Audioengine A2+ speakers review: Small in size, big in sound

Audioengine A2+ speakers review: Small in size, big in sound

The Audioengine A2+ Wireless was first announced early last year and it is the latest iteration of the company’s smallest 2.0 desktop speaker system. The A2 speaker system has been around for a long time and it has become one of the most popular desktop speaker systems. And if you spend some time with it, it's not difficult at all to see why.

To begin, it’s very compact. You would be hard-pressed to find another speaker system with separate woofers and tweeters that are as small. Not everyone has or wants to set aside space for massive speakers and so the A2+ Wireless’ small size makes them easy to position

The new A2+ Wireless adds Bluetooth connectivity, which means quick connectivity with mobile devices. It also means you don’t need wires to connect the speakers to your system. This is great for readers who want to keep their desks free of wire and clutter. The A2+ Wireless supports Bluetooth 5.0 and the two major wireless audio codecs, aptX and AAC.

But if you want the utmost in sound quality, you should connect the A2+ Wireless directly to your system via USB. The A2+ Wireless features a Qualcomm CSR8670 SoC that can handle PCM music of up to 16-bit/48kHz. Interestingly, the A2+ Wireless features RCA outputs so you can use the speakers as an external DAC and output the music data to another component like a headphone amplifier. But if you have a better DAC or source, the A2+ Wireless accepts analogue inputs too – RCA and 3.5mm. My only gripe is that the speakers don’t come with an optical input, which would let it play well with TVs and gaming consoles.

Now, you might think the A2+ Wireless is too small to be used with TVs in the living room but you’d be surprised at just how loud these little speakers can go. They have no problems at all filling my average size living room with sound. And it did so while sounding full-bodied, rich, and authoritative. If I never told you, you would think larger speakers were playing.

Sound quality is generally good too. At mid to high volume levels, it sounds clear, coherent, and balanced. However, at low volumes, it sounds veiled and muffled. Its diminutive size does pose some limitations. Bass, for example, doesn’t quite go as deep as larger speakers. Nevertheless, for its size and price, it sounds remarkable.

After spending time with the Audioengine A2+ Wireless, it’s easy to see why they are so highly rated and loved by so many. It sounds good and it has a great feature set, but I think what really makes them stand out for me is how they managed the cram the above-mentioned qualities into a really compact system. At S$469, they are a little pricey, but for readers with space constraints, I struggle to think of any alternatives that match the A2+ Wireless’ features and performance.

Note: This article was first published in the March 2020 issue of HWM.