[BradleyP]

It's five months later, so you either have the 305s by now, or decided against them.
 
I own the A2 and the 305s.  Sometimes, I think the A2 is a tad more transparent in the mids with a deeper soundstage.  To my ears, that difference is more than overcome with the pristine, tuneful, well-controlled bass on the 305s.  Cellos and certain resonant instruments and male voices turned to boomy mush on the A2, a problem I understand was addressed in the A2+, but I haven't heard that for myself, yet.  The A2 now makes great sound with my TV, and the 305s sit on foam yoga blocks on my big desk for listening to music while I work.  If you have the room, get the 305s.  Yes, they will shake your desk, your windows, and your floow.  
 
As a bonus, the 305s are wonderful on speaker stands as a traditional hifi rig with a variable-out dac driving them. I tried that once and stayed up til 3 am marveling at how the set-up was as good in many ways as my $10k he-man rig and in a couple of ways even better, but not in all ways.  I'm talking walls and ceiling disappearing, 20' wide image, grand piano nine feet behind the rear wall floating in space, drums hitting you in the gut, etc. from spinning CDs on a laptop and pushing the signal through a $169 Audioengine D1 dac. There is no better deal in entry-level hifi than the 305.  The next step up gets you more transparency and more three-dimensionality in the images of individual instruments, but it takes at least three to five times the outlay to get it.        

 

[Architeuthis]

I'm considering the JBL LSR305 as a replacement for my AudioEngine 5+, but will they be an upgrade?

 

[BradleyP]

No, that will not be an upgrade.  It might be a difference, but I would not call it an upgrade.  If you want a noticeable upgrade from the A5+, you're probably looking at one of the powered Dynaudio models like the X14A or the Focal Be6 Solo, but these cost five times as much or more.  Audioengine has a step up--the HD6--but it's not clear just how much of a step up sonically it would be.  Powered high end speakers and improved affordable studio monitors are becoming more and more common, so there's a lot to choose from.  Some informed recommendations can be found at AudioStream.com under the "Recommended" menu. 
 
http://www.audiostream.com/content/greatest-bits-desktop-speakers#8edhPrsb8WADfUWv.97
 
You might investigate other ways to upgrade your system because the A5+ can stretch quite a bit.  If you use them on a desktop, they benefit greatly from IsoAcoustics stands, which I swear by.  If your source is a computer and you aren't using an external DAC, get one.  They might also benefit from some basic power conditioning or improved interconnects.  Experiment with placement, too.  Move them as far apart as you can without the stereo image unraveling.  That can be around four feet apart if your desk is big enough, or even more if you move them off the desk and put them on tall stands on the other side of the desk from where you sit.

 

[milosingh]

Wouldn't buy either. Go with Aktimates, Swan, Emotivas or something of higher pedigree.

Any Aktimate, Swan or Emotiva speaker is head and shoulders above Audioengine A5+. Even speakers that cost less than the A5+.

You don't need to buy Dynaudios to beat AE.

Adam Audio USD 500 speakers will be better than AE as well. As would others by KEF, PSB etc. In the USD 400 to 1000 range.

 

[12many]

I was looking at these exact speakers also.  Along these same lines, are these speakers good for a computer based set up for use in an office (limited volume needed) with limited space?  Or are these speakers too big and loud for that application?
 
I need quality speakers for a small and quiet private office music system where speakers will be within 4 feet of me.  Any recommendations?