Audioengine A5N Bamboo (Pr) 2-way Powered Speaker System Review

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(More customer reviews)Got these at my local high-end audio store. My Klipsch ProMedias died a noisy death the night before, but I wasn't in any hurry to replace the speakers. I was considering ordering a set of Focal computer speakers (either the Focal CMS 50 Powered Monitors or the Focal XS Speakers), but had yet to pull the trigger on the purchase. I was also considering waiting for B&W to ship their new computer speakers, but they're just tiny monitors, not unlike the Bose speakers, and I was looking for something with a little more woofer power.
I saw these set up in a demo room, along with the [[A2B Powered Multimedia Speaker System]], so decided to try them out. Let me tell you, the sound quality blew me away, especially for a set of inexpensive powered monitors! And the bamboo finish looks amazing, too! High quality digital files are clean and airy, with clear midrange and adequate mid-bass. For even better quality, I would recommend adding a sub, for which the speakers have RCA (L and R) jacks, so I guess you could add two subs if you really wanted to. Or maybe an extra set of speakers. The volume knob on the front of the left speaker has a very wide range, so you won't need to go into your computer volume control if you don't want to. Speaking of volume, these speakers get quite loud. Definitely louder and cleaner than my old ProMedias, which were pretty good computer speakers for five years ago.
There is a USB charging port on the top of the left speaker, along with another 3.5mm audio in port. The back of the left speaker has the RCA jacks for audio out, and below that there is the primary 3.5mm audio in port. There is also a 110V power connector and the on/off switch, in addition to the fuse. The two speakers connect with an included 18 guage speaker cable (I'm guessing on the guage. It might be a 16 guage cable), which is about 4-6 ft long. The speakers are fairly heavy and solid. The bamboo finish is clean and smooth, covering the front and along the sides, top & (probably) the bottom. There is felt covering the bottoms of the speakers, which is nice. There is a blue LED on the front of the left speaker, which is not annoyingly bright like some computer accessories.
The only thing I wish these speakers had would be an option to plug them into USB instead of the standard 3.5mm phono plug, which could have turned the USB charging port on the top of the left speaker into an actual USB hub. Not a big deal, though.
This is a very attractive set of monitor speakers, and will look fine in just about any decor. As soon as I get a chance, I'll take a photo of them and post it. They would make really great dorm speakers, especially with a powered subwoofer of some type. These are akin to the baby Infinity speakers many of us probably got when we were in college or living in a smaller apartment, though of a higher finish quality. They would also work well in tandem with an Apple's AirPort Express to be used as bedroom/workshop/basement/etc... speakers, controlled through iTunes via an iPod Touch or iPhone using Apple's Remote application.
I never got a chance to hear the Focal or B&W computer speakers, and I'm sure they're quite good, but I doubt they're substantially better (if at all) than the Audioengine 5 monitors. And for many people, these speakers will look better. If you're considering computer speakers in this price range, I highly recommend that you check these out somewhere. You will not regret it!
Pros: Sound Quality!
Price (compared to other high quality powered speakers).
Fit and finish.
A non-proprietary option to add a powered subwoofer.
Cons: USB port is for charging only.
Analog input only, no USB input.
Price (compared to your last set of computer speakers, I'm guessing).
Line out (for sub) on the back doesn't change with volume knob.
These speakers get five stars from me. Outstanding.
Still worth five stars, but after hooking up my powered sub, I realized that the line-out jacks on the back don't change in volume with the volume control knob on the front of the left speaker. This means that to keep the same sub level, you'll have to control the volume from your computer or get a USB volume control knob like the Griffin PowerMate. Fortunately, I have a PowerMate, so I just hooked it up, installed the latest Mac driver, and it worked!
For some reason, the speakers seem to "sleep" on my iMac. For instance, if I come back to the computer after awhile, I have to adjust the volume control on my computer once to get the speakers to wake up. Not sure why this is, but I'm pretty sure it's the speakers and not the computer. This is slightly annoying, but probably won't change my recommendation. I have no idea if it's just my setup or if it's endemic of the speakers.

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