So let's see, that is a phono connection, a legacy CD player, tape deck or tuner input, an input for your TV, and a way to connect your computer. No more 'audiophile' wires and gadgetry needed. Another Kanto goal, which is a little unusual in the audio space, was to create products that looked as good as they sound.
But honestly, we dont think the TUK need it. Very obviously, against four-figure monsters, the TUK are going to come up short. 
Everything you need to know about headphone specs. We also had a Kanto Sub8 which is their 8 powered subwoofer to use for testing out how well they paired with a sub using their special DSP.
While the TUKs are presenting a clean and agile listen, its also thin and overly forward and even adjusting the EQ settings and moving them closer to the rear wall of our listening room doesnt fully balance things out. The RSS feed provided is for personal, non-commercial use only. Discover our selection of Buyer Guides, Installation Videos, Smart Home Planning & Budgeting Tool, and more! The main accessory here is the remote. The soundstage was very wide. The small 8.5W x 10.9H x 7D footprint makes the TUKs easy to place for maximum fun. Speaking of the remote, it's a nice little unit that feels good in the palm of your hand. 
In the high-performance audio world, this is a big deal. Of course, it all comes down to the sound which we were really curious to dive into after studying all of the cool things the TUK can do. On one level, this might be the most impressive feature of the TUK these speakers have a damn good phono stage built in! Where an active system features a dedicated amp for each driver, the Kanto approach should be thought of as more akin to a traditional, passive system, where the amp (in this case a Class D design) is simply squirrelled away inside one of the boxes. Please enter your email address below to create account. The disadvantage of this is a case where your power outlet and components are closer to the speaker without all the connections. If youre not an audiophile and good for you, because audiophiles are boring and annoying heres what that means. Their YU series of powered speakers have proven to be a great value for the money. 
This, along with the first week of listening was done strictly with the Bluetooth input from my phone, via Roon and Qobuz. Thanks to all the inputs and small size, they also work incredibly well as powered desktop monitors. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The wood effect, especially in deep crimson, is a firm favorite in the office. To take issue with these speakers because the amplifier is of the wrong class is to be the worst kind of pedant. Kanto gives you a way to engage a DSP (digital signal processing) function that kicks in an 80hz crossover, sending only 80hz and above to the TUK and the tones below 80hz to your sub. Thank you for signing up to What Hi-Fi?. Kicking our listening off with Bluetooth, we cue up Tidals Retroactive playlist on our iPad and find the youthful choir at the outset of The Rolling Stones You Cant Always Get What You Want clear, tonally convincing, spacious and with a healthy dollop of detail. Aluminum has very high rigidity and low mass which is ideal for a bass driver. Its an expansive mix where Mitchells vocal seems as close to our ear as she intended, but were missing her vocal strength through the lower registers. Along with the normal functions, you get some pretty unique features. The small footprint makes the TUKs easy to bring music along wherever you might happen to be.
Perfect amount of tight bass, and the clarity + mids are fabulous. We love the way you can adjust the bass, treble and the subwoofer on the TUK. Its remarkable how clear and adept the stereo imaging is, and if you like a sense of space in your music, we strongly recommend the TUK. Their audio quality is weighty and clean, with a definite emphasis on the low-end. Attention to detail is more than skin deep with the TUKs. Many new powered speakers give you an adjustable bass and treble control these days. Youll only use them for three reasons: youre a psychopath, a boring audiophile, or have children. is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Weve gathered some of the most exciting converters currently on the market. As we said at the beginning of this review, they make good stuff. Next, we put on an old Hendrix cut, Purple Haze and cranked them up. The companys diminutive, wireless YU5 model even graced the White House sound system during Barack Obama's tenure. Work with the room, best you can to achieve the best balance of upper bass smoothness and lower bass extension. Well, except for a turntable! Again, its the kind of thing that will be bested by ultra high-end speakers - like the $3,000 Dynaudio Special 40, which have a soundstage that defies description - but in this price range, we defy you to find better. You do have the option of turning this off should you wish with the remote control. Due to their high rigidity and low mass, TUKs aluminum drivers operate at optimal efficiency while reducing distortion at higher volumes. One of the speakers is designated as the left and one is the right and you really can not change this. Packed with functionality, TUKs remote allows you to make quick input, volume, tone, and balance adjustments, as well as control playback when streaming via Bluetooth. While we did find that slightly deeper male vocals had a little bit more energy than higher female ones, ironically, it was a very minor issue. Or for late-night and private listening, the TUK has a headphone amp built-in with the connection on the front. Their goal was to create high-performance audio products that were very affordable. The days of wires etc are done. And we are pleased to award the Kanto TUKs the Audiophile Apartments first Product of the Year award. They are less fully-featured theres no phono preamp, for one thing but theyre a capable and affordable option. If you love great audio, a dedicated music streamer is essential. If you wish to reset the BlueTooth connection there is a quick button for that on the remote as well.
You'll be among the first to know about product launches, exclusive online deals, and the hottest audio trends. The first thing we did, and weve learned this in the past from other small powered speakers, was to plug in a CD player, put it on repeat and let it run the TUKs pretty hard for a couple of days to break in the drivers. Yes, Kanto covered the one last possibility with a Bluetooth 4.2 aptX HD connection. There is a bass reflex port on the back of each speaker and, while Kanto says the ideal placement is at least 20cm from a rear wall, we find that placing them around 15cm away from the wall of our listening room shows them at their best. After a few tracks, we were grinning ear to ear. You will receive a verification email shortly. An AMT tweeter uses a folded membrane, which gives you a lot of surface area in a small space. The prejudices against Class D amps are ridiculous, and are largely based on issues that the technology had when it was new in the 1980s. The speakers offer a commendable range of inputs and outputs, and feel versatile. The problem is, moving air quickly requires a lot of movement. When a small woofer is not being asked to move as far, it can put out more midrange with less breakup on loud passages. This is handled well, thanks to an expertly-engineered active crossover. New York, This little hamlet sits on the shores of the Arctic Ocean and is home to some spectacular Aurora Borealis displays. A great feature! Think of an accordion youll have to live with imagining the god-awful noise they make only on a very small scale. Like many small speakers, the TUK is ported, and in this case, the port is on the rear of the speaker. It should be the focus point for all your efforts, the piece of equipment that can make or break your sound. Kanto claims a low frequency limit of 50hz, and this seems reasonable as long as you dont push the TUKs too hard with tracks having a lot of sub bass information. First, you can select the bass and treble flat reset separately. Powered speakers all have one speaker that has the amp built into it for both speakers and all the connections. Read more about us. What Hi-Fi? Sign up below to get the latest from What Hi-Fi?, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! Up until now, we held technology like Klipschs Tractrix Horn - found in speakers like the Klipsch RP-6000F - to be the gold standard, but we think they no longer hold the title. My thoughts. Kanto Audio TUK (Black) at Amazon for $851.96, HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC: everything you need to know, PS5 restock news: where to buy a PlayStation 5 console in 2022, Best speakers 2022: budget to premium stereo speakers, The best home entertainment buying advice, Issues delivered straight to your door or device. Because of its huge surface area, this tiny accordion is able to move air without actually moving very far itself. Explore our extensive Home Theater Design Guides, Inspiration Gallery, and videos of real Audio Advice installs. Class D Amps have a bad reputation, with listeners claiming that they come off as harsh, and that there are issues matching amps and speakers. And most will have a single button to reset them both to flat. Delivering clarity and performance that put it in a class of its own, TUK is designed to push the limits on what a bookshelf speaker can achieve. Kanto gives you a way, by holding down a button on the supplied remote control to reverse the channels should you need to, very cool. An important factor when you have a small box! The aluminum cone woofers are super fast and low distortion. The TUK is a very compact powered bookshelf speaker, that is just packed chock full of technology. We hook up our laptop with the supplied cable and select Hans Zimmers Main Theme from The Dark Knight Rises a FLAC file from the hi-res music on our server. This type of speaker combination with a small pair crossed over to a subwoofer gives you the ability to play things a lot louder as well. We have a soft spot for them because they make genuinely fantastic wireless speakers, and their latest, the TUK, is the most fantastic yet. AMTs are where its at and the TUK speakers do an absolutely superb job with theirs. Phono, AUX, Optical Digital, USB, and BlueTooth. Either way, if you do like serious volume, youre not going to feel short changed here. They were able to play very loud and totally fill up the roughly 22 by 16 room we were in. It really feels like it anchors the sound. This is the highest resolution format available right now for Bluetooth. They are extremely dynamic which pulls you into the music. The 35XTi are the next step up from the original 35XTs, and we think the folks at Martin Logan are onto a winner here. There are plenty of things that make the Kanto TUK special, but theres one we want to talk about more than anything else: the Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeters. This is a very nice touch, and something I havent seen on other powered speakers.
Another first is the ability to assign different bass and treble settings for each input. There was a problem. It means that the sweet spot these speakers provide is wide and forgiving. You can use the included remote to adjust the bass and treble. The TUK have superseded them in every way possible. We love the detail, and the realism. What Hi-Fi? Bluetooth: 4.2aptX: YesDriver Sizes: 1 x 5.25", 1 x 1"What We Like: Epic sound quality, gorgeous design, versatile inputs and outputs.What We Don't: Not for beginners, only Bluetooth 4.2.See the Kanto TUK. The TUK covers high tech and legacy vinyl and cassette. Its one of the few negatives we have regarding the sound quality of the TUK speakers. The remote also has some basic transport control functions when you are in BlueTooth mode. Oh yeah, they even have a built-in headphone amp too. See the Kanto TUK See the Best Bookshelf Speakers. The e-journal of analog and digital sound, The PrimaLuna EVO 300/Floyd Design Integrated, The SVS PB-1000 Pro and SB-1000 Pro Subwoofers, The Rega P10 Turntable and Apheta 3 Cartridge, REVIEW: Naim ND555DAC and PS555 Power Supply. With or without a subwoofer, we cant think of a better way to spend $799 on a hifi system. Pull out some dynamic tracks and youll be grinning like we were! Weve had plenty of Class D amplifiers that weve loved, like the amazing NAD D3020 V2 (full review here), and we certainly dont consider it a problem with the TUK. The Kanto TUK offer effortless sound quality, thanks to brilliant technology. We suspect someone from Kanto spent time here as they say they want this speaker to give the same excitement to your ears as the Aurora does to your eyes. We were really hoping this issue would have been fixed for this update, but sadly, its still there.
Sure, you get full aptX, aptX HD and AAC, but its still a little disappointing. TUK features integrated digital signal processing (DSP), designed to optimize audio quality and provide greater accuracy in sound reproduction. We first heard the Kanto products at CES in 2016 and were very impressed with their sound and build quality. If you locate this anywhere, please contact [emailprotected] so we can take action immediately. Whether you are just starting your journey, or need another system elsewhere in your environment, a pair of these will provide you with a lot of listening pleasure. These powered speakers carry many of the features you'd expect of a complete music system, including aptX HD Bluetooth and both digital and analogue inputs. By Fit and finish is high quality, and if there were no badges on these speakers, youd believe me if I told you that these were built in the same factory that the $4,500 pair of Bowers & Wilkins Duos we reviewed recently. It feels like its very hard to get any precision when adjusting the volume or the EQ. Along with Optical and RCA inputs, TUK includes an independent phono input for your turntable, a USB DAC, a dedicated headphone amp, and Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX HD and AAC codecs for high fidelity streaming. A stand-alone headphone amp is a much better option. This will turn the subwoofer outs on and off. The TUK is a small speaker that is under 11 tall, about 8 deep and 7 wide. You get a set of cables, including the one required to link the speakers, as well as some rubber feet and a pair of magnetic grilles. Kanto has done a fantastic job of creating one of the most dynamic and engaging small powered speakers we have heard in a long time. This is kinda neat should you want to back off on the treble without changing what you had dialed in for the bass. Widescreen Explained: Whats With The Black Bars? However, there are plenty of other wireless stereo speakers available, albeit more traditional ones, so lets take a look at some of those. The bookshelf speaker market is hugely competitive, with hundreds of companies putting out everything from tiny wireless wonders to huge monoliths that shade the line between bookshelf and tower speakers. However, the midrange opened up quite a bit on most passages. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). If you already have a turntable, or are thinking of starting to spin records, the TUKs are a perfect place to start. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London and Bath. Please let us know in the comments if weve forgotten any. The powered speaker is designated left and the passive right, but should you need to place the powered speaker on the left due to proximity of your AC outlet, it takes a mere push of the button on the remote control to re-orient the speakers, so that left is left again. AMTs change that. In typical fashion, Kanto puts the amplifier and DAC in one speaker, tethering to the other with a speaker cable. Strings are agile, identifiable in their groupings and feel altogether part of a human orchestra. As handy as this is, and as much as we love having the option, it brings up an issue that hasnt been fixed from other Kanto speakers, like the SYD (full review here). There is also a sub button on the unit. We dont want to overstate our case here. We have to say, the feature set and tech inside the TUK is very impressive. There is a tiny display on the front of the TUK to indicate the input, but we would have preferred direct access. Another pretty neat feature the TUK has we have never seen on a powered speaker pair is the ability to flip channels. They are punchy, energetic, accomplished, and just flat-out fun to listen to. Ever since the glory days, when hi-fi systems were integrated and even color-matched to the furniture, bookshelf speakers have been the beating heart of the party Wireless and Bluetooth speakers are the bomb. They reach down quite deep for their size. If you want a pair, they are currently available for $699, a hundred dollars short of the TUK. So why not take the jump? Jaggers vocal is upfront but held within a nicely layered mix, from the sparkling treble to the competent mids. In addition to the high-quality DAC and 130 watts per channel on tap, the TUKs also offer an on board phono stage, which we took advantage of with a few budget turntables from Rega and Pro-Ject, utilizing moving magnet cartridges, as well as a vintage Technics with a new Pro-Ject MM cartridge. Rather than a typical dome tweeter for the high frequencies, the TUK uses an AMT tweeter. It doesnt have the raw energy and grunt that youd find a pair of speakers like the more expensive SVS Ultra, but it remains a pleasure to listen to nonetheless. Vocals felt rich and sumptuous, with real weight behind them. The end result is not only better bass, but a far more open and transparent midrange presentation. Well go into various methods of connecting to them below, but right now we want to talk about the differences between wired and wireless sound quality with these speakers.