With my dedicated two channel system in the basement and my desktop PC two floors removed, I've been on the hunt for a decent desktop speaker system.  I enjoy listening to music while tapping away on the desktop keyboard whenever possible. A Monsoon ribbon system served me well for many years, but the upgrade bug hit me several months ago and I began my search...

Based on recent reviews and forum scuttle butt, my search lead me to check out the Kanto Speaker lineup. Some of the early models held promise, but didn't have everything I wanted. Then they introduced small format two-way Ora speakers with DSP tuning and even high resolution streaming capabilities via a supplied USB cable. No amplifier needed, as these have built in chip amps. Could this be the ticket for better secondary listening?

Well I've lived with these little desktop speakers for about 5 months now and I'm truly delighted.  Sound quality is extremely good for these bi-amplified little boxes streaming via Roon or directly from Qobuz. They play pretty damn loud for nearfield listening and image quite well too.

FWIW I purchased some Kanto matching stands to elevate speaker drivers to ear listening levels. I plan to pick up a matching subwoofer in a month as the Ora's have a limited frequency response of 70 Hz – 22 kHz.

If your in the market for a desktop set up, check them out. Here's a link for further information: https://www.kantoaudio.com/powered-speakers/ora/.

HK

I fully support anyone who wants speakers to play music while at the computer. But for me, headphones are a much better solution for both convenience and audio quality. JMO/FWIW/YMMV and all that.