Audioengine HD3

amazon Audioengine HD3 reviews

In an age of boom, fine-tuned bass, and high-frequency response, Audioengine continues to remind us of what precision sound is all about. For $399, the new Audioengine HD3 is a stereo Bluetooth speaker that can be used in various wired situations. Want to use them with subwoofers? No problem. Don’t expect the speakers themselves to deliver strong bass depth. Other manufacturers try to enhance the bass depth of systems without subwoofers with today’s popular “passive bass radiators” Audioengine focuses solely on delivering the best tones. Pristine and rich highs, clear lows and mids through the HD3’s tweeter and woofer. When low frequencies are present, it’s rich and full but not explosive and rumbling.

Design

With so many manufacturers focusing on all-in-one speaker design, it’s exciting to see Audioengine develop a pair of bookshelf-style wireless speakers that allow for true stereo separation. Available in matte black or “furniture-grade” cherry or walnut veneer with aluminum trim, each left and right speaker measures 7 x 4.3 x 5.5 inches (HWS) and is small enough to use as a desktop, computer speakers (wired or wireless), but powerful enough to fill a living room. You can use them as left and right satellites for a home theater setup, though adding a subwoofer wouldn’t be the worst idea in this case. The speakers have an output switch and bass reduction for exactly this purpose—more on that.

The magnetically attached removable grid allows you to show the drivers or hide them from view. Both speakers feature a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter and a 2.75-inch Kevlar woofer. Each channel has a power rating of 15 watts RMS (30 watts peak).

The front of the left speaker has the power/volume dial and the headphone jack and Bluetooth pairing button that glows or flashes white, depending on which mode. Pairing with the system takes a few seconds, and the HD3 can remember up to six devices, although it can only pair with one at a time.

The back of the left speaker contains all the connections, including a screw-in antenna for Bluetooth reception. This style output sends audio to the right speaker (cable included), audio input, and output. RCA-style stereo, 3.5mm audio input for mobile devices, and micro USB input for connecting to a computer — a way to bypass the digital-to-analog converter on your speaker output and let HD3 handle everything. The latter is a wise choice, as the HD3 uses 24-bit upsampling PCM 5102 as its DAC – a clear improvement over the typical DACs found in computers and mobile devices.

The back also houses the bass mentioned above switch and connections for the AC adapter. The power adapter has a long cable, making it easy to place these speakers anywhere in the house. Audioengine claims the reason for the inclusion of the bass reduction switch is twofold. First, if you want to use the speaker with a subwoofer (the RCA output is full range and designed for this purpose or for pairing multiple speakers), the bass switch helps ensure that the speakers don’t double up the same low frequency. Audioengine does produce a subwoofer, which can also be fitted with the company’s wireless kit.

One design choice for which we are less enthusiastic is keeping all inputs “open and active,” as the manual states. That means that if you have multiple audio sources connected simultaneously, they can get all output sound and be heard simultaneously. That is not only true for wired connections, but you can also stream Bluetooth audio through the speaker while also playing audio from a wired source. In other words, there’s no input button or dial to switch between audio sources, and while you can keep all the inputs connected, this means you’ll hear audio from the computer while streaming from your phone. When you join multiple audio sources, there will be wildly different output levels, which can cause some problems. Turning on the speakers to listen to your wired computer can result in some audio loss shrill, loud bar if your Bluetooth-connected phone is at full volume and you receive a text alert. That isn’t a design flaw or a deal-breaker, but it’s something to keep in mind.

The speakers come with four microfiber drawstring bags, one for each speaker and two for various bundled cables. In addition to the USB audio cable, power adapter, and speaker-to-speaker cable, Audioengine includes a 3.5mm audio cable for wired playback from mobile devices.

Performance

On tracks with intense bass content, such as The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the speaker has solid bass depth. Since they can get incredibly loud, it’s entirely possible to push the HD3 to distort tracks like this. We wouldn’t consider it audio, though—even at extreme loudness, with the iPhone 6s streaming at full volume; distortion doesn’t enter the picture. At even higher levels, when the volume is maxed out on both the audio source and the speakers, distortion will occur, but no one seems to be able to hear it at this insane level. Distortion seems to only occur on tracks with strong sub-bass, like this one — tracks without deep bass won’t distort, even at maximum volume.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better overall idea of ​​the HD3’s sonic signature. As has happened with most of the Audioengine products we tested, the speakers don’t produce bass when it’s nonexistent, so the drums on this track don’t have many deep basses that add depth for them. Like they usually do with multi-bass systems. Most of the low-frequency response seems to focus more on the bass and low mids than on the sub-bass frequencies, so Callahan’s baritone receives a pleasing richness. The mids and highs are very clear, giving vocals plenty of clarity and definition, as well as some bright presence for plucked guitars and percussion. That is a sound that focuses on the mids and highs sounds great.

In Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum gets a lot of high-mid presence, helping to accentuate its sharp, penetrating attack. Breaking sub-bass synth hits delivered a solid sense of depth, but there’s nothing like having a subwoofer in the room. Again, the focus seemed to be on the mids and highs, resulting in vocals with superb clarity that never drifted into the harsh or overly low-pitched territory.

Like the opening scene in John Adams’s Another Gospel by Our Lady, the lower register instrument enjoys the ideal representation on orchestral tracks. There is a pleasant level of bass presence, but the lows play a supporting role for the device to register higher. The strings, vocals, and brass are delivered with superb clarity, never too bright. When there are occasional moments of deep bass in the recording, they come out beautifully, with no rollback and no boost.

Of course, all things sound a little brighter and thinner in bass reduction, but, as mentioned, it mainly exists for use with subwoofers or for a sound reduction on countertops and shelves that are prone to vibration. A subwoofer can deliver those warmer, more audible bass moments in all of this music, but whether you need a subwoofer will come down to personal preference.

Conclude

The Audioengine HD3 is a great choice for accurate sound from their Bluetooth stereo speakers. Honestly, even without the wireless audio functionality, these are the winners — RCA, USB, and 3.5mm inputs make them particularly versatile for the price, while the 24 DAC -bit enhances the value even more. Most of the wireless speakers we can recommend in this price range are all-in-one systems, like the Audioengine B2 and Marshall Kilburn.

where can you get a Audioengine HD3 online

Audioengine HD3 Wireless Speaker | Desktop Monitor Speakers | Home Music System aptX HD Bluetooth, 60W Powered Bookshelf Stereo Speakers, AUX Audio, USB, RCA Inputs/Outputs, 24-bit DAC (Walnut): Buy it now

Audioengine HD3 Wireless Powered Speakers – Pair (Walnut): Buy it now