[anadin]

Quote:

If not can you suggest other stereo or 2.1 channel speakers that can beat a5 in terms of audio quality and performance.

 

[Somnambulist]

^
 
Definitely.... depending on how much you want to spend though. I'm super happy with my Focal monitors but they are on a different level $ wise to the A5s.

 

[tme110]

I have the bamboo A5's and love them and recco them. Are they the best ever? No, but being able to simply plug them into any headphone system I have and have a complete system with no fuss is very nice. I have an over-kill DAC going into mine which may be a factor affecting other people's feelings on them (I think they'd be a waste using with a normal sound card). I also enjoy them more than the Polks on my main system even though I spent a couple $thousand on them.

I'd also like to get or listen to the those mini-maggies but I don't have a single amp in my house that can power them which is interesting since they are supposed to be desk top speakers (ie, what desk-top amp would work?)

 

[tme110]

I dont know if they count as computer speakers and I've never heard them but they are also tricky to power speakers that are self powered:

http://www.amazon.com/MartinLogan-Purity-Fully-Powered-Electrostatic-Loudspeaker/dp/B000XSBJRW/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1317589653&sr=1-10

 

[AhhHoNG]

where are the love for focal cms

 

[GREQ]

Quote:

 
 
I want pictures of your DIY stands!! Haha. Because I lack both the tools and the materials to make any DIY stands, I went through thick and thins trying to find the best isolating feets for my speaker on my desk. Simple technique of placing blu-tack under the speakers alone made a hell of a difference so I can't imagine how much better my Aktimate would be given a proper speaker stand with decoupling feet. I am using Herbie Soft Dot right now.
 
I have not tried a stand before but commonly sighted negative feedbacks about the Aktimate is that it is very sensitive to positioning and that it needs a speaker stands to shine. This has been Aktimate's negative point more so than the A5 and since the Aktimate already sounds so good on a table top, I can only expect it to improve much more with a proper stand =)
 
@Arnotts - That is a very good price! If it sells at that price I will happily grab another one! It retails for USD700 here =(
 

 
I think it's also important to mention that they're about 10cm away from the back wall allowing the rear port to breath properly.
 

 

[Rainbow Randy]

Please, can we end the persecution? Let this thread die, that hate may wither and man not strike down his brothers.

 

[Somnambulist]

Quote:

where are the love for focal cms

As Focal are a French company, and made in France, I think the conversion to dollars makes them a bit more expensive than they are over here compared to the competition. I'm in the UK though, so it's alright. My CMS 50s slay, although I wish I had the money/space for the Twins!

 

[Radio_head]

A5s for $200 on the closeout section of shorline music.

 

[AhhHoNG]

Quote:

As Focal are a French company, and made in France, I think the conversion to dollars makes them a bit more expensive than they are over here compared to the competition. I'm in the UK though, so it's alright. My CMS 50s slay, although I wish I had the money/space for the Twins!

cms competitors are krk vtx, adam a5x range of speakers and i tink the price are actually justified. For the performance we get dont u agree the price is worth it?

 

[Somnambulist]

I'm super happy with mine, I just meant the €/£ conversion means they are slightly more expensive than their competition which are from American companies or ones made in China. I still feel for nearfield hifi the CMS series are one of the best for under £1000, and the Solo/Twins are awesome in the higher price bracket they occupy.

 

[truenorth]

 
My Hafler power and Energy Veritas setup no longer appeased my wife, she wanted me to downsize the audio.  We all know that means sacrificing SOMETHING.  I researched as much as I could, put the system in the basement and bought the A5's for the living area.  I think I compromised as little as possible in regards to what I hear.  I would LOVE to hear the Akimate Minis, which I hear are better than the A5's... although at a $200 premium.  That said, I am not sure how anyone can absolutely claim that these speakers are garbage.  I have heard plenty of speakers that are garbage... these are not even close.  For the price, pull the trigger before Audioengine figures out that they could sell these things for another $100.  If they packaged the little A/B amp in a nice chassis they could sell that for the same price, sans drivers.  The speaker is very very good, but not enough credit is given to the amplifier.
 
I am also curious as to the source people are using.  I am using an ipod with 320kbps rips.. going through an HRT iStreamer.  Unless you have tried using CD's as a source, or something similar to what I am using, then you are not doing the speakers justice.
 
Strong points

1. Spacious sounding
2. Very nice sound stage
3. impressive mids
4. better than expected bass
5. price

 
Weak points

1. At high volumes they start to sound like they are shouting, they lose composure
2. if you plug you ipod in to charge while playing them, there is a slight buzz
3. size, if you are looking for a desktop solution, look elsewhere.  
4. They are a touch bright, but that is relative.

 

 

[adamlau]

The A5 sounds like a louder, boomier version of the muddy A2 (I have the A2 and my sister has the A5). Definitely not the best computer speaker in the world. I just got in on the B&H pre-order for the Adam ARTist 3 (to replace the A2, which is going to be put to use with the Elements W), should be a good one (build quality looks solid, passive heatsink and the additional input options over the A3X). 

 

[alexsj]

Quote:

 
My Hafler power and Energy Veritas setup no longer appeased my wife, she wanted me to downsize the audio.  We all know that means sacrificing SOMETHING.  I researched as much as I could, put the system in the basement and bought the A5's for the living area.  I think I compromised as little as possible in regards to what I hear.  I would LOVE to hear the Akimate Minis, which I hear are better than the A5's... although at a $200 premium.  That said, I am not sure how anyone can absolutely claim that these speakers are garbage.  I have heard plenty of speakers that are garbage... these are not even close.  For the price, pull the trigger before Audioengine figures out that they could sell these things for another $100.  If they packaged the little A/B amp in a nice chassis they could sell that for the same price, sans drivers.  The speaker is very very good, but not enough credit is given to the amplifier.
 
I am also curious as to the source people are using.  I am using an ipod with 320kbps rips.. going through an HRT iStreamer.  Unless you have tried using CD's as a source, or something similar to what I am using, then you are not doing the speakers justice.
 
Strong points

1. Spacious sounding
2. Very nice sound stage
3. impressive mids
4. better than expected bass
5. price

 
Weak points

1. At high volumes they start to sound like they are shouting, they lose composure
2. if you plug you ipod in to charge while playing them, there is a slight buzz
3. size, if you are looking for a desktop solution, look elsewhere.  
4. They are a touch bright, but that is relative.

 

The A-5s pair very nicely with a Squeezebox Touch.
 
 

 

[adamlau]

CDs ripped to FLAC (--best --replay-gain -V) through DeaDBeef on Arch Linux (OSS4 w/ vmix disabled) and BD rips through mplayer-svn (AC3/DTS/TRUHD decoded through ffmpeg-git). Sound out through line outputs from a Claro Halo w/ OPA637 x 4  > AQ King Cobra > Velodyne F-1200 w/ high-pass @ 100 MHz >  AQ King Cobra > Audioengine A2 (L) > AQ Type 4 w/ spades > Audioengine A2 (R). Even decent interconnects and a high-pass filter fails to improve the muddy A2 (the A5 fares no better)...
Quote:

...I am also curious as to the source people are using...