Kanto YU6

Powered Bookshelf Speakers with Bluetooth & Phono Preamp - Pair

Kanto YU6

Powered Bookshelf Speakers with Bluetooth & Phono Preamp - Pair
From $399.99
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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.

Kanto YU6 powered speakers on white background

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.

Contents of Kanto YU6 package

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.

Rear connections on Kanto YU6 speakers in bamboo

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.

Red Kanto YU6 speakers on stands beside a cabinet with red 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.

Red Kanto YU6 speakers on stands beside TV and turntable

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.

Kanto YU6 Red Speakers on stands sitting on a desk

Overall Recommendation

Whether you are thinking about upgrading your TV sound, need a pair of desk speakers or want to pair these up with your turntable, we think everyone needs a pair of Kanto YU6's in their household. Solely based on the connectivity options and good-sounding these speakers are, you really cannot go wrong with them. There are other great speakers in this price category but with all the input options and color options to match up to your liking, Kanto really hit a homerun with these. And if you do like the Gloss Red style we tested, Audio Advice is the exclusive dealer and you won't find them anywhere else.

Reviews

Customer Reviews

Based on 14 reviews
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A
Alan Garber
Love the Kanto YU6. Use them along with an 8" sub for my TV sound;

Love the Kanto YU6. Use them along with an 8" sub for my TV sound;

A
Alan G
Great for music, gaming and video

In 2008 I purchased Bose Companion 2 Series II for my home audio solution. They worked for my small apartment right out of college. Those speakers served me well till 2020. But in quarantine, living and working from home, I was ready for a major upgrade.

The Kanto YU6 have been a game changer for my home audio. Even though I am missing a slew of concerts this year, I've been live streaming my favorite musicians online and their performances come through with a fat, rich sound that is perfect and clear. The bass is great for watching action movies and the general range of sound offers a fabulous gaming experience. While I may not be an audio aficionado, these speakers are fantastic and have allowed me to feel a bit more connected with the outside world while stuck at home.

A
Alan G
Great little speakers

Really enjoying these speakers. Purchased to replace a more expensive TV soundbar and sub woofer. The YU6 touches all my bases. Clean 2.1 TV sound, excellent for music and unobtrusive enough for my wife. Prefer the aux input which seems to provide a more open sound stage. TV room is 20' x 30' with 15' ceiling. More than fills the space without a sub. Perched on Kanto SP26 stands, I'm very pleased.

J
Jim jam
Kanto yu6

Awesome little speakers when I first
Got them I said to my self
How can these sound so good
So small but powerful good bass
No problem filling my living room

F
Fantastic Sound
Beautiful Bookshelf Speaker

These Kanto speakers pack a powerful punch—with great access to highs and lows. Great bass too. Beautiful finish. But unlike other amazing speakers of this size, these speakers are more affordable. Totally hooked!!