Полочная акустика — Kanto Audio YU

The YU is a powered two-way bookshelf speaker pair from Kanto Audio, announced in March 2020 as an affordable entry to the brand's powered range at an advertised USD 249.99. The Canadian company sells it alongside the YU2, YU4 and YU6 powered models and a passive YU version with 5.25-inch drivers. One cabinet contains the amplifier and all connections and feeds its partner through the supplied speaker wire. The launch finish was a black wrap.

Key specs that matter

Inside each enclosure are a 1-inch silk-dome tweeter and a 4-inch woven Kevlar midrange/woofer, split by a crossover at 2.0 kHz. The Class D amplifier produces 70 W RMS, with 140 W quoted as peak power into the 4 ohm drivers. Frequency response is listed as 60 Hz to 20 kHz, total harmonic distortion stays under 0.25 percent, and input sensitivity is 560 mV. Connections consist of one RCA stereo input for line-level sources, Bluetooth 4.2 with Qualcomm aptX and a dedicated subwoofer output. Each speaker is 14 cm wide, 22 cm high and 19 cm deep. The power supply switches automatically between 100 and 240 V AC at 50 or 60 Hz.

Engineering and use context

Acoustic-grade MDF forms the cabinets, arranged as a bass reflex design with a port on the rear panel. Control on the speaker itself is concentrated in a single knob - turning it sets volume, pressing it changes input, and pressing and holding it switches the pair into standby. An automatic power-up mode turns the system on when a track is selected on the source, and the speakers drop back into standby once no audio signal has arrived for 15 minutes. The handheld remote, supplied with batteries, covers volume, input selection, bass, treble and balance. Standard 1/4-20 threaded holes accept optional Kanto speaker stands, but no wall-mount bracket is part of the package. The box also holds a power cord, the speaker wire and rubber feet. Kanto backs the YU with a two-year limited warranty.

Pairing

A CD player, network streamer or TV analogue output plugs into the RCA socket, while phones and laptops with aptX stream over Bluetooth. The YU has no phono stage, so a turntable needs a preamp built in or placed between deck and speaker. The sub output lets a compact powered subwoofer join the pair, a practical step for a room near 20 m2, and no external amplifier or receiver is required.

Alternatives

The Kanto YU4 is another powered two-way pair within the same YU series.