[mark2410]

Quote:

Do you think buying two pairs of these and an s8 to create a 4.1 system and maybe adding a center channel would be a good idea? 

 
not really, i mean you could do it but bare in mind no unified volume control. 

 

[BradleyP]

If you buy an Audioengine W3 with two extra receivers, you will have unified volume. 

 

[gitchoo1]

That's what I was thinking but what center channel would go well with audioengines

 

[cutie]

Yes, after hearing the A5+, the A2s got no meat. But the A5s are just too big for my office desktop.
Really wish I could get the sound of A5s with an A2 footprint.

 

[simonwellander]

Quote:

Do you think buying two pairs of these and an s8 to create a 4.1 system and maybe adding a center channel would be a good idea? 

 
Why not go with the P4's or something then?

 

[gitchoo1]

Quote:

 
Why not go with the P4's or something then?

I don't have an amp and do not need that much volume

 

[BradleyP]

I have found that the better the signal you feed the A2s, the more meat they have.  Treat them like the $600 speakers they actually are, and you will be rewarded.  I now feed mine with a tube-based dac from Grant Fidelity ($350), and I upgraded the tube, too.  It was a big improvement over the perfectly fine Audioengine D1 dac.  On New Year's Eve, I set up my desktop rig in my friend's 16 x 20 billiard room on a granite counter top and cranked it for four hours.  You could feel the music in the walls and floor.  No kidding.  Live recordings sounded very live, especially big band material.  Upright bass was taut and tuneful.  Sure, deep bass was not there and never will be, but everything else sounded so good that I seldom missed it, especially on music that didn't have much deep bass anyway.  This coming from a guy whose main rig is flat down to 38 Hz.  Your mileage may vary.

 

[simonwellander]

Quote:

I don't have an amp and do not need that much volume

 
But buy a OK and quite cheap on secondhand?

That would be much more flexible

 

[cnhardwick]

Looks like the A2+ is coming out soon. The built in DAC seems ideal for anyone using them for computer speakers. Otherwise I do not see that the A2+ changes much from the A2. The volume control is still on the back.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/audioengine-a2-desktop-loudspeaker

 

[simonwellander]

Quote:

Looks like the A2+ is coming out soon. The built in DAC seems ideal for anyone using them for computer speakers. Otherwise I do not see that the A2+ changes much from the A2. The volume control is still on the back.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/audioengine-a2-desktop-loudspeaker

 


Really really nice! Audioengine company delivers as usual!

 

[patrick1]

Quote:

I've had the A2s for several months and listen to them at least six hours a day.  These things are like your kids--you know their faults, but you love them anyway and wouldn't trade them for anything.  A mark of a truly good speaker is that with better equipment and source material upstream, they themselves sound better.  These things pass that test with flying colors.  I've mated them with the Audioengine D1 dac--a phenomenal bargain at $169--put them on the matching stands, and bought good RCA and USB cables.  Next, I got the J River media center player, set it for kernel streaming, and downloaded some 96/24 files from HD Tracks.  Oh.  My.  Gawd.  In terms of sheer pleasure, this little rig rivaled my $10k system in the other room.  I'm not kidding.  I sat at my desk and laughed out loud at the absurdity of what I was hearing, and the more I turned it up, the better it got.
 
In some ways, the little system actually beat the big system, much to my dismay.  To make a long story short, after some experimentation, I ended up connecting the D1 directly to my 250 watt per channel amp driving a pair of Martin Logan SL3 electrostatic speakers.  Again, I laughed out loud at the absurdity of what I was hearing.  This palm-size USB dac obliterated my CD player AND preamp whether was playing mp3, CD, or hi def.  Needless to day, I'm rethinking my whole he-man stereo, now.
 
If you hate the location of the volume knob on the back, the knob on the front of the D1 takes care of that.  Sorry for this rambling post, but I'm pretty high on my Audioengine gear.

 
This post made me a bit more certain about the A2's. Have them since yesterday and compared them to a Teufel B 200 USB system. At first, the exaggerated bass made me feel unhappy with them. Via a work-around (http://osxdaily.com/2012/05/18/equalizer-for-all-audio-mac-os-x/) I could equalise them on my macbook. It helped, but there must be more. 
Hopefully the DAC will work, but the Audioengine D1 is $ 170, and 170 euro's here in the Netherlands. This is still quite some money when you can buy an extra pair of A2's for that amount... Of course, that opinion may vary from person to person. For the record, I have the matching stands. 
 
In short, less bass and more details is what I'm hoping for

 

[BradleyP]

Taming the bass was my main task with the A2s, but I have mostly succeeded.  First, I got a different DAC, the Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-11, which delivers better detail in the bass and provides better tonal balance for the A2s.  (I travel with my little D1, now.)  I imagine the Audioquest Dragonfly would be something to seriously consider at USD 250.  Second, I placed the A2s on their stands and placed each stand on three heavy books.  My speakers had been energizing my entire desk, but the additional acoustical isolation of the books helps very much.  I would like to find stone blocks to replace the books.
 
Place the speakers at least one meter apart if you can.  Good luck!

 

[goodolcheez]

Quote:

 
This post made me a bit more certain about the A2's. Have them since yesterday and compared them to a Teufel B 200 USB system. At first, the exaggerated bass made me feel unhappy with them. Via a work-around (http://osxdaily.com/2012/05/18/equalizer-for-all-audio-mac-os-x/) I could equalise them on my macbook. It helped, but there must be more. 
Hopefully the DAC will work, but the Audioengine D1 is $ 170, and 170 euro's here in the Netherlands. This is still quite some money when you can buy an extra pair of A2's for that amount... Of course, that opinion may vary from person to person. For the record, I have the matching stands. 
 
In short, less bass and more details is what I'm hoping for

 
 
You want less bass, then place them away from the wall. The bass will be reduced and more accurate.
 
I wouldn't want volume knob on the front of the A2 speaker. Because it will look ugly.
 
I honestly think the A2 speakers sound as good as the $1000 speakers, not $600. The bass (mid and upper bass) is just something else on these speakers. Very tight, fast, and detailed / authentic bass.  They create a wonderful synergy with the subwoofer. 
 
A2's strong key is the bass.
 
Mid range is pretty good.
 
The only weakness is the treble and they don't open up as wide as the speakers in the $1500- 2000 range.

 

[Grevlin]

Does anyone have a nice record player to pre-amp to the A2's?
 
 
Would the A2's be the weakest link?
 
 
I'm thinking about:
 
Debut Carbon to Rolls Bellari VP 130 to A2's
 
 
...for desk chair listening when I want to set the headphones down.

 

[patrick1]

Placing the speakers away from the wall is not really an option since I have a small desk.
 
What goodolcheez says, the bass is good (however exaggerated) and the mid's are okay. But I really miss the drama in music like the voice of louis armstrong and details from guitar music. Especially small sounds/details that makes certain music wonderful. Everything sounds smoothed out, flat and dull. The same with Jimi Hendrix and John Mayer.
 
 
I think i'm more a monitor kind of listener, but not too clean.. Still thinking about trying some AV40 monitors when the Teufel B200's are sold.