Review on Upgrade Your Music System With Audioengine A2+ Wireless Bluetooth Speaker System by Carl Morgan

After making do for years with all kinds of inferior sounding "music delivery systems," e.g. car radios, Walkmans, clock radio/CD players, no-name mp3 players, etc.--you get the picture--I decided to go ahead and buy these little speakers. I wanted something with clear, realistic sound which would take up little space and allow me to enjoy a large collection of digital music without wearing headphones on or in my ears. I couldn't be happier with my purchase.I'm not an audiophile/technophile, so I can't speak the lingo. I can't compare similar "systems" and quote facts and figures. What I am is a classically-trained singer/musician with an excellent "ear." The sound which came out of these little speakers just blew me away. I had really forgotten what most of my music collection sounded like. Words which leap to mind: warm, full-bodied, clear, sparkling, accurate, realistic, layered, beautifully articulated.My taste ranges from opera to orchestral to jazz to Latin to Big Band to Rock to Bluegrass. Singer/songwriter, Country, pretty much everything (including a growing collection of spoken word from Audible). The better the original recording, of course, the better it sounds. A fine recording sounds fantastic with these speakers, and this is true across the range of genres. I'm not able to comment on hip-hop, rap, techno dance music or any popular styles or games which demand a thunderous bass. My more modest bass demands are more than satisfied with the surprising and excellent bass produced by these two speakers. I can't imagine adding a sub-woofer; it would be far too much for my taste. I would suggest that listening to the speakers alone for a few weeks might be enough to convince many folks that the added expense of a sub-woofer isn't necessary.I'm not a complete ninny, can follow clearly written instructions, and have a general idea of how things work. I think I could have managed to hook everything up correctly without the User Guide, but when a User Guide has been thoughtfully included, I feel compelled to read the book and improve my chances for first-round success. Even the technically challenged shouldn't have difficulty. The text and illustrations are super clear and very easy. If you can read and follow directions, you'll be connected and listening to your music in a jiffy.The USB connection directly from the active (left) speaker to your computer is part of the "plus" in this new an improved version of the old A2 (now A2+). It could not be any easier. One of the strongest selling points for me was that I no longer required a stack of "stereo components." Everything you need is in that left-hand active speaker to produce beautiful sounds. I set up the "system" as instructed, connected the speakers to my desktop via the included USB cable, pulled up my computer's music software, chose an album and "Voila!"--the music of my choice as I hadn't heard it in a long, long time. There's no drivers or software to download. My computer recognized the speakers instantly, with no effort on my part. I can also connect the speakers to my iPod Classic, my Visio flat screen, etc. (you'll have to buy your own rca cable, but that's ok, everything else is included.)The "audioengineusa" website has a wealth of information, lots of thoughtful Q&A, and you can even download the product User Guides to answer as many concerns as possible before you take the leap. These little speakers (and their big brother, the "A5+") have received lots of positive press. A Google search will produce many articles and reviews by experts and "amateurs" alike, and there's a number of youtube videos posted online, too. You know the ones--the guys show you everything from unboxing through setup. There's enough research and feedback out there that you should have no surprises (I didn't.), and feel confident about a purchase decision.I'm using the A2+s in a fairly small bedroom used as an office/workroom. They sound great when I'm working at my computer and equally impressive when sitting in an easy chair relaxing on the opposite side of the room. The sound coming from the speakers more than fills the room and they would be a nice choice for the bedroom, too.I chose the white and am very pleased with the clean, unfussy look, softly rounded edges and corners and compact size which is relatively heavy. They "feel" substantial and every detail is perfectly executed. The finish is a super high gloss, shiny, like nail polish. They have a very high-end appearance and come beautifully packaged and protected in silky-lined microfiber bags, like jewels, which they are. I did separately purchase the accessory molded stands ($29) which (I think) angle the sound for optimum performance and complete the "look." I'm not sorry I got them, even though they were a little pricey.I plan to keep this "system" a long time and didn't want to make do anymore. I may buy the A5+s for the living room--I simply love the absence of clutter.