Turntables — Kanto Audio Obi3

The Obi3 is the first turntable from Kanto Audio, a Canadian maker previously known for powered speakers. It was announced in October 2025 with shipping from November at USD 199.99, and Kanto presented it as the start of a new series styled to match its speakers. A second generation followed in 2026, and this is the original model.

Key specs that matter

A belt-driven weighted aluminium platter turns at 33 1/3 or 45 rpm, and a pitch control shifts speed by up to 10 percent either way. The plinth is MDF. The tonearm is a J-shaped aluminium tube with a cue lever and a counterweight. An Audio-Technica AT3600L moving magnet cartridge comes pre-installed and set up at the factory. Its conical diamond tip measures 0.6 mil, output is 4.2 mV, and the cartridge tracks at 2.5 to 3.5 g, covering 20 Hz to 20 kHz with channel separation of 24 dB at 1 kHz and 15 dB at 10 kHz and channel balance within 1.5 dB. The cartridge body weighs 5.7 g. The deck measures 40 x 35.5 x 9.4 cm and weighs 3.9 kg, and it was sold in black, white and green.

Engineering and use context

Kanto built a phono preamp into the chassis and made it switchable. With the stage active, the RCA outputs carry a line-level signal, and with it bypassed the unamplified cartridge signal can go to a separate phono stage or to the phono socket on an integrated amp. A Bluetooth 5.3 transmitter, which works for output only, can send playback to wireless speakers or headphones. Supplied parts are a dust cover, a felt platter mat, a 45 rpm adapter, the counterweight, and RCA and ground cables. The 2026 second generation added a platter speed sensor that corrects motor speed during play, electronic switching between speeds and an auto-stop that halts the platter when the record ends, and the heavier build brought its weight to about 5.5 kg to reduce vibration. Colour choices for that version grew to include ice blue and walnut.

Pairing

Because the preamp is on board, the Obi3 can plug straight into the line inputs of Kanto powered speakers such as the Tuk family or into any integrated amplifier with an aux input. Owners who later buy a dedicated phono stage can switch the internal one off and connect through the same RCA cable plus the ground lead. For late-night listening a pair of Bluetooth headphones can receive the signal directly, with no headphone amplifier in the chain.

Alternatives

The Obi3 and its second generation are the only record players Kanto sells, so the brand has no other turntable to name here.