Archos Jukebox Recorder20 w/ external speakers
Mar 24, 2002 at 6:46 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 3

Robster1958

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i posted this info on an Archos messgae board...in case anyone has an interest:
(btw -- my headphones are the consensus: senn mx500's....koss ksc35's...and senn545 for home. thanks everyone for the advice)

___________________________________
got them!!

something new and different: the AEGO2.

http://aego2.acoustic-energy.co.uk/

i think they didn't do too well at $600 ... i got a set for $400 (must be discontinued..or just reduced to compete)

i heard these in a highend stereo store with my Archos....really sounded musical. great bass...solid and deep, not boomy. smooth open midrange. and they look way cool. constructed like a tank and includes excellent hardware and wiring.

also...i picked up the monster cable mini stereo to L/R RCA adapter........what a huge improvement over the crappy one you get in the package. i swear that cable cuts off at 10,000 hz.

spiritmist
Posts: 20 Posted - 24 March 2002 1:4
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Robster-

Congrats on the new speakers. I've heard some good things about Aego2, but I have never personally heard them. Let us know your impressions after you've really broken them in. I, for one, am very curious. Thanks!

~Brian


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more speaker info:

as i mentioned...i got the AEGO2...they ARE "down" to $400 msrp now.

check this link:

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...oni&1021660016

i was not able to listen to the Klipsch ProMedia v.2.1 or the cambridge sw microworks, so it's possible the i spent twice as much as i needed to. however, i know what i heard...and this speaker set was definitely designed for music, not games or pc sounds. also, there was a cover story review in Stereophile (march '01) that gushed over them (and even at $600...what a value!)

in case anyone is interested...here's what else i listened to:

the AJBR plugged into aux. input of the Linn one-piece mini system ($1500)..forget what they call it (majik?...classik??), playing through small Linn bookshelf speakers ($600).
this DID sound better, especially in soundstaging and seperation of instruments, voices etc. the actual clarity and accuracy were about the same though. definitely more of a home stereo experience.

my final test was listening to a $2000 integrated amp (Densen Beat) along with the very small ProAc Tablette signatures (i think $1200) on bucksot-filled stands ($300).
this setup sounded preditably better, but in some ways highlighted the shortcomings of the MP3 format. on the positive side, for the first time, i actually heard imaging...and of course tonal accuracy was spot on. also the bass kick from these tiny speakers (10" x 6") was amazing. the downside is that compared to a "budget" audiophile CD player (the Rega Planet), the Archos sounded very...compressed...i guess. the dynamic range was compressed. the "black" silent background was missing...everything was covered by this sort of veil. now of course, this was just in an a/b comparison...plus not with the same source CD. taken by itself, the archos sounded quite exceptional. what i don't know is if this compression was encoding-related...or Archos output circuitry related. but let me tell you...this whole mp3 thing is pretty promising, ignoring for the moment the copyright issues(!)

oh yes..and i mentioned in the prior post...as you should not be fooled by the Archos sound quality with the supplied horrid headset, you should not evaluate external speaker quality with the supplied y-plug. i got the monster cable one....huge improvement.

bottom line......for a sane price, you can get damn good music. for an insane price, you can get better, but i would not buy such gear solely for the archos.


Edited by - robster1958 on 3/24/2002 1:36:11 PM
 
Mar 24, 2002 at 10:58 PM Post #2 of 3
Congrats! The Aego2 is easily the best powered sub-sat system on the market. Don't feel too bad about not auditioning the Klipsch or CSW systems -- your Aego2 are head and shoulders above them!
 
Mar 25, 2002 at 3:13 AM Post #3 of 3
i definitely respect your opinions. i found the AEGO2 system on display in a highend stereo shop.......and did the unthinkable: listened without knowing the price. when she said $400, i didn't think twice. i mean cripes...the bose is that much!

from the website....i sorta liked the looks of the Klipsch with mini-horns....in a tacky kind of way
smily_headphones1.gif
 

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