The Ren from Kanto Audio is not stingy when it comes to audio output
Canadian loudspeaker company Kanto Audio has unveiled its striking new active loudspeakers, the Kanto Audio 100W Ren (stylized as REN) and our love for the product isn’t entirely tied to our love for the animated series. Ren and Stimpy – although that does help.
There are five different colours, including the absolutely stunning orange option you can see in the promo photo above. You can also choose from matte black (boo!), matte grey and matte white (okay), and matte blue (yum!). So if, like me, you’re a little tired of monochrome audio sets, the orange variant will give you a hint of ‘Oh, great!’ (sorry).
But of course the sound is what this is all about, and while the 100W RMS / 200W peak of Class D amplification here means they’re going to push hard, the specification suggests they’re going to sound good too – just like recent forms (see our Kanto Ora review for proof). They’re constructed from rear-ported acoustic MDF, with 1-inch silk dome tweeters and 5.25-inch aluminium concave cone drivers, and their frequency response is a claimed 50Hz to 22kHz – impressively low for their relatively small size.
Kanto Audio 100W Ren Active Speakers: Key Features
For wireless connectivity, there’s Bluetooth 5.3, but for the best audio you’ll really want a wired connection – and your options here include HDMI ARC with CEC (a first for Kanto’s speakers, so something you won’t find on the company’s January 2024 ORA4 range, for example), USB-C, and optical inputs that support up to 24-bit/96kHz audio sources. There’s also RCA and 3.5mm jacks, a subwoofer output, and a USB port for charging small devices.
The Ren speakers also feature a digital signal processor with two special modes: Vocal Boost for improved dialogue clarity and Night Mode for a harmonious relationship with your neighbors or housemates.
We haven’t heard these new speakers yet, but as mentioned above, we’ve reviewed the company’s Kanto Ora speakers and found them to be very impressive: while they’re very loud for their size, there’s no sacrifice in sound quality or clarity, so we’re looking forward to getting our eyes and ears on these.
The new Kanto 100W Ren Active speakers have an RRP of £499 / €579 / $599 / CA$799 (converted around AU$974) and are available soon.
