Audioengine A2+ Review

If you are one of those customers who is looking for something compact and at the same time cute to make your life more tuneful either at home or work then you are on the right track. Audioengine A2+ is for those who value space, elegance and quality. Of course, these speakers aren’t the acme of perfection but their producer at least tried to approach it.

First impression

When we looked at Audioengine A2+ for the first time we had a kind of déjà vu – we had definitely seen something very similar before! And we could explain that feeling. The point is that Audioengine A2+ is a miniature copy of its bigger brother Audioengine 5+. The same soft and rounded curves of the speakers, and the same dim polish, which makes this model look more elegant than glam.

Audioengine A2+ is almost one-third size of Audioengine 5+ and is more suitable for desktop use or in case you don’t want your room to look too crammed. Note that its wood cabinets with a hand-polished finish are more durable than its plastic analogs. There are three classic colors to choose from – satin black, snow white and royal red. Though these speakers have a small size they weigh almost 7 lbs (i.e. more than 3 kg).

Of course, it’s quite hard to believe that such compact speakers can offer you top-notch sound quality but we really hoped that behind their small size and nice look there is hidden something really special. So, let’s see what we have found.

Technical characteristics

Audioengine speaker company claims that its A2+ product was created namely for high-grade performance and is a shining example of premium powered speaker system. Such brave words can’t but draw your attention, but whether they deserve it – that’s a different matter.

Components

These speakers are provided with classic A/B analog amplifiers that produce warm sounding so much beloved by the listening auditory. Of course, such quality adds to Audioengine A2+ in price but this is worth it because you won’t get the same sound when using cheap components. And thanks to the pre-cited dual class A/B monolithic amplifiers these speakers have got the award-winning Audioengine signature sound label.

By the way, both amplifiers are built into the left speaker. It means that the right one hasn’t got anyone. Instead of amps there are all necessary cables. So, as you can see the right speaker is quite passive. What is more, there is a built-in digital-to-analog converter (DAC) which allows you to send high-end digital audio right from your computer’s USB port.

Audioengine A2+ has also got an output for a subwoofer, and what is more, you can add it wirelessly as there is the optional Audioengine W3 adapter. Such features make this speaker system a great choice for PCs and iDevices. Besides, there is an optional DS1 Desktop Stand, which allows you to isolate and angle the speakers off the desktop surface and gain better performance.

The other thing is bass. Despite its small size Audioengine A2+ has enough power to surprise you with its bass level. And fortunately, it’s a pleasant surprise. Such nice result was gained through some clever acoustic tricks and electrical design. Furthermore, as you remember, Audioengine A2+ cabinets are made of wood – the best speaker enclosure material for its stiffness at higher volume levels. Besides wood cabinets have a great ability to focus the necessary amount of low end from the tuned front port slots. Note that there wasn’t used any digital signal processing or fake bass boost circuits.

This speaker system has 2.75-inch Kevlar woofers that look like carbon fiber and 3/4-inch silk dome tweeters. Together with monolithic amplifiers they provide from 65 Hz to 22 kHz frequency response.

Setup and Compatibility

As we have mentioned above, the left speaker has built-in amplifiers while the right one is passive and equipped with all cables. Thus, the setup process won’t be too time-consuming and won’t require any special skills.

All you need to do is to plug the left speaker into AC power and connect the speaker wire from left to right. There is also a 3.5mm stereo mini-jack, RCA and USB inputs for easy connection with computers and iDevices. Besides, there are some extra cables for the other needs.

Keep in mind, that Audioengine A2+ hasn’t got any installation software, apps or plugins. Still, these speakers are compatible with all computers and music players. By the by, A2+ model has a variable RCA output using which you can connect a subwoofer, for example an authentic Audioengine S8. What is more, you can also add improved accessory cables and updated connectors as well as other upgraded power supply.

Performance

Audioengine A2+ is a set of compact speakers which are suitable for desktop use. Still, having an improved sound quality it will be a nice addition to your gaming computer. Obviously, it isn’t a home theatre speaker system but it doesn’t mean that A2+ won’t provide you with good movie sound. There isn’t even a great necessity to add a subwoofer as Audioengine A2+ sounds fine even without it. Besides, there is an auto-standby idle mode to save power when you are not playing music.

Summary

We would recommend Audioengine A2+ for those whole prefers quality and is ready to pay for it as these speakers cost more than $200. They are not big, thus such compact size will save the space in your house or office. Moreover, this feature makes Audioengine A2+ more portable than Audioengine 5+.

The setup process is simple and easy. But the key factor here is a top-notch performance. Audioengine A2+ has vivid sound with deep bass and crisp highs. And a pleasant bonus for you will be its stylish look. The only thing which we really don’t like about these speakers is that the built-in DAC is only 48 kHz instead of preferred 96 kHz. Another point which may disappoint you is that the speaker stands are usually sold separately. Of course, it’s much better to have everything bought together instead of putting up the whole speaker puzzle on your own.