What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
11 SEP 2007
Audioengine A5
Every aspect of the A5s is enjoyable, especially the way they make your MP3 player sound
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It doesn’t seem long ago that we first listened to these
Audioengine A5s, it was in fact in 2007, so already that’s a good sign.
Some products get tiresome pretty quickly, but our admiration for this desktop set-up is undimmed.
In fact, a year and a half’s-worth of listening to A5 wannabes has only served to strengthen our contention that the A5s are an expertly realised solution to a problem (“how do I listen to MP3s in the home without them sounding rubbish?”) that’s only becoming more prevalent.
The picture doesn’t show it, but the A5s are decisively larger (25 x 18 x 20cm) than their A2 siblings. This extra cabinet space allows each speaker to pack a 12cm Kevlar driver beneath the 2cm silk-dome tweeter.
As with the Audioengine A2s, the right-hand speaker is a passive design – there’s just a reflex port and speaker binding-posts at the back.
The left-hand speaker crams in 50 Watts of amplification for each channel, two 3.5mm inputs (one on top, one at the rear of the cabinet), a USB output (on top, so your MP3 player can charge as it plays), two subwoofer pre-outs, binding posts for wiring to the right-hand speaker and a mains AC output for use with Airport Express (which is an EU version and will require an adaptor for use in the UK).
Stirring sound – even without standsWe have never got tired of pointing out how essential speaker stands are,
and we’re not about to stop now. The A5s sound their best when securely isolated on proper supports.
Mind you, we’re not so naïve as to think the A5s won’t generally get parked on a desktop and left to get on with it – heck, Audioengine even fits little soft feet to each speaker. So we’ll swallow our righteous indignation (for now) and discuss the A5s as they sound when positioned on a shelf or desktop.
Fortunately for all concerned, they sound stirring. A lossless file of Donovan’s
Sunny Goodge Street is delivered with all its subtlety intact, from the plucked bass notes to the wheedling vocal.
The soundstage is broad and explicit, thanks to effective stereo focus, and treble sounds are bright without becoming splashy.
Timing is precise, the midrange is poised and natural, and the Audioengines integrate the entire frequency range smoothly.
The Audioengine A5s, then, are composed and staunchly musical, and they remain a compulsory audition for those who crave instant hi-fi.