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Audioengine A2 Speakers - Welcome To My Office

My new Audioengine A2 speakers arrived yesterday and I'm really impressed with them. I really didn't have any expectations since I had only read a few very positive reviews about them and figured that I could always send them back. In the new year they will be going to cube farm where I spend my days to replace my current Bose dock. I didn't really need an upgrade for work, but figured that I might as well blow my birthday money on audio gear and I'm all set at home. I listen to music all day at work on my iPod so I'm expecting that these little speakers will be a HUGE improvement.

My review based on my small amount of listening time is that they are audiophile approved in the near field, but as expected don' really have the capacity to satisfy in a room venue. They will, however, create excellent background music in the larger spaces. Rather than produce boomy bass they seem to keep it really tight without trying to overcompensate. There's limits to what such a small driver can do, but I would have guessed that it was far less than these can do. If I had to pick a negative aspect it would be the vocal reproduction and that's still pretty great. Voice just seem to be pushed deep into the background, at least in the current setup. Right now I have them sitting on top of a bookcase about ear height. Critical listening is done standing about 3 feet from the speakers, this seemed to be about as far as the sweet spot extends. From this point in they really come alive and suck you into the music. I can hardly wait to give them a shot in my work cube, but everything is being remodeled currently so until it's done they will be at home.

If you are at all interested or thinking about purchasing a set of Audioengine speakers, I would suggest pulling the trigger. I think you'll be happy that you did.
mceljo
djohnson54
396 posts
 
I've considered the A5+ after "losing" my A2's to my daughter. Still trying to decide if they will be too big for my desktop. I did try the A2's with my TV a couple of times and they sounded pretty good (within reason) with Pink Floyd's Pulse concert DVD and a couple of movies in my 15x17 family room. I'm not really into TV and home theater so it was just an experiment. The A5's should be even better but the Zvox will have fewer "placement issues." I'm sure the true HT buffs would look down their nose at them though. All of these are very high up on the cost-benefit curve.

Dick
mceljo OP
1,357 posts
 
I.brought the Lose dock home today in anticipation of moving out of the cube farm onto temporary tables for a few weeks.

The side by side A to B comparison wasn't even fun because it wasn't even close. My wife, when forced to listen, described the dock as tiny (10E, not sure about spelling) when I switched the ipod from the speakers to the dock and then WOW when I switched back on a different song.

It is amazing how much better sound can be had for 2/3 the price.

I can't wait for the office to get finished so that I can take the speakers to work!
mceljo OP
1,357 posts
 
The word is tinny.
onemug
784 posts
 
I've had my 5+'s for a week now. I'm not hurrying the break-in process, guessing around 30 hours or so. Bass got better. Still liking the sound.

One thing I find interesting: These seem to change from just average to real nice during the first 5-10 minutes from a cold start. Haven't paid attention if it changes much coming from standby.

Do yours do anything like that?

The reason I find it interesting is because I have both tube and class A ss amps and while they change from cold to warm, it's not as dramatic as the A5+'s.

Not an issue and could be part of the break-in process.
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