Audioengine shrinks audiophile speakers for desktops
Made out of kevlar and silk
US speaker maker Audioengine has released a desktop version of its integrated-amplifier A5 shelf speaker set. The A2 set incorporate materials like kevlar and silk to produce a sound that the company claimed belied the speakers' low cost.
Audioengine's A2: desktops for audiophiles?
The glossy 15 x 10 x 13.1cm speakers incorporate a kevlar-cone 6.9cm woofer and a silk-dome 2cm tweeter into a 1.8cm-thick fibreboard casing that makes for a more solid unit that the typical plastic-cased desktop speaker.
The left-hand unit is home to the class AB linear amp, which boosts the signal from the set's gold-plated RCA ports and 3.5mm jack socket.
Integrated linear amp
The amp provides 60W peak power, Audioengine said: 30W peak and 15W RMS per channel.
The speakers are shielded so they can be placed either side of a TV or monitor without distorting the picture.
Like the A5s - reviewed here - the A2s are available in a choice of white or black, both sets to two speakers retailing for $199 (£97/€139), a price that includes speaker and input cables. The speakers come with a three-year warranty. They're available from Audioengine's online store.
COMMENTS
I agree
Kevlar, silk and gold plated plugs: where are the frequency response figures - proper ones, with the limits given? Another silly gimmick, it seems.
or M-Audio AV30 or AV40
...currently about $102 (AV30) and $145 (AV40) shipped on U.S. Amazon.
But Audioengine's niche is its physical integration with iPod.
Audiophile - really!?
A 6.9cm driver, in a tiny box with a built in amp.... it's not quite what i class as a product to get an audiophile jumping for joy!
Frequency response will be marginal below 100Hz thus the bass of most systems will be missing - ideally it'll need a sub and then you have a whole load more issues with integration etc.
Buy a set of Acoustic Energy Aego M's for £89 and have a much better overall package.
