About the Kanto SYD
Stereo sound from a single speaker
The Kanto SYD features a built-in phono preamp, so you can enjoy records without a receiver or power amplifier.
Stereo sound from a single speaker
The Kanto SYD is compact and versatile enough to let you listen to just about anything you want to hear.
The speaker's horizontal layout helps it deliver full, clear stereo sound from a single speaker. Its dual 4" Kevlar® woofers and twin 1" silk dome tweeters are powered by a built-in Class D amplifier, so there's no need for a receiver or amp. Bluetooth is built in for quick, convenient pairing with your mobile device or laptop.
Turntable-ready
Vinyl is making a comeback, but it can be difficult to find room for a receiver or power amp. The SYD has a switchable phono preamplifier, and since it also has a built-in amp you can directly connect a turntable and save space.
If your turntable has its own preamp built in, set the SYD's RCA input switch to "Line" and you're ready to go. If not, the "Phono" setting engages the speaker's built-in preamp.
My hands-on experience with the Kanto SYD
I was excited to get a chance to audition the burgundy version of this speaker at home. I live in an apartment, and I like the idea of an attractive self-contained speaker system that can handle multiple wired and wireless sources.
The SYD's design fixed a problem I'd had with other systems — its horizontal layout allowed me to put it in front of my television (rather than one speaker on each side) so I could hear dialogue and sound effects from a perfectly centered position. It gave a real boost to anything I watched.
I'm also a vinyl lover, so the built-in phono preamp was a big deal for me. I dug the accurate stereo soundstage I got when I played a remastered Bill Evans live set, but I really sat up and took notice when I spun a 2016 Tribe Called Quest release. The bass from this small speaker is solid. Not enough to make a neighbor bang on my floor with a broomstick (which is a good thing), but it definitely gives full support to a groove.
One last note: the included stand is a simple but delightful piece of hardware. It's made of solid metal, and angles the speaker so it's pointing at your ears when you set it on a low piece of furniture. Nice touch!
Other convenient connections
Versatility is the name of the game with the SYD. There's a Toslink digital optical input on the back, for connecting a gaming system or CD player, or augmenting TV sound. There's a 3.5mm aux input for making a quick connection with a mobile device.
And if you want — or even need — a little more bass, there's a subwoofer output on the back.
Smart power saving
You can engage the speaker's standby mode, and it will remain active in low-power mode waiting for input. When you start playing music again, it automatically returns to full power and starts to play.
Product highlights:
- stereo sound from a single speaker
- two 4" Kevlar® woofers and two 1" silk dome tweeters
- built-in Class D amplifier provides 70 watts RMS power
- Bluetooth® 4.0 with aptX™ audio
- frequency response: 60-20,000 Hz
- input-sensing standby mode saves power
- switchable phono preamp built in
- included stand tilts speaker upward by 16°
- remote included
Connections:
- Toslink optical input for digital sources
- optical digital input supports up to 24-bit/96kHz input (two-channel PCM only)
- analog stereo RCA input with phono switch
- analog 3.5mm auxiliary input (cable included)
- mono RCA subwoofer output
- USB Type-A charging port (5V/1A)
Dimensions and warranty:
- 17-1/2"W x 5-3/4"H x 6-15/16"D
- weight: 9.9 lbs.
- warranty: 2 years parts and labor
- MFR # SYDMBU
What's in the box:
- Wireless powered speaker
- 6' AC power cord
- Remote control (YU/SYD)
- 2 "AAA" batteries
- Pedestal stand
- 6.5' Stereo minijack cable
- User Manual
- "Thank You" note
Featured video:
Customer reviews for Kanto SYD
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Average review:
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Customer photos
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More details on the Kanto SYD
Features & specs
Connections | ||
---|---|---|
Ethernet Port | No | |
USB-A Port | No | |
USB-B Port | No | |
USB-C Port | No | |
3.5mm Input | 1 | |
RCA Input | No | |
XLR Input | No | |
Phono Input | Yes | |
Digital Input | Optical | |
HDMI Input | No | |
Headphone Jack | No | |
Subwoofer Output | No | |
Wireless Features | ||
Bluetooth | Built-in | |
Wi-Fi | No | |
Wi-Fi Bands | No | |
Stereo Speaker Pairing | No | |
Driver Details | ||
Tweeter Size (Inches) | 1 | |
Tweeter Type | Soft-Dome | |
Tweeter Material | Silk | |
Midrange Size (Inches) | --- | |
Midrange Type | --- | |
Woofer Size (Inches) | 4 | |
Woofer Type | Kevlar | |
Audio Specs | ||
Watts RMS (Continuous) | 70 | |
Watts Maximum (Peak) | 140 | |
Frequency Response | 60-20k | |
Max. Digital Audio Bit Depth | 24-bit | |
Max. Digital Audio Sample Rate | 96 kHz | |
High-res Audio Playback | ||
From Network | No | |
From USB Thumb Drive (USB-A) | No | |
From Computer (USB-B) | No | |
Streaming Compatibility | ||
Apple AirPlay | No | |
Apple AirPlay 2 | No | |
DTS Play-Fi | No | |
Chromecast built-in | No | |
Roon | No | |
Sonos | No | |
HEOS | No | |
MusicCast | No | |
SoundTouch | No | |
Bose Home Speaker | No | |
WiSA | No | |
BluOS | No | |
Klipsch Stream | No | |
KEF Stream | No | |
Music Services | ||
Amazon Music | No | |
Apple Music | No | |
iHeart Radio | No | |
Pandora | No | |
Qobuz | No | |
SiriusXM | No | |
Spotify | No | |
Tidal | No | |
TuneIn | No | |
YouTube Music | No | |
Control | ||
Handheld Remote | Yes | |
Control by app | N/A | |
Amazon Alexa | No | |
Google Assistant | No | |
Other Specs | ||
Width (Inches) | 17.625 | |
Height (Inches) | 7.25 | |
Depth (Inches) | 9.0625 | |
Parts Warranty | 2 Years | |
Labor Warranty | 2 Years |
Product Research
Features
Two-Way Driver Design: The Kanto SYD powered speaker system features a two-way driver design with two 1" silk dome tweeters and dual 4" kevlar cone woofers for clear high and detailed midrange/midbass frequencies.
- Two 1" Silk Dome Tweeters: The two 1" tweeters are made from silk to deliver a high-frequency range that's bright and refined. The tweeters' dome shape improves sound dispersion to ensure your ears capture every sound, regardless of where you are in the room.
- Dual 4" Kevlar Cone Woofers: The dual 4" woofer cones are made of a kevlar material and feature rubber surrounds for long-lasting performance. The woofers provide surprisingly controlled and accurate low frequency response.
Class D Amplifier: The 1" tweeters and 4" woofers are powered by a built-in 35 watt (RMS) / 70 watt (Peak) x 2 channel amplifier for dynamic sound reproduction.
Bass Reflex Cabinet: The Kanto SYD powered speaker system utilizes a bass reflex enclosure design with a rear-firing port for greater efficiency and bigger bass response. The speaker cabinet is available in a black, white, burgundy, or pink, finish.
Note: The Kanto SYD powered speaker system does not come with a grille.
24-Bit/96kHz DAC: The Kanto SYD powered speaker system utilizes a 24-bit/96kHz resolution DAC (digital-to-analog converter) for high-quality sound reproduction.
Bluetooth Audio Streaming: The Kanto SYD offers built-in Bluetooth 4.0 with support for wireless audio streaming (A2DP) and control (AVRCP). You'll be able to wirelessly stream your music libraries, music apps, and other audio content on your Bluetooth source device (such as your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer) to the SYD speaker system. You can pair multiple Bluetooth source devices with the SYD powered speaker system, but only one device can be connected and used for playback at a time.
- Music Codecs: In addition to supporting the standard Bluetooth SBC codec, the SYD system offers support for Qualcomm's aptX codec. Qualcomm's aptX codec provides even better sound quality with lossless, "CD-quality" (16-bit/44.1kHz) streaming for aptX-compatible source devices, such as many Android smartphones and tablet with OS 4.0 or newer.
- Playback Control: You'll also be able to control basic playback functions (such as Play/Pause & Previous/Next Track) from the included remote control. Advanced music playback and song/artist display will still be done from your Bluetooth source device.
Note: The Kanto SYD powered speaker system does not support Bluetooth hands-free communication for making and answering phone calls.
Line or Phono Input: There is a 3.5mm Aux input for connecting a portable digital audio player with a headphone jack output. The SYD also comes equipped with a stereo audio RCA input and built-in phono preamp, allowing you to connect a line-level source or phono turntable. You can toggle between line-level and phono with a simple flip of a switch that is located on the rear-panel. In addition, there is a ground-terminal to reduce noise.
Optical Digital Input: The SYD is equipped with one optical (toslink) digital audio input for connection to your TV, satellite/cable box, Blu-ray player, or game console. The optical digital input supports 2ch PCM only, up to 24-bit/96kHz (not compatible with Dolby Digital/DTS).
USB Charging Port: Use SYD's USB charging port to conveniently power and charge your smartphone or tablet device. The USB charging port is rated at 5V/1A. This USB port does not support audio playback.
Sub Out: The Kanto SYD is equipped with a mono-RCA subwoofer output for connecting a powered subwoofer (sold separately - see Accessories Tab) to add deep, low bass to the speaker system. The SYD's sub output is full-range, so you'll need a powered subwoofer with a built-in low-pass crossover.
Note: Once you have connected a powered sub, you can disable/enable the sub output on the SYD from the included remote control. This can be helpful in situations where you want to listen to your speakers, but don't want to disturb the neighbors with sub-bass.
Simple Control: The included IR remote control provides wireless operation of the Kanto SYD speaker system. From the wireless remote you can control Power On/Off, Source Selection, Volume Up/Down, Mute, Bass/Treble, Balance, Play/Pause, and Previous/Next Track. There is also a rotary Volume/Source control knob on the front-panel and a Power on/off switch on the back-panel of the speaker.
Mounting & Placement Options: The Kanto SYD powered speaker system comes with a low-profile stand that provides 16 degrees of tilt for optimal positioning. Room characteristics and positioning have a profound effect on the performance of the speaker, so time and effort devoted to achieving the optimum positions will be rewarded.
- The SYD speaker system is designed to perform optimally positioned at least 8" from the rear wall in an average listening room. However, it may not be possible to install the speaker in this position since rooms vary in shape, size, and furnishing. A certain amount of experimentation is necessary to determine the most suitable position.
- Moving the speaker very close to the rear wall will enhance the bass frequencies, but will tend to reduce soundstage depth, while moving the speaker away from the rear wall will tend to have the opposite effect. Avoid positioning the speaker close to or in the corner of a room, as this will excite undesirable room coupling in the low and middle frequencies.
Note: The Kanto SYD does not offer brackets, threaded inserts, or key-hole slots to wall-mount the speaker.
Power Requirements: The Kanto SYD powered speaker system includes a detachable 6' AC power cord that will need to be plugged into an AC power outlet or surge protector (sold separately - see Accessories Tab).
Note: The Kanto SYD speaker system is not battery powered.
Auto Power On/Off: The Kanto SYD speaker system features Auto Power On and Off functions to save power. When no audio signal has been detected for 15 minutes, the SYD system will put itself into Standby (Off) mode. If the audio signal returns via the same input that the SYD was playing when it entered standby, the system will wake up and resume playing. It can also be woken up manually by pressing the "Power" button on the remote or pressing the rotary control knob on the front-panel the speaker.
Note: The Automatic Power On function will not work if the SYD system is manually switched to Standby (Off) mode using the remote or control knob.
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Customer Q&A
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Took a week to break in,then connected a KLH,and the beauty began! This speaker sounds fantastic,looks great,money well spent.Every time I turn this system on,I smile,so I guess that says it all.
Tony from Philadelphia