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

Other products by Audioengine

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 1.1 x 0.8 inches ; 10 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000VKEFMS
• Item model number: 2
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,007 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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  Electronics > Computers & Accessories > Computer Speakers > 2.0 Speakers

• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 18, 2005

Product Description

Product Description

The Audioengine 2 is a great introduction to high-quality audio and the perfect upgrade for your computer or select play. The Audioengine 2 (A2) is about one-third the size of Audioengine's flagship Audioengine 5 system and is an excellent computer audio upgrade or small room speaker. Audioengine used the same custom tweeters as the Audioengine 5, matched them with newly designed compact Kevlar woofers and then added high-performance amplifiers with gold-plated speaker connectors. All this great engineering is wrapped in wood cabinets with a hand-polished finish to create a premium quality desktop multimedia speaker system that puts those plastic computer speakers to shame!To say that the bass on Audioengine 2 is substantial for their size may be an understatement, but you should be the judge. The bass comes from some very clever acoustic and electrical design and without using any DSP or fake bass boost circuits. Wood remains a preferred speaker enclosure material for its stiffness at higher volume levels and the sealed cabinet focuses just the right amount of low end from the tuned front port slots.The A2 was designed for your desktop but is also perfect for smaller rooms. Well-suited for all types of music, movies, and videogames, the A2 sounds great with or without a subwoofer. Using a similar design as the Audioengine 5, the A2 power amplifiers are built inside the left speaker, providing a very efficient system. An auto-sleep standby circuit was also included to conserve power.Audioengine has included 1/8 mini jack and RCA inputs so connecting A2 is easy. No software installs, plug-ins, or sound card upgrades. The Audioengine 2 sets a new level of audio and aesthetic quality for powered multimedia speakers and further closes the gap between computer speakers and home audio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great sound, great looks and great customer service., January 30, 2009

By	Michael K. Lemmon (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

These speakers have a refreshingly simple design, and really nice, room-filling sound. They really don't need a subwoofer. Very high quality construction and connectors. Highly recommended alternative to all the ugly plastic computer speakers that need a subwoofer.

Would rate five stars but amazon's review system doesn't let me update that!

The first set of these speakers I bought had an unsightly logo on the front. I contacted customer service and they said that a small batch of those had made it into production, but they would exchange it for free. They shipped me a new set right away. Really great service. These are speakers you will keep for a lifetime.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Two Piece Stereo System, January 9, 2009

By	Alex Klein (Stanford, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Being a musician, when I was looking for speakers I wanted to find the best two piece set with the best sound. I did tons of research, and there is no doubt these are the best. They have amazing sound quality, however the bass in not overly loud for hip-hop and such. If they are placed close to a wall the bass gets much more distinct, whereas when they are freestanding in the middle of a room they are less loud. Overall, would DEFINITELY recommend these; you will not be disappointed.

3.0 out of 5 stars Overemphasized bass and fatiguing spoils it for me, November 22, 2009

By	J. H. Jackson (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wanted some small speakers with great sound to replace my static-y $7 usb ipod speakers (looks like "INSTEN Folding Stereo Speaker" on Amazon). I love the convenience and size of the ipod speakers, but the sound leaves a lot to be desired for my taste. I was hoping the Audioengine A2's would fit the bill, but unfortunately they didn't.

Sound:
The A2s have a much overemphasized bass response (well documented in reviews), which I don't like and have realized I can't live with. For me they are too powerful for close-in listening (or just for some reason they cause listening fatigue). (Note I have found other consumers report fatigue on these as well.) The midrange also sounds recessed to me, but I'm not waiting to "break them in" and see if the midrange gets better, because the bass bothers me too much anyway. I really want to listen to speakers that are clear and have a flat response over all frequencies (more like monitors, I guess). The exception to the flat rule is that I'm OK with a *lack* of bass in a 2.0 system - because I live in a small house with other people so I don't want to disturb them with thumping bass all the time, no matter if it sounds good... which these don't to me. I hate speakers that seem to have certain frequencies of bass jump out while missing out on other low-bass or midrange. As for the highs, they are good for me, and seem similar to my Polk RM6700's, which also have silk dome tweeters (note they are very directional). Also, I didn't notice any background noise, so definitely a plus there. Overall I was dissapointed though, and just can't live with them. A major reason I purchased these was because there are so many glowing reviews, and from major publications like Stereofile... I'm not sure if there is variation within the product or if it is just different taste... but they just didn't work for me so I ended up sending them back.

Convenience:
The ultimate in convenience for me is the ipod speakers I mentioned. They are small and cabling is minimized being usb powered (no power brick also). The A2's are not quite that convenient, but for high quality speakers (build and specifications are definitely high quality), they are as small as I've seen... especially considering the amp is integrated in the unit.

One note: I didn't get them from Amazon, but I got an open box unit (resealed and recertified by Audioengine) from a well known reseller. If you decide to buy, buying a new pair direct from Audioengine might be a better idea so you get a brand new unit (less chance of getting someone else's returned dud) and have the money-back trial period (without restocking fees).