Audioengine 5 Speaker System Conclusion
Submitted by admin on Sat, 06/23/2007 - 12:12
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Performance
To conduct the testing of the Audioengine 5 speaker system, I connected it to three different sources. The first and most rigorous testing was done with an iPod Nano 2GB, the second was with a Toshiba Satellite laptop with built-in audio and finally the third was with a PC with built-in Realtec audio.
After switching on the power to the speakers and flipping through my iPod play lists, I settled on one of my recent favorites - Gnarls Barkley. I was immediately impressed by the tight bass response and the smooth vocals. Not only was the sound reproduction clear and accurate, but the Audioengine 5's remained rock solid as I slowly increased the volume. The speakers seemed to be daring me for more and more as I cranked the volume up to nearly full power. There was no clipping whatsoever and the bass did not flatten out at all once I reached high volume levels.
In fact, the 5-inch Kevlar woofers continued to pound out note after note of bass with the same level of precision as low-volume levels. I had originally expected the lack of a dedicated subwoofer to lessen the overall impact that the A5's could make - but I could not have been more wrong. I fired up some rap favorites and listened to 3 full songs before I even thought about the missing a subwoofer. Make no mistake about it - the Audioengine 5's deliver bass that sounds as good, or better than, any other speaker system in its price range.
To continue testing I hooked up the speaker system to our Toshiba laptop and played a number of MP3s using iTunes. The Toshiba laptop uses a built-in AC97 audio processor chip for music and sound. Again, I was greeted with smooth sounding vocals and even-tempered high frequencies. The highs were not overly brassy or harsh at all. I was extremely impressed by how well the Audioengine 5's handled the wide variety of music I threw at them. I never heard any evidence that the speakers were straining to play any of the music in my iTunes library.
My final round of testing was to see how well the Audioengine 5's would perform with gaming on my PC. I played Quake 4, F.E.A.R and Quake 3 with the speakers connected to my PC using the built-in Realtek AC-97 audio. The Audioengine 5's did not disappoint - they really added to the overall gaming experience with crispness and clarity in the sound effects. Intense multi-player melees did not pose any problem to the Audioengine 5's and the individual sounds came through clearly and without any fuzziness. However, my personal preference is still to use headphones while gaming due to the fact that headphones can block out essentially all background noise.
Throughout my testing the one point that really sticks out in my mind, aside from the impressive sound quality, is the flexibility that the Audioengine 5's offer. There was not one piece of audio equipment that I own that could not be hooked up to the Audioengine 5's. With two 1/8-inch audio inputs and a built-in AC power outlet, along with a USB-power port to keep your iPod charging while you play music, there are nearly limitless options to how you can use these speakers. The one exception that should be noted is that the Audioengine 5's do not have any digital audio inputs.
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| Audioengine 5 Speaker in drawstring bag | Left speaker - back view | Connections on top |
Audioengine 5 Speaker System
I have spent dozens of hours listening to the Audioengine 5 speaker system and continue to be surprised by just how good they sound with MP3s. In a number of my favorite songs, I have been able to pick out specific points in the song where I can now hear new sounds that I couldn't hear before with other computer speakers or headphones. Despite a relatively high price tag, the fact that the Audioengine 5's can bring new life to your old music makes the price tag seem nearly inconsequential.
Pros: Amazingly good sound quality, sleek and compact styling, multiple audio inputs, built-in amplifier, 30-day money back guarantee.
Cons: Steep price tag may be too high for some, no digital audio inputs.
The Verdict: Despite the steep price tag, the Audioengine 5's deliver exceptional sound quality that meets or beats similarly priced competition.
