At first glance, the Kanto ORA powered desktop speakers look like run-of-the-mill computer speakers, but they deliver such outstanding audio that they’re more like tiny studio reference monitors. Kanto designed the ORA to be incredibly easy to set up, and these speakers can handle digital, analog or Bluetooth inputs.
These basic black speakers won’t take up much space on a desktop, and Kanto also offers an outstanding subwoofer (sold separately) that elevates the overall sound. Desktop computer speakers are often an afterthought when setting up an office, so some buyers might be shocked by the $349 list price. We’re here to decide you anyone should really pay that much for computer speakers.
High Points:
· Studio-quality sound
· Small footprint
· Active crossover makes it easy to add a subwoofer.
Low Points:
· Users will need to add a subwoofer to get the best dynamic range from these speakers.
· There’s no option to add a grille.
Kanto ships the ORA speakers with only a power cord and a 4-pin speaker cable that connects the powered active right speaker to the passive left speaker. You’ll have to provide your own USB-C or RCA cables; otherwise, you’re limited to Bluetooth streaming out of the box.
That speaker cable is 6’ long, which should be more length than you need for the ORAs. Since these are near-field monitors, any more separation between the two speakers would degrade the overall sound.
Kanto recommends that you place the speakers 8” to 10” from the wall to allow the best respone from each speaker’s rear bass port. If they’re too close, you’ll never hear the stereo imaging that is a particular strength of the ORA speakers.
The box also includes 8 rubber feet for the bottom of the speakers, but you’ll want to consider buying the $29.99 Kanto S2 tilted desktop speaker stands or the $39.99 Kanto SE2 elevated desktop speaker stands. I’ve got a glass-top desk, so the stands were essential, but the upward angle of the stands will improve the sound for every listener.
There’s a knob on the powered speaker that pushes in to control power and input and turns to adjust volume. There’s an input indicator light that turns green for analog input, yellow for digital input and blue for Bluetooth.
Specs
Powered Yes
Amp class: D
Power Config: 2 channel, bi-amped
Peak Power 100 W (50 W Total RMS)
HF Power Per Channel 9 W RMS
LF Power Per Channel 16 W RMS
LF Driver 3” Paper Cone Woofers
HF Driver ¾” Silk Dome Tweeters
Frequency Response 70 Hz – 22 kHz
Frequency Range
Crossover 100 Hz (Automatic)
SPL
Max SPL
System THD
Stereo Inputs USB-C (Digital), Bluetooth (Digital), RCA (Line-Level)
Outputs Subwoofer
Bluetooth 5.0
Digital Input Conversion 16-bit/48 kHz
Trims
In the box: Active Speaker, Passive Speaker, 6 foot 4-pin Speaker Connector Cable, 8 Rubber Feet, Manual
Rear Mounting Holes ¼”-20 Threaded (Each Speaker)
Speaker Height 6.9 inches (17.5cm)
Speaker Width 3.9 inches (10cm)
Speaker Depth 5.6 inches (14.1cm)
Speaker Weight
(Active/Passive) 1 kg (2.1 lbs.)/1 kg (2.1 lbs.)
Shipping Width 8.9 inches (22.7cm)
Shipping Depth 15.1 inches (38.3cm)
Shipping Height 10 inches (25.4cm)
Shipping Weight 3.7 kg (8.2 lbs.)
The Kanto ORA speakers feature a solid MDF cabinet with a matte finish that offer a premium feel and each houses a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter and a 3-inch Kevlar driver. They’re powered by a Class D amplifier that delivers 50 watts of total RMS power (25 watts per speaker).
When Kanto refers to the ORA as reference speakers, they’re promising a neutral presentation that aims to reproduce the dynamic range of the audio source. You won’t get artificially boosted bass or the sizzling high end that some manufacturers employ to create an artificial sense of excitement. These speakers are so true that I’d trust them as monitors in a basic home studio setup.
Kanto advertises Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity but has nothing to say about specific codecs. That means users who are looking for aptX, LDAC, or AAC will likely have to settle for the standard SBC codec. I’m firmly in the camp that believes that a speaker’s digital signal processing and overall quality are far more important than any specific codec. If you’d like a Bluetooth option in addition to the wired connections that are the ORA’s primary selling point, you shouldn’t be disappointed in how the wireless connection sounds.
Out of the box, most listeners will be surprised at how much bass these tiny speakers can deliver. When listening to an electronic music album like Massive Attack’s 1998 classic Mezzanine, I could feel the vibrations of the dub bassline in a track like “Risingson” in a way that would seem impossible with such small monitors.
I also tested the Kanto ORA speakers with the $269.99 Kanto SUB8 subwoofer (evaluated by Home Theater Review alongside the Kanto YU6 speakers), an addition that elevated the experience to something magical. The ORA speakers feature remarkable stereo separation and a surprisingly wide sound field, but the sub emphasizes the highs and lows to give this near-field experience an impact that can compare to the one you’d get from a serious hi-fi setup in your living room.
The secret here is the automatic crossover that sends everything below 100 Hz to the subwoofer and lets the ORA speakers concentrate on every above 100 Hz. That both lowers the audio floor and raises its ceiling. Devoted audio tinkerers may be turned off because they can’t tweak the crossover level, but Kanto has made this process simple for everyone else.
These speakers are outstanding even if you don’t choose to add a subwoofer. I also tested the ORA speakers with a no-name powered sub that I picked up for $10 at a local Goodwill, and the improvement was almost as good as it was with Kanto’s own subwoofer.
Kanto wants the ORA speakers to be an all-in-one solution, and the quality of the built-in digital-to-analog conversion is critical to that mission. The DAC offers resolution up to 16-bit/48 kHz, which is better than CD quality, far better than what you’re getting from Spotify, and more than adequate for most tracks streaming from Apple Music or Tidal.
If you’re an audiophile with an extensive collection of hi-res music files or someone who’s looking to take advantage of the high-resolution tracks streaming from Qobuz, Tidal, or Apple Music, you may want to use an external DAC with the Katno ORA speakers.
I have an iFi NEO iDSD DAC and headphone amp on my desk, so I ran the signal from my Mac Mini through the iFi DAC and into the Kanto ORA powered speaker’s analog RCA inputs. The iFi NEO iDSD can handle PCM files up to 32-bit/768kHz, which is far higher resolution currently available from any streaming service.
Bob Seger’s Stranger in Town is streaming in CD quality (16-bit/44.1 kHz) at Qobuz, and “Feel Like a Number” has a similar amount of detail when listening to the Kanto ORA’s built-in DAC versus running it through the $799 iFi NEO iDSD. When streaming “Echo” (24-bit/96 hHz0 from Clairo’s new LP Charm, the higher-resolution iFi NEO iDSD revealed decidedly more detail, especially in the wheezy keyboard tracks that are the song’s main attraction.
What does that mean? For everyone except the most demanding audiophiles, the Kanto ORA’s built-in DSP is more than up to the task. If you’re the kind of listener who obsesses over bitrates and the differences between various mastering sessions, you probably already own a DAC. In that case, the Kanto ORA speakers are a superb option if you want monitors with a small footprint.
If you’re curious about higher-quality music streaming, Kanto has partnered with Qobuz to offer a 60-day trial of the streaming service to anyone who buys the Kanto ORA speakers.
There are dozens of powered speaker pairs in the under-$200 range marketed as computer desktop speakers, and almost all of them offer a substantial improvement over the speakers built into your computer. Many users will be happy with those options, but anyone who’s read this far likely cares enough about music that they’ll want something more.
What the Kanto Ora offers is a combination of small footprint and great sound. Home Theater Review has recently given Editor’s Choice awards to the $300 Kali Audio LP-UNF and the $369 Edifier QR65 and, while both were lauded for their sound quality, each has a far larger footprint than the Kanto ORA. Users who are looking for something different will appreciate the Edifier QR65’s unique case design and RGB lighting effects.
The PreSonus Eris 3.5BT are a well-reviewed pair that retail for $149, but they’re wider and taller than the ORA speakers. While they sound remarkably good for their price, they can’t offer the depth and detail that Kanto has delivered with the ORA.
The AudioEngine A2+ desktop speakers are the product that’s closest in size and features to the Kanto ORA. Their stands and subwoofer are also sold separately, they offer the same DAC resolution, but they’re a bit larger and come in a variety of colors. Online discussions in the audio community suggest a preference for the Kanto ORA, but the A2+ speakers seem likve an excellent alternative at $269 if you’re looking to spend less.
The overwhelming majority of my desktop playback is listening to music or watching YouTube videos, but I occasionally need to check out a rough mix or a mastered track and have always tried to have a pair of reference speakers connected to my computer.
I cycled the Yamaha NS-10 and KRK V6 studio monitors before trying a dozen or so powered speakers. Some of them sounded good, but it’s been hard to locate something that offered reference quality when I needed it but was enjoyable for casual listening the rest of the time. I’ve been using the Monolith by Monoprice MM-100 studio monitors for a while now, and while they sounded great, they were far too large for my workspace.
The Kanto ORA speakers have proved to be exactly what I’ve always needed. They sound huge and take up very little space. With the subwoofer, they’re one of the best playback systems I’ve ever enjoyed.
At $349 (plus another $300 for stands and subwoofer), these speakers live near the top of the price range for their category. They’re most definitely worth the extra cost for demanding
listeners who’ve made audio quality a priority for their home systems, headphones, and portable speakers. Many of us spend hours a day at our desks, so an outstanding computer audio system is worth the extra investment.
