Simplify Your Music
If you think back to what some may consider an eternity ago, you might remember a time when music was complicated and wasn’t that accessible during every moment of your day.
Many times, your choices of personal music were limited to maybe your vinyl collection, finicky 8-Track tapes, and perhaps the radio.
Thanks, Technology!
As time has progressed and technology continues to advance, listening to your music has become easier than ever. Perhaps the most accessible way to listen to music in today’s age is with your phone.
Your phone is so versatile, unless you still rock a flip phone, it makes listening to music as easy as ever, allowing you to listen whenever and however you want.
One of the most popular ways to listen to your music with your phone is through the use of music streaming services.
Streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal make it super easy to access seemingly unlimited amounts of music from your phone and can cost less than $10 per month. Streaming services also allow you to make your own playlists so you can set the mood whether working out at the gym or providing that killer party mix.
Phone + Audioengine
(That's it, that's all you'll ever need!)
While you can play music directly from your phone, its internal speakers don't sound so great, lacking bass and clarity. The volume of the internal speakers is also an issue since they can’t get very loud and can be hard to hear. We want to simplify AND have exceptional sound. Luckily, Audioengine speakers are all you need!
Most phones, if not all of them, feature Bluetooth so you can stream audio from your phone directly to our Audioengine wireless speakers or even our B1 Bluetooth Music Receiver, allowing your phone to be untethered from your speakers and can rest safely in your pocket. Our wireless speakers use Bluetooth technology, there are no proprietary apps to download, so you can get setup in just a few clicks right out of the box.
Since music is an important part of your life, using your phone for your music needs not only simplifies your music but opens up the possibilities from just the palm of your hand.
Doesn't Music Deserve It?
Top 3 Considerations When Buying Wireless Speakers
There are three major qualities consumers tend to look for when purchasing wireless speakers: Ease-of-connection, Range, and Sound Quality. Unfortunately, we tend to only find products that have adopted 2 of these features while the third has been left out in the cold.
Sure, you can find wireless speakers that are easy to set up and have pretty decent sound quality, but as soon as you and your streaming device step more than 6 feet away the signal drops, the party is over, and you (the user) are extremely annoyed.
However, if the designer has done their research and if the company truly values its customer, it IS possible to build speakers that possess all 3 of these qualities -- so today we are going to talk about the top 3 considerations when buying wireless speakers.
Ease-of-connection
Over the years, I’ve used a variety of wireless speakers and different methods of streaming from device to speaker; whether it’s a Bluetooth connection, a proprietary WiFi connection, or an external adapter, I’ve seen it all.
At times, I’ve had to go through so many steps just to get my device connected that I thought I was going to be asked for a blood sample and retina scan just to get the Bluetooth network to show up. Personally, I don’t have time to take a 20 question multiple-choice exam just to listen to Coldplay, but I’ve suffered through this extreme frustration with tons of products.
Then, I came across Audioengine (specifically the HD6). I plugged the speakers in, turned them on, and the Bluetooth network immediately showed up on my phone without me having to do anything else. No password generation, no “I’m not a Robot” checkbox, no DNA analysis; I was literally streaming music to my wireless speakers within 30 seconds of unboxing them.
Range
Okay so let’s say you got lucky with a pair of wireless speakers and their setup time was just as quick and painless as a set of Audioengines. The struggle doesn’t end when you get an LED to go from blinking to solid...the real struggle is keeping it solid.
Just about everything in our home or workspace has the potential to interfere with a Bluetooth signal, and these things aren’t limited to physical materials such as metal studs, filing cabinets, and plaster walls; even the presence of WiFi and RF signals can bully our Bluetooth connections.
It appears just about everything in our environment is out to get us, which is why so many of us have felt the immense hopelessness that comes from wireless speakers dropping signal before we get out of their advertised range.
But like I said before, if time and energy is poured into the research and testing, that easy connection can extend up to 100+ feet and last through the whole party as you bounce from room to room mingling the night away.
Sound Quality
Alright, so we’ve unboxed our speakers, plugged them in, and gotten lucky with the easy wireless connection; now we’re 3 rooms down the hall talking to our friends and the speakers haven’t dropped out, but OMG do they sound bad!
Our favorite tunes are distorting, losing all the low-end frequencies, and every now and then they make that weird glitchy noise that sounds like a Speak & Spell with a dying battery. What’s the point in even having a simple wireless connection with a broad range if the overall sound isn’t musical? Nobody wants to slow dance to “All My Life” by K-Ci & JoJo if they sound like 2 angry robots yelling nonsense back and forth.
People appreciate sound quality more than they even realize, and clear playback is paramount when it comes to personal enjoyment, even if the music is only being played at a “background noise” volume level.
When a consumer purchases ANY product, they expect it to function as advertised. This means that ALL advertised features should have been given equal attention in the design and manufacturing processes. No company will ever advertise, “these speakers are wireless -- you might be disappointed in their sound quality, but we promise they’re super easy to set up!”
It’s time we start investing in wireless speakers we can actually trust, and when Audioengine says they can offer ease-of-connection, increased range, and superior sound quality, they mean it.
The Best Speakers and How They Make you Feel
We all have an emotional relationship with music; it begins at a young age and is practically instinctual.
Today we are going to talk about how, whether you realize it or not, you are most likely in an emotional relationship with your speakers too. And why shouldn’t you be; your speakers can drastically affect your relationship with music.
When trying to convey how your speakers should make you feel, I could easily sit here and clamour on about soundstage, dynamics, and noisefloor in technical terms using numbers and vocabulary terms but that’s not as much fun. If you’re interested in learning more about those bullet points, you can check out a few of our previous articles on soundstage and noisefloor.
Instead, we are going to think of our speakers as a compatible new love interest. How do we feel when we are in a fresh, exciting, positive relationship?
Our Speakers Should Make Us Feel Nostalgic
Just like a fit new romance, our speakers should make us think of the old days. Maybe we start listening to music we haven’t listened to in years just to see what it sounds like alongside our new squeeze. When you get a new girl or guy, you want them to know what you’re all about, so you start digging through the record collection and showing them the greatest hits. Which leads me right into my next point…
Our Speakers Should Make Us Feel Like We Are Discovering Something New Every Day
So let’s say we went into the back and busted out that old Bee Gees record and started jamming “You Should Be Dancin’” like there was no tomorrow. A good set of speakers is going to show us things we’d never even realized were in the recording in the first place. Suddenly you’ve got this new comrade and now music has a new charm to it. The colors are brighter, life has new meaning, and you can finally hear that super funky horn line at the end of the track.
Our Speakers Should Make Us Feel A Little Bitter About Our Old Speakers
Now that we’ve dug up all this old music and we are discovering new pieces of ear candy around every corner, we are living life in a way we never could with our old speakers. It would be perfectly natural for us to feel a little bitter about the fact that our old speakers never did any of these special things for us.
We might find ourselves saying things like “man, my old speakers never cooked pot roast on a Tuesday…” or whatever...you get the point, right? At the same time however, we develop a deep appreciation for those little nuances we’ve been missing out on, and we vow to spend every day from this day forward, making sure our new friend knows just how grateful we are.
Our Speakers Should Make Us Realize How Good Of a Listener We Can Be
Yeah, it’s a little mushy, but it’s true. With all of these new timbres and tones flying around our heads, we can easily find ourselves more interested in our music than we’ve ever been. When someone treats us this well and peaks our interest constantly, we want to listen to what they have to say. We may find ourselves being silent, being pensive, and being reflective. We may display a genuine interest in hearing every detail of what our new partner has to say. And I’m sure we can all agree that in the long run, being better listeners makes us better people.
With all this in mind, it’s extremely important that we don’t mess up this new relationship by taking it for granted. Not everyone has made us feel this way in the past, and it’s doubtful that anyone could ever make us feel this way again. And if you don’t feel this spark with your current speakers, maybe it’s time for a change because you deserve happiness. So why not take a chance on Audioengine and see what you’ve been missing out on.
This is Audioengine
What Is Noisefloor?
To get an immediate understanding of the concept of noisefloor, take a moment to step outside your front door. Standing perfectly still and remaining silent, what do you hear?
Maybe there is a slight breeze rustling the leaves on the trees across the street; maybe a wind chime is softly singing from the corner of your house; maybe you hear the faint whisper of traffic deep in the distance.
This is the noisefloor of your front yard.
So, what is Noisefloor exactly? It the base level of inherent noise present in any given environment at any given point.
When we talk about what is noisefloor as it pertains to electronics, and more specifically speakers, we are referring to the amount of noise emitted from our speakers when they are turned on, but no audio is being played.
You see, all electronic equipment has some degree of output even when no signal is present, and this becomes especially apparent when a speaker is connected to all of this circuitry.
Let’s consider that a fan, an amplifier, a switch, and anything else that moves and/or stores electricity will also contribute to our noisefloor. Once we start adding up all the little parts and pieces in our powered speaker, we begin to see the importance of thoughtful circuit design.
The fewer unnecessary components used in our equipment, the less unnecessary noise we will hear; this is why many audiophiles agree that simplicity is king.
But Why Does It Matter?
Great question; I’m glad you asked. Let’s get back to our front yard scenario.
Say we are standing in our front yard and we want to listen to the birds, but we are having a hard time hearing them because of the freeway, and the wind chime, and those kids picking on that other kid right across the street. If we take all of those noisy environmental factors away, suddenly we can hear the birds.
Not only can we hear the birds, but we can actually differentiate between species, we can tell if two or more are communicating, etc. Once our inherent noisefloor is removed, we can really bask in the details of what we wanted to hear in the first place.
If we apply this to our speakers, it really is just as important. Consider the dynamics used in classical music. Often times, an entire orchestra will drop from a massive crescendo into almost complete silence in a split second. When the volume level drops, we don’t want to lose all of those beautiful little details hidden in near silence, but if our stereo system is hissing away, there’s a good chance we could be missing out on the best part.
To go one step further, a lot of speaker systems will have a power save mode in which certain functions lessen or cease after a period of inactivity. Having a quiet noisefloor is just as important in power save mode as it is during playback.
What if you had a set of speakers in your room and every night while you were trying to sleep, your speakers were buzzing so much it sounded like someone was using a weed eater three houses down.
These are all examples of the importance of noisefloor. But the bottom line is, noisefloor can often be an indication of the efficiency and quality of build. Too many parts usually equals too much noise, and too much noise means not being able to hear the birds.
And what is the point in having ears if you can’t hear the birds?
This is Audioengine
3 Ways Bluetooth Music Receiver Will Change Your Life
It’s almost impossible to deny the power of wireless streaming and Bluetooth- it keeps everything nice and tidy while adding almost unbridled convenience to your listening.
Many of our own speakers have Bluetooth receivers built into them so using Bluetooth can be a no-brainer. Here are 3 ways a Bluetooth music receiver will change your life:
Accessibility
Quality
Many companies utilize Bluetooth technology in their products and they can range from not-so-great to awesome, and because of this, Bluetooth’s reputation is less than stellar with some audio-purists. Truth be told, Bluetooth can sound absolutely amazing due to the development of high-fidelity codecs such as AAC and aptX HD, the latter of which is incorporated into our own B1 Bluetooth Music Receiver. Many of these codecs are able to stream CD-quality 16-bit/44.1kHz audio over the air, and with the help of included DACs, you can even get up to 24-bit playback.Ease-of-use
Check out the B1 Bluetooth Music Receiver
Since streaming audio from your smartphone or tablet is so easy, wouldn’t it be cool if everything was wireless-ready?
Unfortunately, not everything has wireless capabilities built-into them, but this is where adding a Bluetooth receiver to your setup opens up a whole new audio landscape you can tap into.
Here are just a few Bluetooth receiver hacks you can use at your disposal to create a versatile wireless system:
1. While some of the newer home audio speaker systems have wireless capabilities built-into them, there are still many setups that don’t, making streaming wirelessly to them a bit of a challenge.
Many stand-alone Bluetooth music receivers, such as our B1, feature analog line level outputs so you can add it pretty much to any setup you want. This comes in handy if you wanted to dig out the vintage AV receiver and turn it into a wireless setup; all you’d need is a standard RCA cable to connect to the RCA input of your AV receiver. The B1 Bluetooth Receiver also works with any powered speakers that have line level inputs, so almost anything can be turned into a wireless setup.
2. Many sources don’t have streaming capabilities, such as turntables, so wouldn’t it be cool to send audio from this source to your favorite pair of powered speakers or AV receiver? The good news is that you can! The B1 works great with third-party Bluetooth transmitters; all you’d have to do is connect your source to the transmitter’s input and then pair the transmitter to the B1 Bluetooth Receiver.
This also comes in handy if your computer’s Bluetooth module is less than stellar and want to use a more substantial transmitter.
3. The B1 adds a ton of convenience, but what if you wanted to stream your music library from a totally different room but not wake up your significant other? The B1 doesn’t have a headphone output, but our D1 24-bit DAC does! You can actually use both of them together to get the best of both worlds.
The B1 features an optical output while the D1 has an optical input, so all you would need to do is connect the B1’s optical output to the optical input of the D1 using a standard optical cable. From there, you’d just connect the D1’s RCA output to your audio system; the D1 will mute its RCA outputs once something is plugged into the headphone output, so swapping between using headphones and your speaker setup is a breeze.
Adding a Bluetooth music receiver opens up a ton of options for your home audio and utilizing these Bluetooth music receiver hacks can turn any system into an audio Swiss Army Knife.
Check out the B1 Bluetooth Music Receiver
With many modern audio speakers and systems adding wireless functionality to their list of features, you may wonder whether you are doing yourself a disservice by going wireless and ask yourself “is wireless audio quality any good?”
Believe it or not, wireless can sound just as good as a wired connection, meaning you won’t have to sacrifice quality for convenience.
Our wireless speakers utilize Bluetooth technology which definitely has its advantages; it’s fairly universal and, with its lack of proprietary software, is really easy to set up. There must be a catch, right? In the past, we felt that Bluetooth technology wasn’t up to snuff, both in terms of the range of the signal and the quality of audio. In recent years, however, Bluetooth technology has seriously done a lot of growing up; advances in the technology has increased the bandwidth and range, making it not only function great, but sound great. Bluetooth now has the capability of streaming up to CD quality, or 16-bit/44.1kHz, over the air, which means that right out of gate you’re able to send great sending audio without being tethered by cables.
Codecs play a part in how Bluetooth audio is sent and received and some codecs provide slightly better fidelity than others.
In products like our B1 Bluetooth Music Receiver, we utilize the aptX HD codec, which we feel provides you with the highest fidelity decoding possible. Some devices, like most iOS devices, don’t utilize aptX, but even though we use aptX in our products, other great codecs like SBC and AAC will work and sound great. Not to mention, we utilize built-in DACs in our Bluetooth products, which will take your audio and pad the bit-depth to a 24-bit format, giving you added benefits such a lower noise floor.
Even though we use Bluetooth in more of our newer products, we do have other wireless options if you’re looking for any non-Bluetooth solutions. We offer two different wireless audio adapters, the W3 Wireless Audio Adapter the D2 Wireless DAC. The wireless technology used in both of these products is a lot like Wi-Fi, but on a closed protocol built specifically for high-resolution audio. The W3 includes a 16-bit/44.1kHz DAC, which makes it able to send CD-quality uncompressed audio over the air. If you’re looking for high-quality, though, the D2 represents the absolute highest possible performance wireless audio device we could build, able to send 24-bit/96kHz wirelessly.
So is wireless audio quality any good? The short answer is yes!
Using only the best hardware and software, you can rest assured that the wireless gear you’ve been considering will not only add convenience to your listening experience, but will retain the authenticity that you expect from your music.
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- Walnut
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- B2 Wireless Speaker
Wireless speakers sound better when you pay a reasonable price for them.
For most first-time wireless speaker and audio equipment shoppers, one of the greatest concerns (other than quality) is price.
If you aren’t accustomed to comparing costs on such (frequently) high-dollar audio equipment, how can you be sure you’re getting the best product for your hard-earned cash? Customer reviews can be helpful, but only give you so much insight when it comes to the ideal system to bring into your home or office. What one consumer might consider a healthy level of bass and sound quality, another may not. When it comes to optimizing cost for value, Audioengine’s wireless speakers more than measure up to the test.
There are a lot of brands to choose from, and that means a lot of price ranges and levels of quality to sift through before you commit to a purchase. If you want to go ahead and spring for the best products, you’ll want to find products that specify studio quality, or studio-grade in a system, which means that prices can start at $500 or even more for the same type of speaker set as Audioengine’s HD3 wireless speakers (which sells for $399); the HD3 not only includes the wireless capabilities, but is also has almost unlimited versatility as a mini music system powerhouse.
Above anything else, it’s important to do your research and make sure that the speaker set you want to purchase is going to fit the bill for not only the purposes you have in mind, but also goes for a reasonable price.
Our technology
All of our products are designed for everyday use and versatility. What sets our powered and wireless speakers apart from the rest is our attention to detail, easy set-up products, and affordable prices; they reflect the professional quality and attention to detail that other wireless speakers often lose, making them the perfect complete package.
You don’t have to compromise quality for convenience anymore.
When you stream music or video from your phone or even your laptop, the sound quality of what’s coming through the built-in speakers of your device can take a significant hit. The solution is to find a set of speakers that is compatible with your device so that you never have to settle for less than the boldest bass and the smoothest sounds.
Wireless speakers can offer many benefits, including scrapping all those extra cables that are often required with other systems; however, sometimes a typical Bluetooth wireless speaker set doesn’t actually provide better sound quality than what your computer or mobile device can, making it important to do your research and find the audio equipment brand you can trust to have the best products for your listening needs.
One of the features that Audioengine's Bluetooth wireless speakers boast is unyieldingly clear sound quality; each set of our wireless speakers is built with studio-grade elements in mind, which means that you receive audio equipment that brings out every nuance in every song. With our products, you can leave behind the preconceived notion that Bluetooth wireless speakers as a whole tend to sacrifice quality for convenience. Not to mention, you can easily add desktop or speaker stands, or any other enhancements to your Audioengine wireless system!
If you want to enhance the sound quality of your mobile devices, Bluetooth wireless speakers not only offer mobility but also versatility along with clear tones and superior listening solutions.
Our technology
Our Bluetooth wireless speakers are durable and work well with any Bluetooth-enabled devices like your phone, tablet or computer; they also feature analog inputs, so you can easily connect a computer or even a turntable to them. While most Bluetooth speakers on the market have very limited range, Audioengine utilizes a high-quality Bluetooth receiver that enables our products to reach more than one room without degrading the audio quality.
Find the best Audioengine option for your listening purposes.
With the rising popularity of services such as Pandora and Spotify, streaming music from your phone has become one of the preferred methods of listening to your favorite tunes, whether you’re at home or out and about.
Here at Audioengine, our wireless speakers can be adapted to your needs thanks to easy setups and carefully designed products.
Because of our attention to studio-grade sound quality, all of our wireless speakers are equipped to showcase exactly how your music should sound. Each set is designed with certain uses and locations in mind, and can even be taken on the go. Before purchasing a wireless speaker or a set, consider where you will want to set up shop and for what purposes you want out of a well-built audio system. Even though we make a point to construct the best possible models for every user, one set may work better for certain applications than others.
If you want a reliable set of wireless speakers for the home and don’t plan on taking your music from room to room, your options can include larger, bookshelf-style speakers that fit in well next to TVs and other entertainment systems. This enables you to connect non-wireless devices via cables for all forms of home entertainment, including watching movies with explosive sound quality and spinning your vintage record collection. For this kind of use, our HD6 wireless speaker sets are ideal! For the mobile listener, or perhaps the music lover with a roommate, subtle options like the B2 wireless speaker offers the same great sound quality but has the greater potential for customized locations and versatility.
Our technology
Using an understanding of the music recording process, our engineers craft each speaker for optimal playback and streaming opportunities. They are also compatible with most wireless mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, which means that you can tailor your audio experience as needed.
Great sound is available at home or on the go.
If you have a smartphone, then you’re probably aware of the many ways you can wirelessly stream music from your mobile device. But, did you know about your many choices in wireless speaker systems?
Since most smartphones have Bluetooth capabilities built into them, it’s easier than ever to have a quality sound system with you wherever you go. The only thing you need to figure out is which speakers are the best choice and will fit into your lifestyle or immediate needs.
Wireless speakers from Audioengine come with a variety of features, with each set more suitable for different settings and needs, meaning the best speakers for the job can depend on which size and features work best for you. Some wireless speakers, for example are better suited for home audio and filling larger areas with music. Others are more compact, working great in close-proximity listening environments or as background music.
For the office, our HD3 Wireless Speakers are perfect for connecting your phone or even your computer every once in a while. If you want to cover a larger surface area than a standard office, there are other options for you to consider. With larger drivers and a more powerful amplifier, the HD6 works great in living rooms and can even be used with televisions when not streaming from your phone.
Our technology
Here at Audioengine, our wireless speaker systems are highly adaptable and ready to go where you need them to. Designed to fit a busy lifestyle and give you the best quality for your audio system needs, our wireless speakers are equipped with studio-grade sound that is easy to set up.