[matt1039lp]

I could use some advice.  I have what I consider a very nice setup for my sennheiser 595 headphones, but my desktop speakers are a $20 pair of logitech.  Now, I use my headphones 80-90% of the time, but when I'm folding laundry or watching a movie or listening to music with a guest in my bedroom (you know what i'm talking about), the sound is no good, to say the least.  
 
I have a SuperPro DAC and a Headroom Total Airhead amp for the headphones, and I am quite pleased.  I realize that for the same price, desktop speakers typically won't sound as good.  Nonetheless, I am interested in the Audioengine A2 or the M-Audio AV40 and went to the store to take a listen.  To be honest, neither sounded good in the store.  The M-Audio sounded like that had one note for bass, but I don't know the source and the music they were playing was absolutely terrible to begin with.  The A2's were at another store, and the guy said the source was itunes.  That doesn't mean much to me because the song could still be of poor quality.  
 
So, do you think the A2's will sound better in my own room with high quality music files?  I read great things about them and the AV40's, but I sort of had the opposite experience when listening for a few minutes at the store.  Did my 595's spoil me?!  Can anything compete with headphones?
 
The other reason I am interested in a 2.0 system is because the bass will annoy the neighbors and I cannot be tempted to turn the subwoofer up.  I used to love, perhaps need, a loud sub.  The 595's have taught me that I really need accurate bass rather than loud bass, as the 595's bass is not prominent.
 
 

 

[Armaegis]

The A2s are generally considered the better speaker, but you can get the AV40 for half the price of the A2, so really it boils down to how much you want to spend.
 
Speakers generally have a higher price curve than headphones, but you can also get excellent value for your buck going through garage sales and picking up some vintage speakers and receivers for next to nothing.

 

[noinimod]

If the hd595 is not giving you enough bass, the a2 definitely won't cut it. Heck, even the bigger a5 won't.

 

[matt1039lp]

Sorry, I was trying to say the exact opposite noinmod.  I don't believe I need a lot of bass.  I rarely ever could turn it up and enjoy the bass due to the fact that I live in an old apartment and sound transfers very well, unfortunately.  I long for the day I have my own house and can crank up the music all night

 

[Chrome Pumpkin]

I think you'd be pretty pleased with the A2, and don't be fooled, they have plenty of bass so long as you're not trying to rattle pictures off the walls or anything. I am listening to my A2s right now and am very impressed with the quality (and volume) of which they are capable.

 

[noinimod]

Considering what the OP is using now (hd595), he'll find that the a2s don't have much extension, nor usable output. i say "usable output" because the thing with many ported speakers is, you can't get decent bass output at low-moderate volumes. You have to bump the vol up before you start hearing some bass.
 
On top of that, the a2 woofers are 2.75" and are rated down to 65Hz. That is honestly not a lot. The only reason why they sound like they have some bass is because of the mid bass hump trick used by many to give the illusion of more bass extension (same deal with the a5). I'm not hatin' on the a2, because they're really small and punch above their weight class, but the fact of the matter is.. you won't get quality bass out of them. Quality doesn't equal quantity, no idea why when it comes to bass, many people seem to think it's all about output when it isn't

 

[matt1039lp]

Thanks for the info.  I discovered that we actually have a pair of A2's at work in the conference room (who knew?!).  I'm going to test them out tonight when everybody's gone and I can hook up my ipod.  My only concern is they are located in the upper corners of the room facing down, and from what I understand, positioning is critical when it comes to these speakers.  Perhaps the location isn't a huge deal as long as they're not sitting on the desk without being elevated.

 

[loveholic]

Quote:

Thanks for the info.  I discovered that we actually have a pair of A2's at work in the conference room (who knew?!).  I'm going to test them out tonight when everybody's gone and I can hook up my ipod.  My only concern is they are located in the upper corners of the room facing down, and from what I understand, positioning is critical when it comes to these speakers.  Perhaps the location isn't a huge deal as long as they're not sitting on the desk without being elevated.

Make sure you aren't too far away. The A2s were made for near field listening.

 

[matt1039lp]

I understand the term "near field," but can someone please define this?  Are we talking 3 feet, 6 feet, 10 feet...?  My bed is roughly 10-12 feet from the desk...will it sound bad at that distance?

 

[Armaegis]

You should be fine at that distance. Nothing to worry about until you start pushing 20+ feet, and even then if it's a closed room it should be fine. Most speakers that people are familiar with fall into that nebulous "near field" category.
 
On the other hand, things like PA speakers typically sound awful up close.