Kanto YU2 Powered Desktop Computer Speakers | 3" Drivers 3/4" Silk Dome Tweeter | 50 W RMS | Built-in USB DAC & AUX Input | Sub Out | Pair | Walnut

I'm running my YU2s with an an Audioengine S8 sub (crossed over at 80Hz). I'm mostly going to talk about how these are with a sub as I really don't find the YU2s adequate without one. If you want anything close to full ranged sound, you're going to need a sub.Out of the box, even with the sub, the YU2s have a tinny sound that is desperately in need of mid-bass boost. This is pretty normal as we're working with some pretty small 3" drivers. Fortunately this is easily taken care of with Equalizer APO (Windows) and the Peace UI for APO. This is a powerful PC EQ for audiophile use. I know there are Mac alternatives though I don't know them by name. Learn how to use these tools to avoid clipping and you can make a really squeeze performance out of your speakers. Don't let that inital tinny sound fool you, these speakers are capable of much much more.The YU2s are capable of putting out respectable and great sounding mid-bass for their size. They aren't going to replicate what larger drivers can, it's that simple. But are they great for gaming and music on a PC? Will they impress you with what they can do for their size? Absolutely.My last PC setup was a set of Klipsch Promedia 2.1. This setup is definitely a large improvement over that. The YU2's top end is detailed and clean. Nice sparkly highs, clear vocals and punchy mid-bass after tuning out the system.If you want a sub with your system for gaming, movies and music, I do recommend the Audioengine S8. I chose this to pair with the YU2 specifically because it is a ported sub with a small footprint and a good sized woofer for a small office room. If you want your explosions to go "BOOM" you need a port for the added bass extension. This particular sub handles music great too. If you're not into games or movies, you may want to try Kanto's SUB8 instead which is sealed. A sealed sub will provide an arguably tighter punch, but will be lacking for games and movies. I personally like the versatility of the long throw ported S8.Build quality and looks of the YU2 are fantastic on the enclosure, tweeter, driver, backplate and knobs. I got the flat white which is just perfect looking for me. Beautiful and quality finish. I did knock a star off on build quality due to a pretty garbage mini-jack cord that shipped with the system. It was flimsy and caused a really loud buzzing sound when moving the wires due to a bad wire connection near the connector. They should choose something with more reinforcement for a mini-jack. This was the only weak-point as the speaker wire, RCAs and power cord were fine. I chose to use a mini-jack instead of the USB as I want to use my keyboard to change volume. Sounds great this way. No complaints, no hiss, no hum, even with no music playing and the volume set to max. Very clean sound.Cord length is plenty long so getting the wires to the left speaker was not a problem. My PC hangs under the desk on the right, and the main speaker connections are on the left speaker. If your setup is similar, worry not.I got them with the matching stands which I do recommend. If you don't get stands, they do come with some felt stick on discs you can place on the bottom. The stands will angle the speakers to ear level, improving clarity. Worth it.The 5 star sound rating I chose takes their size into account. These are great for 3" computer speakers. If you are space limited on your computer desk, you're going to be hard pressed to do better at this price point. Their obvious competitor, the Audioengine A2+, is more expensive, and from what I've read, they can have a hiss and come more overly pre-colored from a sound signature standpoint. The A2+ has a 60watt peak, compared to the YU2's 100watt peak. The A2+ seems over-priced to me for being more or less the same thing and less powerful.Overall very happy with the purchase. Great speaker at a great price.--Tweaked out the profile and I'm even more happy with these speakers. Attached image shows my Equalizer APO YU2 settings with the Audioengine S8. If I have one major complaint about the YU2 at this point it's the lack of a high-pass filter for use with a sub. If you try to achieve any really loud volumes the speakers distort. If they had added a high-pass filter these could achieve a clearer sound with less distortion by sending the low frequencies to the sub. Still goes plenty loud, so not a huge deal, but certainly a missed opportunity by Kanto.

I am no professional sound engineer, but I have always appreciated good sound and I know it when I hear it. And to me that standard was set a long time ago by a little company you might have heard of -- Miller and Kreisel. My father bought one of their first consumer offerings back in the late 80's. A pair of SB1 satellites and a 12" powered subwoofer. I inherited them from him when he died. My life has changed in such a way that having a big room with a great sound system was simply not possible.So, the SB1's got sold and I had sound through theKlipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System (Black)computer setup for years. Anyone who's owned those knows that they are a nightmare of shoddy connections and the 2 sets I had for each of my computers finally were unacceptable -- blown subwoofers, faulty satellite connections. Good sound, but ultimately flimsy. And considering how much better these YU2's sound, insanely overpriced.I did a bunch of research and finally settled on a pair of these and the matching 6" Sub for one computer and a pair of the Kanto YU3GT Powered Bookshelf Speakers, Gloss Teal for the other (mine) with anAcoustic Audio PSW-8 300 Watt 8-Inch Down Firing Powered Subwoofer (Black). These YU2's are simply fantastic, clear, crisp highs, powerful mids and tight bass. I've played everything from theStar Wars: The Force Awakens to From the Choirgirl Hotel to King ThrakCrimson to Goat Rodeo Sessionsand was blown away by how well everything came alive.These are speakers so good they will reveal every mistake in the recording. And will likely make me reassess what in my library is not worth my time because of them in the future. It's like I'm getting to rediscover the music I've bought in the last ten years I thought I knew backwards and forwards.The YU3's are, of course, even better with deeper low end response and slightly wider dynamic range. But that's a different review.That's the first half of the story. The second half is about Kanto Living themselves. So, those YU3's I mentioned. Well, I bought those (supposedly) lightly used on Ebay. I got a good (but not great) price on them. They arrived I opened the box and the speakers were just thrown in their willy nilly. That was my first clue. The YU2's had arrived from Amazon two days earlier (new) and I knew that Kanto did a good job packaging them. So, something was not right. I picked up the remote and it rattled. Clue #2. Then I picked up the passive satellite. It also rattled. Clue #3.Now, I have a 9 year old. So the idea of something getting put down the bass port in the back was not out of the question. So I opened the speaker up and looked inside. And I saw a copper induction coil laying loose. Not good. I hooked everything up and the passive tweeter made noise but not the 4" woofer. Now, I know this isn't a tough repair but in no way is that acceptable condition for something that was supposed to be in 'Like New' condition.I contacted ebay, put in a dispute and fully expected to get my money back. Somehow to the customer support person 'Used (Like New)" Condition and "damaged with light scuffing but tested to work well" equals accurately described by the seller for the price paid.Not in my universe and not when I paid $210 for them and they list $289. Now, had the seller put them up for $100, I would have been hey, "Caveat Emptor" but not for that price. That's a price that says, these speakers work. Needless to say I'm just a little torqued off.So, I put in a dispute with PayPal (still pending) and have my fingers crossed.Next I called Kanto on the off chance they would be able to help me. I didn't expect much more than a very polite (their Canadian), "Sucks to be you, man."To my complete astonishment within 24 hours they had a solution for me. Even though I didn't buy these speakers from them and the damage was not covered by the warranty they sold me a refurbished replacement and a new remote for the cost of shipping ($25). Now, if that's not customer service I don't know what is. (Thanks Jason, you rock my man.)So, long story short, this is a quality company that respects their customers. They make an excellent product which they stand behind. I can't comment on how well they compare to other speakers in their price range, but given how good they sound, I sincerely doubt I will have a reason to find out anytime soon.And that counts for more than just a few dollars in my book. It doesn't hurt that their speakers are so good I'm happily re-engaging with my music library at an emotional level I haven't been able to in a loooong time.I'm seriously considering putting together a system based around their Kanto BENORG 5-inch Passive Coaxial Speakers - Pair (Orange Matte) and a SMSL SMSL MINI5 50W2 TDA7492 Digital Amplifier & Headphone with Power Adapter (Black) for my computer and moving the YU3's to the living room for bluetooth sound.