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Should I buy the AudioEngine A2 without a demo/audition?

post #1 of 15
5/17/10 at 1:04pm
Thread Starter 

The dealer in my town keeps the AudioEngine A2s in stock but is refusing to open them for a demo purpose. "First buy it, then I'll open it for you". Stupid jerk, but then I don't really have an option. Should I go for it?

 

I have heard nothing but good stuff about the A2s (except at one place where the fellow criticizes it for having an overpowering bass response).

 

PS: Dont bother advising me to get them from amazon or something like that. No one is willing to send a 10 pound package from the US to India! I've checked...

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post #2 of 15
5/17/10 at 4:04pm

If it's your only option then yes. Otherwise, audioengine is overhyped on these forums. Everyone thinks they're good because they're the entry level upgrade and of course when your speakers get 5x bigger and 5x more powerful - they'll sound a lot better. But then,  you don't seem to have access to any competitor's products and you don't seem to be able to buy things from online - so it would be hard to recommend you equpment :)

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post #3 of 15
5/17/10 at 5:00pm

Check out swan speakers.... should be easier to get in india and something like the swan D1080MkII would be better than the audioengine a2. The 1080 is a full size powered bookshelf so it will have a better frequency response and probably go louder. If you can afford it go for the m200MKIII.... supposedly awesome speakers. If desktop space is an issue then swan does have some smaller options.
 

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post #4 of 15
5/17/10 at 7:20pm

That dealer is a jerk, don't ever go back and give him any business.  On the main point, I wouldn't suggest the A2's.  I had a chance to audition them about a week ago, was not impressed at all. It is just hype on the forum that is convincing you.  But, I must say it had some very strong points.  The tweeter produced some fantastic sounding highs, and the build quality was excellent.  The bass, was absolutely ridiculous (in a bad way).  I hope my little bit helped.  And yes, like some are saying, take a look at the HI-VI.  The Swans M-200 is an excellent value.  I'm sure you can find them cheap now since they've released several updates.

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post #5 of 15
5/17/10 at 9:08pm
Thread Starter 

Actually what got me really interested in the A2 was the praise I read about in the Stereophile magazine. They generally set the bar very high, so I thought that the A2 would be a good choice. Still, swans, eh? Interesting, I am going to look these boys up. Hopefully they will be available around some dealer.

 

That said (should have said it earlier), my present speakers are the onboard speakers which came with the Dell laptop.

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post #6 of 15
5/18/10 at 1:55am

I don't remember the last time Stereophile gave anything a low score.  But, I hear ya, and don't get me wrong they didn't sound bad, the tweeter sounds much sweeter and accurate compared to the ones on my Swan's.  But there was just too much trouble in the midrange and bass.  The dealer's source was the latest generation iPod, but it shouldn't have sounded that bad.  The midrange had way too much emphasis on the lower spectrum, causes vocals to sound overly strong, and since the low end was completely non-existent due to the tiny speaker enclosures and tiny bass driver, I believe it was that way to try to give the illusion of deep bass.  I even asked the dealer guy if there was any EQ settings (i.e. gain, bass, treble, balance) I can play with since I thought there was a 'bassboost' enabled, he replied, "No."

 

EDIT - I also realized that he could have had some sort of EQ being done on his iPod settings, if so, I could see why they sounded so terrible in the bass regions.  I may go back down there and bring my DAC to test them out, because I was actually really looking forward to picking a pair up.


Edited by Audio18 - 5/18/10 at 7:00am
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post #7 of 15
5/18/10 at 5:36am
Thread Starter 

What a day! First I read up on the swan speaker systems and much to my surprise, they have a dealer in my city!

 

I call them, ask for a demo. "Please come down, we'll be happy to give a demo of the M10 and M12". I go "err... actually, I was wanting to buy the MK1080...". Long pause. "I'm sorry, we dont keep them in stock. We can get them for you, but no audition and shipping charges (from China) will cost you $150".

 

Damn! Still stuck at the un-audtinable A2s.. :(

 

@audio18

Yeah, I see what you are getting at when you say that stereophile doesn't give very scathing reviews. Maybe because they are in the audio industry for so long, they can see the merits of each? Similar to wine lovers who like to try out new wines. :p

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post #8 of 15
5/18/10 at 5:58am
Thread Starter 

Sorry for the double post, but the M10 reviews are making me do a double think on them. They definitely have better opinions that Logitech Z2300s. Any advice?

 

Also, are the AudioEngine A5 worth it? (should have asked this earlier, considering I can blow an additional $100 if really need be). :\


Edited by avalanche - 5/18/10 at 11:23am
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post #9 of 15
5/18/10 at 8:11am

sonodyne-FM-Awards.jpg

Since you are considering A5, you might also want to check out the Sonodyne SM Series, especially the SM100Ak. Being locally made, I hope you will find them cheaper.

 

Cheers.

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post #10 of 15
5/18/10 at 10:42am

Compared to the A2, the A5's are worth it!  If you have the room I wouldn't get anything smaller than a proper full range bookshelf speaker. Your best options are the audioengine A5 or Swan M200MKIII. If those are too pricey then the M200MKII or D1080 would be my next choice.

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post #11 of 15
5/18/10 at 12:13pm
Thread Starter 

OK. After a lot of googling, I hit the meaty articles. Swan M10 are definitely good. According to the word floating around, they are not as good as the MK1080 (despite the lack of the sub/midwoofer). And they don't hold a candle against the M200 (which is what I would have gone for, had they been available).

 

So, after 24 hrs of dilly-dallying, the situation has gotten clearer. M200 and MK1080 are out due to non-availability. A2 is also out. Creative Gigaworks T40 (this is what I was considering earlier) is in the rubbish bin because they are twice the cost of M10 here (yowza!).

 

All that is left are the M10 and AudioEngine A5. The M10 seem to be better poised considering that I am in a dorm room which is 13''x10''. But then, I graduate in less than an year after which I will have a large room of my own in which the A5 would be better.

 

Ahhh... screw it. No point in using my head about what will be best after an year and all that... I am going for the M10...

 

@dishkyun

I looked up Sonodyne as my first choice. But they do not have demo rooms at Chennai. Lack of reviews is another factor which is making me hesitant. Also, ak100 is priced at 699 euros in Europe. Even if it the price is *halved* (unlikely), it would still be far too costly compared to the M10.


Edited by avalanche - 5/18/10 at 5:14pm
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post #12 of 15
5/18/10 at 2:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by muad View Post

Compared to the A2, the A5's are worth it!  If you have the room I wouldn't get anything smaller than a proper full range bookshelf speaker. Your best options are the audioengine A5 or Swan M200MKIII. If those are too pricey then the M200MKII or D1080 would be my next choice.


X2, I'd give the Swan M200MKIII a listen

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post #13 of 15
5/18/10 at 6:22pm

If you can find the T40's, grab em'.  They sound very good, I use them with my Fubar II DAC.  There is no particularly big problem with them, other than maybe the slightly lean bass reproduction, but there is a bass and treble dial to help correct it.

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post #14 of 15
5/19/10 at 11:41am

If your price range is around 300 euros check out the KRK RP5s or 6s. They are pretty decent for the price.

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post #15 of 15
5/20/10 at 6:10am
Thread Starter 

@draca

Thanks for the recommendation but the KRK are not available in India easily. The market for good speakers is very *very* limited. The lucky folks at Delhi and Bombay can find the niche outlets (which makes sense considering they are the largest two cities) but elsewhere, we have to make do with the options given. Still, thanks for the input.

 

I will be travelling to town on Saturday and will most probably make a split second decision between the Swans M10 and Audioengine A5 right then and there. Till, then please feel free to tug my opinions as you see fit. ;)

 

And once the purchase is done, I will make sure that I do a mini-review or something like that.

 

Cheers!

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