How to make your place sound like a music studio for less than $500

Fall is almost here, people.

You’re retrieving the sweaters from the back of your wardrobe. The evenings are getting shorter. And nights in are becoming more of a regular thing. But strangely, you don’t really mind.

Chilling-in, listening to music is super appealing to you. And all you need is the right sound system to do that. But like so many people living in Vancouver, most of your money goes to rent and you don’t have wads of extra cash to spend. You want speakers with a sound capacity so good that when you close your eyes listening to a Miles Davies record, you actually feel as though you’re sitting in the front row of a live performance at a New York jazz club, circa 1971.

And believe it or not, you can achieve that exact vibe right from your home.

Daily Hive has teamed up with local electronics company Kanto to show you how easy it is to make your place sound like a music studio, on a budget.

Speakers

Whether you’re a fan of hard-hitting bass, upbeat 80s classics, or heavy rock music, you’re going to want to listen to your favourite hits on a great sound system. But you don’t want to spend an absolute fortune on big, bulky speakers when you live in a small apartment.

Luckily, you don’t have to.

Kanto offers a wide range of state of the art, clean, and compact audio equipment, that retails at less than $500 but sounds like it’s worth much more. All of the speakers the company sells are tested in their very own sound lab before they go into production, and that’s pretty cool. If, for instance, you want a small sound system for gaming on your computer, or listening to music, you can order a set of  YU2 speakers for just $249.99 and choose between a whole load of different colours, including bamboo. Or, if you want something a little bigger, you can opt for the YU4 set for $389.99.

“Our speakers produce great sound for an affordable price. Not everyone needs a $5,000 stereo to enjoy music, and our products are geared more towards apartments and small/medium spaces. Any of our products would produce more than enough sound to fill a 1,000 sq/ft space,” Brett Smalley, Marketing Manager at Kanto, told Daily Hive.

Listening to your favourite tracks or watching a movie is made easy with Kanto’s YU4 speaker set. They have Bluetooth connectivity and come complete with a remote control so you can change the music from another room with the touch of a button. These speakers allow you to enjoy crisp highs and wonderfully balanced mid-range tones that will make you feel like you’re right in the recording studio with your favourite artist.  

“It’s very easy to spend a lot of money on features and materials that you don’t need. Figure out what your needs are (home entertainment, portable, Bluetooth). You can find a lot of volume for a decent price!,” Smalley added.

Vinyl  player

There’s no denying it, vinyl players are cool AF right now. Whether your dad has an old school record player from the 70s, or you’ve purchased a trendy new vinyl spinner, this can really up the sound game at your place. But sometimes they don’t include all the settings you’d like.

Kanto speakers are different. Models like the YU4, YU6 ($499.99), SUB6 ($299.99), and the SUB8 ($359.99), all come with built-in pre-amplifiers. So investing in these is worthwhile as it saves you having to buy extra external devices.

On top of this, the speakers have a tidy volume dial, two optical inputs, an auxiliary port, plus a USB charging port, so if you can plug your phone in when your battery runs low and charge it up while searching for another playlist.

So, if you have sound goals for your apartment, you’ll want to snap up a set of Kanto speakers. These audio devices are like the Rolls-Royce of speakers – without the high price.

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You can shop the brand’s speakers and accessories like speaker stands, on Amazon, or you can pop into local record stores; Neptoon Records, NCIX, The Turntable Shop, Simply Computing, or Ayreborn Audio, to test them out before buying. 

The difference between Kanto and other audio equipment providers is that all of their product research, design, development, and customer service, happens in the Lower Mainland. This means if you have an issue with your product, you can call the company directly and speak to a trained member of staff (human) who can assist you, as opposed to reaching an automated line.

For more information, visit Kanto on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.