Kanto ORA4 desktop speakers review: Brilliant speakers for content creators

Desktop speakers are an important part of my setup and the Harman Kardon SoundSticks 4 were my babies, until 2021 when the Kanto ORA hit my door. Those speakers were small but mighty and now, the Kanto ORA4 desktop speakers have arrived. I surely am not disappointed with the ORA speakers I already had, but the Kanto ORA4 are just that much better and well worth your time considering.

That being said. The Kanto ORA4 aren’t necessarily for everyone. I mean, if you just need sound and don’t care about having a reference tuned speaker, then you can buy some really cheap Amazon products. But if you’re a gamer or content creator who wants some of the best sound you can get in a desktop speaker. Then the Kanto ORA4 is your huckleberry.

The Quick Take

The Kanto ORA4 mostly looks like a larger version of the ORA speakers and that’s because, they are. They’re bigger due to bigger and better drivers. The low end on the Kanto ORA4 speakers is much improved over the ORA, but they retain that neutral soundstaging. Here’s what I liked and didn’t like.

• What I liked:
  • Simple/clean design and lightweight
  • Simple setup and operation
  • Excellent and improved sound, noticeably in the low end
  • Great connectivity options for multiple use cases
  • Excellent value and only $50 more than the ORA
• What I didn’t like:
  • The only thing I might ding these on, is the size. This is just stretching to find something, but the original ORA were smaller. These are slightly bigger and take more room, but I, personally, don’t mind the size increase due to the performance gains.

Overall, the Kanto ORA4 are fantastic desktop speakers that are perfect for anyone, but really are best for gamers and content creators. The white version is the best-looking version and hides fingerprints and light dust better. I highly recommend these speakers and the price is really excellent.

Specifications

The Kanto ORA4 has the following features and specifications:

• Drivers
  • ¾” Silk Dome Tweeters
  • 4” Aluminum Concave Cone
  • (Magnetically Shielded)
• Audio
  • Class D Bi-amplified
  • 140 W Peak Power (70 W Total RMS)
  • 12 W RMS per Tweeter
  • 23 W RMS per Woofer
  • Automatic 80 Hz High/Low-Pass Filter
  • Frequency Response: 60 Hz – 22 kHz
• Inputs
  • RCA Line-Level
  • USB-C (24 bit/96 kHz)
  • Bluetooth® 5.0
• Outputs
  • Subwoofer
• Weights and Measurements
  • Dimensions (each speaker) 4.7” W x 6.7” D x 8.3” H (12 x 17 x 21 cm)
  • Net Weight (active): 4.3 lb (2 kg)
  • Net Weight (passive): 4.0 lb (1.9 kg)
  • ¼”-20 threaded rear & bottom mounting hole
• Colors
  • Black
  • White

What’s In The Box

• Kanto ORA4 Speakers
• 4-pin Speaker Connector (16’)
• Power Cord
• 8 x Rubber Feet
• Quick Start Guide

Design

The Kanto ORA4 are just about identical to the original ORA, save the fact they are taller, wider, and slightly heavier. Even with the added dimensions and weight, these speakers are still very light and easy to move around. You can get optional stands for them, also sold by Kanto. The included rubber feet are not installed, but are easy to just put in place.

Starting with the sides and the top of the Kanto ORA4, there’s mostly nothing to talk about here., smooth as a baby’s bottom. On the bottom, though, each speaker has a ¼”-20 threaded mounting hole, which you can use to mount them on stands or any other mounting device with the capability.

The front of the Kanto ORA4 houses the ¾” silk dome tweeters and the 4” aluminum concave cone driver. Each speaker has these in front, with the powered speaker also housing a power/multifunction knob and LED light indicator.

The back of the passive speaker is plain as well, save for the port to connect to the powered speaker, another ¼”-20 threaded mounting hole and the bass reflex port. The powered speaker is where all the bits and pieces are. Here you’ll find another ¼”-20 threaded mounting hole, Bluetooth pairing button, USB-C port, sub-out port, RCA ports, power port, and the passive speaker connection. And there is another bass reflex port on the back of this one as well.

I was actually surprised that there was no AUX port available this time. I don’t use the AUX port, ever, but I am sure there might be some users who still implement this connection. But it is not here on the ORA4.

The Kanto ORA4 comes in black and white, the white is what I have, and I think it looks the best of the two options. The white doesn’t pick up as many fingerprints, and dust is less noticeable. Plus, they match nicely with my Samsung Odyssey G9 monitor.

The build quality is excellent on these speakers. I don’t know what materials are used, they feel and sound like some sort of plastic or polycarbonate material. Either way, the build and quality of the materials is premium.

Overall, the Kanto ORA4 design sticks to what worked last time, and I am okay with that. They look nice, clean, simple, are well-built, not overthought, and are easy to move around.

Ease of Use

Setting the Kanto ORA4 up and using them is uncomplicated. Plug the speakers into each other, plug the power supply into the wall, choose which input to use, and you’re off to the races. No apps, no software, no fuss, just simplicity at its finest. The power button serves as the way to cycle through your connection options like Bluetooth, USB-C, and RCA.

Overall, these are like old school speakers, nothing complicated here. Maybe Bluetooth is the one thing, but even that is easy to set up. Just push the Bluetooth pairing button and find them in your system’s Bluetooth settings.

Sound Quality

The Kanto ORA4 has several ways to connect, and I chose the USB-C connection. Before we dive into sound, here’s a quote from Kanto about the ORA4.

ORA4 takes the legacy of ORA to the next level by pushing bass extension even deeper while maintaining the same, great, reference-quality sound. Its additional headroom makes it a more versatile speaker, able to be used in a wide range of scenarios from desktop to a dedicated two-channel audio system. Leaning further into the world of pro audio, ORA4 offers a neutral frequency response, but at 1/3 the size of traditional studio monitors, can be placed in tight spaces.

With its multiple input options, there’s no need for external gear, and the automatic high-pass filter lets you expand your system and gain higher fidelity with a subwoofer down the road. ORA4 is a true reference quality speaker without compromise – it delivers studio-quality sound in a compact package that should impress any gamer, creator, or audiophile that demands accuracy.

Use the appropriate audio cable to connect your audio source components to your speakers.

• Stereo RCA to Stereo RCA cable
• Stereo RCA to 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack AUX cable
• USB-C to USB-C
• USB-C to USB-C w/ USB-A adapter
• USB-C to USB-A
• The Kanto ORA features a high-quality USB input that supports data streams up to 24-bit/96 kHz resolution. When connecting your computer via USB connection, you bypass the noisy built-in DAC of the computer, and audio signals are instead decoded by ORA.

I chose to use the USB-C method. I did try the RCA and Bluetooth methods of connection, but I found the USB-C connection was far superior in every way.

Like the original ORA speakers, the Kanto ORA4 produce a neutral soundstage and I can hear subtle nuances in audio when editing video and consuming content. What really surprised me is just how loud these things get. I rarely have the volume any further than 20-25%, and they are loud enough. The vocals and voices are especially excellent sounding.

The bottom end is what is most noticeable, as everything just sounds wider and has more depth to it. I’m not talking booming fat hip-hop bass here. I am talking, the right amount of bass as applied by the engineers at the time of recording. It’s a true representation of the source, not an over driven jumbled mess designed to rattle the desk. There is purpose in this added bottom end.

Overall, brilliant speakers! I was pleased with my old HK SoundSticks 4 for a long time, and then Kanto came into my life. The Kanto ORA4 are truly spectacular sounding speakers and make my work that much more enjoyable to do.

Reception

The Bluetooth reception is excellent. Nothing much to report here. Though don’t expect the sound to be as good as a wired connection, I highly suggest using the USB-C connection.

Price/Value

I was shocked to see the Kanto ORA4 price is only slightly more than the previous Kanto ORA. I think Kanto has packed a ton of value into these speakers for the asking price. Gamers and content creators should really enjoy these.

Wrap Up

Overall, the Kanto ORA4 are fantastic desktop speakers that are perfect for anyone, but really are best for gamers and content creators. The white version is the best-looking version and hides fingerprints and light dust better. I highly recommend these speakers and the price is really excellent.

If you already own the original Kanto ORA, the only reason to upgrade to these would be if you wanted a bit more bottom end and additional clarity.