Question about the Audioengine A2 bass

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Phillyt

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May 22, 2009
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How are the bass in these things? I've heard mixed reports. I know they are pretty popular here. I plan on getting a pair soon. Is the bass good enough for games, movies, and loud music? I will be doing all my listening in my bedroom.
 
It has a nice amount of bass for those small drivers but it all ends up coming to being able to physically move sound.

It has 3" drivers if I remember correctly, It's just not enough to move enough bass on it's own. My AV40's are 4" and they can do it well for my needs but I still wouldn't go without a sub until at least 8" drivers.

The A5's at 5.25" drivers (may be out of your price range) will suffice. A sub is still recommended though.
 
You probably want either something like M-Audio AV40's + TSC ASW-8 Sub or alternatively, something like the Swan d1080 or m200mkii's if you don't want to have to deal with a sub. Only thing with the Swans is you need a good sound card or they'll sound pretty terrible. I recommend the Asus Xonar DX because it's cheap and provides a ton of features to tweak the sound to your liking.
 
Sadly, my desk isn't big enough for the Swan's, M40's, or A5's. I will probably get the Dayton 8" sub that a lot of people talk about if I need additional bass. It's just kind of frustrating because the speakers only have two inputs and if I plan to hook up a 360, I have no idea what to do about the whole sub issue as it only has one input and one output.
 
You could call Jon at theaudioinsider and see if he still has any Swan M10's left, but they've been removed from the site (I assume he's finally out of stock).

You could also give something like these a shot.

Of course, if you can afford the Audioengine A2's plus a sub, that is probably the route to go. What's your budget?
 
I can afford the A2's and the Dayton. It is just not the most ideal solution for me because of the multiple sources I want to hook up. I might just go that route and just change wires when I want to change sources. Dealing with splitters and everything seems like such a huge headache whereas changing wires means I just bend down and swap two different wires.
 
You can get component switchers pretty cheap that probably would do what you need as long as you aren't trying to getting Dolby HD or anything like that out of BR.
 
When I have the Dayton 8" Sub plugged into my Audioengine A2 speakers, what volume control will control the whole system?

If I have my source output plugged into the sub then the output from the sub plugged into the speakers; will changing the volume of the speakers change the volume of the sub simultaneously, changing the volume of the sub change the volume of the speakers simultaneously, or neither, they are independent of each other? If I go the other way for the source, that is, source output to speakers, then speakers to sub, will that allow me to control the sub through the speakers? I basically don't want to have to bend down to control the sub volume.
 
Am I correct in assuming that you plan to have both hooked up directly to your computer using only passive splitters/adapters? Usually you want to avoid using your computer's volume adjustments, but it would be the way to get control of both simultaneously and equally if you are doing a direct hook-up. The volume control on the A2s will NOT affect the Dayton or visa versa.
 
This very issue is why I stay away from adding active subs to an active speaker setup. I like my volume control to be in one place.
 
Also, how do you propose to add the subwoofer to the system? Directly to the sound card?>
 
I find the bass on my A2's to be adequate. It really just depends on what your expectations are. They definitely are not bassless, but they aren't going to produce bass like a sub would. I listen to movies, games, and music and for all three categories the A2's work and sound great.
 
TechHead said:
Also, how do you propose to add the subwoofer to the system? Directly to the sound card?>
Click to expand...

Going to plug output source (computer) into sub, then sub into speakers. I will control the volume of the system through my computer. My record player and 360 will be plugged in through the line in on my laptop. When I want to listen to headphones or swap records or 360, I will just swap chords in the jacks. Kind of ghetto but it'll work.

FiZ said:
I find the bass on my A2's to be adequate. It really just depends on what your expectations are. They definitely are not bassless, but they aren't going to produce bass like a sub would. I listen to movies, games, and music and for all three categories the A2's work and sound great.
Click to expand...

That is reassuring. I plan on buying the A2's first and if I feel I need more bass, I will buy the Dayton 8" sub. I probably will want more bass.
 
Get some test tones.

I don't have A2's, but the A5 can give response to about 50hz. That will cover mid bass, but you will not get the 'shaking' or the 'rumbling' that come with explosions. That's the 30hz-50hz range.

If you need the shaking/rumbling, you need to expand with a sub.
 
Ah. I'll get the speakers first. If I feel I need more bass, then I'll get the sub. I am 99% sure I have everything worked out. Now the last step is to just get the money for the purchase :).
 
Lodrin said:
I don't have A2's, but the A5 can give response to about 50hz. That will cover mid bass, but you will not get the 'shaking' or the 'rumbling' that come with explosions. That's the 30hz-50hz range.
Click to expand...

Well, I would say anything lower than 50Hz... below 30Hz will be more vibration of surroundings than sound (which is basically rumbling that you can feel rather than hear).
 
Phillyt said:
Ah. I'll get the speakers first. If I feel I need more bass, then I'll get the sub. I am 99% sure I have everything worked out. Now the last step is to just get the money for the purchase :).
Click to expand...

That's a wise way to do it. I have the Swans and I'm getting a sub anyway, not because I need the extra bass, but because I want that extra bass extension. They're pretty good on their own.
 
Alai said:
Well, I would say anything lower than 50Hz... below 30Hz will be more vibration of surroundings than sound (which is basically rumbling that you can feel rather than hear).
Click to expand...

Unless you're deaf, in which case those rumblings are the ONLY part you "hear" ;)
 
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