Audioengine A2+ Wireless Speaker Review
The Audioengine A2+ Wireless speakers we are reviewing today claim they can improve your desktop audio experience without costing an arm and a leg. They definitely are popular as it’s one of the most in demand monitors on the market right now, so I put it through the same testing procedure I put all speakers through to see if it’s still worth buying. The result was interesting, especially when I considered the type of competition they would be up agains.
Pricing & Availability
Audioengine is a fairly large brand at this point, so it finds itself available via many online retailers and has a presence in some brick-and-mortar stores. Availability is usually immediate, and the A2+ usually doesn’t require a wait or lead time in its color options. For an idea of pricing, please feel free to check the links below.
What is the Audioengine A2+ Wireless?
The A2+ is a desktop speaker at heart, although it still performed well in our tests over larger areas. These would be perfect speakers for a city apartment or medium sized living rooms if you are not trying to throw a wild party but to just enjoy your music at loud but not excessive volumes. They are also the perfect speakers for a home office or gaming setup and in a pinch can work well as a set of studio monitors.
This is an active speaker, meaning you do not have to attach external components like amplifiers or receivers to get them to play music. The speakers are self-powered with the amplification built and as close to a plug-and-play system as possible. All you will need in this case is really a music player or cell phone connected (wirelessly or wired) to provide the source material.
The A2+ sits second in the companies A speaker lineup. Audioengine also offers an A1 speaker that in my testing I found to be massively inferior to the A2+ model. The A5 is the model that is one step up from this, and it is admittedly incredible, but then it is also double the price. It is there to strike a happy balance of performance and price and, in our opinion, the A1 does that well.
Regarding competition, I would put them against the Audioengine HD3 and the Edifier S1000Mk2. The former is more of a desktop monitor, while the latter is a full-size bookshelf with excellent reviews. I own the Edifier and do vouch for them. for me you can’t really go wrong with Edifier as they offer such stunning value for money. The A2+ are smaller and more versatile while delivering tight puch and remaining very composed on complicated tracks there is also the advantage that the A2 are $100 less while and while not being able to go as loud and remaining distortion free they are quite equal in terms of the quality of sound that is outputted.
As I mentioned above, these are small, so they can fit on a desktop and be used for near-field monitoring. To reduce size, they have a two-way design with a small 0.75-inch tweeter and a 2.75-inch woofer providing the sound. That doesn’t sound like much but they are deceptive little things with a far grander sound being portrayed by the open presentation they have. The quality of the driver material plays a big role here allowing them to remain tight and composed and thus introducing less artifacts into the recordings.
Input support options are plentiful and you can hook up to them using 3.5mm auxiliary, Bluetooth 5.0 (with aptx support for higher bitrate streaming), RCA, and USB.
You can buy the Audioengine A2+ in three color options (Black, White, and Red). They all have a high gloss finish and look great, but the red stands out as something special and was the one I purchased.
How do you use the Audioengine A2+?
To get started, remove the speakers from the box and place them in your intended location, if you wan’t them to sound a little better maybe take some inspiration from my article explaining room acoustics and speaker positioning. Connect the two speakers using the speaker output on the main control to attach to the slave unit. When connected, insert the power cable and plug it into the mains. It’s that simple. The speakers will be powered on and ready to receive inputs.
How do I play Audio on the Audioengine A2+?
Depending on the source you intend to use, you must ensure it is set up correctly. Wired connections in our test showed no latency, so attaching the 3.5mm aux input to your phone or computer’s headphone jack works well.
Alternatively, you can attach a device using RCA, providing it has the correct outputs. The final wired connection would be to hook up your PC via the USB input.
Wireless connections are limited, and you have to pair via Bluetooth. This is a relatively modern standard Bluetooth; however, at 5.0, it supports lower latency playback and APTX for higher-quality streaming.
To pair Bluetooth, you need to press and hold the pair button on the back of the speaker. Once in pairing mode, use your source device or phone to search for the Audioengine A2+ speaker and hit connect.
Again, all are fairly simple and intuitive. We experienced no drops of connections or degrading of the signal as long as we kept the source device inside the same room.
Do they sound good?
I consider this a near-field listening speaker designed for you to be sitting directly in front so that is where I did most of my testing. It’s perfect for desktop listening, but the truth is told, it works well in bedrooms and other areas like kitchens with limited space. If I were looking for a living room speaker, I would definitely upgrade the size to a full-size bookshelf, but despite that, these are still way larger and more competent than I could have ever imagined.
My description of the sound is that it is punchy, tight, and controlled. No one area of the sound seeks to dominate the other, and there is a balanced and neutral tuning to them.
The highs have a good extension with crisp clarity but not to the point they become sibilant. They are brighter than what I would consider a laid-back speaker, but this is the most versatile tuning for people wishing to monitor audio tracks. That shine also allows them to present a larger-than-average soundstage and offer more space between high-frequency notes.
The midrange is clear and displays great detail, but its neutrality sometimes can make certain songs sound a bit dry. Again, this is a technical tuning, so they aren’t trying to add flavor to the sound instead of presenting it as accurately as possible. This makes them great at the mids for editing and other tasks, but more warmth is better for pure listening. Therefore, it depends on whether you want an accurate speaker like this or one with coloration and warmth added.
The lows are, of course, going to be limited by the size of the drivers, but for their size, they bang. The bass is impactful, tight, and controlled, with admirable detail and texture in the mid-bass. I can easily listen to these near EDM and Rap without being bothered by the lack of a subwoofer. I like that they didn’t try to bloat the bass beyond the driver's capability. A lot of companies mess that up and push a speaker far beyond its capabilities. it is always better to provide good quality bass instead of mangled and bloated flabby bass just because. That way, the user can decide at a later stage to add an external subwoofer to improve low-end quantity while retaining the mid-bass qualities of the speaker. I always chase the sound of the speaker first and add a sub later. Usually, that approach will sound better than pushing smaller drivers to the point of overdrive and congestion.
On the Audioengine A2+ wireless, there is minimal distortion until you reach 85% of the speaker’s maximum volume. That’s the area where most speakers start to degrade the sound quality, and it’s no different here. The difference here is that you sit so close to these speakers that I can’t think of a suitable time to listen to them anywhere near that volume because the A2+ gets extremely loud for their size. I found myself always listening at 50% or below the max volume in my office and if you keep them in the sweet spot, they are remarkably free from distortion.
Final Verdict
I think you struggle to find a better desktop speaker at this price. The Audioengine A2+ hit all the right marks with good looks, great build, and a wonderfully neutral sound. The detail retrieval differs from Logitech and Sony monitors but also holds up well against the big brother, the A5. The bass is light in quantity, but the detail and texture are excellent.
It is an excellent little near-field speaker that delivers in spade, especially for people serious about audio. It can be used in living rooms and apartments that are tight on space, and with having three color options to choose from, you can find one that matches your personal taste.
Right now for the money, size and style they are in our top 3 most recommend so buy without hesitation.
