[HeadLover]

Hi
I wonder between those two self powered speakers.
What is better? what will give me a better SQ ?
And I will use them for near field listen (like near my PC) connected to my Benchmark DAC1 PRE

Thank you !

 

[Alai]

Um... you're comparing $700 speakers to $300 speakers? HMMMMM I WONDER WHICH ONE IS BETTER?

 

[euphoracle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alai /img/forum/go_quote.gif Um... you're comparing $700 speakers to $300 speakers? HMMMMM I WONDER WHICH ONE IS BETTER?

What?

 

[Kobra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alai /img/forum/go_quote.gif Um... you're comparing $700 speakers to $300 speakers? HMMMMM I WONDER WHICH ONE IS BETTER?

Oh, you're every sales managers wet dream

You're making yourself injustice in saying that price = performance. To some degree price is equal to performance, but as we all know - now a days there's to many manufacturers that slap on a huge price sticker to attract a crowd...

I haven't heard the BM5's but I've listened to the A5's many times. I own the smaller brother (A2) but every now and then I start to contemplate on upgrading. The Audioengine speakers are far better than what their price might indicate. They image tremendously well and despite their small size (A2) they put out bass that surpasses many larger monitors. You should do the speaker justice by using a good speaker cable and fore and most elevate and isolate them from your desktop (the elevation will bring most change in SQ).

Both the A5 and the A2 have been reviewed by Stereophile Magazine, you can read the reviews online.

To me, the largest difference between the smaller A2 and the bigger A5 is in the strength of the bass. Also, the A5 has a stronger SPL and are thus better if you're in a bigger room. But as you will use them in a near field environment the A2 might be sufficient...

Both the A2 and the A5 have extremely good imaging and clarity. And if you feel the need for low end grunt there's always the Audioengine S8 subwoofer to the rescue

 

[Alai]

Trust me. The Dynaudio will destroy the A5.

 

[MatsudaMan]

If it's cheap, it's not very good. Just impossible to make a great product with cheap parts and cheap development and research (ie driver voicing and matching).

Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it sounds great, but you gotta shell out the money for something great.

All those reviews that say, "I haven't heard anything twice the price that beats this", are all full of poo.

 

[Hopstretch]

The A5s are very good. For the price, they are flat-out superb. I have not heard the Dynaudios, but if you can spend that much you might also care to check out the Quad 12L actives, which I am listening to right now with great pleasure.

 

[MatsudaMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hopstretch /img/forum/go_quote.gif The A5s are very good. For the price, they are flat-out superb. I have not heard the Dynaudios, but if you can spend that much you might also care to check out the Quad 12L actives, which I am listening to right now with great pleasure.

Very nice setup. I just listened to my bro's computer audio system - duet with some totem arros - really awesome sound. I've always loved quad speakers but have never heard the active ones...every time I see a pair on Audiogon, I get very tempted....

 

[warpdriver]

Weird comparison.

I own Dynaudio and the A2, and I'm quite familar with both brands because I heard both extensively, and there is really no contest. The BM5A is in a different league altogether.

You should be comparing the BM5A against the Quad 11L Active or Adam A7, which both should give the BM5A a run for its money. Personally I would still pick the BM5A in that group, but the other two are really good as well

 

[chesebert]

dynaudio FTW

 

[Alai]

See, that's what I'm saying...

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver /img/forum/go_quote.gif Weird comparison. I own Dynaudio and the A2, and I'm quite familar with both brands because I heard both extensively, and there is really no contest. The BM5A is in a different league altogether. You should be comparing the BM5A against the Quad 11L Active or Adam A7, which both should give the BM5A a run for its money. Personally I would still pick the BM5A in that group, but the other two are really good as well

 

[julius_the_cat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver /img/forum/go_quote.gif Weird comparison. I own Dynaudio and the A2, and I'm quite familar with both brands because I heard both extensively, and there is really no contest. The BM5A is in a different league altogether. You should be comparing the BM5A against the Quad 11L Active or Adam A7, which both should give the BM5A a run for its money. Personally I would still pick the BM5A in that group, but the other two are really good as well

Truth. My experience with Dynaudio automotive, home and pro audio products is the performance supports the "huge price sticker."

I also have a pair of AE A2 speakers and they are nifty. I had the A5 speakers at home for a month. I think you would like them. Great company. Remember though that the AE A5 has rear ports and ought to be at least 6-12" from the rear wall.

I have a pair of BM5A on a mixing deck upstairs and the tweeter ought to be ear level for to eliminate desktop reflections. They are pre-production monitors designed for mixing, but have a reputation for a "sweeter" sound and I think they are very musical. My musician son plays a fair amount of rap and likes them. They cost $1K.

 

[analogbox]

I have A5s now and plan to upgrade to Dynaudio in the future, but I'm perfectly happy with A5s for now. Audioengine have unconditional return policy so you could try them first and if it's not satisfactory you could return them and get the BM5As if you want.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by julius_the_cat /img/forum/go_quote.gif Truth. My experience with Dynaudio automotive, home and pro audio products is the performance supports the "huge price sticker." I also have a pair of AE A2 speakers and they are nifty. I had the A5 speakers at home for a month. I think you would like them. Great company. Remember though that the AE A5 has rear ports and ought to be at least 6-12" from the rear wall. I have a pair of BM5A on a mixing deck upstairs and the tweeter ought to be ear level for to eliminate desktop reflections. They are pre-production monitors designed for mixing, but have a reputation for a "sweeter" sound and I think they are very musical. My musician son plays a fair amount of rap and likes them. They cost $1K.

Agreed, I almost seem to collect moderate priced bookshelf speakers, and I own a few $1000 passive "audiophile brand" speakers (NHT, B&W, Epos, Paradigm Reference etc). I would say the Dynaudio BM5A is as musical as any of those other brands.

I do recommend the A5 a lot, it's a great speaker for the $300 price, but I would not mistake it for a BM5A (and I would take that test blindfolded if I had to)

 

[mrarroyo]

The A5 are also a tad smaller, if you have tight quarters to start with their size would become an important parameter.