Kanto Audio was founded in 2007 in Canada. They spent many years designing and manufacturing OEM products for large consumer electronics companies which gives them the technical experience. Their driving force behind the brand lies not just the technical know-how, but also their passion to create audio solutions for the discerning consumers.
JGS Global, the Singapore brand representative of Kanto, reached out to me to review the Kanto speakers. I decided to try out the REN and Sub8. The REN is Kanto’s latest powered speaker system that among all connectivity options, supports HDMI ARC. It makes the REN a a fantastic alternative to the soundbar, achieving better stereo separation with the flexibility of speaker placement.
REN by Kanto
REN comes in 5 colours – black, white, blue, orange, and gray, and retails at S$999 in Singapore. It is powered by Class D amplifiers with peak 200W. It comes with a magnetic speaker dust cover.
When connected to my Samsung Crystal UHD DUE800 4K Smart TV, the power and volume control are integrated to offer convenience in operating the audio. Initially I had problems getting audio to work on some of the apps, only YouTube and Spotify seems to work. Eventually I realised that REN can only take stereo audio signal, so I need to change the audio output format to “stereo” or in the case of Samsung TV, change to “PCM”.
While the retail package does not include a printed manual, I recommend spending time downloading and reading through, as it provides a wealth of information that are not apparent. Download from the product page.
Here are some features that you can customise the REN via the remote control:
- Adjust LED brightness on the REN
- Channel swap the speakers (press next track for 5 seconds to assign main speaker as R, previous track to assign main speaker as L)
- Automatic Power Up (APU) can be disabled – press-hold treble reset button for 5 seconds and LED blink once. When enable, LED will blink twice.
- Automatic Power Down (APD) can be disabled – press-hold bass reset button for 5 seconds.
- Adjust treble and bass levels. Conveniently reset levels with dedicated reset buttons.
- Adjust sound modes – vocal boost (LED blink twice), night mode (LED blink thrice), normal (LED blink once)
- Adjust playback controls on your digital device. I am able to control foobar2000, Spotify and TIDAL via USB, and music player on my Android phone via Bluetooth.
- Able to mute the subwoofer output and de-activate the high-pass filter.
The REN remote control is one of the most comprehensive ones I have seen on an active speaker system. It might look overwhelming initially, but the extra buttons really help in navigating the settings without the need of an LCD text display. You know the setting mode by looking at the number of LED blinks. For treble-bass adjustments, I can quickly reset and re-adjust if I do not know the current level. With all the connection modes with their dedicated button – AUX, RCA, HDMI, Bluetooth, USB, Optical – I do not have to toggle the modes over and over again.
I tested the REN in 2 environments: my living and my study room. I sat about 2 metres in front of the speaker. The 2-speaker REN projects the instrumentations forward and makes the details well-heard. I would prefer the treble to be more prominent and airy, but there is no doubt the midrange offers well-controlled warmth and articulation. Similarly, the bass is not expansive enough to deliver impact, but I would say the bass is relaxed and unforced, musically neutral and qualitative. I find better audio satisfaction when I turn up the treble level a few notches, but enough to keep the bass balanced.
Then I moved the speakers into my study room, in a more compact area. Now the speakers are merely a meter away from my ears, and they appear oversized on my study table, but the sound never felt overwhelming. I certainly get great musical presence and stereo imaging projecting in front of me. In my room, I am getting more presence from the bass section, though still lacking in sub-bass feel – and that’s where the sub8 will come in (which I will delve soon).
The treble offers balanced clarity and detail, but the overall sound balance is still largely leaning towards the midrange which does not obscure the instrumentation details. Dynamics is excellent, and I can hear even subtle instrumental details that I never noticed with other speakers.
Kanto sub8
The sub8 retails in Singapore for S$499. It’s a sealed subwoofer driven by 300W (peak) Class D amp housed in a rigid MDF cabinet, solid rubber feet, metal grill. Sealed subwoofers are known to produce more accurate, controlled and tighter bass response. Ported subwoofers, on the other hand, can deliver more raw bass feel and more resonance.
The sub8 comes with a few adjustible options available at the rear: amplification level, crossover frequency (40-120Hz), phase, and standby power option. It also supports dual-channel sub-in when connecting to amplifiers without a dedicated mono sub-out. When connecting to the REN, only one channel is needed.
It is easy to do A-B test with the sub8 connected to the REN, thanks to a “sub mute” button on the REN remote, which deactivates the high-pass filter. REN comes with active crossover filter at 80Hz that will reduce the bass extension of the main speakers, allowing them to focus on the mid and high frequencies, while reducing the high frequency output of the subwoofer output.
True to the purpose of a subwoofer, the sub8 enhances the overall audio presentation with increase presence in the sub-bass frequency. With a volume level on the sub8, it is up to the listener to finetune the sonic balance, you can go overdrive or ensure an accurate blend.
Behaving like a sealed subwoofer should, the bass resonance is very much tighter, delivering a controlled deepness which works really well in small rooms. In the living room, the resonance is not so “earth-shattering” that one would prefer in a home-cinema setup.
Do I think it is an essential add-on to your home sound system? It is definitely nice to have, and enhances the listening experience with an additional musical dimension that are often missed out due to the physical constraints of the standard speaker.
Comparing KEF LSX
The KEF LSX is tuned towards V-shaped sound, a more suppressed midrange, more sparkling treble, and more prominent bass. Compared with the REN, the LSX sorely lacks midrange and its staging is much wider, making music sound more “live”. The REN is superior in midrange details, sound staging is closer, warmer, better instrumental positioning.
The LSX brings more sparkle to the music, more enjoyable, more fun, more spatial, more live. The REN sounds more intimate, more expressive, more forward and detailed, bigger sound.
When I connect the sub8 to the LSX, the subwoofer sounds more impactful, albeit less blended. I can hear a deliberate presence of a subwoofer. With the REN, the sub8 sounds more cohesive. Again, it depends on your personal preference on whether you want more kick on the subs. I can see both products will appeal to different types of listeners, and if you like one, you will definitely not like the other.
Which one do I prefer? There is a reason why V-shaped frequency curve is so popular, and LSX delivers that pleasure. But I am really leaning towards the REN because of its faithfulness to the sound mix. Yes, the treble sparkle is not as hair-raising, but it sits within the mix and remains articulated. As for the bass, the pairing of sub8 makes it complete. Without it, you still can hear the bass in its clean controlled form. That is why REN is one that I prefer for analytical listening.
When comparing features, the LSX come with a smartphone app that can finetune the sound. It also requires individual power to drive both units, a special cable to sync the audio to both units, or a wireless mode. The REN has additional outputs like USB and a HDMI ARC connector to seamlessly work with TV, and a standard speaker cable to power up the passive unit. The newer LSX II also has HDMI ARC and additional Ethernet connector as it supports network streaming, but it is also much more expensive than REN.
Final Words
Speakers like Kanto REN with HDMI ARC really makes it convenient to connect to modern TV and to elevant the audio quality compared to soundbars that are generally designed more for cinematic experience more than providing faithful audio quality. It is a perfect speakers for audiophiles who love their sound to be neutral, balanced and detailed. Kanto REN offers great sound for home owners who streams music through the TV, as well as flexibility to connect with other sources like smartphone, turntable, laptop,
The sub8 is really the icing on the cake, enhancing the overall sound reproduction with that added subtle depth at the subsonic frequency. Even for people who does not like the home-theatre excessive subwoofer rumbles, the sub8 politely delivers the sub-bass, such that I sometime could not even tell if it is contributing to the overall sound balance – until I A-B the track with the sub-mute button.
Even more surprising is my misconception that my study room could not accommodate large speakers due to its size. The Kanto REN sounds pretty good in my small room. It does not sound too overpowering, and the stereo imaging requires less precision positioning to achieve. When I felt a little underwhelming on the treble or bass for some tracks, I can easily enhance the balance via the remote, and quickly reset the adjustment promptly.
If you are looking for a sound system for your living room with a warmer sound, you can consider Kanto REN at S$999. Throw in the sub8 to attain listening perfection in your listening room.
