Kanto’s ORA4 desktop speakers just went straight to the top of our CES wish-list
Speakers to outshine that Sphere on the Vegas skyline
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The new ORA4 high performance desktop speakers have been unveiled in Vegas atCES 2024by Canadian audio firm Kanto Audio, and they’re considerably more sultry and demure than the music and entertainment arena known as Sphere – which you can see desperately trying to attract attention in the video below. Unlike Sphere (whichsomemight describe as both ludicrously large and ludicrously expensive), the ORA4 powered speakers are compact and relatively affordable too.
Although they are designed for desktop use, they pack a punch. The ORA4 have separate Class D amps for the woofers and tweeters squirrelled away in the master unit, a subwoofer output with a built-in 80Hz crossover to deliver seamless integration with powered subwoofers, and their bi-amped power is an impressively loud 70W.
And even a quick glance at our glowingKanto Audio ORA review(the slightly smaller sibling released in October 2023 upon which the ORA4 are built – the ‘4’ in the moniker refers not to iterations but to a bigger 4-in driver in the newest release) proves they may well be a contender for ourbest stereo speakersbuying guide. They’re easily in the top three of our list entitled ‘CES things we’d like to sneak into our luggage’ as we gear up for the flight home.
Sound quality as well as quantity
Of course, there’s more to decent speakers than volume – especially if you’re listening to (or making) music, or if you’re gaming and need to be hyper-aware of every sound in the vicinity. Kanto says that these speakers deliver clear highs and a detailed midrange as well as decent low-end thump without a subwoofer.
Connection-wise, you’ve got Bluetooth 5.0, analog RCA line-in, a subwoofer out and USB-C in with support for up to 24-bit/96KHz audio sources. Expect to pay $399 / £349 (which is around AU$660, although official pricing for Australia is not yet known) when the speakers go on sale later this year.
The ORA4 isn’t the only product Kanto was showing off in its Vegas suite: in the video we’ve embedded, Kanto’s Marketing Manager, Brett Smalley, also shows prototypes of speakers the company will be unveiling later this year, including one unnamed HDMI Arc model. However, pricing, specifications and availability for Kanto Audio’s future products has yet to be announced.
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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.
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