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Home Theater Speaker Systems
great inexpensive speakers these are great speakers for what they are - I'm using them in a fairly small room with a 42" LCD tv and game systems for watching bluray movies and p ...

If somehow that page does not seem relevant to you here are some products with the description/reviews matching the search term :

1. 2 audio inputs (RCA and mini-jack)
2. Built-in power amps (30W peak per channel)
3. Kevlar woofers for super low end, Silk tweeters for smooth highs
4. Auto-sleep power-saving mode
5. Hand-built cabinets with high-gloss finish

Editorial Review :

The Audioengine 2 is a great introduction to high-quality audio and the perfect upgrade for your computer or select play. The Audioengine 2 (A2) is about one-third the size of Audioengine's flagship Audioengine 5 system and is an excellent computer audio upgrade or small room speaker. Audioengine used the same custom tweeters as the Audioengine 5, matched them with newly designed compact Kevlar woofers and then added high-performance amplifiers with gold-plated speaker connectors. All this great engineering is wrapped in wood cabinets with a hand-polished finish to create a premium quality desktop multimedia speaker system that puts those plastic computer speakers to shame!To say that the bass on Audioengine 2 is substantial for their size may be an understatement, but you should be the judge. The bass comes from some very clever acoustic and electrical design and without using any DSP or fake bass boost circuits. Wood remains a preferred speaker enclosure material for its stiffness at higher volume levels and the sealed cabinet focuses just the right amount of low end from the tuned front port slots.The A2 was designed for your desktop but is also perfect for smaller rooms. Well-suited for all types of music, movies, and videogames, the A2 sounds great with or without a subwoofer. Using a similar design as the Audioengine 5, the A2 power amplifiers are built inside the left speaker, providing a very efficient system. An auto-sleep standby circuit was also included to conserve power.Audioengine has included 1/8 mini jack and RCA inputs so connecting A2 is easy. No software installs, plug-ins, or sound card upgrades. The Audioengine 2 sets a new level of audio and aesthetic quality for powered multimedia speakers and further closes the gap between computer speakers and home audio.

Customer Review :

A Dream

This is a dream. For the money these are Sensational!. Buy and enjoy. The only downside is that the volume control is in the back of the speaker which forces you to control the volume from your computer or to reach behind the left speaker blindly. No big deal really except some websites or youtube videos have varying volume levels so you are always scrambling to adjust the volume. These are so good I am considering upgrading my sound card in my computer.

Rating :

Awesome Speakers!

I just purchased this set of speakers and am absolutely blown away by them. I think that they are a little base heavy, but that can be cured by the equalizer. Very very good; you will not regret your purchase.

Rating :

Comparison with M-Audio AV30

** Please see my review of the AV30 for more info on the AV30.

I bought the AV30 from a local big box retailer and have been enjoying them so far. After buying them however, I noticed all the great reviews for the A2 and wondered if I was missing something. I looked all over the Internet for a comparison between the AV30 and A2 to see if I'd be better off with the A2. Both are pretty comparable spec wise, but I wanted to know if the A2s are $100 better. I ordered the A2 direct from Audioengine to take advantage of their 30-day trial.

Here's my take:

Cosmetics/physical features:
Both speakers have a matte black finish which look very nice. I prefer the look of the A2 because they have a very clean look up front: no grill cover or logo and all of the inputs and controls are around back. The AV30 volume knob has a blue LED glow which is a little much.

The A2s are much more compact in size compared to the AV30. That definitely gives the A2 an advantage if space is a premium or you need some flexibility in placement.

Part of reason in the size difference is the fact that the AV30 power supply is actually housed in its left speaker (which expains the heat that other reviewers have commented on) vs. the A2 which has an external "brick" power supply. I prefer the simple power cord that you use to power the AV30. The heat really isn't a big deal.

Sound:
*Disclaimer* I am not an diehard audiophile or a sound engineer by any means but I have spent a good amount of time with both speakers to make, I feel, a pretty sound comparison.

I played various types of music from acoustic, folk, R&B, and hip hop for comparison. I give the A2 a slight edge in imaging and overall sound, but not by much. Highs and mids were very clear. Bass response on the A2 was very disappointing without having to crank them up. With the volume cranked up, the sound was still clear and balanced however. The guys at Audioengine did a superb job of producing quality sound in such a small package.

I thought the AV30's sound a bit fuller and did a better job with bass output (with no bass boost) without having to turn the volume up. I think this is where the slightly larger physical specs of the AV30 give it an advantage (cabinet size, 3" woofer). With bass boost "on", the bass/mids did get a little muddy with the volume cranked up with some songs, but on other songs it filled in the lower tones nicely. Your mileage may vary.

One thing of note is the A2's definitely do not get as loud as the AV30. I had to turn the volume all the way up on the A2 to keep up with the AV30 with it's volume knob at about 2 o'clock. A2 is capable of filling a small room with no problem.

While I really liked the A2's size and aesthetics, I don't think they're $100 better than the AV30. Save your money and go with the AV30's unless space is a premium or aesthetics are important to you. Or get both and do your own comparison.

Rating :

Tremendous desktop or travel speakers.

There isn't much I can add to the extensive reviews on here. I am a huge lover of music, and thus must have good quality speakers when I travel...which is more than half the year. These speakers, packed into a Pelican case, makes the perfect little travel system. They have tremendous imaging, and the soundstage is quite remarkable for such small speakers. I listen to a huge range of music, from classical, to chillout, to folk, to alternative...and they never disappoint.

The only thing I would recommend doing is to upgrade the cable that comes with it to a much higher quality cable like Belkin PureAV, etc. This will improve the sound tremendously...including much tighter bass.

Bottom line...buy them, buy the stands and a better cable, break them in and enjoy!
Mot

Rating :

OK - after much work

I needed computer speakers, and I like to listen to a lot of different music in high quality. I own a pair of Grado Labs SR125 headphones which I mostly use at the computer; they are fantastic, and it's very difficult for any small-field speakers to compete.

After trying out various Cambridge, Bose, and Logitech speakers (2.1, not 5.1) I got a pair of the AudioEngine A2B speakers.

First impression: I was very negatively surprised at how bad they sounded. The Logitechs and other speakers costing half as much had sounded much better in the same setup (same desk, computer, etc.) The A2s sounded compressed, almost nasal, with little low or high end and exaggerated high bass/low midrange. After reading all the glowing reviews and wondering what I was doing differently, I also saw some negative reviews that mirrored my experience.

After spending (far too much) time isolating the speakers sonically (foam and felt pads, then elevated stands with foam buffers) and adjusting the sound field (changing toe-in angle, distance between speakers and from me), I have them on stands now so the tweeters are at approx. eye level, a little toed-in, and roughly in an equilateral triangle with my head. They finally sound OK; they're still not as amazing as I expected.

I also had to play with equalizer settings to try and get rid of a really annoying resonant effect in the 125-250 Hz range which refused to disappear even after extensive sonic isolation, so I know it's not my furniture resonating. They are not in a corner or in a symmetric setup wrt the room either, so it's not a standing wave. I've now reduced that, but speakers that bill themselves as audiophile should really be able to play "pure" music signals without needing to fiddle with an equalizer to cancel out the speakers' faults.

I will say this for these speakers; vocals (e.g. Norah Jones) sound fantastic. The imaging is nicely detailed and three-dimensional, and even though cymbals and other high trebles are a little feathery, this kind of music plays well. Rock music with lots of electric guitar, on the other hand, does not play well with these speakers; the main guitar lines really hit that upper-bass/low mid resonant range. Electronic music is OK unless bass goes up into that resonant range.

Altogether, these speakers seem far too nitpicky, requiring far too much setup work to sound good, being unsuitable for some kinds of music, excessively constrained in their vertical soundfield (get your ears a little too far out of the horizontal plane of the tweeters, and detail and imaging rapidly disappear), and annoying in their upper-bass/low mid resonance/boominess. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to keep them; they're also fatiguing to listen to for more than about 20 minutes where I can listen to my Grados for hours with pleasure.

The lack of a subwoofer may be an issue; subtracting out the bottom 200Hz or so might make them sound better. But I don't want to spend still more money or time on these speakers. They're not bad, but I still can't see how they justify the wildly positive reviews lavished on them.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. Receiver delivers clear, powerful sound through digital amplification
2. Processes Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks for powerful sound reproduction
3. Plenty of audio/video inputs to handle all your source devices
4. 7.1 channel surround capable
5. Measures 16.9 x 4.2 x 15.5 inches (W x H x D)

Customer Review :

Space saving and light weight digital receiver.

I bought specifically because of space constraints. The receiver looks good and even better - SOUNDS GREAT!!

It's not going to compare to the AVR monoliths that Onkyo, Yamaha and Denon are producing. But for a receiver priced under $175 it is a great value.

Rating :

many features

this amp has many features, powerfull for a small system, but many of the functions need to be operated only on the amp it self or only with the remote, which is kind of annoying. Functions need to be equally available on both the remote and the amp.
other than that, it's great!
haven't tried the surround yet})


Rating :

reciever

works great. shipped on time. Ez hook up for people who know what they are doing.

Rating :

Incredible quality for Inexpensive Receiver

I am very impressed with the audio quality that rivals much higher end models. The sound is simply amazing. If you can find one, it's some of the cleanest, present sound I've heard in a consumer deck.

Rating :

Incredible 2 Channel Stereo !!

It's the (Class D) Digital Amp stupid! THAT technology is what makes this reciever shine as a 2 channel amplifier. I also own a Jolida 1501RC integrated amplifier which is a heavy well built audiophile amp with a huge toroidal transformer. It's much more expensive than the Panny.

Simply put, the inexpensive Panny is just better. It's more detailed. The sound stage on the Panny is more focused and defined. The Panny is cleaner, clearer and tighter at very loud levels or low levels. It's also extremely quiet. There is no hiss, hum or any amp noise whatsoever.

The Panny's Class D amp really has no preamplifier. All analog input is automatically converted to a 24/96 digital signal (0's and 1's). Digital input from a CD player etc. remains digital(0's and 1's). That data is controlled by firmware (built-in software) that changes the Bass, Treble, Balance and Volume according to user input. There are no analog controls at all.

The data in the signal is used to generate and define the tones electronically using the built-in Texas Instrument chip. Those electronic signals are sent to your speakers.

It's the technology. THAT is the secret to the inexpensive Panny's Class-D Digital amp's high performance. UNBELEIVABLE!!!!!!!

Rating :

More reviews...

1. 100W/ch x 6 (1kHz, 6 ohms, 0.9% THD) - Front, Center, Left, Right and Center Surround
2. Output for powered Subwoofer
3. Integrated Dolby Digital and DTS decoders + Dolby Pro Logic II
4. Second Room Output with Independent Selection
5. DTS-ES

Editorial Review :

Panasonic's vision of the digital future is driven by the needs and aspirations of its business customers and millions of consumers around the world who use its products every day. The company shares their dream to live a fuller life by providing ways of working smarter and enjoying the rewards of technological advances.

Customer Review :

Height dimensions inaccurate

The forums speak highly of these units-xr70, and I was going to get one because of the small form factor. Amazon's description for the height at 2.5" is incorrect, according to Panasonic's website. Should be listed as 3 9/32"H. Makes a difference if you're short on space.

Rating :

A GREAT BUY ONCE YOU LEARN HOW TO USE IT.

THE GOOD NEWS.. IT HAS ENOUGH POWER TO BLOW THE WALLS DOWN OR HEAR ALL AT A WHISPER. I HAVE 7 SPEAKERS HOOKED TO IT AND IT IS GREAT. CRISP AND CLEAN. RIGHT AND LEFT FRONT AND CENTER JBL'S. REAR SURROUND RIGHT AND LEFT JBL'S AND A BIC CENTER. POLK POWERED 8 INCH SUB WOOFER. I SIMPLY RAN MY AUDIO OUT FROM THE TV TO THE RECEIVER SO VCR, DVD AND TV ARE AUTOMATICLY HOOKED UP TO THE RECEIVERS TV INPUT. THEN I USED A CD CHANGER AND EQUIALIZER HOOKED TO THE CD IN ON THE RECEIVER. THE RECEIVER IS COMPLETLY AUTOMATIC AND WILL ADJUST EACH SPEAKER AS YOU LIKE IT. THE BAD NEWS. THE INSTRUCTION BOOK IS VERY HARD TO UNDERSTAND. THE UNIT HAS WAY TOO MANY ADJUSTMENTS. TOO MANY SOUND VARIENTS TO FOOL WITH. IT WAS VERY HARD FOR ME TO LEARN HOW TO USE. THE AM FM RECEIVER PART WORKS VERY GOOD. ALL AUTOMATIC. THE TONE ADJUSTMENTS DO NOT REALLY DO MUCH. SO I USE THE TONE ADJUSTMENTS THROUGH THE TV FOR TV DVD AND VCR. THE EQUALIZER FOR CD. OVERALL I AM VERY SATISFIED WITH THE UNIT, ONCE I LEARNED HOW TO OPERATE IT. A FAR CRY FROM THE YAMAHA 16 YEAR OLD AMPLIFIER IT REPLACED. I WOULD DEFINETLY RECOMMEND THIS UNIT TO ALL. LIGHT WEIGHT,COMPACT AND THE PRICE WAS RIGHT WITH FREE SHIPPING. BUY IT..

Rating :

I just love this system

I was paranoid about having buyer's remorse from this unit. For such a cheap price I was sure I would end up regretting the purchase. What is the tradeoff? Shoot if know, but I haven't regretted buying it one bit. The receiver is perfect for home theater, particularly DD 5.1 shows. There is absolutely no discernable speaker hiss with digital content, which is important for TV watching that has a high range of both loud and silent moments.

As for power, it's not an even match with some of the more power hungry and expensive analog amplifiers out there, but it easily crosses the threshold of annoying the neighbors.

Digital is something to get used to. On conventional receivers, you turn the sound up high and it becomes somewhat sloppy, or what some call "warm". Not so with the digital Panny. It's distortion free up to very high levels. I wouldn't call it bright, but the response is very linear and precise. I like hearing all the details in music and cinema, even at loud volume. Others don't.

The weaknesses are very minor:

-The FM tuner is nothing special.
-It lacks fancy DSP modes of expensive receivers.
-No fancy on screen display (must do most of the tweaking with knobs)
-It does not upconvert video.
-The remote control is an el cheapo.

For this price, though, who cares!

Rating :

Wonderful sound and easy to connect

I have always had Panasonic stereo equipment and when I decided to get a new receiver looked at this model. The sound is amazing I am using it with a 100 W surround system. Works great for TV, DVD and even with my iTunes wireless set-up. The sound is so much better than the older system and there is an almost endless number of adjustments you can make to get the sound just right. With my music classical, pop or vocals all sound great! Recommended highly

Rating :

Decent for the money, but definitely lower quality sound

I decided to try the Panasonic SA XR70S when my older amplifier finally blew. I trust the Panasonic brand in general, and i love their video products--excellent quality for the price. However, i was extremely disappointed in this product.

Pros--very nice design, lightweight, intuitive and easy to use, covers all the basics and generally works well.

Cons--the sound is inferior. (i personally 'hate' it!) maybe i was pushing it to go with 100 watts per channel (lowest power i would try to drive my large Klipsch speakers), but the bass response is weak, and i felt like i was trying to drive a powerful speaker with a boom box.

Overall, not a BAD product and for some people and their speakers and other equipment, it is probably very good for the price. i happen to like a FAT sound, warm and dynamic, and i was 'cheaping out' getting an amp not really rated for my speakers. For others who also love that FAT sound, not too bright, not too warm, you may be disappointed in this product.

I give Amazon five stars for their easy returns and good customer service. :-)

Rating :

More reviews...