Bookshelf Speakers — KIN BY TOTEM KIN PLAY MINI

The KIN Play Mini is a compact powered two-way bookshelf speaker set sold under the KIN by Totem name, the line of active speakers from Totem Acoustic, the Montreal loudspeaker company created in 1987. Totem announced it on 12 September 2019 at a list price of USD 850 per pair, describing it as a smaller version with the same capabilities as the larger KIN Play. In Canada it costs CAD 899 per pair. The pair is built as an active unit, which houses the amplifier, converter and inputs, and a passive unit fed from it by speaker wire.

Key specs that matter

Inside each cabinet sit a customized 1 inch metal alloy dome tweeter and a customized 4 inch Natural Hybrid woofer, crossed over at 2.3 kHz with a second-order filter. Its Class D amplification delivers 2 x 70 W RMS. Frequency response is 59 Hz to 22 kHz ±3 dB. Each box measures 162 x 270 x 190 mm, the active unit weighs 4.56 kg and the passive unit 3.74 kg. Inputs are Bluetooth with Qualcomm aptX HD, optical up to 24 bit and 192 kHz, a stereo RCA pair switchable between phono and line, and a 3.5 mm mini jack, with an RCA subwoofer output. The launch version used Bluetooth 4.1 at 16 bit and 48 kHz, and later units use Bluetooth 4.2. Decoding covers MP2, MP3, WMA, FLAC at 8, 16 and 24 bit, AAC, MP4, M4A, WAV, AIF and AIFC.

Engineering and use context

The built-in phono stage accepts moving magnet cartridges, with an input sensitivity of 18 mV and a 47 kohm load, so a turntable plugs straight into the RCA pair. The current version adds an AMP IN mode that lets an external Wi-Fi streamer bypass the internal preamplifier and use only the power amplifier. Bass and treble levels are set with the remote, and a reset option restores the factory settings. Control is through a front multi-controller on the active speaker or a 17-key aluminium remote. The mains supply accepts 100 to 240 V at 50 or 60 Hz, so the same unit works in any region. The box contains magnetic grilles, the remote, speaker wire, optical and analogue cables and adhesive feet. Totem gives a two-year warranty on the amplifier and five years on the drivers. The cabinets come in satin black or satin white.

Pairing

Sources can be a record player fitted with an MM cartridge, a television or games console over optical, a phone over Bluetooth or a network streamer through AMP IN. A small powered subwoofer on the dedicated output extends the bass below the small woofer's range.

Alternatives

The KIN Play from the same range is a larger powered bookshelf model with a 5 inch woofer and 2 x 120 W RMS.