Audioengine A2-HD (HD3) Bluetooth PC and Computer Desktop Speakers with aptX HD - USB, RCA, Headphone

The first pair of these I got worked for about an hour, then the left speaker cut out and stopped making any sound. Thankfully, Audioengine's customer support was excellent. They responded quickly with a pre-paid shipping label to send the speakers to them, and cross-shipped a new set to me the next business day. They made a point to send me a replacement set that had been randomly pulled off the line for an extra QA check, to make sure the replacement worked as it's supposed to. I really couldn't have asked for better service than that. I've been using the replacement pair for about a week now, and I'm very happy with the quality of these speakers. The fit and finish matches what I would expect from a premium speaker in this price range. They feel solidly built, and look good with the magnetically-attached grill on or off. The retro-inspired wood grain and metal styling adds a touch of classiness to my desk setup. The volume knob also feels sturdy, is smooth to turn, and has just the right amount of resistance to it. No complaints here! I also have no real complaints when it comes to the sound. While they may not have the most detailed treble I've ever heard, the mids are well-balanced and make voices (both singing and talking) sound very natural, and overall the sound these speakers produce is smooth and inviting, which makes them comfortable to listen to all day long. They sound very clear at low volume, and are more than capable of rocking out with no audible distortion that I could hear at relatively high volumes (though I haven't tried turning the volume all the way up, because it's not necessary at the close distance I'm listening to them from, so I can't comment on how well they'd work in, for example, a living room setup). Do they sound as good as my full-range floorstanding speakers that cost three times as much? No, of course not. But for what they are and what they cost, I'm happy with the sound they produce. On their own, they don't have much in the way of bass, but you have to keep your expectations in check, because there's only so much you can expect from a 2.5" driver. I appreciate that Audioengine didn't artificially over-boost the mid-bass like a lot of other small powered speakers do, so they sound well-balanced and natural all the way down to the limits of their frequency range. This also makes it easier to blend them with a subwoofer, if you so choose. I did so choose, and paired them with a 10-inch sub that I recently retired from my home theater setup. The HD3 has a switch on the back of the left speaker that enables a 100-Hz crossover, for pairing with a subwoofer. However, I found that using the speaker's built-in crossover left them feeling somewhat disjointed from the sub, probably because sounds above 80Hz are localizable, so that range of sounds between 80 and 100Hz was audibly coming from a different location than the speakers. I have the speakers positioned on a shelf behind my computer monitor, which may be making the separation more noticeable, and it's possible that it may not be as much of an issue if the speakers were positioned lower. I ended up leaving the speakers set to full-range (which goes comfortably below 80Hz) and used trial-and-error to adjust the low-pass crossover on my subwoofer until I found a setting that blended nicely with the speakers. This resulted in a much more balanced sound that blends the sub with the speakers a lot more naturally. The speakers sound pretty good on their own if you're not a bass-head, but pairing them with a nice subwoofer really takes them to another level. If you want speakers with decent bass and don't have space (in your room or your budget) for a subwoofer, I'd recommend stepping up to a larger speaker, but if you do plan to use a sub, I don't think a larger speaker is necessary, at least for a desk audio system. I went back and forth a bit on whether to go with a 4 or 5 star rating for this review. If the first pair I received had worked, they would easily be deserving of 5 stars, no question, but I was tempted to take off a star for receiving a defective set. In the end, though, I decided that Audioengine's customer service earned them that star back. I understand that no product will ever be 100% defect-free, so when defects do occur, what really matters is that the manufacturer stands behind their product and does everything they can to make it right for the customer, and Audioengine did that for me.

I started a full-time remote gig and wanted to upgrade my sound system since I no longer have to encase my ears in headphones if I want to listen to music while I work. I had a Sonos move that I love so tried that but because of the height, had to put it off to the side. Suboptimal. Decided to try the Sonos Soundbar but alas, don't have an extra HDMI port in my dock or MacBook. Airplay was finicky at best to the point of going back to the Sonos. Read about the A2+s on various review websites and they were highly regarded. I liked the fact that I could connect either via the headphone jack or via Bluetooth. I decided to go for this version since it has the volume knob on the front and well, shallow as it sounds, I like the wood finish. I was concerned about the size as I don't have enough room to side of my dual 32-inch monitors. But I decided to lay them on their sides and they are perfect size that way -- not too wide so my monitors aren't obstructed. They aren't too deep so still plenty of room in front of them for my keyboard and trackpad. And height -- plenty compact (much more so than the relatively small Sonos Soundbar). Setup was a piece of cake ... as was Bluetooth pairing. At first, I wasn't blown away with the bass -- particularly compared to what you can get with other bluetooth speakers like Sonos and JBLs etc. But that was using Pandora as a source. When I started playing using the Apple Music app and the built in equalizer to bump up the bass, they really came alive. But what gets me is the sound stage is just mind-blowing for the size of these speakers. Even though the edges are 8-12 inches from the edges of my monitors, it feels like the entire 5-foot span of my desk is covered. I love classical music to alternative rock and some (by my standards) edgy Guns N Roses etc and everything has sounded great. If you love classical music (my predominant genre), you will REALLY appreciate the details from the mids and highs. If your primary listening source is Pandora where you can't optimize the treble and bass to your taste, you might be disappointed. However, if you go with Apple Music (and would assume Window's media player which has the same ability to adjust the sound parameters), you should really find these up to you listening standards... as long as those listening standards don't necessarily include hip hop and Rap which is designed to make your whole body feel the vibrations. As I said, I currently have these lying flat on their sides. I did order the 15-degree risers that are recommended for these speakers and waiting for those to be delivered any minute now and suspect that will make these sound even better. I wanted good pure sound but didn't want something that was going to take up what little remaining real estate I have on my desk. These definitely fit my needs. I'm in a relatively small room and I am sitting RIGHT in front of them so not sure if these would be as satisfying if I was using as room speakers. Are these worth the extra money compared to the A2+? I don't know. Supposedly they have an upgraded DAC and Headphone amplifier. Plus the nifty little volume knob on the front. If you are on a budget, then the A2+ might be just fine for your needs. [LCAR]

Unos altavoces que sorprenden por su tama;o compacto y en persona se nota la calidad. Muy bien hecho, un tamaño perfecto para el escritorio. Tengo un altavoz a cada lado y ocupan poco. Compre unos pies de esos para ponerlo en angulo y amortiguar un poco las vibraciones y genial. Me he quedado flipando con la calidad del sonido y poder destinguir las difirentes tonalidades y instrumentos en las canciones. Lo que como en otros comentarios carece mucho de los bajos, y ha he pedido el subwoofer de la marca para compensar y tener un equipo de sonido completo. Pero como digo estos altavoces estan muy completos y de una alta calidad.

Speakers do exactly what you would expect at this price point. Great sound. I had an amplifier issue in the left speaker but AudioEngine send a replacement board to me at no expense and it fixed all issues. Thanks

Got these for both myself and my wife. She loves the clarity and full range although I tweaked the EQ for her to bring the bass up a bit to suit the music she listens to. I got the sub with mine and am running everything flat. The sound stage is fabulous using the speakers inbuilt d/a converter and has revealed nuance that I hadn’t heard in a number of tracks (I’m a musician and have a wide ranging taste in musical styles). Best sound I’ve heard from a PC and will use it to mix some of my recordings.

Die Lautsprecher sind hervorragend verarbeitet und haben einen einzigartigen Sound. Für die Größe sind sie das Beste, was man sich bei kleinem Platzangebot zulegen kann. Dabei ist das Preis-Leistungsverhältnis ebenfalls ausgezeichnet. Ich habe die Lautsprecher mit einem kleinen Subwoofer kombiniert, dann spielen Sie ihre Brillanz in den Höhen noch besser aus.

The sound and stereo separation is excellent - especially considering their size. Clear and musical sound comes out of these small speakers. To get real low-end bass you absolutely need a subwoofer which I got as well from Audioengine. Perfect match. So far so good, but when I plug in my headphones in the 3,5 mm jack the subwoofer goes berserk and makes a loud boom sound. Every time. You need to turn off the speakers before plugging in the headphones if you are using a subwoofer, unless you want to scare the dog and all the neighbors. Fortunately I'm using an external DAC and headphone preamp with these speakers - so the above problem is only academic for me.