[raisedbywolves]

just bought a pair of a2's and i'm a little underwhelmed so far. i remember reading in some reviews that there was a tendency for the mids to be a little thick at times. to my ears, that seems to be the case, and the highs maybe could use a little more extension ... i want to eq these, but i have no idea about how to use the 18 band eq in foobar at all. i've also noticed that they sound better with a little more volume, but at low volume things seem to be a little worse off.
 
anyway, any of you a2 owners out there that maybe have eq'd them a bit, care to share some settings for me? thanks.

 

[raisedbywolves]

anybody?

 

[Mr. B]

If they're anything like my A5's, they needed to be turned up a bit to shine... I suspect that's unavoidable.

 

[raisedbywolves]

i've found that too, but even so, i find them to be a little too middy ... also they've been fatiguing my ears a little maybe. i dunno what it is ... i'm trying to mess around with the foobar eq but i'm not really too sure what i'm doing, to be honest.

 

[JonathanHF]

Try raising them from the desk and different placements.
My A5 had the same problem until I placed them on speaker stands.

 

[killertofu]

Hey raisedbywolves,
 
I had the same initial response when I bought my pair of A2's. If you haven't done it already, play them for a good amount of time to burn them in. I don't know if it was a placebo effect, but my speakers seemed a bit better after doing so.
 
Placement is key with these things. I bought the Audioengine ramp-stand things and they make a large difference. However you chose to do it, make sure the tweeters are facing your ears, or are at ear level.
 
And to answer your question, here's a screenshot of how I have my A2's EQ'd:

This is only a 10 band EQ that comes with iTunes, but hopefully you can use it as a model.
 
I listen to rock, r&b, alternative, and electronic, so these settings may not fit your audio preferences well. I'd suggest spending a few days mildly changing individual bands until you are satisfied. I've been tweaking my settings for over a month now and actually have multiple saved profiles that I sometimes go back to. I found that the 125hz area was where the speakers sounded muddy, so I reduced it accordingly. Do not increase frequencies below 64hz, as it may damage the speakers. Frequencies to the right are higher, so raise them until they sound good to you.
 
Hope this helps!

 

[raisedbywolves]

i do have the stands, and they are facing my ears. right now i'm using a classic v preset i found, tweaked a little bit ... lowered the highs they had put in and lowered the lows they had put in and kept the mids about the same ... sounds better, but i'm still having some fatigue issues ... i think part of it is just me getting used to these speakers. i still feel like there's a little too much midbass at times, but i've gotten things better. i also read that these require about 30-40 hours burn-in, so ... we'll see. thanks everyone!

 

[LUCIDD]

Yup, Killer tofu is absolutely correct, these speakers, along with lots of others need to burn in for a good 50hours [Medium+ volume, mixed music, Pink Noise, White Noise etc]. After 100+ hours, they settle in.
 
I found most new speakers to be quite sharp and the bass is messed up [there, but not accurate, bad extension] before the burnin period is up.
 
I do have the A2's and know exactly what you mean by "thick mids" - chesty sounding. I don't like playing with the EQ much - so either gonna sell them and get some KRK's or just continue with placing them away from walls.
When they are away from walls, they sound great. Very little "chesty" issue.
 
Also, check and ensure that your soundcard has all effects turned OFF.
My laptop had the SRS WOW fx turned on automatically.
 
Hope this helps.
 
L

 

[ckturtle]

In regards to the Audioengine A2, try reversing the insertion-direction of the short A/C cord which plugs into the A/C adapter. 
 
I found that inserting it one way versus another will produce a better soundstage and sound quality.
 
Give it a try and see how it works for you.  

 

[LUCIDD]

Wow really?? Ur being serious?
to try reversing the polarity of the adapter?
HMM.. .
can anyone conifrm?
I'll try with mine - guess it shouldn't hurt
 
Thx.

 

[raisedbywolves]

i'm just gonna keep burning them in ... i turned off eq for now to see if maybe the sound will clear up on its own. i have them relatively close to the walls, on stands ... but m desk is up against the wall, so it's pretty hard to position them closer to me without them being RIGHT up in my face. i also have them angled so the sound from the speakers intersects right in front of me, as i read that was the best way to go with these. i also tried the reverse plug thing, but i'm not sure if i notice any difference yet.

 

[ckturtle]

Quote:

Wow really?? Ur being serious?
to try reversing the polarity of the adapter?
HMM.. .
can anyone conifrm?
I'll try with mine - guess it shouldn't hurt
 
Thx.

By the design of the Audioengine's A/C Adapter, which is similiar to IEC's on various other electronic equipment (DVD players), the A2's short A/C cord can inserted one way or the other.   
 
By finding the correct polarity this will improve the overall sound. 

 

[pdxted]

WOW. CK Turtle, you're absolutely right. I was having the muddy mid problem with the A2s that seem to be pervasive. I changed the polarity of the power cord and the whole thing opened up. Highs more extended. Mids not as thick. I can bring my eq setting back to a reasonable level. Love the speakers, and this really allays some of my concerns. Audioengine ought to be handing out this advice. Thanks much. Glad I ran across your post.

 

[olor1n]

Placement is key for these speakers. Mine are on a shelf at ear level less than 3 feet away and they sound pretty damn good. I doubt mine have clocked in 50 hours yet, but I have noticed it smoothing out the last few days. It's still a tad fatiguing for some albums though (namely the new Strokes album).
 
I tried rotating the AC cord as ckturtle suggested and have found that one way seems to have better soundstage and imaging. I would normally peg it as placebo, except my 9 year old nephew walked in while I was swapping back and forth and without being asked pointed out which one sounded better and why. Kids have great ears.

 

[tws1]

+2 for all the advice already!
 
> I've probably had mine just over a month, and I think they have improved a bit in that time.
> I've got the Audioengine stand things, and they make a huge difference vs. flat on the desk.
> What input are you using? I'm using the RCA and it sounds a lot better than the 3.5mm input, loads of reasons why I am sure.
> Placement. These are the first speakers I have heard that change so much with placement. They seem really sensitive to where they are posistioned, I am sure this is a side effect of their tiny physical size.
 
Mine are on a desk, and I hear the midbass 'thud' when I sit too far back. When I actually sit at said desk, everything sounds great, and I have the axis pointing slightly in front of me also. They are probably about 4-5ft apart right now. I am positive the 'thud' is something to do with how the bass fires off solid surfaces either side of the desk. So definitely fiddle with the placement...
 
As for EQ, I don't apply anything, using the output of an STX. However, I've got an iPod dock hooked up to the 3.5mm input and I were to use that long term I would want to change the EQ on the iPhone- the muddy 'thud' is much more prominent. Might be something to do with your source? Overall I think these are great, perfect volume levels, and they are just so small! Hope you find something that works for you.