today's review is on the new audioengine a1 wireless bookshelf speaker
the audioengine a1 is a compact yet
powerful all-in-one speaker system
that's outfitted with the latest and
greatest bluetooth 5.0
and aptx you can also connect this with
turntables
tvs and the subwoofer we can't wait to
tell you more about how this performs
and as always if you want to read more
about the audioengine a1 be sure to
click the link in the description to be
taken to our full written review
on audioadvice.com along with this review
you'll find hundreds of other reviews
comparisons buyers guides and so much
more
now let's get started
at audio advice we are big fans of audioengine
and we've had the pleasure of reviewing
several of their products before they
were released
the company was founded by two music
fans who each have worked at companies
like
apple gibson guitars alesis and harman
kardon
with their deep knowledge of technology
and musical instruments the founders
created
audioengine to help people discover
more music and appreciate the best
sound quality
today audioengine makes a complete line
of products that deliver professional
studio monitor sound without the hassle
of big clunky multi-component stereo
receivers
in today's review the audioengine a1
wireless
is one of the newest products from audioengine to deliver this
level of studio quality sound right onto
your work desk
or your living room space our test unit
arrived in a dark
matte gray color that will look great in
a wide variety of workstations or
small open living spaces we like the
studio monitor look of the new a1
without the grille
but it does look really good with the
grille too with a turntable or computer
positioned between this pair of speakers
we think you'll have a professional
looking studio monitor setup
when you remove the grille the enclosure
sands six inches tall
four inches wide and five and a quarter
inches deep
there's a horizontal venting port on the
lower facade just below the woofer
and similar to the more expensive a2
plus the new
a1 speaker houses custom designed
components within a well-constructed
cabinet
the speaker features a two and
three-quarter inch woofer
complemented with a three-quarter inch
tweeter the internal dual-class d
power amps are wrapped inside precision
tuned cabinets which
audioengine designed in their own
facility based in austin texas
the left speaker houses the amplifier
and all the output and input connections
so it weighs about four pounds and the
right speaker weighs close to three
pounds
we think the small compact size of this
setup makes it the perfect go-to system
for a desk in your office
a table top in your living room or even
in your bedroom
in the box there's a male mini jack to
male rca adapter included
this can be used with turntables that
have a built-in phono stage
for anyone who's getting interested in
turntables this is a great addition
on the back of the left speaker there's
a volume control knob a push button
switch to toggle the bluetooth pairing
mode
on or off a 3.5 mini plug input to
connect a laptop
cell phone portable music player or a
turntable there's also an output for a
subwoofer and a set of speaker
connections to wire up the right speaker
no usb input needed here bluetooth
already takes care of things so once you
get the left speaker all connected
you just run the speaker wire to the
right speaker and you're ready to rock
and roll
what really sets the new a1 apart is the
addition of bluetooth 5.0
which gives you a wireless operating
range of up to 100 feet if you pair the
speaker system to your phone
not only will the a1 work much farther
away from your audio source but
bluetooth
5.0 lets you stream the same audio
source to multiple bluetooth headphones
or speakers at the same time bluetooth
5.0 is also more efficient
so it will actually consume less battery
with any bluetooth devices you pair with
this
audioengine didn't stop here when it
built a wireless speaker with the latest
bluetooth iteration
though so audioengine used qualcomm's
aptx bluetooth technology which is
designed to sound substantially better
than standard bluetooth so think music
that's more detailed with tighter bass
and clearer mid-range in terms of audio
playback this also means you can
bluetooth music directly to the a1
wireless
from your phone or your laptop natively
up to 16 bit
48 kilohertz which is higher than the cd
quality
the only downside with aptx is that it
requires a device that's compatible to
hear the full potential of aptx
currently the iphone doesn't support
aptx but most android phones and tablets
do
apple ios devices can still connect to
this with regular bluetooth signal
at audio advice we find that most people
use bookshelf and desktop speakers with
computer setups
however we've noticed an uptick in
people using audioengine bookshelf
speakers with entry-level turntables too
so i tested the new a1 wireless in a few
different scenarios
first i allowed our test unit to break
in with a stereo mini plug connected to
my laptop
and i have to say i was impressed
especially with the stereo imaging
next i tried the a1 as a wireless
speaker system in an
open room setting and finally as a near
field setup stationed on my computer
desk
for our open room tests i streamed high
quality audio from an iphone to the a1
wireless over regular bluetooth
overall the mids and highs shine clearly
and the soundstage filled my smaller
room
with good quality sound that would be
more than suitable for cooking
or any activity where music is playing
in the background
next i wanted to test the sound of the
aptx so i used a google pixel 3 to
stream qobuz directly to the a1 wireless
this is where the clarity of details in
the a1's imaging really
opened up further testing of the a1's
bluetooth capabilities called for the
project
essential III bluetooth turntable as an
audio source which is a great entry
level turntable that also supports aptx
even though this digitized the analog
signal of the vinyl record
we were all really impressed with the
quality of the experience
if you have a smaller space we still
recommend using the 3.5 millimeter mini
plug to rca adapter for the best sound
quality
moving the speakers a little further
apart from each other will also help
spread the stereo image to
sound better in a larger room as
bookshelf speakers go
there's really no argument that these
were designed to sound the best when
listening at close proximity
in this scenario you'll want to form an
equilateral triangle with the speakers
so you're at equal distance from the
speakers we also have a video that's
going to guide you exactly how to
achieve the best sound
with a computer setup so be sure to
check that out
as a work from home setup we were
impressed with the a1 stereo imaging
as near field monitors the a1 presented
a warm sound with clear mid-range and
good musical low end energy that helped
me feel energized
while working from my home details in
the top end extension were clear
and they didn't sound overbearing or
harsh due to the small size of these
speakers there's not a ton of bass
however the bass that does come out
is very good for being such small
speakers the audioengine a1 wireless
speakers are a great addition for almost
any setup for the size and the price
similar to audioengine's more expensive
a2 plus the new a1 wireless is small
and will benefit from adding a subwoofer
to present more bottom in weight
we think the audioengine s8 sub is an
excellent addition for this system
this is one of the best sounding entry
point options we've ever listened to at
this
price for less than 200 dollars it's the
perfect solution for someone getting
interested in vinyl or who wants the
modern conveniences of bluetooth 5.0
with the quality of aptx
if you have any questions on the a1 or
any other home audio or home theater
gear be sure to give us a call
chat with one of our experts at
audioadvice.com or stop into one of our
raleigh or charlotte north carolina
showrooms
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and until then we'll see you next time
