AudioEngine A5B Powered Bookshelf Speaker System - Black Finish
By: AudioEngine Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 17
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 On: 2008-06-23
Yes, these speakers live up to all the raving reviews from reputable sources.
Dont be fooled by the marketing of these speakers as an ipod accessory. These are REAL speakers. I have never heard powered speakers aimed at the digital consumer market that sound this good. Combined with lossless compression and a decent sound card, they are perfect for my desktop. If you are looking for good sound for your PC on a limited budget, there is nothing that comes close to these things. Thats right, this is a bargain. The alternative is to get studio monitors, or start looking into an amp/receiver and passive speakers. Both of which will cost you a lot more money.
On: 2008-04-16
I just received these today and they are hands down incredible. The minute I plugged them in and heard the imaging, flat response, and clarity I knew they were keepers. They look great, come with all the plugs and cords you might need and make me want to listen to songs I havent listened to in ages just to hear the nuances I was missing from my boombox.
I listened to a whole lot of ipod/small speaker systems and these are the best, IMHO. The bass response is fine, more than I expected, and eliminates the need for a subwoofer. Check online for endless rave reviews from pro audio reviewers if you want more tech on these.
You could pay almost twice as much for the B&W Zeppelin and not get the stereo separation you can with these. Plus, the Zeppelin is a big honkin thing on your desk or shelf. I like simple clean design and high quality sound. You dont get a dock but you can plug in your ipod and power it from the speakers w/o a dock. They come with a 30 day trial purchase and a 3 year warranty.
On: 2008-04-06
Great Speakers, they are amazing. Just read all the previous reviews they are all pretty accurate.
The only negative things I can say about these is that they dont have enough input options and they are prone to cell phone interference. Every now and then they make a popping sound when my cell phone is in the room and my roomates iphone makes them go crazy if he gets too close to the speakers. Other than that they are fantastic speakers and well worth the price, I love mine.
On: 2008-02-16
These speakers have changed the way I listen to my music - - I can now "feel" the music. They project the sound into the middle of the room unlike any other speaker Ive ever heard. Every nuance is crystal clear, and truly, you will experience your music in new and fantastic ways.
Until I bought these, I never knew how much I was missing in my music-listening experience. Buy these Audioengine A5 speakers and their smaller A2, and you will have the best speakers reasonable money can buy. My only regret is not having bought them sooner. I now have 3 pairs for every room of the house!
On: 2008-02-11
I got these speakers delivered about a month ago now.
I was a bit worried since the temperature was -15 degrees the day they were delivered and I didnt know how long they had been sitting in the cold. The speakers were not affected though.
First of all, packaging was great. The speakers were very secured and everything in the box was organized. Creating the bags for the speakers and cords is a very nice touch and adds class to these.
The speakers sound awesome. Not in a 5-channel, million watt, blow your socks off kind of way. Dont get me wrong, these speakers can be played plenty loud without distortion, but they are so so subtle at the same time. They really shine when music such as classical, jazz, and blues is played in my opinion. They give me the feeling that Im right there in a studio or front row at a show/concert. I have only listened to compressed music so far via an iPod, and they are still unbelievable.
Some people might say they are a bit pricey, but I think they are actually a good deal. I am no audiophile, but from a pure music listening perspective, I prefer these over my 1k+ Onkyo system.
I highly recommend these speakers.
On: 2008-01-27
I have had these speakers for about three weeks and love them. I use them on my desktop next to 24" Dell monitor. They sound and look great.
Since getting them Ive rediscovered some of my (270 gigs) music.
If you have the space for them on your desktop they cant be beat.
On: 2008-01-22
Saw the smaller Audioengines (A2b) reviewed in the last issue of Stereophile magazine and had to give them a try. I bought a pair of the A2s and also these 5s and they are both great. The A2s are computer sized but will blow you out of the room and the bigger 5s will amaze you. Give them a try.
 On: 2008-01-20
They sound is great when in use. But, they sometimes hum loudly when they are plugged in and not in use.
On: 2008-01-19
They sound is great when in use. But, they sometimes hum loudly when they are plugged in and not in use.
On: 2007-12-16
Wow, Im impressed! Ive been looking at these speakers for a while and finally took the plunge. I have a Bose Sounddock and these are far superior for approximately the same price. Ive placed them in a 20 ft by 30 ft eating room and kitchen with very high ceilings (12 ft plus). The sound is incredible! Quality of the speakers is first rate...great attention to detail. Dont hesitate to get them.
On: 2007-12-15
Wow, Im impressed! Ive been looking at these speakers for a while and finally took the plunge. I have a Bose Sounddock and these are far superior for approximately the same price. Ive placed them in a 20 ft by 30 ft eating room and kitchen with very high ceilings (12 ft plus). The sound is incredible! Quality of the speakers is first rate...great attention to detail. Dont hesitate to get them.
On: 2007-11-26
These speakers are amazing. I have had them for 5 months and they produce amazing sound regardless what I am using them for. Only downside to them is that you can hear the compression on MP3 files. So what may sound acceptable on your ipod when your on the go may sound flat on these speakers. So make sure you encode your music files to at least 192kps with a variable bit rate. Anything lower and your music will sound flat.
On: 2007-09-14
If you poke around a little, youll see almost nothing but positive, gushing reviews for these speakers. Having purchased, then used the A5s for two weeks, I cannot add any additional praise that has already been heaped on them. I can say all the hype is deserved and you will not regret your purchase. The Amazon price is good, so if your looking for audiophile sound on a budget-this should be your last stop.
On: 2007-09-13
If you poke around a little, youll see almost nothing but positive, gushing reviews for these speakers. Having purchased, then used the A5s for two weeks, I cannot add any additional praise that has already been heaped on them. I can say all the hype is deserved and you will not regret your purchase. The Amazon price is good, so if your looking for audiophile sound on a budget-this should be your last stop.
On: 2007-09-12
These really do deliver remarkably clean, powerful sound for their size, and they also do well at lower volumes. Theres no shortage of gushing reviews for these on the web, so Ill just add a few tidbits of possible additional interest to prospective buyers:
- Each speaker is satisfyingly heavy, and the entire bottom surface is covered by a solid rubber pad to help keep the speaker in place when youre driving them hard.
- The speaker enclosures are silky smooth (no sharp edges or seams anywhere) and feel thick and well made. Overall fit and finish is lovely to behold. You cant help but believe that these will last for a long time.
- The large speakers are exposed (as pictured), but theyre made of kevlar, so they look tough and feel tough, and you wont think twice about the lack of a speaker grille.
- The volume control is on the lower-right corner of the left speaker. Its a knurled dial the size of a standard button, and it turns with a nice, smooth resistance for a feeling of scratch-free precision. Ideally, Id like to see the volume knob on the top of the speaker for easier access, and Id rather it extended outward a bit further (its a bit shallow). But tastes will differ depending upon speaker placement.
- The LED power light is on the lower-left of corner of the left speaker. Its a muted, cool blue that looks great when the lights are off. Not too bright to be a nuisance. The kind of blue light that you know is there but almost seems to disappear into the blackness.
- The power on/off switch is on the middle back of the left speaker, near the outside edge, so you can easily wrap your fingers behind the speaker and feel for the switch to turn it off. Not as easy as Id like it to be, but not a big hassle. Still, if you like to turn your devices off when not in use, youll want to place them in a way that allows you easy access to the left side of the left speaker.
- The USB port on the top is for charging only, not for audio pass-through from your iPod, but the makers helpfully provide several short lengths of audio cable suitable for connecting your iPod or other device.
- The secondary audio input jack on the back is analog, not digital, so you wont be able to take advantage of the digital audio-out option of an AirPort Express, for example, but the analog connection sounds fine.
- Theres no remote control. Here the speakers suffer in comparison with some similarly priced systems that appeal to iPod users, but clearly the decision was made to divert the cost of that feature into creating the best possible sound at this price point.
- When driving these speakers hard for extended periods, the back of the left speaker (containing the power supply) gets very hot. Very hot. Seriously--you could fry an egg back there, so youll want to ensure proper ventilation if you plan to rock out a lot. My only concern here is that the hottest area is the area surrounding the AC jack into which I plug my AirPort Express. Can the AirPort Express take the heat? Well, it has so far.
- The bass response is great on these, but if you want even more, you can always hook up a subwoofer, because a subwoofer jack is provided. What more could you ask?
On: 2007-08-12
I have owned these about 2 weeks now. I bought the airport express as well and stream music from my macbook pro to the speakers using itunes. My first impression was that they sounded really good. I broke them in as instructed, and that did make a difference. Wow, they sound incredible and are comparable to pro monitors. They are very accurate and have a nice soundstage and separation. Bass isnt huge, but reasonable for their size. I own a Klipsch Hi Fi as well, and was never satisfied with the sound. Granted, these were twice as expensive, but they are infinitely better in sound quality. I cannot recommend thim higher if you are looking for small speakers with good sound to run your digital music or stream radio. I would buy them again and feel like they are a bargain at the price I paid ($300) at a local store.
On: 2007-05-15
These speakers are just plain awesome! Theres no excuse for buying an iPod hifi, EVER. These speakers are the same price and so much better. Which is to say they are a bit pricey but they have the sound of much more expensive speakers. People say they are too big for my desktop, but I just tell them that their sound is too big for my apartment and their quality too big for my budget, but they magically fit into both of those spaces anyway. So bottom line, if you are looking to spend anything close to this amount on some speakers, I would definitely recommend shelling out just a bit more to get these Audioengines.
A side note to any buyers, these speakers benefit greatly from a break in period. First time I listened to them they sounded nice but gave me a headache after 20 minutes of listening. Dont be discouraged. Leave them with music playing for 24-48 hours (like the manual suggests) and the harsh sound just smooths out and is so much better. I cant say enough good things about these speakers.
On: 2007-05-14
These speakers are just plain awesome! Theres no excuse for buying an iPod hifi, EVER. These speakers are the same price and so much better. Which is to say they are a bit pricey but they have the sound of much more expensive speakers. People say they are too big for my desktop, but I just tell them that their sound is too big for my apartment and their quality too big for my budget, but they magically fit into both of those spaces anyway. So bottom line, if you are looking to spend anything close to this amount on some speakers, I would definitely recommend shelling out just a bit more to get these Audioengines.
A side note to any buyers, these speakers benefit greatly from a break in period. First time I listened to them they sounded nice but gave me a headache after 20 minutes of listening. Dont be discouraged. Leave them with music playing for 24-48 hours (like the manual suggests) and the harsh sound just smooths out and is so much better. I cant say enough good things about these speakers.
On: 2007-05-12
well, its been 6 days since I got them...
I mostly hear jazz, and I think its perfectly suitable for this genre. however, I have tried other types of music, and they rock !!!
the thing is I had to re-encode my music to a higher bitrate. Its that good.
got an Airport express to go with it, streaming music from my laptop.
So far, Im very happy with my purchase.
On: 2007-05-11
well, its been 6 days since I got them...
I mostly hear jazz, and I think its perfectly suitable for this genre. however, I have tried other types of music, and they rock !!!
the thing is I had to re-encode my music to a higher bitrate. Its that good.
got an Airport express to go with it, streaming music from my laptop.
So far, Im very happy with my purchase.
On: 2007-05-11
I bought these speakers direct from the manufacturer a few months ago. They came packaged in double cardboard individually wrapped in cloth bags. All wiring needed was included with the speakers. Though I do not own an IPOD I do have a MP3 player and portable CD player. Once connected and plugged in, these speakers simply shine. The sound is very, very good for the size of the speakers. I own a pair of "soundworks" speakers from Cambridge Soundworks and the Audioengine speakers blow the Soundworks away. They have a much cleaner sound with crisper highs and much better mid range. Get a set and hear for yourself then post your review. Yes, they are worth every penny!
On: 2007-03-12
I bought these babies for my iPod and they are hands down the best speakers you can find for mp3 or any other digital audio device made. I bought a second pair for my Squeezebox and Im amazed by the incredible audio quality that comes out of them! Highly recommended find!!!
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