- Oct 13, 1999
- 22,377
- 2
- 81
Zap's Audioengine 2 mini review
manufacturer's link
MSRP $199
Paid $105 (Black Friday thread)
Disclaimer: I am not an audiophile and I do not have golden ears (too much clubbing as an undergrad :\). This mini review is a slightly updated one from the Black Friday thread.
GOOD
Sounds great!
Looks great!
BAD
More complicated to hook up than it could be
Volume/power knob on back
Volume/power knob too close to input jack
MEDIOCRE
Wish it had a headphone output
Wish it had a manual selector for the two inputs
Wish it had a grill of some sort
VERDICT
Well worth the $105 shipped that I paid for them, not sure if worth the MSRP because I can get a T-amp and decent $150+ bookshelf speakers for that price.
Contents
The speakers are packaged really nice, however the "retail box" is just double boxed and shipped that way. The padding was really good, however, so no biggie, plus I've had a lot of other speakers shipped that way (cheap Dayton bookshelves, cheap KLH bookshelves, more expensive BIC bookshelves). The padding was not just the normal cheap expanded polystyrene but the more sponge-like material, like what Antec uses on their higher end case packaging.
The "retail box" is full color and has a handle on top. It says that it was designed for use with a subwoofer (Audioengine branded of course), but will work fine alone. The contents of the box besides packaging was:
The two speakers
AC adapter
Power cord for AC adapter
Manual
Catalog
Two 3.5mm MM cables (long and short)
Tinned speaker wire
Besides the usual plastic bags for the accessories plus the plastic/foam bags for the speakers, there were four cloth bags with drawstrings, two for speakers, one for AC adapter and one for remaining accessories. The cloth feels like fake suede and is really thin, so I'm not sure it will prove to be of continued use - but it sure gave the unboxing experience a nice and expensive feeling touch. The drawstring on the cloth bags almost seems too burly compared to the thinness of the cloth.
First impressions
I got mine in black. The black is polished but not to a piano-like reflection; more like well oiled and waxed wood. The speakers have a really nice heft for their size. First one I picked up was the one with the amp so I thought the extra stuff in it accounted for the weight, until I picked up the other one. The speakers look... like speakers, just smaller, haha. Slot on bottom is the vent. Cone has a carbon fiber look. I'm not sure I like the nakedness of the baffle because IMO exposed drivers invite touching. Heck, I've now touched the drivers four times! (Pssst... tweeter is soft, woofer is rigid, woofer surround is soft rubber not foam.) The bottom of the speakers have a thin layer of foam rubber to protect your desk and to keep the speakers from sliding. The material is like that found backing cheap cloth mouse pads - not the heavier rubbery ones, but the super lightweight foam ones.
The unamplified speaker connects to the other one using a normal speaker wire (feels like 18ga to me, with nicely tinned ends). They connect using gold plated binding posts. Really fancy and all, but seriously I would gladly take a few dollars discount and use an RCA cable or something else that just plugs in. The amp doesn't put out much power so I can't see why the speakers would need to be able to handle cabling upgrades. Well, I guess they have to create reasons to charge $200 for them, so whatever.
The amplified speaker has two sets of inputs (two RCA, one stereo 3.5mm). I'm unsure as to what would happen if both were hooked up at the same time***, and wish there was a manual selector. There is a metal (aluminum?) volume knob right next to the 3.5mm input, which bothers me for two reasons. First and most important is that you have to reach behind the speaker to adjust the volume. They probably did this for aesthetic reasons, but I would seriously rather use a volume knob than software controls. The second is that whenever I adjust the volume, my fingers brush the input cable. My point is that it is functional and gives the front baffle a clean look, but is not very ergonomic to actually use. The volume knob is also the power switch, by turning it all the way down until it clicks.
As an aside, anyone know of a cheap USB volume knob?
The AC adapter jack is a 4-pin DIN style. The AC adapter itself is a small brick like you would fine with a notebook. It uses a separate 2-prong power cord. During use it barely gets warm. I've put my ear against it and detect no buzzing like I hear with some other AC adapters.
One thing that struck me as strange is how the amplified speaker is the left one. Seems to me that most amplified/multimedia speakers have the controls on the right. Maybe it is from the company catering towards an Apple crowd? You know, that left brain/right brain thing?
Listening impressions
So how do they sound? They sound great!
They sound better than the speakers they replaced, which are QuickShot Sound Force 660. I thought those SF660 speakers sounded really good for two channel multimedia speakers with no subwoofer until Logitech came out with their Z series. The A2 sound better than those cheap Dayton (Parts Express house brand?) 2-way bookshelf speakers that cost $25-35. I have a set of those next to my desk running off a T-amp and the A2 definitely sounds better. The A2 also sound better than my KLH 2-way bookshelf speakers (dome tweeters, 6" woofer). Now, KLH isn't considered that great of a brand, but they sound okay to me, and IMO better than the Daytons.
How about higher end speakers? We also have some highly rated BIC Venturi 5.2 (5" woofer) and Venturi 6.2 speakers (6" woofer) in the household. The larger 6.2 are the main speakers for our home theater and the smaller 5.2 are on my wife's desk. Both are driven by consumer level home theater receivers and both are paired with budget Audiosource 12" powered subs.
I'd say that the A2 sound as good as the BIC Venturis. Not better and they don't get as loud, but at lower volumes they sound as good. The A2 certainly sounds larger than they are, so while stereo separation is still good, you can't really pinpoint the sound as coming from a small spot.
I spent time listening to various music (wow, when was the last time I did that?) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I tried stuff ranging from Loreena McKennitt to Black Eyed Peas. Bass was punchy and as good as the larger BIC Venturis sans subwoofers. I ran the 5.2 set for a while without sub when the old 8" JBL powered sub died, definitely had more bass than the KLH which I also had at the time. Bass can be a bit muddy at times with higher volume, however, but the highs were really clear. I think I was hearing the limitation of the little woofer because as good as it sounds, it just couldn't push the bass at higher volumes with clarity. The other thing was that really punchy pop music (AKA Black Eyed Peas) totally pushed the woofers over the edge. I heard some farting/chuffing sounds when the bass hit and immediately turned the volume down!
I can say that I'm pleased with my purchase at the price I paid.
*** According to the FAQ at the manufacturer's site (paraphrased)
After a month of use
I'm still reasonably pleased with my purchase. I still hate the controls on the back and have basically left the speakers on all the time at a preset volume. I don't like doing that, but I also don't like the switch/knob on the back.
manufacturer's link
MSRP $199
Paid $105 (Black Friday thread)
Disclaimer: I am not an audiophile and I do not have golden ears (too much clubbing as an undergrad :\). This mini review is a slightly updated one from the Black Friday thread.
GOOD
Sounds great!
Looks great!
BAD
More complicated to hook up than it could be
Volume/power knob on back
Volume/power knob too close to input jack
MEDIOCRE
Wish it had a headphone output
Wish it had a manual selector for the two inputs
Wish it had a grill of some sort
VERDICT
Well worth the $105 shipped that I paid for them, not sure if worth the MSRP because I can get a T-amp and decent $150+ bookshelf speakers for that price.
Contents
The speakers are packaged really nice, however the "retail box" is just double boxed and shipped that way. The padding was really good, however, so no biggie, plus I've had a lot of other speakers shipped that way (cheap Dayton bookshelves, cheap KLH bookshelves, more expensive BIC bookshelves). The padding was not just the normal cheap expanded polystyrene but the more sponge-like material, like what Antec uses on their higher end case packaging.
The "retail box" is full color and has a handle on top. It says that it was designed for use with a subwoofer (Audioengine branded of course), but will work fine alone. The contents of the box besides packaging was:
The two speakers
AC adapter
Power cord for AC adapter
Manual
Catalog
Two 3.5mm MM cables (long and short)
Tinned speaker wire
Besides the usual plastic bags for the accessories plus the plastic/foam bags for the speakers, there were four cloth bags with drawstrings, two for speakers, one for AC adapter and one for remaining accessories. The cloth feels like fake suede and is really thin, so I'm not sure it will prove to be of continued use - but it sure gave the unboxing experience a nice and expensive feeling touch. The drawstring on the cloth bags almost seems too burly compared to the thinness of the cloth.
First impressions
I got mine in black. The black is polished but not to a piano-like reflection; more like well oiled and waxed wood. The speakers have a really nice heft for their size. First one I picked up was the one with the amp so I thought the extra stuff in it accounted for the weight, until I picked up the other one. The speakers look... like speakers, just smaller, haha. Slot on bottom is the vent. Cone has a carbon fiber look. I'm not sure I like the nakedness of the baffle because IMO exposed drivers invite touching. Heck, I've now touched the drivers four times! (Pssst... tweeter is soft, woofer is rigid, woofer surround is soft rubber not foam.) The bottom of the speakers have a thin layer of foam rubber to protect your desk and to keep the speakers from sliding. The material is like that found backing cheap cloth mouse pads - not the heavier rubbery ones, but the super lightweight foam ones.
The unamplified speaker connects to the other one using a normal speaker wire (feels like 18ga to me, with nicely tinned ends). They connect using gold plated binding posts. Really fancy and all, but seriously I would gladly take a few dollars discount and use an RCA cable or something else that just plugs in. The amp doesn't put out much power so I can't see why the speakers would need to be able to handle cabling upgrades. Well, I guess they have to create reasons to charge $200 for them, so whatever.
The amplified speaker has two sets of inputs (two RCA, one stereo 3.5mm). I'm unsure as to what would happen if both were hooked up at the same time***, and wish there was a manual selector. There is a metal (aluminum?) volume knob right next to the 3.5mm input, which bothers me for two reasons. First and most important is that you have to reach behind the speaker to adjust the volume. They probably did this for aesthetic reasons, but I would seriously rather use a volume knob than software controls. The second is that whenever I adjust the volume, my fingers brush the input cable. My point is that it is functional and gives the front baffle a clean look, but is not very ergonomic to actually use. The volume knob is also the power switch, by turning it all the way down until it clicks.
As an aside, anyone know of a cheap USB volume knob?
The AC adapter jack is a 4-pin DIN style. The AC adapter itself is a small brick like you would fine with a notebook. It uses a separate 2-prong power cord. During use it barely gets warm. I've put my ear against it and detect no buzzing like I hear with some other AC adapters.
One thing that struck me as strange is how the amplified speaker is the left one. Seems to me that most amplified/multimedia speakers have the controls on the right. Maybe it is from the company catering towards an Apple crowd? You know, that left brain/right brain thing?
Listening impressions
So how do they sound? They sound great!
They sound better than the speakers they replaced, which are QuickShot Sound Force 660. I thought those SF660 speakers sounded really good for two channel multimedia speakers with no subwoofer until Logitech came out with their Z series. The A2 sound better than those cheap Dayton (Parts Express house brand?) 2-way bookshelf speakers that cost $25-35. I have a set of those next to my desk running off a T-amp and the A2 definitely sounds better. The A2 also sound better than my KLH 2-way bookshelf speakers (dome tweeters, 6" woofer). Now, KLH isn't considered that great of a brand, but they sound okay to me, and IMO better than the Daytons.
How about higher end speakers? We also have some highly rated BIC Venturi 5.2 (5" woofer) and Venturi 6.2 speakers (6" woofer) in the household. The larger 6.2 are the main speakers for our home theater and the smaller 5.2 are on my wife's desk. Both are driven by consumer level home theater receivers and both are paired with budget Audiosource 12" powered subs.
I'd say that the A2 sound as good as the BIC Venturis. Not better and they don't get as loud, but at lower volumes they sound as good. The A2 certainly sounds larger than they are, so while stereo separation is still good, you can't really pinpoint the sound as coming from a small spot.
I spent time listening to various music (wow, when was the last time I did that?) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I tried stuff ranging from Loreena McKennitt to Black Eyed Peas. Bass was punchy and as good as the larger BIC Venturis sans subwoofers. I ran the 5.2 set for a while without sub when the old 8" JBL powered sub died, definitely had more bass than the KLH which I also had at the time. Bass can be a bit muddy at times with higher volume, however, but the highs were really clear. I think I was hearing the limitation of the little woofer because as good as it sounds, it just couldn't push the bass at higher volumes with clarity. The other thing was that really punchy pop music (AKA Black Eyed Peas) totally pushed the woofers over the edge. I heard some farting/chuffing sounds when the bass hit and immediately turned the volume down!
I can say that I'm pleased with my purchase at the price I paid.
*** According to the FAQ at the manufacturer's site (paraphrased)
After a month of use
I'm still reasonably pleased with my purchase. I still hate the controls on the back and have basically left the speakers on all the time at a preset volume. I don't like doing that, but I also don't like the switch/knob on the back.
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