I like to consider myself someone who appreciates good sound. Of course I don’t have the money to afford true ‘audiophile’ equipment, but I went the extra mile and spent on the Logitech Z5500D some five years ago. I also bought myself some good quality earbuds—FutureSonic FS2—when I got my iPhone. I’ve loved it so far. Except, my iMac has been sporting its built in speakers for the last three and a half years I’ve owned it.
It’s not like I didn’t want to replace my speakers. I did. I didn’t however want a 5.1 speaker system and was looking for a compact 2.1 system for soft music listening purposes. I checked out the regular computer brands like Altec Lansing’s range (including the MX5021 THX certified set), Klipsch Promedia series, and the Creative SomeWorks series. I even brought home a Bose Companion 3 once, but returned them. None of them offered the clean undistorted midrange I wanted. I spoke to some ‘audio guys’ and they recommended I search for bookshelf speakers by high end audio brands—”it’s the only way you’ll get the sound you want”. Then some months ago I heard about the Audioengine A2 speakers on the MacGeekGab podcast (it was an ad), and that stayed with me. After that the name kept popping on various blogs and forums, and I was intrigued. I read all the reviews, consulted all those I could consult, found a dealer in India, and finally ordered them on the 9th of October. What follows is a totally unprofessional opinion about a 2.0 speaker system that I think has its rightful place next to your Mac.
Excited nerd makes for poor photography
The box arrived in a big truck, around 3 feet at its widest. I knew the speakers were smaller than that, but I went with it. Four boxes in, I finally got to the goodies. There were two ‘cute’ pouches at the top of the boxes, and a quick glance into them revealed the cables and adapter. One styrofoam slab later, I found the two speaker cubes, also tucked inside ‘cute’ pouches. A nice welcome into the family I must say.
While the international Audioengine offers a no questions asked returns policy for up to 30 days after purchase, I confirmed with the Indian dealer that I had two weeks to decide. “No accepting crap Milind, it has to be just what you wanted”. A quick wiring up later, I had Alice in Chains’ Your Decision selected in iTunes.
Ah sweet music.
Full mids, and crystal clear highs flowed out of the black boxes. Every note was reproduced like I had never heard it before. And then there’s bass. You’d think these tiny speakers would hardly be able to produce actual bass. It’s not the deep growl one hears from a 10 inch subwoofer, but a punchy thumb that can be felt across the room. I don’t know how they pulled this off with such small boxes. In fact, at high volumes the bass port actually pumps out cool air that cools my wrists! It’s very difficult to describe sound other than on a comparative factor, and the A2s were far superior to any 2.1 system I’ve heard.
Some more pics on Flickr
I needed a system I could listen to music at night. And in my experience, subwoofer based systems kind of sound crap at low volumes. The A2s sound brilliant at low volumes, with the bass thump receding into just an acoustic simulation. That said, I wanted the system to be loud enough when needed as well—given that the monsoons create quite a racket. The A2s are not deafening loud, but they’re loud enough to create quite a racket. The mids and highs stay clear throughout, while the bass kind of distorts at mid-high volumes, especially if it’s a bass heavy track.
When it comes to movies and TV shows, the A2s are a decent fit. They can’t hit those low notes or provide that heart shaking bass growl, or simulate a surround environment, but they’re good enough for casual viewing. I’m probably gonna watch those high action HD movies powered by the 5.1 system though.
When writing this ‘review’ I know I couldn’t do much to describe the sound. I’m not a professional sound-o-phile, nor do I know the technical terms. But what I have done is listen to a lot of computer speaker systems out there, and so far the A2s have produced a sound far different and superior from what I’ve heard so far. I’ve so far gotten dumb looks when I tell someone I paid so much for a speaker system without a subwoofer. But for everyone who actually hears them have one thing to say—”what clarity!”.
I could complain about a few things though. If you’ve just got one of the new iMacs, these speakers will take away all the wireless goodness as they add three extra wires to the desk. I know it’s unavoidable, but what’s a Macboy to do? Second, and more important, they are not shielded. So leaving the iPhone next to them (usually charging) means the signal noise creeps into the speakers (I’m also afraid of data loss from my hard drive). Third, they don’t come with any wallmounting capability. I’d like to take them off the desk as I’m sure the mild surface vibrations will get to me soon enough.
Lastly, they aren’t loud speakers. They’re not meant to perform at loud volumes, and they don’t. So if you equate price with loudness, these will surely disappoint.
The A2s sell at $199 in the US, and Rs. 9900 in India. I got them from Bajaao.com, and while their service is kind of unprofessional, they did ultimately deliver it without any problems. If you’re looking for a good speaker system for listening to music on your Mac (or PC I suppose), this 2.0 system will not disappoint. In fact, you have 2-4 weeks to decide.
Of course the comments are open for alternate recommendations; I’m sure there’s a lot of readers out there looking for good sound for their Mac.
