Great review. I’m looking for exactly this product for my son as a first hi-fi set up so he can play vinyl. He’s a student so the convenience and small footprint is important and the compromises in sound quality will nevertheless be a big step up from what he’s used to. This detailed review tells me exactly the pluses and minuses I need to hear. Cheers Paul!

Thank you for your review. I've been looking into these as part of my first turn table set up in a small studio and I think they'll be perfect for my needs. I like the option of being able to add their sub later on, and love the built in Bluetooth functionality.

Very knowledgeable - thanks. Was initially disappointed that the phono review lacked certain aspects but as I’m about to set up the Yu4’s in a small box bedroom on a shelf ( head height) the NF plus points you mentioned as the best result saved the day ! Will let you know result as a quality turntable .

WOW top notch review. Well done

This is an excellent review! I just purchased a pair for near-field use for high-quality sound on professional calls as a remote worker. I have the YU2s but want a bit bigger and beefier sound. Thank you for the information!

Stumbled on your channel and it's great. Your explanations, terminology and humour are great. Thank you. You sound as though you've dipped your toe in the Mersey at some point.

Use the YU4/s in near field situation on my computer desk and added the Sub 6 subwoofer and oh mu GXX what a difference the sub makes. Love the combination as I was using some cheaper Edifier speakers before and they sounded good but were nowhere near what these sound like. Little pricey but worth it. Thanks for the review, watch you all the time.

When I decided to move my turntable out of the family room and away from the home cinema -- can't watch TV and listen to records at the same time -- I decided (and my budget agreed) that I didn't want to fill the living room with amps and large speakers. Powered speakers seemed to be the answer, as long as they were any good. I got the YU6, the YU4's big bother and the matching stands in matt white. I connect my Teac TN-400S turntable and an old Samsung DVD player, which I use for CDs, via an optical cable. The stands are steel, are substantial and also have enough room inside for all the cable requirements. To be honest, I rarely play CDs through them, mostly vinyl. I found that the phono stage built into the Teac sounds slightly better thn the Kanto's own. My listening ranges from 70s prog, through jazz of various styles to my latest obsession, Nils Frahm. I've never found the bass lacking in the YU6s. There is a matched subwoofer from Kanto but I would only consider this if bass is really important to you if you wanted to use these in 2.1 AV set up. I'm ridiculously happy with mine.

many Thanks for the review, I was looking a pair of speakes for my 11 yr old boy...a smaller speaker for a little desktop. Kanto YU2 might work well for him...best regards!

Hi! Thanks for the review, I'm a bit late with this but what would you say about the YU4 connected to the record player but using instead the turntable's pre-amp?

I have yu 4s with stands and yu6 sub plugged turntable audio technica similar look to sl1200 technics in a small living room , overall i think they sound pretty good indeed. If you have small living room with not much room for amps ect well worth the money. the sub 6 is also great.

I have canto yu 4 s i like them a lot, but agree with the lack of bass well not lack its just not very warm its snappy and clear. But they are selling a kanto sub 6 and 8 which i may buy . I have these plugged into a audio technica 120 x turntable . And the kantos are on speaker stands . They are great value for money .

Thanks for the great review. I was looking at these as a possibility for a decent set of computer speakers when I came across your video. I felt that you were informative and genuine in your assessment. I found a pair the same day on eBay, gloss red. for $219 open box. I also purchased the Kanto Sub-6 to complement. I hooked them up last night and I must say, I really like them. I do have one question for you. Should I use the 3.5 analog or the optical?

Should update your review for this one since the wired from the active to passive speaker is a regular speaker wire plus one toslink and one coax

I am planning to get the YU4. To be honest, I think Kanto pretty much positions them as computer or as you call them near-field speakers. Likewise, I am concerned about the bass or the lack thereof which I suppose is also the reason why Kanto offers a range of subwoofers to go with these speakers or the smaller entry level YU2, there is the Sub6 (6 inch) and Sub8 (8 inch). I plan to order the Sub8 with the YU4 as my computer speakers, although I might hook it up to an old Rotel CD player at the same time too. I think probably not until you get to the YU6 (due to its bigger size), I wouldn't compare or rate them as lifestyle speakers.

Thank you for the review. One thing that was not mentioned but which I’ve been particularly concerned about shopping for near field speakers is hiss that seems all too often be present in active (and perhaps sometimes passive) speakers. Some inherent noise which can’t be heard at normal near field seating distance (2-3 feet) wouldn’t be a problem but it seems like that’s not always the case. It’s hard to tell whether the hiss which can be heard coming from the Yu4 tweeters at the store when placing ears directly next to them (because it’s so noisy in the store) will translate to the hiss being heard in a quiet environment at home, seated 3 feet away. Would you have anything to say in this regard for the Yu4’s?

Thanks for this review. It's told me that these are perhaps not best for our living room for first pair of speakers to go with a Bluetooth vinyl player (due to logistical reasons). Anything you would recommend for similar budget and Bluetooth connectivity? (ability to wire to down the line would be good as well!) Thanks! - sorry for the questions!

Are they better sounding than Edifier bookshelfs?

Good review. Very honest. I'm looking at getting powered speakers to connect to my TV for movies / bit of gaming and also to bluetooth music. Would you recommend these? The others I am looking at are the Fluance Ai40 or an Edifier model. Any input or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi! Thank you for such a in-depth and descriptive review! just got a pair of Bamboo YU4's last week and they sound incredible with a very tight bass! (used to have Edifier 1280s which had deeper bass but more distorted). I just wanted to ask if you had notice a small hiss coming from the Tweeters, of course mostly noticeable when there's no music coming out and you put the ear very close, seems more like a floor noise or preamp electric circuits working, but was just curious if you have the same "issue"? It is louder in the RCA output than optical, but it's still there. In my Edifier's I didn't have this issue but also perhaps their preamp is not that high quality or sensitive. I heard that you said you didn't notice any hiss but not sure if you were referring to something else. P.D.: Also, the first day I plugged in these speakers, I accidentally had my Turntable's built-in preamp On along with Phono switch ON in YU4 and it generated a very loud distortion noise, which I turned off after 2 seconds, but then I read on the manual and online that the double preamp can cause damage to my speakers... would you think it could've break that easily in that short time (like a possible overload of power/sound?). Thanksss!

Enjoyed your review. I'm looking at a new 2.1 setup for my desktop computer. I have a triple screen for gaming but I also use the PC for listening to Tidal and Spotify whilst browsing and working. I have just bought a new Wharfdale SW150 sub at a great price so need a pair of speakers to go with them. I'm thinking about the Kanto YU4's which also have a sub out. You mentioned lack of bass so having this sub do you think this combination would work? I want clarity at the mid and treble. I will be replacing Sound Blaster Kratos S5's

I’m putting my U-turn orbit in a smaller room. Either 12’x15’ or 20’x15’. Do think these will do fine or should I go with the yu6?

Added the sub to mine is much better now

great review audiophile, what ur thoughts between audioengines 2plus/HD3 vs Yu4 for sound wise?

Hey friend! Do you know if I can pair up two pairs of Kanto YU4 + the sub? Thanks for the video!

Did you notice any delay when streaming from KZfaq? I'm concerned this might be a problem, because Kanto is still using bluetooth 4.

Great review, Paul. I heard some speakers that Kantu was demoing at the RAMF this year. They did sound amazing for what they were, and they did have me sit about 5 feet from them (near-ish field). Do you recommend any wireless speakers for lifestyle use?

So don't buy these for the phono pre-amp? I'd be better off buying a phono pre-amp and some other speakers?

The usb out could power something like the Wiim Mini Streamer. Then you can run something like Tidal natively from your smartphone. Voila, cut-price Kef LSX!

Late to the party! Great review, thank you. I have these speakers and am intrigued (also ignorant) regarding your recommendation that I upgrade the 'kettle plug' (or IEC). I had no idea these plugs came in a Gold, Silver, Bronze standard and/or that the quality of the plug could actually improve or hinder the sound quality being output! Every day's a school day! Anyhoo.... what would you recommend I upgrade the plug to? Is there a stand out IEC plug that eclipses all others? Please, any help/direction/URL link would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

Where can I purchase a good new kettle lead? What's wrong with the one provided? I'm hoping to get the budget version,"YU", and the SUB6 instead of a soundbar. I think it should be enough. You know how small £800-900 flats are in England's South East towns. Living room is about 12x11ft. I'll connect to the headphone jack of the TV so I can use the TV's remote to control the volume and also use the TV's virtual surround sound DSP. That's basically a £650 soundbar with a smaller footprint, 2-way, better drivers, and not having to pay for virtual surround DSP that is already available, while saving a precious HDMI port.

Why do you reccomend upgrading the power cable? Why would that make a difference? What would you suggest upgrading it to?

you mention NO Coax... what does a coax do? thanks

you're funny guy 🤣🤣🤣

what is the iec cable he is talking about?

Yu6 or these?

They are located about 15km from where I am. I"m not in the market for low fi set of speakers. I try my best to support Canadian companies but visiting their website couldn't help but notice all prices were in U.S. dollars. Perhaps they should move their business to the Divided States of America. Again I"m all for supporting Canadian hi fi but this is lo fi.