Kanto ORAMP 100W Powered Reference Desktop Computer Speakers with Bluetooth 5.0 and USB-C Input | Bi-Amplified | 100 Hz Automatic Crossover | Reference Quality Sound | Pair | Pink

The Kanto ORA is a really good pair of desktop speakers. They have a pretty flat and laid-back sound. The bass with the unit itself sounds good, but it still doesn't produce much sub-bass (as expected of a speaker this size). If you don’t listen to a lot of bass-centered tracks, then you would not necessarily need a subwoofer with this. Connecting a subwoofer (I used a Kanto Sub8) activates the crossover (at 100Hz), allowing the ORA to focus its power on the mids and highs, producing a well-rounded, full-range sound.I bought this to replace my KEF Q100 + Pioneer SW-8MK2 + SMSL AD18 DAC/AMP setup, which was taking up a lot of space on my desk. Using a passive speaker also meant adding an amplifier and all the additional wires required, making the desk a mess. The ORAs are tiny in comparison and are powered, simplifying the setup considerably. One huge quality-of-life improvement for me with the ORA is that I can change its volume at the OS level (via keyboard) like an analog connection, even when connected via USB. I do this hundreds of times a day and don’t have to take my hands off the keyboard now. It is still a little confusing as the speaker volume (controlled via knob) and system volume are independent, and I am not sure how it’s affecting the subwoofer volume (it was at 50% with the SMSL, but I had to reduce it to 25% with the ORA). It took me a day or two of tinkering to get the volumes at a balanced state. @Kanto, if you are reading this, I hope you can share a guide on how to balance system, speaker, and subwoofer volumes, especially within the Kanto ecosystem.After dialing in the ORA and the Sub8, I compared it to the larger KEF system, and it was a tough one. The KEF, thanks to its coaxial drivers, sounded more magical than the Kanto. The imaging on certain tracks is out of this world, but on the flip side, they do sound thin and fatiguing with other songs (even though they are not bright speakers). The Kanto, on the other hand, sounded more laid back and neutral, which makes it a bit boring but more consistent across the range of songs I tried. At the end of the day, I prefer and am keeping the kanto setup for the desk, due to its size, laid-back neutral sound, simplicity, and other convenience features. The ORA feels well-tuned and optimized for the desk. If you want a speaker that you would like to move from the desk to the living room when needed, there are many other excellent (but larger) speakers at this price point that might serve you better. If this was priced around $249, it would have been a no-brainer recommendation.

Speakers are compact, sound is excellent, bass is punchy, and vocals are clear! Aesthetics are timeless and classic. I've replaced my Audio Engine A2's with this, and it was a huge upgrade in every way.Volume knob on the front makes life easier to use than the A2's. Sound is clearer, and fuller than the A2's. Build quality is a lot more robust and premium than the A2's.

Solid speakers, at a good price. I was impressed with the sound quality & like the size.

Great pair of speakers, perfect for a desktop. When on sale these are definitely the best choice for a small desktop setup. A little bit on the pricy side, but the soundstage is pretty incredible from such a small speaker so it's worth it in the end, especially if you are limited on room. Great amount of bass even with out a sub I was genuinely surprised. However, connecting a sub does make them really come to life, but I wish I was able to turn the automatic crossover off and use an external unit to adjust it myself to really dial it in. They sounded best about a foot or more away from the wall, when up against the wall the mids get a bit veiled from the bass and the vocals lose the a bit of clarity. But once I pulled them away from the wall they really opened up and shined. Overall, it's a great pair of speakers for anyone with limited space.

My previous desktop setup was a loxjie a30 connected to various bookshelf speakers (most recently Klipsch rp500m) and an svs 3000 micro subwoofer.The kanto speakers will certainly be a downgrade for anyone coming from standard sized passive bookshelf speaker, but it is tiny and that's what I was looking for - the smallest speakers I could get that didn't sound bad. There are not a lot of decent options at this size so in that respect the Ora's are good. I have the Ora's hooked up to the same svs 3000 micro subwoofer and it sounds pretty good for games and video but is most noticably worse with music. I'm not an audiophile but the midrange sounds off or hollow compared to larger speakers.So, you can get much better sound for the same price with a cheap class d integrated amp and some cheap bookshelves, but this takes up way less space. As long as you are willing to compromise a bit on sound quality you will gain a lot of desk real estate back.To be clear, these don't sound bad, but if you're used to larger speakers these will most likely be a downgrade. If you know that going in it may help to set proper expectations.

Best upgrade and perfect size and performance. Clean look with Kanto stands.