Review: Kanto TUK Premium Powered Speakers
Unadulterated sound with a plethora of connectivity options.
Price £750
Contact Kanto
Though Kanto has been going since 2007, this Canadian company is unfamiliar to many in the world of professional audio. However, its high-end TUK multifunctional multimedia speakers, which feature AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeters, might change all that.
Based around one active speaker that powers a second passive speaker, there’s a heap of connectivity here. There are optical, USB, RCA, Phono and GND inputs for hooking up a turntable, and Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX HD and AAC codecs. There’s an output for linking a separate subwoofer, with an 80hz crossover enabled at the push of a button, and a front-mounted 3.5mm headphone jack. The remote is simple. It’s easy to switch between inputs, although it’s hard to tell from a distance what input is selected unless you learn the order of the LED lights on the front of the speaker – something displaying the current input on the remote would be useful.
The most impressive and unique thing about these speakers are the AMT tweeters, which deliver crisp, fast and accurate highs. But these speakers are tremendously natural and smooth too. Mids and bass tones are handled by rigid 5.25-inch aluminum drivers that provide deceptively deep lows considering their size. Tones have high attack across the entire frequency spectrum. Using the EQ settings on the remote control sees the bass and treble increase or decrease politely, with no unnatural colouration of the sound. Although the amount that each button press affects the EQ could be more subtle, with more steps between the maximum and minimum settings.
At about £750, these aren’t low-cost speakers, nor are they strictly designed for the studio. But, at close to the quality of a decent mid-range studio monitor, they would be an enjoyable second set. Unlike most studio monitors, the TUK Premium Powered Speakers have the connectivity for music playback or even hooking up to your TV, making them a solid all-rounder for studio and home use.
Key features
- Drivers 28 x 35mm AMT tweeters, 13cm woofer
- Power output 65W per channel
- Frequency response 50Hz – 20kHz
- Bluetooth version 4.2
- Dimensions (hwd) 27.6 x 18 x 21.5cm
- Weight (active) 5kg
- Weight (passive) 4.5kg
