A2+ Desktop Speakers — Audioengine Skip to Content

Technical Specifications

General specifications

Amplifier type
Dual class AB monolithic

Power output
60W peak power total (15W RMS / 30W peak per channel), AES

Drivers
2.75″ aramid fiber woofers, 3/4” silk dome tweeters

Inputs
3.5mm stereo mini-jack, RCA, USB

Outputs
RCA variable line-out

Input voltages
100-240V 50/60Hz auto-switching

SNR
>95dB (typical A-weighted)

THD+N
<0.05% at all power settings

Crosstalk
-50dB

Freq. response
65Hz-22kHz ±2.0dB

Input impedance
10K ohms unbalanced

Protection
Output current limiting, thermal over-temperature, power on/off transient protection

USB specifications

Connector type
USB type-B

USB device class
type 1.1 or above

Internal D/A converter
TI/Burr Brown PCM2704C

Input bit depth
up to 16 bits native

Input sample rate
up to 48KHz native

Weights and measures

Dimensions (each)
6”(H) x 4”(W) x 5.25”(D)

Weight (LEFT speaker)
1.6Kg/3.55lbs

Weight (RIGHT speaker)
1.4Kg/3.15lbs

Shipping weight
4.6kg/10lbs per pair

Shipping box dims
10.5” (H) x 15” (L) x 7” (W)

Finish options

Satin Black Paint
Hi-Gloss White Paint
Hi-Gloss Red Paint

Environmental requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F
Non-operating temperature: -4° to 113° F
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% non-condensing

Materials and contruction

6.35mm thick MDF cabinets
3/4″ silk dome tweeters with neodymium magnets
2.75″ aramid fiber woofers with advanced voice coils

Included accessories

Speaker wire (16AWG), 2 meters (~6.5 feet)
Power supply
AC power cord
Mini-jack audio cable, 1.5 meters (~5 feet)
USB cable, 1.5 meters (~5 feet)
Microfiber speaker bags
Microfiber power supply bag
Microfiber cable bag
Setup guide
Product line brochure

Custom built

Audioengine designs and manufactures our own tweeters, woofers, and other critical components. In other words, these are not “box built” speakers with off-the-shelf parts but custom-designed to our specifications. What we do not fabricate directly in our factory we have made to our designs (parts such as transformers, magnets, and wiring harnesses, for example). The cabinets, drivers, bass port designs, amplifiers, and crossovers are all painstakingly tuned together for each Audioengine model. This, in turn, makes for a much more efficient system that requires much less power than passive speakers and a separate integrated amplifier or similar A/V components.

Drivers

Audioengine uses audiophile-quality, ferrofluid-cooled silk dome tweeters with neodymium magnets. Silk tweeters hold up well under high power and the edge-driven design gives very smooth response. The woofers are aramid fiber woven glass composite with rubber surrounds. Aramid fiber is obviously very strong, which means that the woofer retains its shape when being driven at high levels. The speaker materials and construction are robust enough to stand up to some serious thrashing, so speaker grills aren’t needed and they will sound and look great after many years of use.

Power amplifiers

The amplifiers in Audioengine speakers are located in the left speaker and are a conservatively rated analog design. All components are tuned together for each model, which provides a much more efficient system requiring less power than passive speakers and separate amplifiers. Circuit boards for the power and preamp sections are mounted for maximum mechanical shock protection.

Power transformers

Power transformers are a large contributor to the overall audio performance, especially in the low end. Again, no off-the-shelf parts. Audioengine uses gapless core toroidal transformers which have a tighter radiated magnetic field, directly translating to lower noise. They are lighter than standard, lower-cost “EI” transformers and also generate less heat.

Shielding

Both drivers are directly video shielded and allow the user to place the speakers within a few inches of a video monitor. This shielding also offers protection for hard-drive digital music players.

Based on studio monitor designs

Studio monitor speakers are used by producers and engineers in recording and production studios. They are designed with a theoretical flat frequency response which allows the engineer to create a final mix in such a way that the recorded music will sound good on most other speakers. Although Audioengine speakers are not designed to be up-close “nearfield” studio monitors, we do carry over much of the same higher-end technology, components, and design philosophy for Audioengine speakers.

Cabinets

To minimize unwanted resonances and distortion, Audioengine cabinets have thick high-resin MDF walls with extensive internal bracing. Heavy internal sound-damping material is used to reduce unwanted sound reflections inside the cabinet. All cabinet edges are rounded which look great and reduce high-frequency diffraction effects on the front baffles. Each cabinet contains tuned, front-port slots. Both speakers are tuned and tested together and sold in pairs.

FAQ's

We take great pride in our products, and go through great lengths to ensure consistency and quality. For that reason, this item was randomly selected for an additional step of Quality Assurance.

You can do this using powered speakers like our A2+s, HD3s, HD4s, A5+s, and HD6s.  For this, you'll connect the W3 sender to the RCA output on the left speaker, using a 3.5mm stereo-mini to RCA "Y" cable.  Then connect the W3 Receiver to the input on your S8.  You can either use a 3.5mm stereo-mini to stereo-mini cable for this, or another 3.5mm stereo-mini to RCA "Y" cable; either will work fine.  Both W3 units will need to be powered from a USB port.  You can use USB AC power adapters, or if the powered speaker you're using is our A5+ Classic model, you can use the USB port on it's rear panel for the W3 sender. The same would apply to the S8 subwoofer if you have our current 'Gen II' model that has a USB port on the rear panel.

 

Absolutely!  Our speakers are safe to place sideways and, from our experience, sound great. When doing so, we recommend that you position each so the tweeters are facing outward.

The speakers we offer that are designed to have a remote control are the A5+ Classic, A5+ Wireless and HD6.

The following systems do NOT support a remote control:  512, A1, A1-MR, A2+, B2, HD3, HD4.

There can be only 1 active pairing at a time.

Yes!  As long as your speakers have an analog output (either RCA outputs or a 3.5mm stereo mini output), you can absolutely connect the S6 to your powered speakers.  With the exception of the B2, all of our powered speakers will have the outputs needed to connect the S6, this includes the original A2 and A5 models.

You can simply use RCA cables to connect the S6 to the A2+, HD3, HD4, A5+, A5+Wireless, and HD6 speaker models.

For the A1 and A1-MR speakers, you can use one side of your stereo RCA cables. Just use the left/white RCA cable, and leave the red RCA disconnected to prevent an accidental ground loop.

** Please note:  a 3.5mm/stereo mini cable will not work with the ‘Subwoofer’ output on the back of your A1/A1-MR speakers. **

No, there are no firmware updates or special drivers needed unless you own our A1-MR multi-room speakers or our B-Fi multi-room wireless streaming device.

If a firmware update is released for the A1-MR or the B-Fi, you will be notified of the update the next time you open the Audioengine Control App.  If an update is needed, simply click "update" on the DEVICES page next to the product that needs to have the firmware update applied.  The app will handle the rest of the process from there!

Standard plug-n-play drivers that are provided by your computer's OS are utilized when using the USB input on our A2+, HD3, and HD4 speaker models.

And all of our Bluetooth speakers/products are compatible with any device that supports Bluetooth, and the A2DP profile for streaming stereo audio. This includes most smartphones, tablets, and computers. For computers that don't include Bluetooth support out of the box, you can simply add a USB Bluetooth adapter.

                                          Applicable to our A2+, HD3, HD4, A5+, A5+Wireless, and HD6 speakers.

Start with power cycling your speakers by turning them off and then back on.  From there:

  1. Determine if the distortion is due to your source by disconnecting all source devices from the speakers.
  2. Please make sure all of your connector cables are in working order. Try different cables as well as a different source device.
  3. Please try using each input available (mini-jack, RCA, USB, as well as Bluetooth), one at a time, to see how the speakers react. If the distortion is unique to one speaker, when testing via RCA switch the RCA jacks (red to white and white to red) to see if the issue remains in the same channel.
  4. Make sure it is not a power issue by trying a power outlet that is on a different circuit.

If the issue persists, please click on the following link and then click on the dropdown to submit an email to our Support team:

Support Page

When doing so, please copy and paste the above troubleshooting steps along with the results of each and include this information when contacting us.

                             Applicable to our A1, A2+Wireless, B2, A5+Wireless, and HD6 speaker models

Turn on the speakers using the power switch located on the rear panel.  The speakers will automatically go into Bluetooth "pair mode" and the Pair button on the back panel should start flashing.

  1. On your source device (phone, tablet, laptop, etc), turn on Bluetooth and go to Bluetooth preferences.
  2. Select "Audioengine (your speaker model)" from the list of available devices to pair and connect.  The Pair indicator on the back panel should now be solid. Play your music and adjust the volume levels on the speakers and your device.

To add additional devices put the speakers back into pair mode by disconnecting them from your device or by pressing and holding the Pair button until the pair indicator starts flashing.

Our speakers can wirelessly connect to only one device at a time, however it will remember up to six different devices.

 

Applicable to our A2+, HD3, and HD4 speaker models

All digital audio sources will ultimately need to be converted to analog to provide sound through any speaker system. The USB and Bluetooth inputs will pass the digital signal on to the speaker's internal digital-to-analog converter (DAC), while the RCA/3.5mm inputs are already analog and have been converted by the built-in DAC in your source. So it's a question of which DAC sounds best to you. We would recommend testing each input separately to see which one you prefer!

Applicable to our A1, A1-MR, A2+, HD3, HD4, A5+, and HD6 speaker models

If one of your speakers is not working (whether it be the left or right speaker), we would recommend the following troubleshooting steps:

Start by power cycling your speakers by turning them off and then back on.  From there:

  1. Check to make sure the speaker wire connecting the left and right speakers is connected according to proper polarity (Red to Gold, Black to Silver) on both ends.
  2. Please make sure all of your connector cables are in working order. Try different cables as well as a different source device.
  3. If you are using any other devices in line with these speakers, please temporarily remove them from your setup and connect the source directly to the speakers
  4. Please try using each available input, one at a time, to see how the speakers react. When testing via RCA swap the RCA jacks (red to white and white to red) to see if the issue remains in the same channel.

If the issue persists, please click on the following link and then click on the dropdown to submit an email to our Support team:

Support Page

When doing so, please copy and paste the above troubleshooting steps along with the results of each and include this information when contacting us.

Yes, you still need to connect the active/left speaker to the passive/right speaker via the included speaker wire. The passive right speaker has no power source of its own and relies on the amplified signal coming over the wire.

On the A2+ Wireless/HD3 models with an external power supply brick, first test it by plugging into wall power and observing the LED light on the brick to see if its solid, blinking, out. If it's blinking or out, the power supply is likely faulty.

If the light is solid, proceed to plugging into the speaker and observe the power supply brick LED once more. If it's blinking or out, there is likely an issue with the internal amp. Contact support if either has an issue.

If the Bluetooth pairing light is solid (any color), an active connection to another device has been established.  Under most circumstances, our Bluetooth speakers/B1 only supports a single active connection at a time.  So if someone else in your home has connected to your Bluetooth device/speakers, this could surely keep you from connecting another device to it.

There is no on/off switch with the our Bluetooth devices or speakers, so once it's plugged into power it's on. The Bluetooth LED light will blink and be discoverable for 5 minutes once powered on. If in that 5 minute window it connects to a Bluetooth source, the light will go solid. After the 5 minutes is up, the light will turn off and it will no longer be discoverable by new sources, but it will still be on. If the LED is off, any previously connected device can still pair to it at any time from their device. If you want to pair  to a new device, just tap the LED light once more and it will blink and be discoverable for another 5 minutes.  If your Bluetooth device/speaker is connected to something and you want to disconnect that particular device, you can hold the button down for a few seconds before it disconnects and goes back into the flashing cycle.

 

If the above does not help address the issue you are experiencing, we'd recommend going through the below list of troubleshooting tips:

If you haven’t already, power cycle your Bluetooth speakers/B1 by unplugging the power connection, and reconnecting it.

1) Please make sure all of your connections are complete; also, check that all of your connector cables are in working order. You will want to swap out some interconnects to test for this.

2) Try playing audio from more than one application on your source device (phone, tablet, computer, etc.)

3) Check to make sure your source device is running the most up to date version of software available. If an update is available, make sure you restart your device after the update is installed.

4) Try disconnecting from, and "forgetting" the Bluetooth speakers/B1 through your source's Bluetooth settings. Then, try re-pairing and connecting to the two.

5) Try using a different source device with your Bluetooth speakers/B1 to see if the issue follows. Try using the analog as well as the digital optical output, to see if you have this issue with both connections.

6) If at all possible, try your Bluetooth speakers/B1 in a different location and / or setup to see if something is causing interference in the current location. Something as simple as a router, cordless / mobile phone, halogen lamps, etc. near the speakers may be causing the issue in your setup.

 

Absolutely!  You can connect any Audioengine speaker with an analog output to any Sonos product that has the Line-In feature.  You can also connect any Audioengine passive speakers into an existing Sonos system using the Sonos Amp.

Absolutely! To do so:

  • Open the Alexa App on your smartphone or tablet (Apple link  |  Google Play Link)
  • Tap the “Devices” icon and select the Echo/Alexa device you want to connect to speakers
  • Select “Bluetooth Devices”
  • Select “Pair New Device”
  • Find your Audioengine wireless speaker on the list of available Bluetooth devices, and select it

Your Bluetooth connection works by projecting the sound from your phone. So, if your ringtone volume is on, that sound will come through Bluetooth too. This is a simple fix by changing the phone's ringtone settings to either vibrate or silent.

This sometimes happens when the speakers and turntable share the same surface. The vibrations from the speakers playing feedback into the turntables stylus, causing unwanted noise. The best way to mitigate this would be to place the speakers on a different surface. If that's not an option, we'd recommend trying out some isolation stands. For larger speakers like A5+ and HD6, the ones made by Isoacoustics work well.

Yes! We incorporate all the relevant functions and features from Bluetooth 5.0 that apply to our products! These features include; extended range, low latency (so that video and audio sync properly), as well as higher level aptX-HD, aptX, and AAC codecs (with the exception of our 512 portable speaker which supports SBC only). Keep in mind that the capability of the source is what controls the Bluetooth experience.

All turntables require a phono preamp stage before connecting to Audioengine speakers. Many turntables have this built-in , while others do not and would require an external phono preamp. Check the turntable manufacturer’s website or user manual. Some turntables may even include Bluetooth, in which case you can pair and connect them to the speakers wirelessly!

While the DAC in the A2+ Wireless is better than what is built into most computers, adding a 24-bit DAC, such as our D1 or D3, would still be a benefit to audio quality.

The headphone outputs on many computers will sound great with the A2+ Wireless. Some do have poor audio quality though, so if this is the case for your computer, try connecting from the USB port to your with A2+ Wireless, or connect wirelessly via Bluetooth.

The A2+ Wireless internal DAC handles up to 48K transfer rate, and up to 16 bits bit-depth. Your system will generally default to these settings when you hook up the A2+ Wireless. If you mainly use 44.1K files, you might set this as the default in your system. Many system players like JRiver and Amarra will default to the proper bit rate automatically.

Not necessarily. Audioengine speakers and amplifiers are very efficient. Also, we designed them together as a system; so, we therefore get more volume output than stereo receivers or amplifiers that might have higher wattage or power numbers. Due to this tuning, we achieve big sound outputs with a fraction of the power required by other systems.

Yes, you can. The A2+ Wireless speakers use a switching power supply so it will automatically convert to the different voltage. The power cable is also detachable which makes it convenient to replace the AC plug with a different type if you don’t want to use an adapter plug.

If the left speaker is in an easy to reach location, you can certainly use the physical knob to set volume. If not though, it's perfectly fine to set the speakers to a good volume and then adjust from your source moving forward. Every setup is different, so some experimentation will be necessary to find your preferred settings.

Yes! If your tablet or smartphone has a USB output and supports USB audio (refer to the manufacturers’ documentation), then it will work with A2+ Wireless's USB input. You'll most likely also need an OTG adapter cable to connect from your tablet to the USB input on the A2+ Wireless. These are generally available from the manufacturer of your tablet/smartphone, local electronic stores, or even online retailers.

Absolutely! You will need to pick up Apple's Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter, which allows a USB connection to the iPad (and, as of iOS7, the iPhone). Then just hook up as you would from a computer. You can even charge your iPhone or iPad while you use it this way!

Our woofers are made of aramid fiber and the tweeter domes are silk. Both of these materials are very robust and can handle quite a bit of abuse. For our A-series speakers we decided against grill covers as they do tend to color the sound a bit. However, without speaker grills they are more cat and kid-friendly! If you do prefer speakers with grills, you can check out our HD3 speakers here:

https://audioengineusa.com/shop/wirelessspeakers/hd3-wireless-speakers/

No. The Bluetooth and USB inputs both share the internal DAC for processing, so you can only listen to one at a time, with Bluetooth taking priority. If you're using USB for example, and start using Bluetooth, the USB signal will cut and Bluetooth will take over. Depending on your source, if you pause or disconnect from Bluetooth the speakers may automatically switch back to USB after a few seconds.

Though overall latency can be affected by some external factors (including but not limited to signal strength, and even simply being physically further away from the speakers), Bluetooth on the A2+ Wireless generally has a delay of about 30ms (milliseconds) so you should be able to watch videos from Youtube, for example, and stream out the audio to the A2+ Wireless without any significant or noticeable lag between the video and audio.

Once your A2+ Wireless is paired and connected via Bluetooth, then any app (TIDAL, Music, Spotify, etc.) will automatically play your music through Bluetooth.

No extra software or drivers are needed. The A2+ Wireless is compatible with any device that supports Bluetooth, and the A2DP profile for streaming stereo audio. This includes most smartphones, tablets, and computers. For computers that don't include BLuetooth support out of the box, you can simply add a USB Bluetooth adapter.

 

The same is also true for the USB connection on the A2+, which uses plug-and-play drivers provided by your computer's OS. The A2+ USB input is compatible out of the box with Windows and Mac computers, iPhones and iPads when using Apple's lightning USB 3 adapter along with a fast wall charger, and should work with most Android Smartphones and Tablets as well.

In most cases, Yes! The overall range you can expect will vary depending on the device you use with the A2+ Wireless, as well as things like the type of construction used in walls you'll be transmitting through. In our testing, most mobile devices like smartphones and tablets will have the best range, some of which can exceed 100 ft in good conditions, even through one wall. Laptops and desktop computers in our testing generally had less overall range with an average of around 70 ft in similar good conditions through a single wall.

The A2+ Wireless work excellent via Bluetooth, but they can also be used wired, with more traditional source devices like Turntables, CD players, or anything else with a standard analog audio connection like RCAs or 3.5mm stereo-mini. They also include a USB port for use with a Windows or Mac computer, as well as many Smartphones and Tablets with the right USB adapter cable.

  • If it's on and solid, this means the A2+ Wireless is powered on, and currently connected to a Bluetooth-enabled device.
  • If it's on and blinking, this means the A2+ Wireless is powered on but not currently connected to a device.
  • If it's off (and A2+ Wireless is powered on), this means Bluetooth is in standby and not connected to a device. The A2+ Wireless, however, is still visible to your device, so simply connect using your device and it will automatically wake up.

You can absolutely still use the A2+ Wireless and it will sound great. AptX is a high-quality Bluetooth audio codec that works really well. In addition aptX, and the default Bluetooth codec SBC, The A2+ Wireless support other high quality audio codecs, like AAC for use on Apple iPhone and iPads, as well as Android devices that do not include aptX.

Our A2+'s are an all-in-one system with no extra components needed except your phone or computer. Simply place the speakers where you want them and connect the power supply. Hook up the included speaker wire from the powered left speaker to the right passive speaker. Then connect your music source with the supplied cables - or go wireless with any Bluetooth enabled source device, like a computer, smartphone, or tablet.

Here is a quick video that can be used as a reference:

A2+ Setup Video

(Please note - there is no audio associated with the video.)

Though overall latency can be affected by some external factors (including things like signal strength, how well the source device's manufacturer has implemented it's Bluetooth, and even simply from being physically further away from the speakers) Audioengine Bluetooth products have very low latency when compared to most Bluetooth receivers, 30ms or less.

Here are some tips you can use to minimize any latency issues you may run into with your Bluetooth setup:

1) Try restarting both your device as well as the speakers (by switching them off, and back on, with the power switch on the rear of the speakers).

2) Check to make sure your source device is running the most up to date version of software available.

3) Try disconnecting from and forgetting the your Bluetooth speaker or device through your source’s Bluetooth settings, and then re-pair to your Bluetooth speaker/device.

4) If you have multiple apps or windows open when the delay occurs, try closing all of the apps that are not currently in use.  The more multitasking your system is having to do, the greater the potential delay in audio when using Bluetooth -- this would apply to both your smart phone and computer.

5) When using your iPhone, we've found that resetting your network settings can help improve the overall functionality of Bluetooth with your device -- including the latency.

-Both analog (3.5mm mini-jack and RCA) inputs are "open" or active, so you can leave 2 audio sources plugged in at the same time.

-The USB (Optical for HD6) and the Bluetooth module share the same DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) If connected to both, the Bluetooth connection will take precedence. If you're using USB (Optical for HD6) for example, and start using Bluetooth, USB (Optical for HD6) will mute and Bluetooth will take over. If you pause or disconnect from Bluetooth the speakers will automatically switch back to USB (Optical for HD6) after a few seconds.

*Please note, if you have a digital (Bluetooth, USB or Optical) and or multiple analog sources connected and streaming you are able to hear the input sources if they play simultaneously.

Yes they do! They are equipped with a power-saving circuit that turns off the speaker's final stage amp. This idle mode activates right after you stop playing music. Due to this power-saving function, it's perfectly fine for the speakers to stay on all the time!

Setting up your Bluetooth turntable with your Bluetooth-ready Audioengine speakers/components should be simple! First, you would also need to make sure your Audioengine Bluetooth device is on, in pair mode (LED light flashing), and near the turntable. Next, you would need to use the pairing button to send the turntable into pairing mode. Depending on the turntable, you will need to either press and release the turntable's pair button or press and hold it; for example, on the Audio Technica AT-LP60-BT you would need to hold the turntable's pairing button for about two seconds, until the light flashes different colors. Once the turntable is in pairing mode, it will search and connect to the nearest available Bluetooth device. Once the turntable if paired and connected to your Audioengine Bluetooth device, the pair light on the receiver should turn solid.

If you’ve connected your turntable to your speakers and the volume is low, one of two situations may be happening:

If you have a turntable with a built-in phono preamp, such as the Audio-Technica ATLP120 or the Music Hall USB-1, the output may be in the wrong setting. Double check and make sure the switch is set to “line” instead of “phono.” Be careful to keep the volume of your speakers low as it can be quite loud if you had to switch it to "line".

Your turntable could also not include a built-in phono preamp, such as older turntables. If your turntable does not include a built-in preamp, you will need to add an external preamp to bring the signal up to a line level signal. We don’t have any recommendations on a particular brand or model preamp to use with this setup.

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