and does not include set-up, installation, assembly or debris removal.
What to Expect: Most oversized items will be delivered within 2-3 weeks. Your carrier will place your item inside the first door of the address or the lobby of an apartment/condo.
Appointment Scheduling: Your delivery partner will call 24-48 hours prior to delivery to arrange an appointment window.
How to prepare for in-home delivery:
- Determine the clearest path from the street to your home
- Measure entrances and hallways to ensure your item will fit
- Remove any wall hangings or clutter to ensure a clear path and to prevent damages
- Remove old furnishings to allow placement for your new piece
Check your furniture for damages: We rarely expect damaged furniture, but in the instance it does happen, we have you covered. Once your item’s packaging is removed, check for any damages that may have occurred in transit. Take pictures of any damages and notate appropriately on the delivery receipt. Keep possession of the damaged piece and contact us via phone or email and we’ll start the process to repair/replace your new piece of furniture. For uShip customer support, please call 800-698-7447.
At Audio Advice, we pride ourselves on customer satisfaction. We'll bend over backward to make sure you're 100% satisfied and we won't accept anything less. We offer 30-day hassle-free returns and personalized service from real, live people.
If an item doesn't meet your expectations, you may return or exchange it in its original condition and packaging within 30 days for a full refund, minus shipping fees. Items shipped back in like new condition through standard shipping carriers will only incur a flat fee of $15 to return. If the items were initially shipped through free scheduled delivery via motor freight (commonly referred to as LTL), returning them will result in return shipping fees starting at $150. These items include but are not limited to, oversized items such as TVs, certain subwoofers, floorstanding speakers, furniture, and most items weighing over 75 pounds. Return fees will also apply for exchanges. We want to treat your system as if it is our own and want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase.
Please see the instructions below. We only accept returns for any product purchased directly from our website. If merchandise is not returned in its original condition or is missing packaging, manuals, accessories or other parts, or the resale value of the product has been impaired, a partial refund will be given and calculated on a case-by-case basis.
Non-Returnable Items
The following items cannot be returned or cancelled:
- Special/Custom Order Items
- Open Box Products
- Gift Cards
- In-ear headphones cannot be returned once the packaging has been opened due to personal hygiene reasons. Please contact our customer care team if you'd like help choosing.
-
Turntables With a Broken Stylus: All turntables ship out with the stylus intact. If you return a turntable or phono cartridge with a broken or missing stylus you will be subject to a return fee. Please be careful when setting up your turntable and contact us with any questions.
Is It Easy To Return An Item?
Yes, simply give us a call at 888.899.8776 or you can email our support team at support@audioadvice.com. Many times our team of experts can help figure out why the product might not be working like you expected and get things fixed over the phone, so don’t be surprised if we ask a few questions, we love troubleshooting!
If our tech help can not make you happy, we will email over a return shipping label with a Return Number.
Hopefully, you saved all of the original item’s box and packaging inserts. You will want to pack back up your return or exchange in the same way it came out of the original box. Once you have everything packaged correctly, tape the box on the top and bottom to assure it stays together. If Audio Advice shipped the item to you inside a second box, it's a good idea to use that same extra box to help prevent damage on its way back to us. To avoid it accidentally coming back to you, use a magic marker to cross out the old shipping label or just tear it off.
The return shipping label we send you will have our address on it, just make sure you take the box to the right shipper (UPS, FEDEX, or USPS) as per the label.
If you are close to one of our stores, please let us know if it is more convenient for you to return it to us directly. You will still need to get a return number by contacting us and shipping and/or restocking charges may apply.
When Will I See My Refund?
It usually takes around 7-14 days for the refund to show up on the payment method you used. We do inspect all returns for damage and accuracy of the item inside the box before issuing a refund. Some items may be subject to shipping and restocking fees.
Can I Exchange My Purchase For Something Different?
Sometimes those big speakers just don’t fit in the room or you might have bought a small subwoofer and later found out you’d love a bigger one. If you would like to make an exchange within 30 days of receiving your item, just give us a call at 888.899.8776 or email support@audioadvice.com and we will help work out the details. Additional shipping charges and return costs may apply.
How Do I Cancel An Order?
If the item has already shipped out or is a special order item, it is not possible to cancel the order. Please contact us at 888.899.8776 or email support@audioadvice.com to start the return process.
What If I Find Shipping Damage?
We need to know right away about any shipping damage. Please contact us at 888.899.8776 or email support@audioadvice.com within 48 hours of your delivery so we can get the ball rolling on making things right. It’s very helpful to take some pictures and email them to us if possible.
Can I Refuse A Shipment?
You can, but unless the item is damaged, shipping and restocking fees will be deducted from your refund. If your item arrives damaged and you are lucky enough to be there, snap some quick pics and refuse the order. Then contact us so we can get a replacement on the way.
What Happens If My Order Is Defective?
This is actually pretty rare, most consumer electronics work fine out of the box 99.9% of the time. We’d like for you to contact us first by calling 888.899.8776 or email support@audioadvice.com so we can help get to the bottom of things. If your item is indeed defective during the first 30 days, we can usually exchange it for a new, replacement unit.
What About Service After 30 Days?
Audio Advice has a great relationship with all of our brands and can help you with warranty service by the brand after our 30-day guarantee period. Even after the warranty expires, we can arrange for service by the brand on products purchased from Audio Advice. Just call 888.899.8776 or email support@audioadvice.com.
How Do You Determine A Restocking Fee?
You may not believe it, but sometimes we receive items back that were put in the box with zero packaging and are completely destroyed or are missing many of the pieces that came with the item. We also track serial numbers and will get back different serial numbers. We’ve even seen different items than what we shipped out be returned. However, it’s very important to package your return properly so that nothing goes missing or gets damaged in shipping, which will result in a restocking fee or even no refund at all. If a product is opened and the market value of the product is reduced, then a restocking fee may be applied to the cost of restocking and the reduced market value of the product. The bottom line is if you treat us fairly, we will do the same.
Audio Advice strives to provide industry-leading support and service while also maintaining the lowest prices available on products for our customers. We work hard with our vendors to bring our customers the best products at each price point. As a part of that process, we work with our vendors to provide the lowest pricing in our stores and on our website.
Our prices should always be the same as any other authorized dealer, including big-box retailers and major online retailers.
If you believe that you have found a lower advertised price from a legitimate authorized seller, call us and let us know so we can make sure we can correct any inadvertent error on our side. As a matter of policy, we update our prices automatically if a vendor changes its authorized pricing policies, so we generally have the best prices all the time. Increasingly, there are knock-off copies of products online, usually sold by non-authorized dealers.
Please be sure that the item meets the following conditions:
- The item is brand new, in stock, and available for purchase
- The item has the identical model number, color, etc as the item on our site.
- The seller is an authorized dealer
As always, our goal is to provide a terrific customer experience, including industry low prices. We appreciate your support.
Overview
Company & Product Overview
In 2007, Kanto's first big hit was an award-winning Apple docking station for the original iPod. Their huge success launched a line of fantastic powered speakers and audio accessories. Today, Kanto creates an assortment of products that look as good as they sound and they include a lot of features for affordable prices.
Previously, we gave you our Kanto YU Series Powered Speaker Comparison where we compared the YU2, YU4, and YU6 bookshelf speaker models together. At Audio Advice, we think Kanto's desire to bake great performance and high visual aesthetics into every model they create is evident in their YU series bookshelf and desktop speakers. In this review, we will focus on Kanto's YU6 Powered Desktop Speakers as an upgrade to near-field listening with turntables or music streaming services with computers.
Packaging, Design & Build Quality
The YU6 is a two-way bookshelf speaker that has a studio monitor-type look with the woofers and silk dome tweeters exposed.
We like how Kanto makes the YU6 available in so many different colors and finishes. There are five colors to choose from, which can either stand out and catch people's attention or just blend in with the room's decor. Audio Advice is the exclusive dealer of the high-performance Gloss Red that just looks fantastic sitting on top of a modern piece of furniture — but for an understated, minimalistic look that blends into the room, Matte White or Matte Black finishes are also available — and for those who want a cool, retro aesthetic to complement a turntable or a computer desk, Bamboo or Walnut finishes are available for a stylish and warm mid-century vibe. If your favorite sports team is red, like NCSU near us, they are a perfect way to show off your school colors.
When setting up the YU6's, we immediately noticed the craftsmanship of the perfectly smooth edges and high-quality connections on the rear. The speakers are around 10 lbs each so they definitely have some weight to them for their size. We do recommend a strong speaker stand like the Kanto SP Series 32 or 26. If you're aiming to put them on a tabletop, we recommend using desktop speaker stands like the S6 to separate the speakers from the table since they do have some pretty low-end bass and could cause some feedback.
Features & Technology
Kanto also makes two smaller models — the YU2 and YU4, which are very similar speakers but a bit smaller. To see the differences in these 3 models you can watch our full comparison of the Kanto YU2 vs YU4 vs YU6. The YU6 has both larger speaker drivers and a beefier amplifier than the YU2 and YU4. Kanto keeps the 1” silk dome tweeter and upgrades to a 5” Kevlar driver. Like the YU4, the YU6 is ported on the back for improved bass response. A 100-watt Class D amplifier is built into the left speaker which is enough power to fill a decently sized living room with some rocking tunes.
The YU6 has dual Toslink optical inputs, RCA inputs with a phono switch, a subwoofer out, a 3.5 AUX input, USB Type-A charging port, gold-plated binding post terminals to connect the L/R speakers, and best of all, Bluetooth 4.0 streaming. In the box, there is a 6' power cord, a nice remote control with batteries, 16' speaker wire, 6.5' stereo minijack cable, and self-adhesive rubber feet. We find this “ready to go” type of packaging ideal for someone just getting started and you don't have to worry about buying a lot of additional cables to get up and running.
The Kanto YU6's come with good connections to get you started. First, you have optical inputs that you can easily connect your TV to. Putting these on speaker stands to the right and left of your TV will give your movie-watching experience a serious boost of immersion – especially if you are still using the sound straight from your TV. The YU6 hold their own and even outperform many soundbars in the same price category. With a subwoofer RCA output, you can add the Kanto Sub8 and you have even more bottom end when watching your favorite movies for an extremely affordable price that again, competes with soundbars in the same price range.
With the recent resurgence of vinyl, we're frequently asked for recommendations on the best powered speakers to pair up a turntable. The YU6 does not disappoint! They have RCA L/R inputs along with a ground post if needed. One of our favorite features is a small switch on the back that allows you to flip the RCA inputs from Phono to Line depending on if your turntable has a preamp built-in or not. Now, this is super cool because it doesn't matter if you have a turntable without a preamp, you can just use the amp built into the YU6's and switch to Phono and you're good to go. This feature saves a lot of hassle of adding a bulky preamp to your turntable.
The YU6's have Bluetooth 4.0 aptX technology allowing you stream high-quality audio directly from any Bluetooth enabled device. Bluetooth 4.0 aptX is an audio codec that can support up to 24-bit audio transmission that reduces signal and noise transmission giving you a lot less distortion. Having this feature makes these easy to connect and stream your favorite song without worrying about losing quality via your transmission. However, the lack of Bluetooth 5.0 does limit these speakers for future and if we could upgrade a feature on these, it would be that. An AUX input is great for plugging in a phone or tablet for quick streaming playback if you do not want to connect to Bluetooth. On a desk, they are perfect for filling up your office with sound, and with a few additional accessories, you can really upgrade the sound coming from your powered speakers. Whether it's background music while typing a report, zoom calls to hear your coworkers loud and clear, or just watching YouTube videos, the YU6's have you covered. On the front, there is a small black knob that makes it easy to quickly change the volume. The remote is also well built and has tactile buttons to change sources, bass/treble, volume, connect to Bluetooth, and anything else you need to do.
Performance
We tested the YU6 in three scenarios that we could see people most commonly using them for. To start, we put them on the SP32 speaker stands and plugged them into our TV to watch some movies. We started out with Encanto because we thought all the music would really put these speakers to the test. We were blown away by the way these speakers painted the voices in the songs across the whole room. This made the movie a much more fun experience being able to clearly hear the different voices coming in and singing in different scenes. If you're looking for an upgrade to your TV's audio, you seriously have to consider these speakers over a soundbar. They sound amazing and have so many more use cases than soundbars at this price point. While on stands, they provide a look that stands out compared to a soundbar below a TV. A really cool option with these would be to add a turntable under your TV and have them both connected at the same time. With the remote, you are one button click away from switching sources and having turntable speakers along with TV speakers in the same setup.
With the return of vinyl, the YU6's are a perfect combo to your turntable. We connected our YU6's to a Pro-Ject RPM 1 Carbon turntable in red that matched our gloss red Kanto's. These not only looked sleek but also sounded fantastic while listening to vinyl. When we wanted to play something on the fly and didn't have the vinyl album for the song we were looking for, we quickly connected our phone via Bluetooth and pulled up our favorite playlists. A really nice touch to easily connect to our phone, laptop, or iPad.
Finally, we set these speakers on S6 desktop stands and put them on a desk. Working while playing Qobuz in the background was a pleasure. The song “Happier Than Ever” is a fun tune by Billie Eilish that really puts these speakers to work. You could hear the subtle breathiness of Billie's voice between words along with the background vocals and instruments perfectly separated during the whole first half of the song. During the second half, Billie takes it up a notch and the whole band kicks in with some solid bass and instrumentation. As I turned them up, the low end really shined with each hit of the bass being felt in my chest. These filled the office we were working in with a deep bass and warm sound that was easy and fun to listen.
