We are very excited to announce we now stock Audioengine products! Audioengine has really impressed us with their future lead designs embracing digital music. The A2 ($395) and A5 ($695) speakers are the perfect complement for your iPod, laptop, PC, CD player, well just about anything really that has an output! With built in amplifiers there is no need for a separate amp, just plugin your iPod and you’re away, away to high fidelity sound from a compact system. The S8 subwoofer ($795) is 8″ downfiring design that really complements the A2 well as these are a little light on bass – as you would expect from such a small wooden cabinet. Take a look at the range, and continue reading about what Mike Mercer had to say about the A2′s.
Sonic Satori: i-Fi is The Future, Bring Your Computer Closer to High Fidelity… by Michael Mercer
It’s a great time to be a music and sound addict. As stated before in this column; we now have unprecedented access to music in this age of instant media delivery. The audio purists may pooh-pooh MP3 and the like, but their complaints are irrelevant. Not every music file or stream on the web is poor quality. Like everything else in life; you can choose what level of quality you get. You just have to spend a little time investigating what’s out there. Forget the haters, the doubters, the pocket-protector audiophiles who deny that a computer can be just as legitimate a source as their favorite CD/SACD deck. Now, is there still a place for vinyl/analog? Of course there is (hell I only DJ with vinyl, no CDs), but this isn’t about excluding anything. It’s about accepting the present, and forging ahead with the same enthusiasm that analog-driven music systems once inspired in some of the great audio designers.
Fortunately there are many companies in the Hifi business not only accepting this digital, downloadable revolution, but actually embracing it; and we – the end users, get to bask in their audible efforts. Here I’ll tackle two components that can work beautifully together or individually, in case you already own either one (speakers, or an external DAC for your computer).
AUDIOENGINE A2 Powered Speakers – $395.00
These little gems have taken both the desktop audio and high end communities by storm with their unbelievable dynamics, packed into tiny boxes, not to mention the price! Measuring in at only 6”(H) x 4”(W) x 5.25”(D) you’d think the sound of these speakers would be limited by their physical size. This is far from true. As a matter of fact, they are so impressive I put them atop my list of seriously high valued audio products (the Wadia iTransport being another, along with the HRT Streamer II USB DAC, both covered here previously). Their ability to create depth and width is simply astounding, and many of my own clients have said so without any solicitation from me.
They also look fantastic; available in high gloss white and black. AUDIOENGINE also offers a desktop stand for the speakers (a sort of wedge, which helps to raise their firing angle; aiding in image specificity when seated between them at your desk). They offer two inputs, one via stereo-mini (1/8”) and the other standard RCA jacks. The power block is about the size of a PC laptops power supply, and this is one of the reasons they sound far better than anything in their league. Another is the fact that unlike most powered monitor speakers that have the on-board amplifier in both cabinets, AUDIOENGINE puts a stereo amplifier in one box (the left channel) and then you feed the right channel through standard speaker wire. This keeps the noise level induced by the amplifier down, allowing for the music to shine through.
You simply have to hear these speakers to believe how good they are, and if you’re skeptical, be my guest and do some online research. I bet you’d have trouble finding a mediocre review. That’s a rarity, especially in an audio product that carries a price tag of $395. I’m not saying you’re going to shake the windows with their bass response, as the small size has obvious drawbacks when it comes to bottom end, but they also make a subwoofer (review to come soon), which can take care of everything below. I’ve listened to everything from Future Sound of London to Martin Sexton on these mini-monitors, and they surprise me every time. For the end-user who’s not interested in floorstanders taking over their room, or even stand-mounted bookshelf speakers (AUDIOENGINE offers their A5 for this application) the A2 provides unmatched musical performance in both this size and price range. Check them out ASAP. You won’t be disappointed.
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You can continue reading Mike’s article on his Sonic Satori blog over at the Daily Swarm
View the Audioengine range and more images
