Tom's Guide Verdict
The Kanto UKI bookshelf speakers have enjoyable, consistent sound and simple controls, making it easy to make quick volume or connectivity adjustments. The small size means they’re easy to store too. Unfortunately, these speakers struggle with deep bass tracks, and the soundstage is narrow, but you can improve this with additional purchases.
Pros
- +
Great detailed sound
- +
Simple controls
- +
Diverse connectivity options
- +
Compact
- +
Cute design
Cons
- -
Struggle with deep bass (but you can purchase a sub separately)
- -
Needs speaker stands to improve soundstage
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If you’re looking for some of the best computer speakers to upgrade your desk setup, then look no further than the Kanto UKI bookshelf speakers. Though compact they may be, quiet they are not, with a room-filling sound that excellently replicates mids and treble.
The controls are simple to get to grips with, and the diverse range of connectivity options means you can use them for everything. From wirelessly streaming from your phone to connecting to a turntable, these speakers are incredibly versatile.
On their own, the speakers struggle to replicate bass and have a narrow soundstage, but these issues can be fixed with additional purchases of a sub and speaker stands. To find out more, you can keep reading this full Kanto UKI review.
Kanto UKI review: Specs
Kanto UKI review: Price & availability
The Kanto UKI bookshelf speakers are available for $269 from Amazon U.S. and £262 from Amazon U.K. The speakers come in five different colors, including Onyx, Chalk, Cornflower, Pumice and Sage, which I tested.
Kanto also offers the Kanto Ora bookshelf speakers for the higher price of $349. These speakers only come in black, but they offer a wider soundstage and studio sound for music production or mixing. There are also the Kanto Ora4 for $399, which are the same as the Ora but powered.
A cheaper way to upgrade your desk setup is the JBL 104-BT speakers for $199. They have a wide sound but struggle in the low end. I personally don’t think they look as good as the Kanto speakers, but they do the job just fine.
If you’re short on space and need to save some space (and money), the Creative Pebble Pro speakers cost just $69. The speakers have powerful bass, but I prefer the soundstage of the Kanto UKI speakers.
Kanto UKI review: Design
The Kanto UKI speakers are an undeniably stylish duo that has brightened up my desk. I tested the Sage colorway of the speakers, and since my room is decorated with a lot of green furniture, they fit right in.
Each of the speakers measures 6.5 x 4.4 x 4.3 inches, so they’re very compact. They’re smaller than the Edifier R1280T speakers ($149), which measure 9.2 x 7.7 x 5.7 inches. If you’re short on space, the Kanto speakers are a no-brainer.
They are made from partially recycled hard plastic and feel very sturdy. The front of each speaker has an exposed tweeter and woofer.
At the back of each speaker, there’s a thread for mounting it to the Kanto SU2 speaker stands, which are available for $29. This addition will lift the speakers off the desk, giving you more space and reducing surface reflections, enhancing the quality of your playback. Adding these stands made the listening experience ten times better, and I recommend this addition to anyone who buys these speakers.
Controls
The controls on the speakers are very minimal and simplistic, but that makes the experience straightforward. They remind me of the ones I had with my family PC in the 2000s. There's one knob on the front of the main speaker that you press to switch connectivity options and turn to adjust volume.
At the back of the main speaker, you’ll find the Bluetooth button and a small left/right switch. By toggling this switch, you can switch between the left and right output speakers, meaning you can arrange them however you like on your desk. This made it easy for me to arrange my setup according to where the power outlets in the room are.
Connectivity
At the back of the main speaker, you’ll see all of the ports for the different connectivity options. You can listen to music using Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C or RCA inputs, giving you versatility to use them with computers, phone streaming, or hooked up to a record player. There is also a 3.5mm headphone output port at the front of the speaker.
The speakers need to be connected to power when in use. There’s a six-foot four-pin speaker connector included in the box to connect the left and right speakers.
Kanto UKI review: Sound quality
I listened using the Kanto UKI speakers connected to my computer via USB-C. I’ve enjoyed listening to my music with the bookshelf speakers every day. Overall, the sound from these speakers is very warm, and the reproduction feels very natural. On their own, they’re perfect for casual listening but lack a wide soundstage; however, when I added the Kanto SU2 Desktop Stands to the setup, the sound was transformed.
When speakers are placed directly onto a surface like your desk, the sound can be subject to reflection. This means that they begin to sound muffled. But with the addition of speaker stands that can direct the sound upwards, this muffled sound is reduced, and sound reflection diminishes. These stands are a saving grace for these speakers.
To test the bass performance, I listened to Nightmare Tripping by Don Broco. This song relies heavily on the deep bassline, but that wasn’t replicated very well here. Some of the depth was lost, with more focus being put on the vocals. But this is to be expected with these speakers as they bottom out at 80Hz and are primarily designed for detailed listening, prioritizing the mids performance. But a deep bass performance is still achievable if that’s what you’re looking for, as you can pair the speakers with a small sub offered by Kanto, such as the Sub6 for $299.
The mid-performance was impressive. I listened to Wheels by the Foo Fighters. This song is country-esque (for the Foos) and features powerful drums and a bright electric guitar. The drums were well defined throughout the song, and the electric guitar also sounded very clean.
Finally, I listened to Next To Me by Kingfishr to test the treble and vocal performance. This song is soft and acoustic, lending itself to showcasing the more delicate performance of the speakers.
The vocals and harmonies throughout the song were clear with good separation. The guitar and harmonica also showed off the bright sound of the speakers and the warmth they can replicate.
I also used the speakers while watching Invincible, an action TV show, and was impressed by the level of detail and how the sound effects moved between the speakers.
Kanto UKI review: Verdict
The Kanto UKI bookshelf speakers have been a great addition to my desk setup. I can listen to them all day and know I’ll get an enjoyable, consistent sound. The simple controls make it easy to make quick volume adjustments or switch over connectivity.
The diverse selection of connectivity options is ideal if you want to use the speakers connected to a PC, wirelessly to your phone, or with a more bespoke setup with a turntable. The small size means they’re easy to store, and the cute design and color options are the cherry on top.
Unfortunately, these speakers struggle with deep bass tracks, but you could spend a little extra on the Kanto Ora instead if that bothers you. The narrow soundstage also won’t be ideal for anyone looking for desktop speakers to support music production or mixing. With that said, these speakers are ideal for casual, everyday listening while working.
