Their customer service seemed genuinely concerned. They tried calling me back even though I never left a message on their machine. We exchanged emails and a new pair was shipped out today with a return shipping label for the damaged set. In today's world of customer service I'd say theirs has been better than average and refreshing. The only down side is I have to wait another week to get the new A2s.
From what I've heard, they both sound very similar with the A5's being able to hit the lower frequencies. The other thing to keep in mind is that with the A5's you have to keep them away from the wall since its bass ports are on the back, whereas the A2's have them in the front. I usually prefer my desk setups against the wall and I don't turn up the speakers too loud (about 30% on my Logitech Z-2300's) so I'll probably be grabbing the A2's.
Sorry about your wallet, but be sure NOT to use just any soundcard with the Audioengine A5. I just upgraded from a stock Creative X-Fi Xtremegamer to the EMU 0404 PCI.
Wow
Talk about a difference in soundstage, clarity and details.
The EMU 0404 is a huge step up from the M-Audio Revolution 5.1, most X-Fi's, motherboard audio, the IPod headphone out and plenty other sources I imagine. I now brush off sources like those like they're the devil's handiwork.
I thought about the A5s for computer speakers but since they can’t be against a wall I’d have to move them up on my desk. They’d only be about 20 inches from my ears. I figured that’d be too close to get good sound.
I would say relative to the X-Fi the highs are much more prominent and present, resulting in a crisp sound. The Xtremegamer X-Fi has very weak highs in comparison, with the signature sounding muffled in comparison. The midrange is about the same, neither sound warm or all-analog. It might be a little cold if you're comparing to tube amps or vinyl. The bass is about the same, though the 0404's might be a small bit stronger and snappier with it, more so in the lower bass.
Given all this, the 0404 has much better accuracy and clarity in all bands: bass, midrange and especially the highs.
I thought about the A5s for computer speakers but since they can’t be against a wall I’d have to move them up on my desk. They’d only be about 20 inches from my ears. I figured that’d be too close to get good sound.
Yeah, that's a bit close. If you have the speakers at exactly the right level they might sound just fine (I've never used the A5's), but they are going to have a relatively small sweetspot when you are so close. Maybe look into some omni directional speaker would work well in this situation?
__________________ Team College-Fi (Lehigh University)
Yeah, that's a bit close. If you have the speakers at exactly the right level they might sound just fine (I've never used the A5's), but they are going to have a relatively small sweetspot when you are so close. Maybe look into some omni directional speaker would work well in this situation?
Perhaps you could try the A2's, since the bass ports are on the front and because they're smaller, they'll be easier to space out.
Though I personally wouldnt trust this reviewer, because he only seems to be using an Echo Indigo soundcard,
however there is a frequency response graph.
Oh and the frequency response on the A2's is not even close to what I'd consider decent.
The Mackie MR5's look pretty sweet, especially with the two extra nobs to fiddle with, and xlr input...
But I'd rather stick with headphones until I can audition these in person.
Linear Mode
