[CyberTheo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hookem /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does not look like any kind of comparision to...The M-Aduio BX5a's look to be better in just about any concievable comparision. Bigger woofer, higer powered bi-amped amplifier, more versitle connectivity...They are a name brand with almost instant name recognition. Looks like a no-brainer to me...Guy linked me to sweetwater's "active speaker" section and it was mind numbing to say the very least.

I'm not bashing here. I have M-Audio stuff; while they sound reasonable, they don't compare to specialty hi-fi gears. Yeah I know, the comparison may not be fair.

Bigger drivers and beefed up specs seldom tell the story about how a pair of speakers sounds; and for any types of gears for that matter. Just an example, we have all seen floor standing speakers with big drivers and fancy looking tweeters for just $300 a pair; some even have built-in amp. But there are also speakers one size smaller that sound overall better and retails for a lot more.

Here is my point. Far from a no-brainer, I suggest we shall not draw any conclusion as to which sounds better without listening to them both, preferably in the same environment and with same associated equipments. When personal listening and direct comparison are not possible, at least we wait for objective reviews from creditable sources.

 

[markl]

I agree, specs are bogus, ears matter. At this point, I will be happy to get a speaker that is better than the M-Audio AV20s I have now. I expect these will fill that bill.

 

[coredump]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hookem /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does not look like any kind of comparision to...The M-Aduio BX5a's look to be better in just about any concievable comparision. Bigger woofer, higer powered bi-amped amplifier, more versitle connectivity...

Despite the bigger woofer some of the reviews I've read say their a little light on the low end. I guess there is a BX10 subwoofer that's meant to be paired with these.

 

[Hookem]

I would have to agree with you guy's...I know guys who have gone from M-Audio AV40's to Audioengine 2's.

They say absolutely no comparision.

I personally have the option of buying the Audioengine 5's or waiting on the Mackie MR5's.

I opted out of the Mackie MR5's as an option...I know the Audioengine 5's sound good...Several friends own them and rant and rave about how good they sound...Review after review talking about how good they sound.

After reading my reply I neglected to say that as far as spec's there is no comparision...Sound Quality which in my humble opinion trumps spec's any day of the week, is the only unknown when comparing the A2's versus the M-Audio's.

I can tell you that the A2's are some sweet sounding speakers...Cant wait for Fedex to show up that is for sure.

 

[Operandi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hookem /img/forum/go_quote.gif Other than the audioengine being on the bottom of the speaker they look just like the photo's on audioengines site.

Quote:

Originally Posted by feverfive /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^^ Ugh...I think that looks like crap... I'd be disappointed getting those.

I've heard if you can rub off that kind of print from plastic and metal with a sugar cube. Apparently the sugar is just hard enough to remove the print (probably baked on) but not hard enough to scratch the surface. I've never tried so you may want to give it a shot on the bottom of the speaker where it won't be noticeable just in case.

 

[feverfive]

I've owned the A5's for about a month, and they ARE terrific (MBP > Apogee Duet > A5's). For the price, I can't believe how great they sound. That said, I'll probably migrate them to my office at work & "upgrade" my home set-up w/ DynAudio MC-15's...that is, unless I decide to buy some floorstanders from av123 to use w/ my still-forming home stereo set-up...tough to decide which way to go since I do spend the majority of my time in front of my MBP when I'm actually home.

 

[Hookem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Operandi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've heard if you can rub off that kind of print from plastic and metal with a sugar cube. Apparently the sugar is just hard enough to remove the print (probably baked on) but not hard enough to scratch the surface. I've never tried so you may want to give it a shot on the bottom of the speaker where it won't be noticeable just in case.

The bottom of the speaker is covered with a stick on foam pad.

 

[Operandi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hookem /img/forum/go_quote.gif The bottom of the speaker is covered with a stick on foam pad.

Well the back or side, or whatever, you get the idea.

 

[Hookem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feverfive /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've owned the A5's for about a month, and they ARE terrific (MBP > Apogee Duet > A5's). For the price, I can't believe how great they sound. That said, I'll probably migrate them to my office at work & "upgrade" my home set-up w/ DynAudio MC-15's...that is, unless I decide to buy some floorstanders from av123 to use w/ my still-forming home stereo set-up...tough to decide which way to go since I do spend the majority of my time in front of my MBP when I'm actually home.

Wow...DynAudio MC-15's...Now that is what I call an upgrade...

Dynaudio MC-15 Loudspeakers

 

[JMcMasterJ]

I just got my A2's today. They were shipped yesterday and arrived today! They are very good looking in person. They are satin black without the logo on the front. They look just like the ones on the website. Now I've gotta hook them up.

 

[1UP]

Cool.

 

[cstan]

i bought a pair of Tascam VL-X5's a year or so ago, and
they sound pretty good for $200-$250 - not sure how
they compare to the audioengine, but definately worth
checking out.

One thing worth thinking about is getting a pair of monitors
that have ports on the front vs the rear of the speakers - they
will be alot less sensitive to placement to get good bass
response, whereas rear ported monitors need to be more carefully
placed.

the small NHT M-00's are nice as well, but they are more then
$250..

-carl

 

[jinp6301]

Give us your impressions jmcmaster!

 

[JMcMasterJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinp6301 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Give us your impressions jmcmaster!

I'll post some impressions later, but right now I'm having too much fun listening to them

. Well, I'll give some quick first impressions.

First I hooked them to the headphone out on my Macbook pro. Wow, big sound coming out of tiny speakers, very impressive. I started listening to them for a little while and noticed the recessed highs and boomy bass. I played "Black Cow" by Steely Dan and it definitely sounded muddy and off. A little disappointing, but still good for $200. I thought maybe the highs will come out and the bass will clear up with burn in.

Then I switched to the headphone out on my Aura Note. Wow, source makes a HUGE difference. It's not really fair comparing a $2000 unit to a stock sound card, but still. "Black Cow" sounded very good now and was all cleared up, no muddiness. I played some Scott Walker and his voice was scary

. Now I'm listening to Amos Lee and it still sounds very good. Much more balanced and clear hooked up to the Aura Note. Great mids, but Amos doesn't hurt in that area. Now I'm playing Alexi Murdoch. The highs still seem slightly recessed and don't extend very far and the bass doesn't extend super low either, but that can be expected. Still very impressive for these speakers.

I haven't switched back to the Macbook pro yet, but I don't really want to. The problem is that I bought these to hook up to my macbook pro and I'm planning to hook up the Aura Note to ~$1000 speakers. I'll give some more impressions after I hook the A2's back to the MBP and then later after some burn-in.

 

[JMcMasterJ]

Ok, more quick impressions. I just played "Narrow Daylight" by Diana Krall with the A2's connected to the Aura Note and then to the MBP. I didn't level match so it wasn't completely accurate, but I'm still very impressed out of the MBP. The Aura Note provided better balance and detail especially with the highs and lows, but the Diana's voice still sounded amazing out of the MBP. I think I can definitely live with these as a desktop speaker. They sound amazingly big for how tiny they are and I think they are a steal at $200. I don't remember my Swan M200's ever sounding like this. I'll do most of my listening in a dedicated area using the Aura Note, its amp and floorstanders, but the A2's are perfect for my desktop use.