Kanto Ora Powered Reference Desktop Speakers with Bluetooth (Black)

Internal

ORA is Kanto's first active speaker, meaning that the speaker's drivers are powered and calibrated separately.

ORA is bi-amplified, as opposed to standard amplifier designs that split the signal between the left and right channels. This design divides the 50 W RMS class-D amplifier into four channels, sending 9 W to each tweeter and 16 W to each woofer.

A typical crossover uses analogue electrical components to separate high frequencies for the tweeter and low frequencies for the woofer. ORA features full DSP (digital signal processing) on board to generate crossover points digitally. This allows for precision when adjusting the frequency range transmitted to each driver.

DSP control also extends to the sub-out port, which automatically filters out frequencies less than 100 Hz with a sharp 24 dB/octave slope when a sub is connected. A complementing high-pass filter frees up ORA's 3" woofers to focus on midrange, reducing distortion and allowing ORA to play louder and handle loud transients more accurately.

External

An RCA input is offered for compatibility with older gaming consoles and analogue equipment such as turntables and cassette players. A USB-C input allows you to skip the often poor sounding onboard audio on a PC or Mac in favour of a reliable connection that supports up to 16 bit/48 kHz. Finally, Bluetooth® 5.0 allows you to connect an iPhone, Android, or smart home device, completing the entire input section.

Depending on the input you've selected, the front-facing LED changes from green for RCA to yellow for USB and blue for Bluetooth. The knob on the front of the speaker changes between inputs when pressed inward, adjusts volume when twisted, turns the speaker off with a long press, and powers it back on when pressed. The rear of the speaker has a ¼"-20 hole for mounting to a wall or speaker stand.

Drivers

ORA's ¾" silk dome tweeters deliver smooth, extended treble and are designed for lengthy, fatigue-free listening sessions. Special effort was used when designing the waveguide to improve ORA's vertical dispersion. Despite the fact that ORA's woofer is only 3", it provides enough of low-end extension.