M-audio AV 40 and Audioengine 2 brief comparison

[kite7]

I bought the AV 40 and wasn't too impressed thus I bought the A2 to compare. I can no longer say the AV 40 don't impress me anymore after I've listened to them for awhile , the A2 is almost if not equally impressive as the AV 40

Initially I was more impressed by the A2 right out of the box than the AV 40 but it was probably because I didn't expect such sound out of the tinny things. Once I looked beyond everything except for the sound, then I was able to do a more serious comparison

So having listening to both speakers for awhile now these are my impressions

The audioengine 2's have a very smooth midrange response and it seems like there's a mid bass hump to them since drum rolls sound a little too bassy at times. Its soundstage is not as good as the AV40, it feels like a closed soundstage vs an open soundstage like how my SR-225 compares with my UM3X. When I'm listening to the A2, it sounds like the band is closer together in a small bedroom. The AV40 sounds like they are in a big classroom and are more spread out from each other horizontally, definitely more spacious sounding. For the A2 the vocals are imaged very well, it really sounds like the singer is a meter or two behind the speakers. I really like the vocals on the A2, and I feel like it's definitely a strength of the A2 . Bass wise, to my surprise the AV40 and A2 seem comparable to each other despite the woofer size. The highs on both have no shrillness.

I listen to quite a bit of rock and to me , the AV40 does a better job fleshing out the crunches of the guitar. It is very much like my grado against my westone; aggressive compared to a tad laid back. There is better detail in the midrange and separation. The AV 40 is better handling complex passages compared to the A2, the A2 seems to sound a tad muddy compared to the AV 40
I'm not sure how to describe this but at times the A2's bass slams with more authority and seems more full bodied, sometimes making AV40 sound a bit hollow. However the AV40 do reach a lower frequency due to the nature of its size.

Both sets of speakers have about 20-30 hours in them, I'm not sure how much the sound will change with more time. I can say that both these speakers are very comparable to one another

At this point, I am leaning towards the AV40. Wonder which one will be going back to the store, definitely will listen more these few days

*edit*
I've spent another day listen to both intensively. I think I will probably keep the AV 40, they sound very spacious compared to the A2 no matter how I look at it and this very trait is fairly important to me. Unless space is an issue, I would recommend the AV 40 over the A2. Aside from sound comparisons, I haven't read much regarding issues for the A2 but the one year warranty for the AV 40 is definitely not as good as the three year warranty for the A2. I heard the common AV 40 problems is the volume knob not working , headphone jack not working and the right speaker not working. If these were to defective and the one year warranty is over then I would have to pay for the repair costs and shipping and that would make the AV40 this not such a good deal overall compared to the A2.

*edit*
[size=medium]
Conclusion : Keeping the AV 40, A2's are going back to the store. And there you have it![/size]

On the side note ,if you are looking to decide whether to get the AV 40 or BX5a do yourself a big favour and just save up for the BX5a. They are much better than the AV 40 in every regard, especially in bass accuracy. I do not hear any of these strange bass hums like I did with the AV 40; AV 40 bass seems sloppy in comparison. Really a day and night difference, I did not regret it

 

[kite7]

Anyone who wants a comparison might want to stay tuned, I may get the A2 locally for a head to head comparison to settle any buyer remorse I might still have

 

[Adreneline]

lol, are you the same person who commented on my video? I'm zolium Fancy seeing you here if it is you.

What is your main issue? The low end?

 

[kite7]

Hey there, it's me!

I am finding the low end a bit lacking. Bass boost makes it a bit better. The highs are great but I think the mids can be smoother. I have 12 days to return if I'm still not satisfied. How long did it take for you to adjust to the sound? I currently have the AV 40 raised up about 6 inches with textbooks

I am quite intrigued how some of the posts I've read around the net say the A2 does quite well in the low end

 

[Adreneline]

I have it raised about four inches. Tweeter is ear level.

I have heard the A2, and it is good. It just didn't sound 'big' enough, I didn't like the small drivers personally. But it is a great alternative to people who don't have very big desk space.

The AV40s are enough for me, sound great. I'm more of a headphone person now

.

It didn't take me very long to adjust, maybe a couple days. I actually find my AV40s very bassy...

Perhaps invest in a powered sub.

 

[joe_cool]

Get a powered sub-woofer or quit wondering if they are any good. Just get one that works with your room size. My office is only 12'x12' (feet) and most subs play too low. The one I use now has two 5.25" (inch) woofers and a 150-watt amp. Before that I had an 8" sub in a 10"x10" cabinet (150-watt) and it was too much. Before that I had an 8" sub in a 12"X12" cabinet (150-watt) and it was way too much; sounded like a garage band.

 

[kite7]

Got my A2 today but no impressions yet, I had maybe 20 hours on the m-audio so I want these to play for a bit too.

Adreneline, did you ever find any harshness in the midrange of the av40 in rock songs? Something about it makes my ear fatigued after a while. That's my other problem besides complaining about bass

 

[kite7]

edit

moved impression post to top

 

[iriverdude]

Don't keep the speakers with the "most bass" as you may find it to be over the top or boomy. If one pair of speakers lacks low end, buy a subwoofer to introduce lower bass to bring the system to have a wider frequency response. I wonder if Audioengine are EQ'd with bass boost to over compensate for the smaller driver? Which in turn increases harmonic distortion and limits maximum output. When I read Audioengine specs I found it a bit unusual the reproduce bass that low, compared to other speakers the size, probably 20hz or lower.

 

[kite7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I read Audioengine specs I found it a bit unusual the reproduce bass that low, compared to other speakers the size, probably 20hz or lower.

That caught my eye as well when I was looking to buy the A2.

I'll buy a subwoofer that's for sure, not too concerned anymore about which speakers go lower. I'm trying to focus more on the midrange and imaging of the speakers and I'm not totally decided yet. Figured I've play around enough with the positioning of the speakers , height and angle wise. Back to listening, oh wait it's bed time

 

[fjf]

The AV40 are very nice for the size and prize. They have a mid-bass hump and tend to sound warm, but at the same time are surprisingly detailed and produce a realistic sound-stage. For a small computer setup they are hard to beat. I feed them from my chaintech av710 and sound pretty good!.

 

[kite7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjf /img/forum/go_quote.gif The AV40 are very nice for the size and prize. They have a mid-bass hump and tend to sound warm, but at the same time are surprisingly detailed and produce a realistic sound-stage. For a small computer setup they are hard to beat. I feed them from my chaintech av710 and sound pretty good!.

They sound a little warm indeed. Compared against the A2, the AV 40 seem brighter for sure

 

[BoseFan]

It might not be all that relevant, but when I first listened to the A2's I didn't know that if the volume knob is at (according to my foggy memory) 1/3 or less one channel will be louder than the other. When I lowered the sound in windows and turned up the A2's, it was like day and night, despite having read that I should keep the volume in windows and the media player at 100% loudness.

I don't think I remember anything about using a sub in your reviews, but for me at least a sub's a must with the A2's. It might be surprising to some how much "bass" they have, but to me it's a painful sort of bass that feels like an invisible fist punching you in the ears. Definitely not the nice sort of tingly feeling that I want anyways.

Unfortunately, (or fortunately, as an audiophile might say) I have not listened to the AV40's, though the price is quite tempting.

 

[kite7]

I think I've tried turning up the volume on the A2 and lowering it in windows but I'll give it another go tomorrow.

If I turn down the volume in windows and turn up the volume on my AV 40, still sounds the same to me

 

[ElephantTLK]

In user manual of A2 is mentioned that you should lower volume on source and raise on speakers. So is this normal that is right speaker louder at lower volume levels? Because its the same with my pair of A2s. So i have to lower windows volume level. I keep it at about 50%.