Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Speakers: Audioengine A2+ or B&W M1

C

coolerkid

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 26, 2015
288
317
Looking for new speakers for my iMac. I've narrowed it down to these two. Which ones are overall better? They are both very highly rated, but the M1's get described as phenomenal sound, ear candy, ect. which I don't hear for the A2s. They are twice the price though, but am willing to pay it if they are worth it. Or are there other speakers I should be looking at? Thanks.
 
You really need to hear both of them under similar environments and playing the same media files to get an idea of what your ear "likes."

There are so many good choices out there that it really comes down to (beyond budget) either buying by specs or by what sounds good to your ears. They are not always the same.
 
I'd like to but nobody carries the Audioengine.

phrehdd said:
You really need to hear both of them under similar environments and playing the same media files to get an idea of what your ear "likes."

There are so many good choices out there that it really comes down to (beyond budget) either buying by specs or by what sounds good to your ears. They are not always the same.
Click to expand...
 
I have the MM1's and can attest to the fact that they are excellent, have a great sound, look terrific, and don't take up too much space.

Now, I'll also freely admit that I am a huge fan of B&W, as I love both their audio and their aesthetic.
 
Speakers

I went through this myself a year or two ago. Bought these, http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon...425055355&sr=8-4&keywords=harmon+kardon+sound and couldn't be happier. Did a lot of in-store testing of different speakers, etc. But I agree with others, just like headphones, it's all about your ear. I've bought several pairs of high end headphones only to return them because they sounded (to me) the same or not as comparable to my around $100 ones.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
erickj said:
I went through this myself a year or two ago. Bought these, http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon...425055355&sr=8-4&keywords=harmon+kardon+sound and couldn't be happier. Did a lot of in-store testing of different speakers, etc. But I agree with others, just like headphones, it's all about your ear. I've bought several pairs of high end headphones only to return them because they sounded (to me) the same or not as comparable to my around $100 ones.
Click to expand...

Did you listen to the Audioengine and B&W compared to these? What makes these so great? I was considering them, but had bought the Nova's before and wasn't impressed at all. Unfortunately I don't know anywhere around me that carries any of these, so I have to keep ordering and returning.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I also have the A2s and love them. They are extremely powerful for the size. Order them from Crutchfield and try them out. Crutchfield has one of the best, no hassle return policies so if you don't like, can easily send back.
 
I have the A2+ Audioengines. I never had a chance to audition the B&Ws, and wish I had. (All my other speakers are B&W.)

I've been completely satisfied with the A2s for on-desk work. If you go for them, get the tilt stands. I think that makes a difference.

I will say that when my son (a professional NY editor) was visiting, he cut a short video for me (from my footage and audio) and the A2s were of course the monitors. A few weeks later I was visiting a guy who runs an A/V place and he ran the video on a good HT setup and the sound was in every way very noticeably better.

Bottom line is that you're not going to get really fabulous audio out of them, but you'll get damn good audio.
 
The A2s are better sounding, just not as neat looking.

Take your pick . . .
 
I ended up getting the M1's to start. All I could think while I listened to them was, these cost $500?! I've heard many B&W systems over the years that justified their price tag, this wasn't one of them. Really boring sound. Only sounded good with really clear recordings, and even then it was nothing amazing. Otherwise sounded like any old pair of sub $100 speaker.

Then I got the A2+, and all I could think was, what took me so long to get these?! Sound is quite amazing. These little things can really crank too, and look awesome next to my iMac. The bass is really tight, not booming, which I generally prefer, but there are some songs that it felt a bit lacking in that area. But clarity is otherwise amazing. I'm quite happy with these and the size is perfect on my desk.

Now I have to ask, do I try out the A5+ too or just be happy with these?
 
coolerkid said:
Now I have to ask, do I try out the A5+ too or just be happy with these?
Click to expand...

If you have the space and the money, the A5+ models are noticeably better. They're what I used in my room while deployed in Afghanistan.
 
A5's are a very significant increase in footprint. I have a pair that are relegated to the storage room for this reason.

I personally have the MM-1's on my desktop and I think they are fantastic near field speakers. If you're wanting to listen to them in any other setting then you'll be disappointed. I have the A2's on my kids PC that's in the family room and they are significant enough to listen to in that room. They're not perfect for that purpose, but adequate. The A5's are simply huge in comparison and much more at home on a bookshelf.
 
I got the A5+s to compare, you're right they are waaaaaaay too big to use as desktop speakers. They are quite amazing though, I'd buy them for my living room. The more I listen to then A2s though the less I'm liking them. The main problem is that you really have to turn them up a lot to get a good sound out of them. They sound amazing on a really clean acoustic or vocal track that's playing very loud, but otherwise they are kinda boring. I had the MM-1s, they had great clarity, but also had a very small sound to them. I've owned 2.0 speakers this size, such as the Audyssey ones, that had a very full sound, room filling sound to them, so I know it's possible with speakers this size. I'm torn on the A2+'s though, they are capable of producing such amazing sound on certain tracks, at high volumes, but day to day use is not very impressive. They almost sound like a 2.1 set with the subwoofer off.

brentsg said:
A5's are a very significant increase in footprint. I have a pair that are relegated to the storage room for this reason.

I personally have the MM-1's on my desktop and I think they are fantastic near field speakers. If you're wanting to listen to them in any other setting then you'll be disappointed. I have the A2's on my kids PC that's in the family room and they are significant enough to listen to in that room. They're not perfect for that purpose, but adequate. The A5's are simply huge in comparison and much more at home on a bookshelf.
Click to expand...
 
You say the MM-1 have a small sound, but how are you using them? They are really designed to excel when you are literally sitting right in front of them. They definitely won't fill a room with quality sound.

That being said, they do so pretty well when you have a small office.
 
coolerkid said:
Looking for new speakers for my iMac. I've narrowed it down to these two. Which ones are overall better? They are both very highly rated, but the M1's get described as phenomenal sound, ear candy, ect. which I don't hear for the A2s. They are twice the price though, but am willing to pay it if they are worth it. Or are there other speakers I should be looking at? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Are you looking for speakers at similar sizes or similar prices?

If prices, I'd look at the AudioEngine A5+. Much better sound than either of the two you're considering, bigger drivers allow deeper bass, and take up about twice the size. They're about $399.
 
brentsg said:
A5's are a very significant increase in footprint. I have a pair that are relegated to the storage room for this reason.

I personally have the MM-1's on my desktop and I think they are fantastic near field speakers. If you're wanting to listen to them in any other setting then you'll be disappointed. I have the A2's on my kids PC that's in the family room and they are significant enough to listen to in that room. They're not perfect for that purpose, but adequate. The A5's are simply huge in comparison and much more at home on a bookshelf.
Click to expand...

Send them to me. I've got some stands on each side of my iMac desk just waiting for them :)
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I bought the Audioengine A2+ speakers but ended up returning them. I was extremely disappointed with their performance. Music starts to distort quickly at higher volume levels and the basses were pretty bad. All in all my music sounded extremely flat.

My issue: I used to own the Altec Lansing FX6021, which as far as computer speakers go, sounded incredible. Unfortunately they broke last year due to a power surge. I bought the SoundSticks III, but they just didn't come close output wise. Same went for the Audioengine A2+ set.

Recently I bit the bullet and bought its bigger brother: Audioengine A5+ - They sound amazing and IMO their footprint really isn't that bad (expected it to be a lot worse actually). I'll make a photo of my setup later so you can see for yourself.
 
Last edited:
Just using an EQ on my Mac with some minor tweaks made a dramatic difference. These speakers really came to life. But even still they are kind of lack luster for day to day use. They're the best of the bunch that I've tried, but still don't blow me away unless they are using certain recordings at a high vol. Not sure which ones I should try next or if I just throw in the towel.
 
Negative.

Don't keep auditioning tiny desktop speakers.

As Scotty said (a lot of times) "You canna break the laws of physics, Cap'n!"

You'll continue to be disappointed and feel like you're wasting your money and still not getting that wow feeling from your speakers.
 
I would agree. I think perhaps the expectations are out of line. That's a big deal when dealing with audio.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back