Kanto Ren assessment: a powered speaker system that’s as smart-looking as it’s smart-sounding
Kanto Ren: Two-minute assessment
The Kanto Ren powered speaker system is, mainly, ace. Designed with multi-functionality in thoughts, Ren is a broad-strokes stereo hi-fi that may communicate to most something you’d need it to. With HDMI ARC, optical, USB-C, RCA and three.5mm aux inputs, and with sturdy Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity in addition to, that is the does-everything bookshelf hi-fi system that most individuals spend a very long time placing collectively piece by piece – and it sounds sensible, as effectively.
These lively audio system are comparatively low-profile towards similarly-powered hi-fi and AV techniques, however pack a punch with their 100W RMS of auditory juice. There’s nothing missing frequency-wise, with a wealthy and compelling responsiveness throughout the spectrum. This, coupled with its unimaginable dynamic response, makes it a supple system for TV and video video games, in addition to a powerful and handy music supply system.
Briefly, these are plug-and-play stereo audio system with high quality internals and unbeatable I/O, and at fairly a aggressive worth for its distinctive placement within the audio-tech market. The Kanto Ren ought to attraction to fairly a couple of totally different folks, whether or not you’re after a brand new bookshelf hi-fi, a substitute for a TV soundbar or a no-fuss all-in-one sound system. A number of the finest stereo audio system we have examined shortly then? Why, sure.
Kanto Ren assessment: Worth & launch date
- $599 / £599 / €719 (round AU$1,199)
- Launched on December 2nd
Most powered audio system of this ilk exist within the studio monitor house, as reference audio system for audio engineers and music producers – a couple of well-liked examples being Yamaha’s HS-series audio system and Adam Audio’s T5Vs (amongst a terrific many others we haven’t the time to profile right here). These, although, are designed as sensible utilities, and with music manufacturing particularly in thoughts – that means fewer consumer-friendly inputs, and a frequency response curve that goals to be as flat and impartial as attainable.
The Rens take the working rules of those built-in desktop/studio options and brings them to the world of hi-fi, making for a genius marriage of sensible audio-tech design and shopper want. In a market the place clients are keen to spend upwards of 4 figures on a soundbar, this highly effective and moveable pair of highly-connectible fashionable bookshelf audio system is certain to stun.
Kanto Ren assessment: Options
- Wide selection of inputs – together with USB-C and Bluetooth 5.3
- Non-obligatory subwoofer out for managed bass
- 100W amplifier brings the juice
The Kanto Ren lively speaker system is a well-featured all-in-one hi-fi dealio, cramming a strong amp with some peerless connectivity into the chassis of one of many audio system. There’s six inputs to change between right here, together with: USB-C, HDMI, optical, RCA, 3.5mm aux and Bluetooth 5.3. All of those are switch-between-able on the helpful included distant management, which additionally offers you fast management of bass, treble and quantity ranges (should you don’t really feel like controlling any of the latter with the powered speaker’s front-borne rotary encoder, itself a satisfyingly tactile little knob).
The Kanto Ren is a stereo speaker system, and its built-in amplifier circuitry mainly follows go well with – which suggests no extending your setup to surround-sound (although why you’d ever wish to accomplish that with this explicit setup is one other query completely). There’s, nevertheless, an RCA subwoofer output – which naturally cries out to be paired with Kanto’s current SUB8 sealed subwoofer. With a subwoofer plugged in, any sounds under 80Hz are neatly and mechanically redirected to it; our assessment is a sub-less one, although, to concentrate on the deserves of the Rens alone.
Inside, there’s some intelligent digital goings-on alongside the sensible comfort displayed exterior. There are two digital sound profiles you may have interaction and swap between – particularly, the Vocal Increase and Night time Mode algorithms, which respectively remedy the 2 greatest issues going through the fashionable TV-binger: quiet dialogue and paper-thin celebration partitions.
One other nifty digital characteristic is the Ren’s auto-wake perform, which you’ll be able to toggle on and off with the distant. This characteristic ensures the audio system leap to life the second they detect incoming audio – that means you may get pleasure from their enhanced sound quickly as you turn your TV on. Every little thing’s geared to consumer comfort, and it exhibits; utilizing the Kanto Ren system has been nothing however a breeze from day dot.
Kanto Ren assessment: Sound high quality
- Merely: large
- Unimaginable readability of sound
- Barely flabby low finish
The Kanto Ren system was first put by its paces by way of its optical enter, linked to my TV. My companion and I had picked a superb time to rewatch the primary two seasons of Twin Peaks collectively; Angelo Badalamenti’s intro theme was a vastly gratifying hear each time the opening credit swelled in, and each tense spook was robustly supported by the wellsprings of low finish these audio system are able to producing.
Talking of spooks, the dynamic vary of the Rens was completely examined by my tremulous playthrough of mind-bending action-horror Alan Wake II on the PS5 – a superb recreation whose refined nods to the Twin Peaks mythos are extra like vociferous headbangs. From refined pressure to outright jumpscares, the sport’s sound design is a dynamic delight; the Rens deal with each jolt and spike with nice humour, even when in neighbour-placating ‘night time mode’ setting.
The sonorous bass is supported in no small half by the ported rear, which provides a whole lot of air motion – and, naturally, makes for a pumpy, barely vague low-end. With this less-sculpted breathy ‘flab’ at greater volumes, you may see why Kanto went to the difficulty of together with a subwoofer output. Granted, my corner-alcove placement for TV listening gained’t be profitable any awards (and neither will my makeshift stacked-book speaker stands, for that matter), significantly with respect to bass response – which is why I examined them elsewhere in my home for his or her Bluetooth and aux-input musical deserves.
In testing out the Bluetooth mode, I whacked on Richard Dawson’s 2023 album The Hermit by way of Spotify – the title monitor of which is a 45-minute post-folk micro-odyssey by bucolic far-future Northumberland. This album-length track is extraordinarily dynamically wealthy, and the Rens don’t falter for a second in representing that richness.
Dawson’s croaked whispers vault into hovering leads, and tactile, distant electrical guitars get swallowed by a Speak-Speak-y orchestra of loud-yet-ambient instrumentation; all of that is clear, distinct and well-separated, and as gratifyingly dynamic because the track may ever demand to be, all regardless of the potential throttling both Spotify or the Bluetooth codec can make use of. Good work, Ren! That refined breathiness within the bass is much less pronounced with out my bass-trappy alcove – however even inside, the Rens nonetheless retained readability and purposeful responsiveness virtually in every single place else.
To check its dealing with of transients in a extra managed setting, I additionally listened to Cool Sounds’ Like That, an irreverent file stuffed with groovy guitars and vivid disco drums; Half-Time Punk’s gloriously lifeless 70s drums are tactile and three-dimensional, dance-y right-to-left tom fill revealing the energy of the Ren’s soundstage.
In all, the Kanto Ren stereo pair is a delightful-sounding array, and nice in virtually each situation during which they might conceivably be positioned. There are apparent shortcomings with respect to the ultra-low finish, however shortcomings overcome by intelligent design – and which aren’t all that in need of the mark to start with. They’re loud, proud and unequivocally hi-fi, beating out a terrific many techniques constructed for related and even better price-points. For this worth, and with their place out there borne firmly in thoughts, they’re virtually excellent.
Kanto Ren assessment: Design
- Lovely – if delicate – matte end
- Smooth entrance face
- A up to date pleasure
The Kanto Ren audio system are, in a phrase, fetching. The MDF chassis mix thought-about contours with smooth surfaces; the flat entrance panel and its sharp vertices are offset by how fantastically the speaker cones are countersunk in – the mud covers of that are, themselves, delightfully suave.
This author’s assessment set got here in a fetching matte blue – however there are 4 different fetching matte colorways so that you can decide from, together with a fetchingly nostalgic orange. The slight disappointment of not getting the orange Rens to assessment was offset instantly by how tastefully – would possibly I say, fetchingly? – the blue ones straddled our slightly fetching orange TV stand.
The tasteful nature of the audio system extends to the tender LED dot on the lively speaker unit – which easily modifications hue relying on the audio sources you turn between. The optical supply, which was used for almost all of this assessment, is represented by a shade of lilac I’d solely describe as ‘sort’.
A small niggle, although, presents in how stubbornly finger-marks stick with that fetching matte end. Regardless of the conclusions you could draw from the photographs equipped with this assessment, its author’s arms are usually not grubby little mitts in any case – however slightly clumsy ones, the proof of which is borne out by the near-unmovable streaks of darkish throughout the otherwise-fetching entrance faces of the audio system. I digress.
So far as sensible design is worried, the Rens serve effectively. Threaded holes on the rear present for those who would possibly wish to wall-mount their audio system, and rubber ft are offered individually in order to not rob you of selection in any matter. There are even some optionally available speaker grilles you may place over the entrance, held in place magnetically in order to not mar the smooth entrance with anchor slots. All informed; the Kanto Ren system is designed fantastically, and considerately too.
Kanto Ren assessment: Setup and value
- Just about plug-and-play
- Intuitive controls
- May stand to ship with extra cables
Being lively audio system, establishing the Kanto Ren stereo set is an absolute trifle – the toughest half being the protected manoeuvring of the audio system into place with out scuffing that fetching (I stated it once more!) matte end. There’s no extra hi-fi amp-wrangling or cable-knotting to deal with, previous the straightforward truth of connecting speaker to speaker, and audio supply to system. Certainly, setting these up is about so simple as establishing any respectable hi-fi system may ever be (and particularly so for AV setups).
The distant management is the factor you’ll be interacting with probably the most by far, and it couldn’t be less complicated to function. Every little thing’s clearly signposted, and also you barely want the distant management ‘map’ to know what you’re urgent. A minor level presents within the occasional unresponsiveness of the quantity management to repeated presses, however a little bit persistence goes a good distance with easy management of the Ren’s varied parameters (because it after all does with life on the whole).
The audio system ship with a size of two-core speaker cable so that you can join left speaker with proper, by way of the screw terminals on the rear. Sadly, the Rens don’t ship with extra HDMI or optical cables for complete out-of-the-box connectivity; should you don’t have already got the requisite cables at hand, you could be ordering in and ready a day for what you want. This author had – and most of you should have, at that – cables aplenty at hand, however a spare HDMI wouldn’t have gone amiss as a little bit out-of-the-box sweetener!
- Setup and value rating: 5/5
Kanto Ren assessment: Worth
- Not an inconsiderable expense…
- However extraordinarily well-priced for what you get
- Will knock the socks off most, if not all, soundbars
The $599/£599/€719 (so, round AU$1,199) worth level shouldn’t be an insignificant one, even when it does technically fall in the direction of the decrease finish of the value spectrum in a broader area of living-room sound-system options. It’s an funding for an built-in hi-fi system, whichever method you slice it – nevertheless it’s a terrific funding too, and in all the identical slice-ings.
If you happen to’re wanting a real improve from the soundbar you bought final Black Friday which sounds ‘okay I assume’, you’ll be blown away by the distinction these full-throated audio system present. If you happen to’re trying to put money into higher sound in your TV for the primary ever time – and on the lookout for a foolproof plug-and-play place to begin – you couldn’t spend $599 significantly better should you tried. Nice-sounding built-in techniques are laborious to return by, however for me the Kanto Ren ticks all the precise packing containers. As a living-room stereo pair, these are completely pitched to deal with every part – and fairly darn effectively, at that.
Do you have to purchase the Kanto Ren?
| Attributes | Notes | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Options | The Kanto Ren is a stacked stereo speaker system, with six totally different inputs – three digital, one optical and two analogue – for full living-room versatility. Add in some extraordinarily user-friendly digital thrives, together with a Night time Mode and an auto-wake perform, and child, you’ve obtained a stew occurring. | 5/5 |
| Sound high quality | These Kanto Ren audio system sound phenomenal. They’re wealthy, full and clear, with tactile transient response and nifty dynamic handlings beside. The ultra-low finish can get a tad pushy relying in your placement, however that is forgiven – significantly given how small these audio system are towards simply how a lot they’ll present. | 5/5 |
| Design | I imply, have a look at them. A terrific matte end with 5 placing colourways – the most effective of which is undeniably the orange (and which I’m definitely not a tiny bit upset about not receiving for assessment). The chassis are cleanly designed a real pleasure to behold as a part of one’s residence – and even the LED is fairly! | 4.5/5 |
| Worth | Completely an funding, whichever method you chop it – however when inferior-sounding soundbar techniques are double the value, investing within the Kanto Ren turns into a little bit of a no brainer. Nice worth for a great-looking set of audio system with a terrific sound! | 5/5 |
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Kanto Ren: Additionally think about
How I examined the Kanto Ren
- Examined for 4 weeks
- Used primarily in front room, as foremost system for TV and for audio streaming.
- Briefly examined in different areas of the house as an auxiliary hi-fi system (and to make sure verdicts weren’t skewed by the sound profile of my front room alcove).
The Kanto Ren audio system spent most of their time bookending my TV within the inside alcove of my front room, the place they have been put to the check, by way of HDMI ARC and optical enter, as the first audio system for watching TV and enjoying video video games – in addition to, in hi-fi phrases, for Bluetooth streaming. Phono and Bluetooth have been additionally trialled in my attic workplace, with the intention to assess the frequency response of the audio system in several acoustic areas. I listened to personal-favourite information, the sound of which I may comfortably corroborate towards the efficiency of different techniques with which I’m acquainted.
First reviewed: December 2024
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