HD3 Wireless Speakers

HD3 is 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 with the supplied cables - or go wireless - and that's it.

One of the reasons Audioengine active and passive speakers have such amazing bass in such a small package are the designs of the bass ports on each speaker. These aren’t just holes or slots in the cabinets, but specifically shaped openings with tubes designed with precise calculations. The result is incredible low end with minimal audible air turbulence. These are effectively mini-subs built into each speaker, allowing Audioengine speakers to be used with or without a separate subwoofer. It's also worth mentioning that we don’t use any enhancement circuits to add fake bass, so what you’ll hear is real bass- low and clean.

There are different theories but rooms and tastes are different so it's tough to specify a correct placement. We suggest you experiment with different locations to see what works for you. As a general rule of thumb for the best sound stage balance, the speakers should be equidistant from side walls and a different distance from rear walls. Our front-ported speakers (such as the A2+, HD3, and P4 speakers) do not need any rear panel clearance for better bass but recommend keeping them a few inches from the rear wall for adequate ventilation.

You should be able to use multiple sources with the HD3s just fine. The analog inputs on the HD3 are always active. They will play at the same time as the Bluetooth or USB input. Bluetooth and USB share the DAC though, so you can only listen to one at a time, and Bluetooth takes priority. If you're using USB for example, and start using Bluetooth, USB will mute and Bluetooth will take over. If you pause or disconnect from Bluetooth the speakers will automatically switch back to USB after a few seconds.

Absolutely! It's tough to protect speakers and electronics from extreme changes in temperature and humidity. Due to that, we don't generally recommend the permanent installation of our speakers outdoors. It's fine though (encouraged even) to bring them outside with you all day, and our speakers are simple to set up and take down, making them perfect for this. Let us know if you have any other questions or concerns!

No. Audioengine powered speakers have amplifiers built-in. This means you don't need any extra equipment, other than a source to play music on (smartphone, / tablet, a computer, CD player, Turntable, Etc). Just plug your source directly into the inputs on the rear panel of the left speaker with the included cables, or connect to them via Bluetooth, and you're listening to music!

The HD3 includes a speaker wire with banana plugs on either end, so using them with the speakers should be a simple set up. The binding posts on the back of each speaker would need to be screwed down and the plugs would need to be inserted into the center hole (please refer to the picture for reference). You would need to make sure that each end matches with the corresponding binding post; for example, if you inserted the red banana plug into the red binding post on one speaker, the same would follow suit for the other speaker. Do keep in mind the plugs on the HD3's speaker wires can be snug fitting into the speaker posts, so you may have to try a little bit more force to fit them in.

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 stay on all the time.

The HD3s do include detachable magnetic grills. It's worth mentioning that the grills also have thin rubber pads to prevent marks or damage to the finish or the cabinet

Yes. You will need to pick up the USB Camera Adapter from Apple, which allows a USB connection to the iPad (and, as of iOS7, the iPhone). Then just hook up as you would from a computer. If you'd like to be able to charge your iPhone or iPad while you use the D3, you'd want to check out the USB 3 version of Apple's USB camera adapter.

Yes. If your tablet or smartphone has a USB output and supports USB audio (refer to the manufacturers’ documentation), then it will work with HD3's USB input. You'll most likely also need an OTG adapter cable to connect from your tablet to the USB input on the HD3. These are generally available from the manufacturer of your tablet/smartphone, local electronic stores, or even online retailers.

If the left speaker is in an easy to reach location, you can certainly use the physical knob to set volume. If not though, we generally recommend setting the HD3 at around 50% and adjusting from source.

Yes, just switch the voltage selector on the rear panel to match the AC power in your country before powering them on. We recommend changing the fuse when using a different voltage.  For 220 volts, here's the value you would need:

5mm x 20mm - 1.6 amps @ 250 volts.

The power cable is detachable on our powered speakers which makes it convenient to replace the AC plug with a different type if you don't want to use an adapter plug.

Not necessarily. Audioengine speakers and amplifiers are very efficient and designed together as a system so therefore we get more volume output than stereo receivers or amplifiers that might 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, an AC wall outlet near the HD3 is all you need to power the W3 or D2 wireless receiver. Simple.

Audioengine speakers can be easily connected to the audio output on your TV set. Any of our speakers will provide a greatly enhanced TV audio experience with a wider soundstage and better imaging than most sound bars.

Swapping sides will not have any negative effect on the soundstage or quality/clarity of the speakers. This will simply give you the reverse of what the artist intended for you to hear.

We are firm believers that two quality speakers will always sound better than one or more speakers together in a single cabinet, regardless of the amplifier or sound enhancing technology used. There are some decent one-piece speaker systems that simulate stereo and surround sound from a single source but most fall short as they can’t accurately duplicate a wide sound stage with imaging as complete and rich as Audioengine speakers.

Absolutely! Use the computer's headphone output, soundcard, or DAC audio output from your Mac or PC directly into Audioengine speakers and you're good to go. PC, Mac, laptop or any computer.

Audioengine speakers have a low end which will easily fill a room and rival floor standing speakers many times their size, but you can also connect a subwoofer (or connect Audioengine speakers to your sub's line-level output). You can even connect our wireless W3 adapter to the HD3 for a wireless subwoofer.

Due to the electronics, cabinet materials and finish, it's not a good idea to drill into your speakers; however, we have provided an integrated 1/4" threaded insert to use with wall mounts. Please note that this insert is only meant to be used for stability with platformed stands that have this feature and is not meant to hold the total weight of the speaker.

The HD3 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 HD3. 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.

We’ve built amplifiers into our powered speakers but if you wish to use Audioengine speakers with an existing receiver take the “preamp out” from your receiver and connect it to one of the Audioengine inputs (if you need to, use the included RCA stereo “Y” connector to 1/8” mini plug cable). We also make passive speakers (the HDP6 and P4), so check those out as well!

Check out our W3 Wireless Adapter set. These adapters allow you to stream wireless audio from any program/website/player to our speakers and subwoofer. Apple's AirPort Express is another high-quality option to send music from iTunes out to multiple speakers in other rooms.

Some computer headphone outputs have poor audio quality, so if this is your computer, try connecting from the USB port to your with HD3 or connect wirelessly via Bluetooth.

There isn’t a need to connect a ground wire as this is a connection that is needed between the turntable and it's phono preamp (whether the preamp is built into the turntable, or external).  When going from the very low level of a phono cartridge, it's easier to pick up noise when bringing this signal up to line level, and the ground wire helps with this.  On an internal preamp turntable, this connection is located inside the turntable. When going from the line level RCA out of a turntable with an internal phono preamp or the line level outputs from an external phono preamp to the inputs on your speakers, this connection is not needed.

While the DAC in the HD3 is better than what 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.

Audioengine powered speaker models have a built-in power amplifier in the left speaker so you won’t need a stereo receiver or other extra components for power.

Some turntables will need a preamp before being connected and others may have one built-in. Check the turntable manufacturer’s website or user manual.

Every setup is different but we generally recommend leaving your speaker volume at around 11 or 12 o'clock and then using your music source (phone, tablet, computer, TV, etc.) as the master volume control.

Sure. For the best audio performance we’ve included 6.5 feet of 16 gauge wire with each powered speaker system but any "stranded" speaker wire will work. The speaker binding posts on the back of each cabinet will accept bare stranded wire, however you can also use wires terminated with spade lugs, banana plugs, or pins.

Yes, and we recommend that you position each so the tweeters are facing outward.

Yes, there are multiple audio inputs on Audioengine powered speakers and both inputs are "open" or active so you can leave your audio sources connected at the same time.

This is normal. The HD3's USB interface can only accept a 16-bit format; however, the HD3 will accept that 16-bit signal and then pad it to a 24-bit format on playback.

Some turntables do not have a built-in preamps and as a result you will need to add an external phono preamp between your turntable and HD3. Many turntables, however, (such as the Music Hall USB-1 or Audio Technica AT-LP120) have a built-in preamp and include a switch on the back for "line" or “phono”. For Audioengine powered speakers select "line".

Even though the final amp stage is shut down during sleep, the pre-amp stage is still powered up so a slight hiss is not uncommon. If you have an analog audio cable plugged in to the speakers but not into anything else, it's possible this could be picking up some noise as well.

All Audioengine speakers are video and magnetically-shielded, however "GSM buzz" cannot be blocked by magnetic shielding. What actually causes this is your phone being in 2G or "EDGE" instead of 3G or 4G. For best results when using your phone as a music source, ensure that it's operating on 3G (or 4G).

Hum or buzz in the speakers is usually caused by something external to the speakers which is coupling noise into the speaker system (either through the AC lines, cordless phone, wireless router, or directly from the source input). A common reason is that the entire system is set up such that a "ground loop" results. Basically, a ground loop occurs when the AC power grounds and the system signal grounds are not at the same electrical potential. Refer to our online Setup Guides for a list of things to try.