Audioengine A5+ Wireless Review - Review 2022

Wireless sound is user-friendly, merely it isn't exactly smiled upon by audiophiles. Audioengine'southward A5+ Wireless system combines the capabilities of the visitor's Bluetooth receiver/transmitter, the B1, with the audio performance of its excellent wired v+ speakers. The result is a wireless sound signature aimed at purists, just there'southward plenty of bass depth and clarity throughout the frequency range to make everyone happy. It isn't cheap at $499, just it should be the go-to speaker set for anyone seeking high-quality wireless stereo audio, and earns our Editors' Choice.

Design

Available in matte black, loftier-gloss white, or a natural bamboo finish (for $569 instead of $499), the A5+ Wireless speakers have rounded edges and a classic bookshelf wait. They each measure out x.8 inches high and vii.0 inches wides. At 9.0 inches, the left speaker is a scrap deeper than the right (7.8 inches) considering information technology houses the controls and connections, also as a heat sink that protrudes off the dorsum panel. It'due south too heavier, at 15.4 pounds compared with the right's 9.vi pounds. Unboxing the system, the presentation is classy—each speaker gets its own gray velour drawstring protective pouch, and there'south a smaller pouch for the cables.

The left speaker's front face houses a volume knob, a LED power indicator, and a receiver for the included remote control. The volume knob works independently of your paired mobile device's book controls. Each grille-gratis speaker houses a 5-inch Kevlar woofer and a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter. Each aqueduct delivers l watts of power, combining for 100 watts (150 watts summit). Internally, a 24-bit upsampling D/A converter ensures loftier-quality playback. The frequency range is 50Hz to 22kHz.

The bottom panels of each speaker have foam rubber coverings to go along them stable. There's besides a threaded screw mount on the base of each. If you're using them equally desktop speakers, the drivers aren't angled upwards, and so you'll want some wedge-mode stands to aim the tweeters more direct at your ears. In a large room, with more distance between the speakers and the listener, this won't be as much of an issue, but you should all the same endeavour to match the top of the tweeters with your ears (run across our suggestions on how to set up up your speakers for more).

The back panel of the left speaker houses the connections. From tiptop to bottom, at that place's a Bluetooth antenna, a pairing push, a 3.5mm aux input, RCA inputs and outputs, and a connection for the banana plug cable that links to the right speaker. (All cabling is detachable and included.) Below these, there'southward a power switch, a Voltage Select switch, a fuse, and a connection for the power supply.

The included remote control looks classy, with its brushed aluminum profile. Information technology houses only four buttons, however—Volume Up, Volume Downwards, Mute, and Sleep Mode. In other words, it's a pretty limited remote, and yous're more likely to apply the mobile device that you stream from to command playback, track navigation, and perhaps even book.

The pairing procedure is simple. Plough the system on, and it appears in your Bluetooth menu immediately. Connecting a cable to the aux or RCA input doesn't kill the Bluetooth connection, presumably because Audioengine wants yous to be able to take multiple sources connected simultaneously. This presents a minor outcome, still: In the absence of a source switch, y'all can play multiple sound sources (like a Bluetooth streaming source and an aux input source, for instance) simultaneously. This doesn't really pose whatever risks for the drivers, but it feels similar an oversight.

Performance

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, similar The Pocketknife's "Silent Shout," the speakers deliver some palpable thump—it may not be the thunder many bass lovers are used to, but it'south not sparse either. This is partially because the speakers are designed to piece of work with a subwoofer. Equally is, the speakers even so deliver some powerful bass depth, and go insanely loud before approaching distortion.

Meet How Nosotros Test Speakers

Bill Callahan'due south "Drover," a runway with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a improve sense of the sound signature. The drums on this track tin can sound thunderous on bass-additional systems, while here they only sound full. This is a good thing—their natural presence isn't supposed to be a bass-heavy affair. Callahan's baritone vocals receive a nice warmth—the rich lows are balanced well with a crisp, but not overly sculpted, loftier-mid presence. The acoustic guitar's assail and the college register percussive hits also benefit from the loftier-mid and high frequency presence. There isn't really whatsoever attribute of the frequency range that sounds heavily favored over another. In other words, this is pretty close to the flat-style frequency response many audiophiles seek, which is rare in the wireless speaker realm.

On Jay-Z and Kanye Westward's "No Church building in the Wild," the kicking drum loop gets plenty of loftier-mid presence—plenty to accentuate the attack and push the loop's punch forward in the mix—simply it doesn't sound overly sculpted or edgy. The loop as well has a full-sounding bass presence to it, but nothing over the superlative. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the crush perhaps sound a bit dialed back—in that location's depth there that we don't quite hear, but this could be handled past a connected subwoofer. The vocals sound excellent, with ideal clarity that lacks the overly boasted high-mids and highs that tin make things sound as well sibilant.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound stunning through the A5+ Wireless. The lower register instrumentation has a robust, full presence that doesn't seem additional much at all—just full, round, and accurate. The same tin can be said of the higher register strings, brass, and vocals—at that place'due south plenty of crisp, bright presence here, but nada sounds invented by the drivers—this is pretty close to the true sound of the recording.

Would I opt for a subwoofer? Aye, I must admit that I love sub-bass and what it can practise in a mix when applied with restraint. I don't feel a sub is required here, but if you know you like the rumble and thump one tin bring, the A5+ Wireless will audio splendid with a well-balanced unit.

Conclusions

If you lot want a proficient-looking, high quality all-in-one wireless speaker system, perhaps with a companion app or voice assistance, you accept strong options in the Google Home Max, the Sonos One, and the Urbanears Baggen. But non everyone wants a "smart" speaker, and most audiophiles will want to completely avoid voice aid and notification interruptions, heavily practical digital indicate processing (DSP), and the typical lack of stereo separation that is often office of the deal.

Audioengine's A5+ Wireless organisation delivers a high-quality Bluetooth stream in a bookshelf-style form gene that offers stereo separation and avoids dynamics-crushing DSP. Some listeners might want to beef up the sound with a subwoofer, but the system sounds not bad without information technology. It's a pleasure to review gear that advances convenience without sacrificing sound quality, and the Audioengine 5+ Wireless easily snags an Editors' Option.

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Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/migrated-8305-speakers/20681/audioengine-a5-wireless-review

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