No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your sources and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Audioengine A1-MR digs deeper - 65Hz against 80Hz. |
| Built-in power | B | Kanto YU2 has the bigger amplifier (50W vs 30W RMS). |
| Connections | A | Audioengine A1-MR adds Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and streaming. |
| Size | depends | Kanto YU2 is easier to place; Audioengine A1-MR is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | A | Audioengine A1-MR: a sub output. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($229 vs $240 a pair). |
A Audioengine A1-MR B Kanto YU2
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Audioengine A1-MR has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 80Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. In a large or open-plan room, Audioengine A1-MR has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Kanto YU2 is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.