Customer Reviews

Audioengine A2 Black (Pr) 2-way Powered Speaker System

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I got the A2 for use as a portable studio monitor when recording music with my laptop. As such, I think its form factor is unmatched: I don't know of any other 4"W x 6"H powered full-range (2.0) speaker of this quality.

I appreciate the stated frequency response figure, which is offered with plus/minus 2dB tolerance -- unlike other iPod or computer speakers. The cabinet is made from MDF (medium density fiberboard), a material used in many of the most well-regarded audiophile speakers. The Kevlar woofer and quality binding posts also inspire confidence. A protective grille and front-mounted volume control might have been handy, but that's a matter of preference. I got the white (A2W) model which is understated and attractive.

I'm comparing the A2 with the larger (5.5"W x 8.5"H) M-Audio Studiophile DX4 speaker, which is intended for home music studios. The DX4 is actually a little less expensive, but too bulky for portable use. The DX4 comes with individual frequency response measurements which in my case indicated close pair-matching and equally flat response to that of the A2. Anyone who has built speakers knows, however, that on-axis frequency response measurements don't tell the whole story. I did not compare the A2 with larger or more expensive speakers, and my emphasis is on use as a monitor for mixing music.

Dynamics. The A2's little 3" woofer is surprisingly dynamic: turn up the volume control and you can feel the air pumping in front of the cone and the slot. The speaker sounds balanced at both low and high volumes. A speaker this size is of course only for near-field individual listening. It is not for watching movies from across the room. The DX4's 4.5" woofer has more than twice the surface area and is capable of higher sound pressure levels.

Imaging. Probably a consequence of the well-damped MDF enclosure, the A2 images nicely. Instruments do not seem to come from the speakers but from the space between them. The DX4 had better depth and openness however. I think these characteristics are partially due to the DX4's low-frequency extension and high-frequency dispersion.

Frequency balance. The A2 delivers more bass than you would expect from a 3" woofer. Of course, there is nothing below 60Hz. The mid and upper bass are a little pronounced. (The effect is worse when resting directly on a desktop, so try raising them on stands.) This makes a grand piano sound more like an upright. The DX4 manages to go deeper and sound less boxy. The A2's midrange is smooth and natural sounding. The A2's treble character is quite different from the DX4's. The DX4 is a little hyped without being harsh: grunge guitar has more of an edge and cymbals have a more pronounced decay, yet high-hats sound similar to the A2.

Mixing/Mastering. The DX4 has better bass extension and treble clarity and lets you hear individual instruments more easily, so is well-suited to mixing. On the other hand, the DX4's perceived treble "zing" may in some cases lead a recording engineer to produce dull-sounding mixes. The A2 is probably more representative of small consumer playbacks systems (bookshelf speakers and car speakers), yet is less colored and more dynamic than similar-sized powered speakers. Therefore it offers a useful comparison for balancing mixes and for assessing the final mix. Its small size and smooth midrange make it suitable for portable monitoring.

Incidentally, the A2 has both RCA and 1/8" stereo inputs which are combined if both are in use, whereas the DX4 does not do this as advertised. I was also pleased with their customer service, which was responsive to emails and phone calls.

The Audioengine 2 powered speakers bring music to a computer desktop or an iPod. For good or bad, I am an audiophile and I appreciate and respect great sounding gear at all price levels. I own several top-of-the-line B&W speakers so I feel I have a good reference regarding quality speakers.

Originally, I bought the M-Audio Studiopro 3s from Amazon. They are truly remarkable for under $100.00 but shortly after taking delivery the tweeter in the passive speaker (right) starting distorting at mid volume levels and higher. I actually think it was the poor connection, cheap 1/8" patch cord and 1/8" jacks, between the speakers inducing the distortion and not the driver itself. For those interested, the M-Audio speakers reproduced just slightly lower bass notes and the highs were more extended but the all-important mid-range (where music lives or dies) was not quite right. Thin and boxy sounding. For monitoring purposes only I suspect the Studiopro 3s were slightly more accurate to the recording but what they reproduced sounded less like music for listening/enjoying. I would have kept them if not for the distortion in the right speaker.

Anyway, I returned the Studiopro 3s and got a pair of Audioengine 2s. Now, when I am at the computer I actually stop fairly often and just listen to the music. Turn it up and toe-tap along. The equipment disappears and the music remains.

The tradeoffs Audioengine made were the correct ones. No unnatural pumped up mid-bass to compensate for the lack of any real low bass. A slightly soft high end that's not quite accurate but exactly right for near field listening for long time periods.

Set up and details:
Both speakers were used on stands, close to rear wall, about six feet apart and toed-in directly to the working area.
Like a few others, my Audioengine power supply did go out after just a day or two but Audioengine was very responsive and sent me a new one immediately.


Bottom line.
I don't think there is a better solution for computer music listening if small size and simplicity is critical. If your listening space has more room, I'd opt for the Audioengine 5's for a similar sound but better and lower bass. There are also lots of professional monitors that are made for near-field listening but many are rather expensive. If the listener is not within 3-6 feet of the speakers, and can spare the room, a little extra coin, and added complication, top-notch small speakers like the Paradigm Atoms or PSB Alphas mated to a NAD C315BEE Integrated Amplifier would be a fantastic sounding alternative and offer more flexibility.

I am a fairly serious audiophile with a dedicated two-channel audio system worth the price of a small car, and was turned on to these from a rave review I came across in Stereophile magazine recently. Even though I wasn't exactly sure how I'd use them (I do almost all of my listening on my "big" system and listen mostly to vinyl), I thought I'd give these a shot with my ipod and/or laptop computer to see what all the fuss was about.

Holy cow! To say I was blown away is an understatement. How they were able to do these many things right at a price of only $200 bucks is beyond me. The sound is amazingly free of artifice and is quite neutral from a tonal balance perspective -- more reminicent of a good high-end two-way bookshelf than a "multi-media" speaker. They particularly seem to have been voiced to sound good with recent ipods, for example -- my 80 GB ipod was a perfect match, with a lot of dynamic snap too -- far more than anyone would ever expect possible at this price point! And the bass was very well done -- while obviously not going to shake the walls, all the notes were there, and I never found myself wanting for more (and this is after listening to a lot of jazz and even som R&B too). These qualities made the music very involving and fun to listen to.

But what got me was the fact that all you really need is an ipod and you have an instant, relatively portable, bona-fide high-end audio system ready to go. They are fuss-free, are not picky with set-up, and sound good with just about any digital source you can throw at it. Plus the fit and finish is just outstanding (I keep looking at the binding posts and have to remind myself in disbelief that these are $200 speakers!)

At $200 bucks, you just can't get a more entertaining musical experience, period. They should be on everyone's short-list - they're that good.

As others have attested, these speakers sound very nice for the money. They create a big sound stage and have a nice bass response. The highs are a little lacking. They serve well as computer speakers.

The speakers themselves seem solid in their construction. However, the power supply is this cheap POS. The power supply that was shipped with my order did not work. I emailed the manufacturer and they shipped me a new supply. After emailing, I realized that it was made in China. So, on instinct, I wrapped it really hard with the palm of my hand and it started to work. I saved the new power supply as a backup. I pulled it out yesterday because the original has started making a disconcerting clicking noise. To my dismay, I can hear a rattle in the 2nd power supply. I'm very disappointed in the quality of this component.

So, in summary, it's a good speaker for the money if the cheap a** power supply doesn't burn your house down.

I will not re-hash the countless reviews that praise these speakers. Rather I'll comment on my experience that may be relevant to you:

For your reference here are some the speaker systems I've owned:
For my home theater: Klipsch Quartets and now Definitive Technologies (current)
For my PC: Cambridge Soundworks, Klipsch Promedia GMX

I'm not a fan of loud bass. I like natural sounding music (no EQ). So with that in mind:

1) These are the biggest sounding little speakers I've ever tried, bar none. The music sounds like its coming from a much larger speaker.
2) The bass is very impressive. It exists (which is a trick with a small enclosure) and what you here is tight ... not muddy at all.
3) When playing classical the highs (triangles, horns, etc.) sound great.
4) If you do use an EQ with the speakers you'll be surprised at how much you can vary the sound of the speaker and yet it still sounds good. So, if you're a fan or bass, treble, voice, whatever, you can make these speakers perform.
5) There is no output on the speaker for headphones. So if you like to switch between speakers and headphones, you'll need to connect them directly to the PC.

Finally, as compared to my Klipsch ProMedia GMX system, it's a bit lopsided. The Klipsch can go louder, but that is the only advantage if you consider it one. The A2s sound better and most suprisingly they sound better at low frequencies. The Klipsch system has a subwoofer that can move air, but sounds like mud. The A2s cannot throw as much punch, but drums and low horns sound good (and tight) ... much better than the Klipsch system. You'll notice a small vent at the bottom of the A2. I can't tell you how many times I'm listening to music or a movie and a loud/low sound will cause quite a bit of air to come out. It can get breezy sitting in front of the speakers. These truly are the little speakers that could.

decided to buy into the audioengine a2 after hearing lots of hype.

+small size
+discreet, understated looks
+volume to fill medium sized room
+very nice quality build (body, volume knob, connections)
-rear volume control
-limited low frequency response (lower than stated)
-low detail
-MUDDY

unboxing reaction: wow these things are SMALL!
first listen reaction:wow these things sound muddy/muted!
the mid-lows are sloppy, and the high end seems missing or highly attenuated.
i attributed this to unfamiliarity (klipsch are characterized as bright) and needing to be broken in. so i broke in the speakers over many hours.
i revisit the speakers again and again, and the sound signature did not change
in an open room, it does an adequate job of filling up the space. however, in the immediate front stage, the speakers sounds extremely directional... i.e. it has a very narrow placement axis. neither the highs nor the lows opened up. in addition, the volume is at the rear, which means you have to reach around to control the volume. (for best SNR source should be left at ~80% and spl controlled by speakers).

as a comparison, M-Audio AV40 come in at 50$ less. they are volumetrically twice as large as the A2, but the footprint/base is similar, so not a real concern. the sound was both detailed and punchy from the get-go, despite the higher listed bottom limit (85hz). the knob is in the front, and it has both front aux input and 1/8" pass-through for headphones. the volume ceiling was higher as well without audible distortion. the AV40s are 200% of the sound for 75% of the price

I'm a serious audiophile and part-time musician so sound is important to me, even at my office work desk. I just put a pair of A2Bs into service in my main computer system at work. They replace a pair of Bose that cost about half as much. The AudioEngines are several orders of excellence above the Bose.

Listening to LossLess, DVD-A, SACD and CD the AudioEngines have the balance of a good audiophile system. With the Bose, the treble was tipped up and the bass pumped to give a sound that "grabbed" you but didn't reflect reality. I could EQ some of that out of the Bose. In comparision, the AudioEngines are running flat on the system. They're considerably more dynamic than the Bose.

I'm listening to vibes and piano right now and hearing a full bodied piano sound. I can hear that the vibe player is using soft mallets and producing a really pleasing set of overtones between the piano and vibes. At office-levels of volume, you don't need to worry about putting the A2B on stands. If you use these as monitors (it's amazing that you would have that option at $199) then you may want to raise them a little.

For someone with limited budget and/or limited space, these are an option as a main system. They ship with an iPod connector and they require no amplification. If you load iPod with LossLess music files and push them into the A2B you'd have a good entry level audiophile system. Based on my past purchases of mini-systems, this will blow away any of those systems.

Dave

I surfed the web for six months looking for desktop powered speakers that received consistently good reviews without any success until I came across the Audioengine speakers. Check out their website where they have dozens of reviews from credible sources praising the A2 and A5 speakers. I've had them for a week now and they live up to thier reputation. Well made, with beautiful, natural sound. Very happy with them.

The Audioengine 2 is a stereo multimedia speaker designed primarily for use with your computer, your MP3 or iPod music player. It can also be used to upgrade your TV set speakers. They are not really designed to be portable, but come with some fitted cloth carrying bags to allow you to pack the speakers up with some protection. It's the little brother model of the much larger A5 model. This A2 model would fit nicely on a cramped desk space, or wall shelf system.

It comes with all the cables you need to plug it directly into the headphone jacks of your iPod, computer, or TV set. You can also connect two devices at once, and when you do, both can play at the same time. The power adapter is a brick type with two cords (one goes to the speaker and the other plugs into your wall socket). The main circuit is all in the left speaker, and outputs the signal to the right speaker via the included speaker wire. You turn on the system by turning the volume control on the rear of the left speaker. When the volume knob is all the way down, the knob clicks and the power goes off. One very nice feature is that the speakers can be kept on always, and when there is nothing playing, they put themselves into standby mode which should consume less energy. When it detects a signal to play, the circuitry automatically activates the amp. So you don't really have to turn the speakers on and off constantly

There is no grill so the drivers are always exposed. I think they should have included some grills but Audioengine said the speaker is very durable and doesn't need them. The tweeter is a silk cloth dome and the bass driver is a tiny 3" Kevlar weave cone.

The speaker set comes with white or black cabinets made of MDF. Note that some pictures show the black as a glossy piano black, but now the black ones are satin black which is much less shiny (nicer in my opinion)
I bought these speakers as high quality speakers to use when my laptop is at home. I plug them directly into the headphone output.

If you look at my other reviews, you'll see I take my sound seriously, I try lots of audio equipment and am no stranger to good sound. My main computer sound system uses professional quality studio monitors that cost more than $1200, so these Audioengines have to meet a high standard for me to recommend them.

Well, I really like these speakers. Considering their size, I didn't expect much out of them. Thin, brittle sound with no highs, no midrange and muddy bass are typical of computer speakers, but these are different. For one, their highs (treble) is smooth and refined. No harshness anywhere to be heard. They aren't the most detailed speakers I've heard, but overall, they sound clean and articulate. Vocals come through with decent body and is conveyed convincingly enough that you might think you were listening to a much larger speaker. None of the honky-ness or nasal quality you get with many other speakers sold as iPod or computer multimedia speakers. The midrange is well balanced with the highs; this is a good feat for speakers this inexpensive, because most other speakers sound unbalanced or emphasized in one way or another. These speakers sound honest, and don't change the sound too much from what the source material should sound like.

Now, a speaker this small has limitations and that's going to be 1) the quantity and depth of the bass 2) loudness. Let's address these concerns.
No speaker this small can be expected to have strong bass. That's a given and there is no way it can defeat the laws of physics, but let me tell you that I'm surprised that these speakers don't really sound thin, unlike many other speakers of this size. What Audioengine has done is tune these speakers to produce just the right amount of bass to give the illusion of a larger speaker. To do this, the speakers do add some extra emphasis on the mid-bass notes, to give the speakers some weight in their sound. But they seem to have dialled in the right amount that it doesn't unbalance the sound and overload the small speaker cones/drivers. These speakers don't really have any sound below about 70Hz, which means that the speaker is not letting your hear anywhere near all the bass your music may have to offer, but what's there is enough that it can be still enjoyable. But note: Audioengine does offer a matching sub, so you are not completely out of luck if you don't find the bass adequate.

All in all, I recommend these speakers, just because they are different from the rest in that these are pint sized speakers that remind me of more expensive speakers in the way they accurately reproduce the sound. They are designed much like those more expensive speakers with a solid cabinet, no frills, just good sound. Of course, don't expect them to play too loud, and don't expect any deep bass, but these are great alternatives to most other (mediocre) computer or iPod speaker systems. Add a sub and you'll have a great full range system that should provide years of listening enjoyment.

I initally intended to buy the soundsticks II by harman Kardon. I reviewed those speakers for months and after reading so many negative reviews I kept looking. I narrowed my search by eliminating big companies that produced many products because I knew they would not give attention to detail to any one product. So I searched on, for a company that produced just one thing. That's how I found Audioengine. First impression, they look sleek and very modern. They are carefully packaged and feel very heavy. I learned the heavier the speakers the better the sound. About that, the sound is simply amazing. I currently have a set of JBL creatures. I compared both by constantly switching from one equipment to the other while playing the same music. These audioengines win the prize by far. The midrange is impressive. I can distinguish sounds between a single string of a cello to bass and rap music. I highly recommend these. While the price for most might be a little high ($200) consider that's the same price you pay for an Ipod.