Kanto TUK High-End Powered Speaker with AMT Tweeter, Bluetooth, Phono Connectivity and More

September 12 2019, 00:05
Kanto is a Canadian audio company specializing in colorful powered bookshelf and desktop speakers, designed for modern lifestyles. These compact speakers are not only good sounding and affordable, but they have all-in-one features such as an integrated USB DAC, phono preamp, Bluetooth and optical TOSLINK inputs, and can be connected with one of the Kanto powered subwoofers. But Kanto also wants to promote high end sound quality in the same form factor, and that’s why they launched the Kanto TUK speakers and had a dedicated demo room at RMAF 2019.
 
The Kanto room at RMAF 2019, showing partof the range of powered speakers and subwoofers, with the new AMT-powered TUK model on each side.

Operating out of Metro Vancouver, BC, Kanto has been designing and manufacturing audio products since 2007 and along the way, created a full line of speakers and audio accessories for “laid-back listeners, hardcore gamers and vinyl enthusiasts alike.” Kanto is now shipping its TUK “high-performance powered stereo speaker system with wireless capability.” As the company states, TUK is the most advanced speaker system ever offered by Kanto and combines exceptional sound with flexible connection options and remote-control operation. 

At the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) 2019 show, Kanto had two separate demonstration rooms. One room to show the whole range of powered speakers, subwoofers and speaker accessories, where the company was also debuting its popular YU6 powered speaker system in a new walnut finish - the YU6 Walnut ($429.99).

The other demo room was solely dedicated to listening sessions of the new Kanto TUK, suited for nearfield and desktop listening. As Kanto explains, the TUK was designed for true high-end powered speaker performance, combining high-quality wireless Bluetooth music streaming with Qualcomm aptX™ HD and AAC, plus analog and digital audio inputs. In addition, like other Kanto powered speakers, TUK has a phono preamp and RCA phono input to use with a turntable, a built-in headphone amp and a USB DAC. In addition to Bluetooth capability, the speaker includes analog line inputs, an optical digital input, and a subwoofer output with selectable high-pass filter and a handy USB charging output.

To deliver on the promise of high end sound, the TUK features a newly-designed 28 x 35 mm Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeter. The AMT tweeter is complemented by an aluminum concave-cone woofer and a powerful 65 watt-per-channel stereo amplifier. The amplifier was designed to perfectly match the drivers for a smooth tonal balance and the integrated digital signal processing (DSP) allows optimizing the sound reproduction, including saving custom EQ settings for each input. An active crossover, when enabled, filters out frequencies below 80Hz and sends them directly to a connected subwoofer.
 

A very smart detail, considering that only one of the speakers features all the connections and delivers power to the second one, is the ability to swap the left and right channels, when cabling or the location of the power outlet requires the active speaker to be placed on the right.

TUK has an elegant, minimalist design and is available in matte black and matte white finishes. It comes with a remote control, magnetic detachable fabric grille, speaker wire, power cord, 3.5 mm to RCA cable and a USB DAC cable, all available for $799 US, $999 Canadian (MAP).
www.kantoaudio.com
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About Joao Martins
Since 2013, Joao Martins leads audioXpress as editor-in-chief of the US-based magazine and website, the leading audio electronics, audio product development and design publication, working also as international editor for Voice Coil, the leading periodical for... Read more

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