In this review, we will be comparing Airmotiv B1+ and YU Passive 5.25-inch, two Passive Bookshelf speakers from Emotiva and Kanto.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ and Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ | Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch |
|---|
| Brand | Emotiva
United States · founded 2003 | Kanto
Canada · founded 2007 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 25×32 mm" folded ribbon | 1" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Woofer | 5.25" woven fiber cone | 5.25" kevlar |
|---|
| Frequency response | 48 Hz – 28 kHz | 50-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 86 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | Up to 70 watts | — |
|---|
| Weight | 4.00kg / 8.8lbs | 4.00kg / 8.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 10-3/4" x 7-1/8" x 8-1/4"
274.0 x 181.0 x 210.0mm | 10.7" x 6.9" x 8.1"
272.0 x 175.0 x 205.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ and Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ |
Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch |
| Near-field |
Good |
Average |
| Small Room |
Good |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
No way |
Bad |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Airmotiv B1+ and YU Passive 5.25-inch are 2-way speakers.
Emotiva Airmotiv B1+Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch
TweeterWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ |
Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
25×32 mm-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
Airmotiv B1+ features a 25×32 mm" folded ribbon Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" woven fiber cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2000Hz. On the other hand, the YU Passive 5.25-inch features a 1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" kevlar Woofer.
Frequency Response
Airmotiv B1+ has a frequency range of 48 Hz – 28 kHz whereas YU Passive 5.25-inch has a frequency range of 50-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 48Hz, the Airmotiv B1+ can go slightly deeper then the YU Passive 5.25-inch's min frequency of 50Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Airmotiv B1+ is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the YU Passive 5.25-inch which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Airmotiv B1+ sensitivity is rated at 86 dB and the YU Passive 5.25-inch's is rated at 89 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch a more sensitive speaker compared to Emotiva Airmotiv B1+, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Airmotiv B1+ and YU Passive 5.25-inch have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ Port
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Emotiva Airmotiv B1+'s and Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch's external dimensions. Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ has external dimensions of 274.0 x 181.0 x 210.0mm (10-3/4 x 7-1/8 x 8-1/4inch) whereas Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch has external dimensions of 272.0 x 175.0 x 205.0mm (10.7 x 6.9 x 8.1inch).
Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 6mm wider, 2mm taller and 5mm deeper than Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ and Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch in scale.
Comparison image of Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ and Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ is approximately 380.1cm2 / 58.9inch2 and base area of the Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch is approximately 358.8cm2 / 55.6inch2. The Airmotiv B1+ requires 6% more surface area than the YU Passive 5.25-inch which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Here is another comparison that shows both speakers on a BDI Octave Media Cabinet, next to a standard size amplifier and turntable in scale:
Size Comparison image of Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ and Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch on a Media Console
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ weighs 4.00kg / 8.8lbs and the Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch weighs 4.00kg / 8.8lbs.
Here is a comparison of how Airmotiv B1+ and YU Passive 5.25-inch's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Bookshelf class.
Weight
All Bookshelf Speakers
Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch
What's in the Box of Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch?
Here are the items that come with the YU Passive 5.25-inch:
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
48 Hz
vs
50 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
28k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Max Input Power |
100 watts
vs
70 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
89 dB
vs
86 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Height |
272mm
vs
274mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
358cm2
vs
380cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
240USD
vs
299USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ |
Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch |
| Brand |
Emotiva |
Kanto |
| Speaker Type |
Bookshelf speakers |
Bookshelf speakers |
| Sensitivity |
86 dB |
89 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
6 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
48 Hz – 28 kHz |
50-20k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
5.25" |
5.25" |
| Woofer Composition |
woven fiber cone |
kevlar |
| Woofer Surround Material |
SBR |
n/a |
| Tweeter Size |
25×32 mm" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
folded ribbon |
Soft-Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
2000Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
274.0mm (10.8") |
272.0mm (10.7") |
| Width |
181.0mm (7.1") |
175.0mm (6.9") |
| Depth |
210.0mm (8.3") |
205.0mm (8.1") |
| Weight |
4.00kg (8.8lbs) |
4.00kg (8.8lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass reflex |
bass reflex |
| Finish |
HDF |
n/a |
| Available Colors |
Black |
Black,White |
| Mounting Bracket |
|
No |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
2 years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
2 years |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (48Hz vs 50Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | B | Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch is more sensitive (89dB vs 86dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | A | Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch takes more power (100W vs 70W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ sits in a wider range (9 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch is cheaper - $240 against $299, about 20% less. |
A Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ B Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch
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?
Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. Match it to your room: we rate Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ the better fit for near-field listening; elsewhere the two are rated the same. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Kanto YU Passive 5.25-inch is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
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.