Audioengine A2-HD (HD3) Wireless Bluetooth PC and Computer Desktop Speakers with aptX HD - USB, RCA, Headphone Compatible

The first pair of these I got worked for about an hour, then the left speaker cut out and stopped making any sound. Thankfully, Audioengine's customer support was excellent. They responded quickly with a pre-paid shipping label to send the speakers to them, and cross-shipped a new set to me the next business day. They made a point to send me a replacement set that had been randomly pulled off the line for an extra QA check, to make sure the replacement worked as it's supposed to. I really couldn't have asked for better service than that. I've been using the replacement pair for about a week now, and I'm very happy with the quality of these speakers. The fit and finish matches what I would expect from a premium speaker in this price range. They feel solidly built, and look good with the magnetically-attached grill on or off. The retro-inspired wood grain and metal styling adds a touch of classiness to my desk setup. The volume knob also feels sturdy, is smooth to turn, and has just the right amount of resistance to it. No complaints here! I also have no real complaints when it comes to the sound. While they may not have the most detailed treble I've ever heard, the mids are well-balanced and make voices (both singing and talking) sound very natural, and overall the sound these speakers produce is smooth and inviting, which makes them comfortable to listen to all day long. They sound very clear at low volume, and are more than capable of rocking out with no audible distortion that I could hear at relatively high volumes (though I haven't tried turning the volume all the way up, because it's not necessary at the close distance I'm listening to them from, so I can't comment on how well they'd work in, for example, a living room setup). Do they sound as good as my full-range floorstanding speakers that cost three times as much? No, of course not. But for what they are and what they cost, I'm happy with the sound they produce. On their own, they don't have much in the way of bass, but you have to keep your expectations in check, because there's only so much you can expect from a 2.5" driver. I appreciate that Audioengine didn't artificially over-boost the mid-bass like a lot of other small powered speakers do, so they sound well-balanced and natural all the way down to the limits of their frequency range. This also makes it easier to blend them with a subwoofer, if you so choose. I did so choose, and paired them with a 10-inch sub that I recently retired from my home theater setup. The HD3 has a switch on the back of the left speaker that enables a 100-Hz crossover, for pairing with a subwoofer. However, I found that using the speaker's built-in crossover left them feeling somewhat disjointed from the sub, probably because sounds above 80Hz are localizable, so that range of sounds between 80 and 100Hz was audibly coming from a different location than the speakers. I have the speakers positioned on a shelf behind my computer monitor, which may be making the separation more noticeable, and it's possible that it may not be as much of an issue if the speakers were positioned lower. I ended up leaving the speakers set to full-range (which goes comfortably below 80Hz) and used trial-and-error to adjust the low-pass crossover on my subwoofer until I found a setting that blended nicely with the speakers. This resulted in a much more balanced sound that blends the sub with the speakers a lot more naturally. The speakers sound pretty good on their own if you're not a bass-head, but pairing them with a nice subwoofer really takes them to another level. If you want speakers with decent bass and don't have space (in your room or your budget) for a subwoofer, I'd recommend stepping up to a larger speaker, but if you do plan to use a sub, I don't think a larger speaker is necessary, at least for a desk audio system. I went back and forth a bit on whether to go with a 4 or 5 star rating for this review. If the first pair I received had worked, they would easily be deserving of 5 stars, no question, but I was tempted to take off a star for receiving a defective set. In the end, though, I decided that Audioengine's customer service earned them that star back. I understand that no product will ever be 100% defect-free, so when defects do occur, what really matters is that the manufacturer stands behind their product and does everything they can to make it right for the customer, and Audioengine did that for me.

I started a full-time remote gig and wanted to upgrade my sound system since I no longer have to encase my ears in headphones if I want to listen to music while I work. I had a Sonos move that I love so tried that but because of the height, had to put it off to the side. Suboptimal. Decided to try the Sonos Soundbar but alas, don't have an extra HDMI port in my dock or MacBook. Airplay was finicky at best to the point of going back to the Sonos. Read about the A2+s on various review websites and they were highly regarded. I liked the fact that I could connect either via the headphone jack or via Bluetooth. I decided to go for this version since it has the volume knob on the front and well, shallow as it sounds, I like the wood finish. I was concerned about the size as I don't have enough room to side of my dual 32-inch monitors. But I decided to lay them on their sides and they are perfect size that way -- not too wide so my monitors aren't obstructed. They aren't too deep so still plenty of room in front of them for my keyboard and trackpad. And height -- plenty compact (much more so than the relatively small Sonos Soundbar). Setup was a piece of cake ... as was Bluetooth pairing. At first, I wasn't blown away with the bass -- particularly compared to what you can get with other bluetooth speakers like Sonos and JBLs etc. But that was using Pandora as a source. When I started playing using the Apple Music app and the built in equalizer to bump up the bass, they really came alive. But what gets me is the sound stage is just mind-blowing for the size of these speakers. Even though the edges are 8-12 inches from the edges of my monitors, it feels like the entire 5-foot span of my desk is covered. I love classical music to alternative rock and some (by my standards) edgy Guns N Roses etc and everything has sounded great. If you love classical music (my predominant genre), you will REALLY appreciate the details from the mids and highs. If your primary listening source is Pandora where you can't optimize the treble and bass to your taste, you might be disappointed. However, if you go with Apple Music (and would assume Window's media player which has the same ability to adjust the sound parameters), you should really find these up to you listening standards... as long as those listening standards don't necessarily include hip hop and Rap which is designed to make your whole body feel the vibrations. As I said, I currently have these lying flat on their sides. I did order the 15-degree risers that are recommended for these speakers and waiting for those to be delivered any minute now and suspect that will make these sound even better. I wanted good pure sound but didn't want something that was going to take up what little remaining real estate I have on my desk. These definitely fit my needs. I'm in a relatively small room and I am sitting RIGHT in front of them so not sure if these would be as satisfying if I was using as room speakers. Are these worth the extra money compared to the A2+? I don't know. Supposedly they have an upgraded DAC and Headphone amplifier. Plus the nifty little volume knob on the front. If you are on a budget, then the A2+ might be just fine for your needs. [LCAR]

Audioengine does a good job on packaging their products, speakers/cables inside the box are protected by microfiber bags, and an extra outer box just for HD3 is appreciated, especially for people who need these to be shipped worldwide like me. I like how walnut looks, but it does NOT look the same in what Audioengine shows on their website, it's more faint, otherwise the build quality is decent. Setting up HD3 is as easy as for other active speakers, a pair of Kanto S2 speaker stands would be good to go, but keep in mind that external power adapter may be an issue for cable organization. Front placed Knob comes handy for different games and music applications volume adjustment, it's truly a function in need to desktop setup. On most of the time, i do listen to like 25%-50% volume, no need to turn it loud, HD3 does have good sound details at low volume. With USB connection, HD3 sounds more balanced & much cleaner compares to my previous speakers, Bose Companion 2 III. The bass isn't that much but good enough for near-field listening, ambient sound in games feels more alive, immersive, you can tell where the sounds come from. People having audio input delay via USB is never a problem to me, maybe Audioengine fixed that already for their later ones. The build-in earphone amplifier is pretty close to an iPhone SE 2016 when listening to my Sony WH1000XM3, not even a difference in details , but lacking of bass i can tell. And i found it weird that at extremely low volume, only right side of the earphone had sound by HD3, actually i was expecting more on this part. One of the factor that i chose HD3 is because it's Bluetooth supported, as for my bed is in front of the desk, i can just lay on it watching comic/ browsing internet while listening to HD3 by tablets or phones wirelessly, that's pretty enjoyable. The antenna is a must for Bluetooth connection or you will have some audio latency when watching videos. HD3 does have hiss issue when not playing audio. Higher volume makes it more noticeable, i can hear it at MAX volume within around 30cm when focused. But let's to be honest, the noise comes from computer, outside of the window and electric fan are all louder than what HD3 does, so you will probably be fine if you don't sit right ahead of HD3 and leave it standby at max volume, at least in my case. Overall the Audioengine HD3 are small size, all in one function speakers to fit on my tinny desk, just put the power cable on and it will do all the work for you with amazing sound quality. So why not give it a try?

Works extremely well with my computer. It was easy to set up (a few minutes) and it has plenty of power. The bass, treble, and the stereo sound are fantastic. Including the case, each speaker is about 4" wide X 6" high X 5" deep and it plugs into the computer with a USB-C connection and is powered with an external plug and transformer. It sounds a lot larger than it is. The left speaker has a volume knob. It was a great value for the money. I could have purchased less expensive speakers, but they would not have sounded this good. I did not use the wireless Bluetooth functionality.

The sound is actually pretty good, but I have no idea who designed the Bluetooth on this to work the way it does, there is apparently no way to turn off the Bluetooth and it takes priority over the USB input. I never use Bluetooth myself, and wish to have it turned off, but instead this device allows my awful neighbors to take over my device and make it unusable with no way for me to control it. I really wish I knew there was no way to disable Bluetooth on this, otherwise I would not have purchased it.

With over 100 hours of output and a few dozen of actual listening to the Audioengine HD3 speaker, with a reservation, I have decided to keep these speakers. The Pros: Sound Quality Onboard amplifier quality and analog input resolution Headphone output quality Form factor Fit and finish Capable of sustained, quality unreasonably loud and generally unflappable output The Middle: Where the reduced bass selector switch cuts bass Backplate of the powered speaker can get super hot, doesn’t affect sound quality. The Bad: Onboard DAC in USB mode instantly shuts down on silence cutting off the start of every sound sent to it, even going from track to track. Other: The HD3 is one of the only pieces of audio equipment I have ever used that actually does break in and requires a period of use before its actual output sound is realized. This is opposed to the typical scenario where the user gets used to a piece’s sound signature. The sound output is definitely the star of the show with these speakers and has cemented in my mind that Audioengine considered the actual speakers, drivers, and driving section first and foremost. When connected to a Schiit Yggdrasil, a Denon DA-300 USB, Pioneer XDP-100, or run off of the analog output from the connected PC they playback admirable levels of detail and personality intrinsic of each source. They render sound with an impressive level of resolving capability that is particularly noteworthy. I have a couple of class A amplifiers and the amp section of the HD3 is no slouch. The HD3s are sho’nuff pretty in walnut, well put together. I personally like the design choices they made in regards to Bluetooth functionality. Loud or whisper quiet, these speakers are stunners. Better still, the headphone output is something of note and one of the principal reasons I have decided to keep these speakers. The headphone output is excellent regardless of whether I am running my 8 ohm Shure SE846 IEMs despite being a smidge below Audioengine’s specification of resistance for best results. With the SE535 or SRH-1840 they do a similarly great job. Not perfect but for most, even my picky self, the HD3 is good enough to be the sole amplification source for your headphones. You are going to spend comfortably beyond Fiio money to fully outstrip the HD3 in this regard. In regards to output volume I generally do not understand the few but consistent complaints I have read about their output level. As desktop speakers they have a lot of headroom for volume before running the risk of damaging hearing in extended playback scenarios. For a small room, say 20’x16’x8’ they will be overwhelming for room acoustics at max output. For larger rooms, there are bigger speakers available. Even with hearing protection their output on a desktop is clear and loud enough to be uncomfortable at max so even those with notable hearing loss should be well satisfied with these as a desktop speaker. I do have minor concerns about to longevity of these speakers owing to the fact that when driven hard the amp backplate gets hot. Really hot. You wouldn’t be able to grab the speaker, cupping from the bottom and carry it for about 5 minutes after shut down unless you work in a weld shop or as a cook and can withstand more heat than normal. This is to be expected from a Class A/ AB amplifiers designs but some heat sinking would have really helped in this regard. My guess is the form factor is the limiting factor as other Audioengine products have said cooling and I am willing to bet the engineers did their homework here like they did everywhere else and these will survive past the warranty period without a problem. How long is the question. If I get three years of service and they then promptly die I will be satisfied and would instantly short list the HD3 again. The output quality is that good and my concerns are few given my experience with class A and A/B designs. These speakers are truly a wunderkind so I don’t want to overemphasize my biggest nit with HD3 but it’s egregious and almost had me returning them. The DAC inbuilt the HD3 seems to want to instantly go to sleep the very moment there is no audio sent to them and then takes between half to a full second to come back online only to instantly shut off again. If you let output lapse for any measurable time they will shut down and cut off the first moments of audio output as described. EVERY TIME. Transitioning from track to track in VLC media player, Tidal’s web streaming in Chrome, from the Tidal app, or when Windows generates a notification sound absent of background music results in the first half second of audio being cut off. This doesn’t occur via Bluetooth or analog inputs… just the USB DAC. #*^&ing borderline unforgivable. If I hadn’t had a spare DAC sitting around I would have boxed the HD3s back up and returned them hastily in/from/of disgust. One of my main reasons for purchasing this speaker system was the ability to use the USB DAC inbuilt and neat up the desktop wire situation as much as possible. This is just unacceptable functionality and a shame since the DAC is of pretty OK quality. I don’t know why Audioengine would even bother integrating it if they felt it necessary to have the power saving be set so aggressively other than they wanted to check off the feature box. It’s an inkblot on an otherwise stellar report card. This problem occurs on two separate computers. I even went as far as blowing out the driver install on both computers and fiddling with settings configurations to no avail. Neither computer exhibits this behavior when running the Schiit Yggdrasil or Denon DA300 so I am comfortable with assigning the blame 100% on the HD3. Of much less concern is the cabinet tuning can make for some… overpresence in the lowest frequencies of output, especially with the bass selector switch in the “full mode”. I don’t want to call it boominess but it is the first word that comes to mind even though it is not quite right. Much less but definitely still there with the bass selector switch in reduced position at rather high output levels. This was a design choice and not an easy one. I get why Audioengine landed where they did. Some, maybe most will never run these speakers with a subwoofer and the HD3 as a standalone output solution is comfortably worth the price charged with out a sub. I am of the opinion that if they do not satisfy (impress is more appropriate considering the physics going on…) your expectations are not realistic. The audio enthusiast in me wishes they had set the low level cut off to avoid the… overpresence at loudest output levels in reduced mode and allow me to put it all on a pair of subwoofers to maintain image. This suggestion is something that could easily be ruminated over several pages of prose but suffice to say I am being REALLY nit-picky by even mentioning it. Long story short. If you are dead set on using these with the integrated USB DAC I would suggest you look into other solutions given the playback problem I have described above or prepare to feed them audio some other way. The DAC itself is solid enough for desktop casual use but its cutting off of every track or sound is just unacceptable. Instinct had me wanting to take three stars off for it but the rest of the HD3’s performance is so good it pains me to not give the review a solid five stars. That performance is why I have kept them. It’s why the have HD3 earned those 4 stars that lead off the review. It is why I will consider these first the next time I am shopping for something in the sub 90 square inch foot print (yes, 90) category or shortest is “bestest” bin. Considering the Audioengine HD3’s price to play and how infuriating I find the DAC’s behavior consider everything written as a glowing endorsement that these speakers become your next set. Equipment used to assess list: Audioengine DS1 desktop stands Ryzen 2700x based computer Alienware 17r4/7820HK/GTX 1080 laptop Schiit Yggrdasil digital to analog converter Denon DAC300USB digital to analog converter Pioneer XDP-100 portable music player Galaxy S9+ phone Shure SE846, SE535, and SRH1840 “headphones” SVS SB-16 Ultra subwoofer.

Loved these, except when I turned up the volume for music- bass and treble start distorting. At more moderate levels they are very nice. And the real walnut veneer is gorgeous! Also loved the headphone connection- has dedicated amp/DAC. So if you plan on using phones you will be happy. Def get the angled stands for better sound/less vibration. FYI: Ended up returning for a pair of Adam Audio D3Vs. Minimum connectivity but play louder/cleaner.

Pulled my desk out and and made the connections without any cable management. Then I listened to my "go to" songs. Then listened to more and then some more. Four hours later pushed my desk back telling myself will make the wiring neat in the morning. Why? Because i haven't enjoyed listening to my music at my office desk like this since my old Klipsch 2.1 BT broke about 2 years ago. Promised myself to save up and get a decent replacement with time served using some basic setup. These speakers made me very happy. Sure, I would appreciate a dedicated subwoofer but the primary objective was great sound with just a 2.0 setup. Using the 3.5 connection to a Mac Mini Pro M2 for simplicity. Pros: Foot print size, build quality, and sound quality. Cons: The instructions could use illustrations showing the provided cabling. Sounds ridiculious but with the RCA and the speaker-to-speaker wire looking similar, spent more than 30 seconds debating about it. The cheaper version of this should include speaker covers. I went with the cover version because I have a cockatiel that gets curious and didn't want her to chew the speakers.

Unos altavoces que sorprenden por su tama;o compacto y en persona se nota la calidad. Muy bien hecho, un tamaño perfecto para el escritorio. Tengo un altavoz a cada lado y ocupan poco. Compre unos pies de esos para ponerlo en angulo y amortiguar un poco las vibraciones y genial. Me he quedado flipando con la calidad del sonido y poder destinguir las difirentes tonalidades y instrumentos en las canciones. Lo que como en otros comentarios carece mucho de los bajos, y ha he pedido el subwoofer de la marca para compensar y tener un equipo de sonido completo. Pero como digo estos altavoces estan muy completos y de una alta calidad.

Got these for both myself and my wife. She loves the clarity and full range although I tweaked the EQ for her to bring the bass up a bit to suit the music she listens to. I got the sub with mine and am running everything flat. The sound stage is fabulous using the speakers inbuilt d/a converter and has revealed nuance that I hadn’t heard in a number of tracks (I’m a musician and have a wide ranging taste in musical styles). Best sound I’ve heard from a PC and will use it to mix some of my recordings.

Die Lautsprecher sind hervorragend verarbeitet und haben einen einzigartigen Sound. Für die Größe sind sie das Beste, was man sich bei kleinem Platzangebot zulegen kann. Dabei ist das Preis-Leistungsverhältnis ebenfalls ausgezeichnet. Ich habe die Lautsprecher mit einem kleinen Subwoofer kombiniert, dann spielen Sie ihre Brillanz in den Höhen noch besser aus.

The sound and stereo separation is excellent - especially considering their size. Clear and musical sound comes out of these small speakers. To get real low-end bass you absolutely need a subwoofer which I got as well from Audioengine. Perfect match. So far so good, but when I plug in my headphones in the 3,5 mm jack the subwoofer goes berserk and makes a loud boom sound. Every time. You need to turn off the speakers before plugging in the headphones if you are using a subwoofer, unless you want to scare the dog and all the neighbors. Fortunately I'm using an external DAC and headphone preamp with these speakers - so the above problem is only academic for me.

Eigentlich gute Boxen, aber man muss wissen was man tut. 1. Die Boxen nicht direkt auf den Schreibtisch stellen. Eine zusätzliche Entkopplung kann hier das Klangbild wirklich deutlich verbessern. Zum Testen nehmen Sie einfach 2 volle Tempopackungen und stellen die Boxen darauf. 2. Checken Sie ob ihr Rechner einen besseren DAC hat als die Box. Nutzen Sie abwechselnd den USB Anschluss der Boxen und Analogen Input zusammen mit ihrem Computer. Bei mir war der OnBoard Sound des Rechners erheblich besser als der DAC der Boxen (alle Enhancers etc. abgeschalten während des Vergleichs) 3. Investieren Sie 15-20 Euro für ein gescheit abgeschirmtes Kabel. Überflüssiges Kabel gestreckt auslegen und nicht aufrollen - kaufen Sie also eine möglichst passende Länge. 4. Wollen Sie Bass? Dann kaufen Sie größere Boxen oder schließen Sie einen Subwoofer an die Boxen an. 5. Die Boxen müssen eingespielt werden. Gönnen Sie ihnen also etwas Zeit bevor Sie ihr Urteil fällen. 6. Lassen Sie im Zweifel die Frontabdeckung weg. Für mich klingen Sie klarer und sehen so besser aus. Außer Sie haben Haustiere, Kinder oder ungeschickte Lebensgefährten/Mitbewohner. Ich würde diese Boxen definitiv wieder kaufen.