Bookshelf Speakers — AKu Audio μito

The μito is the entry-level loudspeaker from AKu Audio, a maker with a showroom in Kifissia near Athens, Greece. The company presents the series as a discreet solution for low and medium volume music playback in hospitality spaces and large restaurant installations, built from wood, aluminium and steel. The μito satellite is the stand-mount element of the range and is sold in several forms - a 2.1 active set for desktop, multiroom or TV use, a 2.1 passive set, satellites in sets of four for indoor installations, and an outdoor satellite, the last two supplied with wall mounts as standard.

Key specs that matter

Each satellite is a passive full-range acoustic suspension design with a single 4.3 inch driver that combines a metal cone, a powerful magnet and an inverted rubber surround. AKu rates it at 120 Hz to 20,000 Hz within plus or minus 5 dB, with a nominal impedance of 8 ohm and a sensitivity of 85 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m. Maximum output is given as 96 dB SPL. The maker recommends 10 to 30 W RMS of amplifier power per satellite. The cabinet measures 230 mm high, 214 mm wide and 200 mm deep including its stand, and each unit weighs 2.9 kg.

Engineering and use context

Stacked wood plates, processed on a lathe, form the enclosure, which leaves stepped, nonplanar internal surfaces rather than parallel walls. Three mounting options are offered - desktop, wall and pendant. Colour choice is open, since the series can be finished in any shade the installation calls for, and the configurator lists ivory black, titanium white, burnt umber, cobalt green, vermillion and blue. The companion μito sub is a passive 300 W unit with an 8 inch treated non-pressed paper and Kevlar cone in a down-firing stacked wood cabinet, rated 26 Hz to 250 Hz within plus or minus 2 dB at 4 ohm, 88 dB sensitivity, 105 dB SPL, 480 x 460 x 460 mm and 19.9 kg. AKu proposes a crossover between satellite and sub at 200 Hz with a second-order Butterworth slope or steeper.

Pairing

The active 2.1 set uses an integrated digital amplifier with DSP and 2 x 50 W plus 100 W channels, digital and analogue inputs, WiFi, LAN and USB, so no separate electronics are needed there. For the passive versions, a modest amplifier matched to this easy load is enough, and the μito sub asks for 70 to 200 W RMS of its own.

Alternatives

AKu Audio's Onar is a larger standmount speaker system in the same catalogue, aimed at extended low-frequency reach for its size.