Kanto’s new budget-friendly turntable has a few smart features to make it easy for novices to use, and it’s lovely and compact too

Kanto Audio launches Obi3 Gen 2 turntable
Follows on from October 2025 previous model
Has speed sensor, user-friendly manual arm, automatic size sensing

Canadian hi-fi brand Kanto Audio has just unveiled a second-gen model of a turntable it originally unveiled in October 2025; now the Obi3 Gen 2 is here, and it’s another low-cost record player with a few considerations for novice vinyl owners.

Selling for $249.99 / £179.99 (about AU$360), the Obi3 Gen 2 undercuts our favorite budget turntable: the Sony PS-LX310BT, at least in the US (it matches elsewhere). And given that the rest of our best turntables recommendations cost much more, it’s clearly a great pick for first-time buyers who want an affordable deck.

Looking at the Obi3 Gen 2, you can see why. It’s fairly small, taking up a 43.2 x 36cm footprint, without unnecessary extra bells and whistles to hog space. Unless you’re moving house and can set up your turntable first, hi-fi space can be a privilege, and so smaller units are great for people who haven’t already earmarked shelf space for the device.

Get into the groove

The Kanto Audio Obi3 Gen 2 model on a wooden drawer. — (Image credit: Kanto Audio)

The Kanto Audio Obi3 Gen 2 has a built-in speed sensor, which monitors how fast the turntable platter is rotating and makes adjustments if the motor is running too fast or slow. It means you won’t have your music accidentally changing pitch if the motor plays up. This also doubles as a speed selector, so you don’t need to flick a dial or press a button if you switch between 33 1/3 or 45 RPM records.

Unlike most other budget turntables I’ve used, the Kanto is a manual turntable, so you don’t have to rely on simply pressing a ‘play’ button to get your music running. However the arm has an adjustable counterweight, anti-skate design and reference marks, so you can experiment with the complexities of manual without it being too complicated.

The stylus is an Audio-Technica AT3600L, which is pretty common for this kind of record player, and it has auto-stop technology for when your record is over.

The Kanto connects wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.3, or cabled using RCA. The company, of course, recommends using its own speakers (like the 5-star Kanto Ren, for example?) the Obi3 Gen 2 will connect to a range of devices.

You can buy the Obi3 Gen 2 in black, white, green, ice blue or walnut models, the second and third of which you can see pictured. Kanto is also selling it alongside a range of accessory kits like the TT-GKIT, a gel cleaning kit for your record and stylus, and the TT-SB, a cleaning brush for the same kit.