For such compact speakers, the Audioengine HD3 sound big for their size! 👍 Mids have good presence & clarity, with a somewhat relaxed yet detailed treble. Bass is taut, has good thump, and doesn't get unpleasantly muddy (if you give ample space between the wall and the rear of the speakers). Sonically, the HD3 is very similar to (but a notch better than) the A1 (which I have on my work desk). Bought the HD3 primarily to use on our living room entertainment console for music streaming via the convenience of Google Home (SBC codec), or by means of a DAP (aptX-HD or via aux connection). The HD3 is also great for watching dialog-intensive movies/shows on the TV with its impressively clear mid range, with barely any noticeable lag via Bluetooth. If you want more ... MoreFor such compact speakers, the Audioengine HD3 sound big for their size! 👍 Mids have good presence & clarity, with a somewhat relaxed yet detailed treble. Bass is taut, has good thump, and doesn't get unpleasantly muddy (if you give ample space between the wall and the rear of the speakers). Sonically, the HD3 is very similar to (but a notch better than) the A1 (which I have on my work desk). Bought the HD3 primarily to use on our living room entertainment console for music streaming via the convenience of Google Home (SBC codec), or by means of a DAP (aptX-HD or via aux connection). The HD3 is also great for watching dialog-intensive movies/shows on the TV with its impressively clear mid range, with barely any noticeable lag via Bluetooth. If you want more ground-shaking explosions or more palpable sub-bass, it would be best to connect the HD3 to a subwoofer (which I'm contemplating on getting). For day-to-day casual listening, the Audioengine HD3 has an engaging sound with laudable imaging & timbre, a wide soundstage (with ample depth), and pliable dynamic range -- just try to keep it below 80% volume to avoid distortion (and excessive heat). Delivered in less than 24 hours! 😊

David speakers with Goliath sound!

These HD3 speakers have a great warm sound, with excellent stereo separation and soundstage. I have them on my office desk, and coupled with the S6 subwoofer.Here's the thing about small speakers: do not expect a large speaker sound. Simple physics; a .75" tweeter and 2.75" mid-woofer can only produce what it is physically able to produce. In my application, these speakers are within two feet of my ears. I do not need, nor want large speakers. At close range, these are perfect!. With the subwoofer, the bass extension is super!.Now, for better input source to these speakers, invest in a DAC (digitial to analog converter), especially if your streamer is a pc, like I am using. with a higher quality signal source..... WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! do these speakers sing! There ... MoreThese HD3 speakers have a great warm sound, with excellent stereo separation and soundstage. I have them on my office desk, and coupled with the S6 subwoofer.Here's the thing about small speakers: do not expect a large speaker sound. Simple physics; a .75" tweeter and 2.75" mid-woofer can only produce what it is physically able to produce. In my application, these speakers are within two feet of my ears. I do not need, nor want large speakers. At close range, these are perfect!. With the subwoofer, the bass extension is super!.Now, for better input source to these speakers, invest in a DAC (digitial to analog converter), especially if your streamer is a pc, like I am using. with a higher quality signal source..... WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! do these speakers sing! There is a tight snap to the bass, a sharp crisp ring to the highs, and a nice warm midrange.I can clearly hear the vocals and not have them drowned in the midrange, like many less expensive speakers. I can distinguish between kick drum and bass, and can hear details I never heard before, like the pick plucking the guitar string, or the singer breathing in the mic during vocals.To recap, HD3s are superb for close range listening, like desktop application, purchase the S^ subwoofer for a larger audio range or listening, groom the source input with a DAC, and you will have a "desktop audiophile" sound system. Thank you Audioengine for your great American Made speakers and equipment. In fact, the HD3s are so good, I am thinking bout upgrading to the HD4s (if they will fit on my desk). Cheers!

Excellent value computer/desktop speaker

Had the old A2's and these HD3's are a big improvement. Love the sound, connectivity, front volume knob, and the front headphone jack. I need a pretty small speaker for my desk and these are perfect. I concur with the consensus among professional reviewers out there on the sound quality. I really appreciate that then HD3's did not compromise accuracy for a lower mushy bass out of the 2.75" driver. They are impressive for their size. That being said, I do recommend pairing with a subwoofer as a 2.1 system for added bass extension - then wow.

Great product, weird problem...

I bought the Audioengine HD3 to see whether the sound is as magical as the A2 line of speakers, but with the addition of a switch to smooth the bass response when adding an external subwoofer. The HD3s create the same crystal clear miniature orchestra that I have awakened to for the last 12 years on a pair of A1s. Improbable as it seems, it is easy to hear the difference between a 9ft Boesendorfer Imperial Concert Grand and the Steinway equivalent on these tiny speakers. The casework is a beautiful light walnut, which looks great with or without the grille. Positioning needs to be well away from adjacent flat surfaces and aimed above ear height for the optimum sound stage.My intended use case uncovers a problem, however. In my retirement I use a ASUS Chromebox for ... MoreI bought the Audioengine HD3 to see whether the sound is as magical as the A2 line of speakers, but with the addition of a switch to smooth the bass response when adding an external subwoofer. The HD3s create the same crystal clear miniature orchestra that I have awakened to for the last 12 years on a pair of A1s. Improbable as it seems, it is easy to hear the difference between a 9ft Boesendorfer Imperial Concert Grand and the Steinway equivalent on these tiny speakers. The casework is a beautiful light walnut, which looks great with or without the grille. Positioning needs to be well away from adjacent flat surfaces and aimed above ear height for the optimum sound stage.My intended use case uncovers a problem, however. In my retirement I use a ASUS Chromebox for my general web browsing and as a playback source. I turn off Bluetooth on the chromebox and use what the chromebox describes as “Audioengine HD3 Audio 1,0 (USB)” to send a digital USB signal directly to the HD3 micro USB input. I cannot reliably initiate that feed without first loading the YouTube start page and initiating playback of a YouTube video, and then, _while the video is playing_, I can initiate audio only playback with Audio Player, VLC or Google Music Play, which freezes the video and starts normal audio playback. If YouTube playback is absent or paused, the players act as though they are running but there is no sound output. The players seem to be able to interrupt an existing playback stream, but not to initiate one. I have had what I think is a similar problem with the A2+ Wireless, causing me to drop back to a pair of A2+, which work fine on the USB output.

Great sound from compact, attractive, easy to connect speakers

Having previously purchased an Audioengine bluetooth audio adapter, I was familiar with the brand and range of products. In need of a small set of speakers for the home office, but trying to avoid a cheap plastic-look I found the HD3 speakers and ordered a set after reading some reviews.I wasn't disappointed when they arrived.Nicely packaged, it didn't take long to plug them in, connect an audio source via bluetooth and start listening to music. Since they're small you're sacrificing low frequency performance (get a subwoofer if that's important to you), but what you do get is more than adequate and the mid range and high frequencies provide excellent clarity. The speakers have no trouble filling my 4m x 5m home office with sound beautifully.The speakers exude ... MoreHaving previously purchased an Audioengine bluetooth audio adapter, I was familiar with the brand and range of products. In need of a small set of speakers for the home office, but trying to avoid a cheap plastic-look I found the HD3 speakers and ordered a set after reading some reviews.I wasn't disappointed when they arrived.Nicely packaged, it didn't take long to plug them in, connect an audio source via bluetooth and start listening to music. Since they're small you're sacrificing low frequency performance (get a subwoofer if that's important to you), but what you do get is more than adequate and the mid range and high frequencies provide excellent clarity. The speakers have no trouble filling my 4m x 5m home office with sound beautifully.The speakers exude quality: solid and nicely finished wooden enclosures with thoughtful touches that include non-slip bases. The rear of the enclosure features a gold-plated 3.5mm stereo socket, RCA inputs and banana-post outputs, a power and USB socket, and adjustable bluetooth antenna. At the front you get removable cloth grilles protecting the two drivers, volume control and headphone output plus an LED to indicate connection to a source. The styling is clean and in my opinion the walnut finish brings warmth to their appearance.These little gems look as good as they sound and deserve the 5-star rating I'm giving them.

Great sound, but poor physical finish.

Honestly, the speakers themselves sound great. They really are very nice speakers. Honestly sound wise I have no issue. They are top notch and worth the price in that regard. All of that being said, I am not sure if it’s just my pair or not, but the actual finish on the speakers is not very good. There are some rough corners where maybe some glue or other manufacturing material seeped out and wasn’t cleaned off well. There are pits gouges on the front of them that look like brown paint was used to “patch” them up. Here is where I would say they are definitely not worth the premium price. All in all if I could this would be a 3.5 star review. Great sound quality poor show.

JUST WOW!

So this is my first pair of desk speakers, and I don’t know much in the ways of audio. That said I am blown away at the sound these put out, it brings my music to life! I paired them with a cheap Monoprice sub I found and I recommend that if you like heavier bass. I love using them any chance I get! The walnut finish is awesome, Bluetooth functionality is super easy to use, I love everything about these! Setup is super straight forward, I love the option to just plug my IEMs into the built in DAC. I was getting some crackling and popping using the DAC but figured out it was my router causing the noises so I moved its location and couldn’t be happier. If your constrained on space but want a great pair of speakers buy these! I will happily buy Audioengine again!

Perfect Desktop Speakers

I spent a long time researching options before deciding on these, and I'm very happy I did.I lived in a small apartment for several years using primarily a variety of decently high-end headphone setups before buying a house and realizing my new office space contained sound quite well. I decided that even the most comfortable headphones around aren't as nice as not wearing headphones at all, so I set out to upgrade my desktop speakers beyond the jury-rigged setup I had been using. I came up with a small list of feature requirements to help pare down the selection.1. I needed the replacement unit to be fairly small and light. I use them on an older motorized sit/stand desk (IKEA) which seems to be starting to struggle with the weight of my 3 monitor + audio setup as ... MoreI spent a long time researching options before deciding on these, and I'm very happy I did.I lived in a small apartment for several years using primarily a variety of decently high-end headphone setups before buying a house and realizing my new office space contained sound quite well. I decided that even the most comfortable headphones around aren't as nice as not wearing headphones at all, so I set out to upgrade my desktop speakers beyond the jury-rigged setup I had been using. I came up with a small list of feature requirements to help pare down the selection.1. I needed the replacement unit to be fairly small and light. I use them on an older motorized sit/stand desk (IKEA) which seems to be starting to struggle with the weight of my 3 monitor + audio setup as it ages. lighter than my existing setup was best.2. I wasn't willing to tolerate a big quality downgrade from my headphone setup, even if it was more comfortable.3. multi-input support is a bonus. like many people, I've been working remote during the pandemic, so it would be nice to be able to run my speaker setup without my desktop turned on while I have my work laptop hooked to the monitors.I found a few options that seemed to satisfy all these requirements, but settled on these due primarily to the very positive reviews and more convenient placement of the volume control (as compared specifically to the otherwise very feature-comparable A2+)The sound quality from these is awesome, and the soundstage is especially impressive. Having watched a few concert livestreams recently, I've been especially impressed with the spacial imaging. I can hear the placement of the musicians on stage, and it lines up very well with where the camera shows them to be. A few reviews criticized the bass and suggested a sub would round them out better. I don't disagree that a sub may help, but personally I think that as *desktop* speakers it's not necessary. At least for my use case (rock/metal/prog) I find the bass quite sufficient in 'Normal' mode. They're not going to shake your desk, but that's not a desirable feature in a set of desktop speakers. This does, however, bring me to the biggest caveat in their sound quality. Some of the marketing material seems to imply they could function as the setup for a small room. I think there's a bit of a catch to that statement. I have mine in a moderate-sized office and while they sound fantastic seated or standing at my desk, or even just generally in front of it, getting even a few feet off axis (say to the right of the desk) eliminates most of that sense of space and separation and they become more comparable to a single-speaker unit such as a Sonos One. That's not to say they can't actually fill a room with sound - they certainly can - but I feel that they lose their quality advantage over a cheaper alternative if that's how you choose to use them. I suspect their larger siblings the A5/HD6 series would fill that role much better, especially if also placed further apart than a typical desk would allow for. These are much more suited for near-field listening.I actually purchased these unsure how I would end up connecting them. I knew they supported USB, which was convenient, but I wasn't as sure about the DAC quality, especially when I have a Schiit Modi Multibit and Magni 2 sitting right next to these with an available pre-amp output. Of course, laziness won out during setup, so I connected via the more convenient USB input figuring I can always redo it later if required. It's now been a few months and I've still never heard these with the Schiit DAC, the included one is more than sufficient. Maybe I'll try it out some day to see if I can even tell the difference.I've also used the bluetooth input extensively. During the work day I use Spotify on my phone connected to these via AptX-HD. No complaints about the quality at all, and the bluetooth connection is impressive. They'll stay connected pretty much everywhere in my house, and the connection even survives most quick outings with the dog. I have to wander a decent distance from the house before it gives up. I will note that I live in a fairly rural area, so there's little to no interference beyond my own devices.I would suggest picking up the DS1 stands if you are using them on a desktop. The stands were sold out when I ordered the speakers, so I had a chance to try them sans-stands while I wanted on stock to replenish. Honestly, they still sound great, but once the stands arrived I did notice the improvement due to better positioning, especially in the highs. They also help for further vibration-isolation, which is a bonus.To give some idea as to what I'm comparing these to I'll note my other main setups (theater and headphones)Theater:Sony STR-DN1080 receiverBowers & Wilkins 685 S2 L/R andBowers & Wilkins HTM6 centersurrounds are from an older Martin Logan set - on the list to replace with B&WHeadphones:Schiit Modi 2 Multibit DACSchiit Magni 2 ampSennheiser HD700Sennheiser HD6XXAKG K7XXOppo PM-3Sony WH-1000XM3 for office use, back when that was still a thing

Solid performing speakers! Headphone amp is WEAK.

I've gotta say, for the size of these speakers, they sound GREAT! I got the walnut finish and they look FANTASTIC! I love the magnetic grilles too. I bought these also for their highly regarded, "high performance" integrated headphone amp. The headphone amp sounds good with lower impedance and efficient consumer grade headphones, but when I plugged in my Beyerdynamic DT770 (250 ohm), the sound was thin, shrill, and had very little volume. This is VERY disappointing and in my opinion drops what would be a 5 star speaker down to 3 stars. I would NOT recommend this to someone with higher impedance headphones.

These are very good speakers.

These are very good speakers. They are used primarily for classical music and serve that purpose well. Everything sounds clear and crisp. I purchased the metal desktop stands, a much nicer upgrade from the rubber stands (definitely worth the extra $10). These outlet speakers arrived without a mark on them. The sound DOES crackle occasionally when adjusting the volume using the speaker knob, so maybe that is why they are in the outlet.