A2

If you're serious about music but you currently listen to tunes through a pair of tinny, cheapo PC speakers, check out Audioengine's $319.00 A2 speakers. They can fill a room with sound without taking up much physical space.

Powered by an integrated amp in one speaker, the Audioengine A2s fit nicely on your desk and offer a big sound that belies their small size (102x133x152mm, width by depth by height). Clearly geared toward accurate music reproduction, the Audioengine A2 speakers offer remarkable imaging and excellent transparency in my tests, which we performed after 30 hours of burn-in and using lossless FLAC files and a high-quality external DAC.

When we cued up Diana Krall's "Deed I Do" from her Live in Paris recording, we could easily locate each musician on the soundstage. The notes were clear, and Krall's voice was deep and appropriately sultry. Suffice to say, the Audioengine A2s reproduce music so well that you may find yourself stopping to listen instead of working.

When you're listening to music, the Audioengine A2s produce a good amount of bass without a subwoofer. If you're seeking tooth-rattling bass for movies and games, however, this two-speaker package isn't for you, although Audioengine does offer a separate subwoofer. The speakers supply plenty of volume, but controlling the levels can be a chore since the volume knob resides on the back of the left speaker. Admittedly this design makes for a clean, refined-looking speaker, whether in matte black (the Audioengine A2B model we tested) or glossy white (A2W).