Audioengine 2 powered loudspeaker Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia RPM tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood & Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II Power Boss, Creek Destiny & CD53 Mk.II CD players; Pioneer DV-333 DVD player; Apple iPod.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eklipse line stage.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research Reference 110.
Integrated Amplifiers: Cayin A50T, Creek Destiny & Creek 5350SE.
Loudspeakers: Infinity Primus 150, Paradigm Atom v.3.
Cables: Interconnect: MIT Magnum M3, MIT MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MIT MI-330SG, Monster Interlink Reference A. Speaker: Acarian Systems Black Orpheus, MITerminator 5.—Robert J. Reina

Comments

Ipod connects

Submitted by MaChuz on March 2, 2012 - 12:41pm.

What kind of connection are you using for the ipod - simply through the headphone jack or is there a better way to connect to these speakers?

Why no mention of the excessive bass bloat?

Submitted by Lunatique on June 14, 2012 - 1:42pm.

This Stereophile review of the Audioengine A2's is very often referenced as the reason why many people bought the speakers, and it's easy to see why. The review is so enthusiastic that it almost reads like a passionate love letter, with the reviewer practically foaming at the mouth about how wonderful these speakers are.

For the most part, I agree with how good these speakers sound, but with one glaring exception. The review did not mention a word about the obviously excessive bloat of the bass at around 180Hz, which is about 6 dB too prominent and ruins the sonic signature. The bass bloat overshadows the rest of the frequency ranges and makes the speakers sound muddy and congested. 6 dB of bass bloat is not something you can just overlook--that is considered pretty severe coloration by the standards of audiophiles or pro audio. I for the life of me cannot understand why Robert J. Reina did not warn the readers about it--in fact, he vouched for how natural, accurate, and tight the bass was. So, either he has no idea what accurate/neutral/natural bass actually sounds like, or he chose not to talk about that flaw--either way, it makes me think twice about the credibility of Stereophile and its reviewers.

Hyped

Submitted by racingpht on September 23, 2012 - 6:09pm.

I agreed with Lunatique. I have a chance to place Audioengine A2 and Focal Book XS side by side for a comparison. A2 had a lot of bass, in fact, the bass was more than Focal's, and it also goes deeper(louder at 45hz); which is amazing for a much smaller speaker. BUT, it sounds not as good. In fact, the mid range was pretty muddy, lack lots of details; I would suspect there's an echo-plugin enabled for the vocals on A2s. The high's better than the mids, but still, it offered A LOT less detail and clarity than the Book XS. I feel that A2 sounded like watching an old SDTV; and XS was something between an HDTV and opening a window.

This speaker in my hand is definitely not "no coloration". Is it sound natual, yes, but it's somewhat muddy, warm, and tube like. It's enjoyable, just so different from what the review said here.