Is audioengine a5 the best stereo computer speaker in the world?

no they are not.  They hold up pretty well in their price bracket though.

aktimate minis would be just as good or probably slightly better than the A5. it all depends on the type of music and your personal perference. 

you should also consider the all new mini maggie system if you're after the best available.

Hardly - just hear some half decent hifi bookshelf speakers and amp and you start wondering how is it that Audioengine manages to charge that much 

Yes, in the whole world....lol....jk...

I enjoy mine indeed...But the better question would be- "Are they the best speakers for me and my application"?

What would be your application?  Music only?  Laptop, PC?  iPod?

They're probably the best for computer/iPod use without having to use any other components at all in the under $500 range, at least out of what I have heard (a lot but not nearly every system in the world). To say they're the best in the world would be ridiculous, my computer setup used to be a Denon amp and two Polk towers and that was worth every penny of the $2,000 I spent on it but it was really inconvenient trying to orient my desk to get the most of the towers so now I use the Audioengine A5s and love them to pieces.

Locate your nearest pro audio shop (the ones that sell studio equipment) and pick a pair of powered monitors there. I have been using the decidedly Mid-Fi Alesis M1 Active Mk2 monitors for about 6 years now and they are supremely enjoyable. Adam audio or even Mackie would be even better (likely).

V.

I have the Aktimate Mini and I think they are really really good. Some people say that it is better than the AE5.

Is it for desktop or laptop use? Good reviews on the b&w mm1 as well, but they are quite overpriced imho.

Remember, good speakers are only as good as the source. :)

In my opinion, the Adam A8x are the best computer speakers/ studio monitors I've heard. After this it's all diminishing returns if you ask me. Spend double to gain 5%. 

I bought the A5 not too long ago under the impression these were the best speakers in the galaxy. Now you guys tell me not only is that not true, they're not even the best of this planet?

I like my A5's a good deal. They sound pretty good, but I don't have much to compare them with.

I think the Audioengines are actually quite mediocre. The Swans easily beat em, as do nearfields around that price range. M-audio are closing out several of their previous gen monitors, and there are some great deals to be had - particularly the CX-5 at $280/pr. Just add a passive pre and you're set.

Far from it, I think there overpriced for what they are there £260 a pair here the better sounding prodipe pro 5's are only £200 , you could get a better sounding passive set-up for the same price as the a5's.

It didn't take much research for me to ignore any kind of computer-oriented speaker when looking for a nearfield set up. I ended up getting some Focal CMS monitors and love them to bits.

They're very good at that price bracket, but in term of absolute performance, there are plenty other monitors that are better.