I came across these speakers while looking for ways to modernize and streamline my secondary music system. These powered speakers serve to replace an Onkyo stereo receiver and a pair of Infinity speakers, both of which I found pleasing to the ear, but a bit long in the tooth. They had served their purpose, and it was time for something more modern.
In pricing a solid integrated amp, either in combination with an external DAC or featuring one, I found that it would set me back, a tidy sum. Adding Bluetooth capability would further complicate and add to the expense. Then there was the matter of finding a high quality set of speakers that were prettier, smaller, and yet still carried enough palpable weight to enjoy challenging music. Cheap speakers abound, but they typically look cheap, and I was not interested in trading down in regard to sound quality.
They say all roads lead to Rome. Well, it seemed like all roads were leading me back to the Audioengine HD6s. I read a lot of reviews of the A5+ and HD6, looked at the price, and hoped for the best.
I was impressed by the care in which Audioengine packaged the speakers. They came (Triple!) boxed, such that I had packing material strewn about the room before I caught a glimpse of the soft gray bags that come for both speakers and all the peripheral cables.
These are pretty speakers up close. If you're familiar with real hardwood furnishings, you can tell that these are veneer over MDF, but they look sharp and feel substantial. I will note that my pair didn't have nearly the reddish tones that the picture on the site features. Much more biased to brown/gray/black tones. Which, I suppose, is more accurately walnut. But I digress.
The included cable is of good quality, but I elected to sub in a heavier gauge RCA cable to attach my CD player (Onkyo 7030, also newly-purchased). Everything went together as expected, powered on, and had a reassuring solidity to it. I let the system stand for several minutes to warm up, then loaded in a disk.
No malfunctions followed. The speakers played, the remote altered the levels as expected (you have to aim a bit carefully with this remote). After a few disks had played, the bass began to open up. I don't think a long or stultifying break-in is required with these units, but giving them a few days to burn in and seat the voice coils in the speakers before getting too critical of the sound is probably the best course.
And onto the sound. If I had to describe it, I suppose "natural" would be the most apt word. These are good sounding speakers, that have the ability to play quite loud and produce punchy bass if it is present in the program material. Now, you're not going to shake coffee mugs off of the table or fully communicate T-Rex footfalls. Physics is physics, and 5.5" drivers can only push so much air. That said, for purely music listening, especially if your tastes run to small group jazz, chamber music, and classic rock, you could easily produce satisfying volume and sweep with these speakers. The caveat being that you're not trying to fill an enormous room.
The silk dome tweeter is not as incisive or "hot" as a metal dome. It is quite detailed, but errs on the side of being laid-back and slightly gentle at the top end, rather than being bright or sharp. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a dark upper register. Rather, it lets you look with some depth into the soundscape, while avoiding being unfriendly or strident.
The midrange is rendered very well. On a CD such as Bill Frissell's "Guitar in the Space Age", the sound of the guitar, the amp, and the level of overdrive or reverb being used is beautifully drawn.
The bass is solid and taut, fairly deep but not, perhaps, as authoritative as some will be used to. The lower registers are in no way boosted. There is no "loudness" feeling to this system. It is not foreflushing in the mid-bass to mask a lack of extension or impress over the short run.
Overall, the speakers are friendly, inviting, and non-fatiguing. When paired with a well recorded piece of music, they allow you to think of the sound, not the source, which is good praise for their size and price, I think.
One thing to consider is this: if you have the intractable urge to twiddle with EQ levels, these are not for you. They sound how they sound. Unless the source component has some ability to introduce EQ settings into the mix, they are not present on the HD6 itself. For me, this is fine. I almost never use EQs, and choose a source direct option to cut them out of the signal chain if possible.
I didn't buy the HD6 simply to play from a component disk player, however. If that had been the case, saving some cash and purchasing the A5+ would have been the wise course. My plans included streaming FLAC audio from a tablet that I would use as a media center. I have found that my (aptX capable) Android tablet (Asus Zen 8) easily paired with the speakers, had a solid BT connection, and sounded great. No issues while sitting across the room, reading an e-book or browsing while the device cast the music to the speakers. The underpinnings for bluetooth and DAC conversion seem solid and well implemented here. I like that incoming signals are upsampled to 24/192. Streaming music from Amazon Prime Music still resulted in a good sound. No glare, no major veiling, no grit or heavy treble attenuation.
After playing the HD6 for several days on their own, I paired them up with a Klipsch subwoofer, crossing the sub over at around 65-70 hertz to let them roll naturally in at full volume as the main speakers began to drop off. Integrating a sub can be rather a hassle, but I was able to get a satisfactory blend within about 45 minutes of tweaking. To be honest, the first twenty minutes yielded a good blend, but I kept a/b testing and being obsessive a while longer. The addition of the sub is a somewhat subtle thing, at least with speakers that aren't too anemic in the lower registers. If the change is too obvious, the sub level is probably too high.
With the sub in the mix, that hint of authority that is required for upright bass and kickdrums tuned without a lot of polyfill is added in. Very nice.
In the end, I'm very pleased with the purchase. They are nice looking, compact speakers, and a lot more. Using a product like this, it's possible to create a very streamlined, uncluttered sound system that will fill a small to midsized room with excellent sound. If all the products that these speakers replace are tallied and checked for cost, it's something of a bargain. It might not seem so, as the price seems a bit princely for a small speaker system, but you would be awfully hard pressed to improve upon it for a similar fee, even with less attractive or integrated components.
One last note: some people might consider purchasing these as high end computer speakers. Now, they do sound very nice in the nearfield, with no audible hiss and none of the face-melting over-brightness of a speaker ill-suited to monitor duties. However...they are quite large, and I think they would be overkill for the bulk of your desktop setups. They'd look more at home above a mixing board than flanking a computer screen.
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From the brand
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Gamers, Music and Movie Lovers
Award winning professional hardware sold at consumer prices.
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Subwoofers Add More Audio
Complete your sound stage by adding one of our subwoofers and hear the audio you've been missing.
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Hear More Audio via 24 bit
Audiophiles know - Hi-Fi audio files and professional equipment enhance music, gaming, movies, podcasts and more.
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Speaker Stands Enhance Audio
Improve your sound stage by elevating your speakers at 15 degree angles on stands to enhance your audio by up to 20%.
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Wood vs Plastic vs Metal
Enclosures made of wood offer less distortion than metal or plastic, which leads to greater clarity and more enjoyment.
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13 Step Hand Painted Process
Our piano gloss finishes will impress. They look great anywhere in the home or office and are built to last.
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Superior Craftsmanship
Real wood that lasts. The variety in the wood grain makes each bookshelf speakers set unique. Quality inside and out.
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Professional Components
Our amplifiers, Bluetooth receivers, and Wi-Fi products are built with ease of use in mind. Most are plug and play out of the box.
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A veteran owned company with engineering, design and phone support all based in the USA.
Compare with similar items
This Item  Audioengine HD6 Premium Bookshelf Speakers - Wireless 150W Bluetooth - Powerful Home Music System - Home Theater Systems, Studio Monitors | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $699.00 | -38% $799.99 List: $1,299.00 | $999.99 | $89.99 | $699.00 | $199.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 12 | — | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 12 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 1 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 12 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 12 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | Audioengine LLC | Electronics Expo (Authorized Dealer) | Amazon.com | BESTISAN Direct | Audioengine LLC | Edifier Online Store |
| speaker size | 5.5 inches | 6.5 inches | 9.5 inches | 4 inches | 11 inches | 4 inches |
| power source | AC | AC | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | AC adapter or DC power supply |
| connectivity tech | RCA, Bluetooth, Auxiliary | Bluetooth | Bluetooth, HDMI, USB, Wi-Fi | Coaxial, Bluetooth, Optical, USB, RCA | RCA, Bluetooth, Auxiliary, Optical | AUX IN/PC IN, Bluetooth |
| speaker type | Bookshelf | Monitor | Bookshelf | Subwoofer, Bookshelf | Bookshelf | Bookshelf, Tweeter |
| mounting type | Tabletop Mount | Floor Standing | Tabletop Mount | Coaxial,Plug Mount,Shelf Mount | Tabletop Mount | Shelf Mount |
| weight | 17.5 pounds | 25 pounds | 15 pounds | — | 17.5 pounds | 6600 grams |
| control method | remote | remote | remote | remote | remote | remote |
| model name | HD6 | The Sevens | LSX II LT | SR04 | HD6 | R1700BTs |
| frequency response | 50 hertz | 192 KHz | 28000 hertz | 401800 hertz | 50 hertz | — |
| surround channels | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.1 | 2 | 2.1 |
| woofer diameter | 5.5 inches | 6.5 inches | — | 4 inches | 13.97 centimeters | 4 inches |
Product Description
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Wired or Wireless
Multiple Options for Changing Lifestyles
Go Digital or Analog: Bluetooth aptX-HD or plug and play, you get the best of both worlds.
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Long Range Bluetooth 5.0
Stay connected and keep the music going
Get whole house coverage with an industry leading 100ft of distance from the source.
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They're Works of Art
Built, Crafted and Tuned by Hand
Cabinet artisans, painters, engineers, and other professionals help create and inspect each pair.
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Up to 24 Bit Audio
Online Streaming or Personal Libraries
Get the most out of your HiFi streaming music with the HD6 Home Music System.
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The HD6 Home Music System
Quality Creates Thousands of Great Reviews
PCM1793 DAC, Aramid fiber woofer and tweeter with a 13 step paint finish or real wood finishing.
HD6 Home Music System offers 24 bit audio for music, gaming, movies and more.
Complete your sound stage to ensure the maximum quality HiFi audio possible.
HD6 Speakers with Stands
Get a scientifically proven 20% enhanced audio increase by using stands tilted at 15 degrees.
Subwoofer - Add More Bass
Subwoofers add up to 38hz more audio that you're not hearing without one. Pro Tip: Add a W3 Wireless Transmitter and make your subwoofer wireless.
Enhance with an optional DAC
The portable D1P adds more output options to your soundstage, including 3.5mm AUX, Optical and USB connectivity.
Quality In, Quality Out
Start with high-resolution audio files or streaming content. Adding the proper connections ensures that you're hearing audio as the artist intended.
Choose the features that are right for you.
 HD6 |  A5+ Wired | A5+ Bluetooth |  HD5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Customer Reviews
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292
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1,852
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1,852
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1,852
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Price
| $699.00 | $399.00 | $499.00 | $549.00 |
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Wireless
| ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
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Input
| Bluetooth/AUX/RCA/Optical | AUX/RCA | Bluetooth/AUX/RCA | Bluetooth/AUX/RCA/Optical |
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Output
| RCA/Subwoofer | RCA/Subwoofer | RCA/Subwoofer | RCA/Subwoofer |
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HiFi
| Analog/24 Bit | Analog/24 Bit | Pure Analog | Analog/24 Bit |
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Tweeter
| 1" | .75 | .75 | .75 |
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Woofer
| 5.5 | 5" | 5" | 5" |
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Size
| 11.75"x 7.25" x 10" | 10.75" x 7" x 7.75" | 10.75" x 7" x 7.75" | 11″ x 7.16″ x 7.79″ |
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Remote Control
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
the absolute best
These are the gold standard of audio quality. Unless you spend $5,000 on a set of speakers you won't find anything better. Don't insult these by listening to youtube and spotify on them; you'll notice the difference immediately when you play hi-res music off Tidal, Qobuz, or FLACs from CDs. Everything about them is flawless; the wood finish is beautiful, the grilles attach magnetically so there is no ugly clips if you want to enjoy them without the grilles; it has 3.5mm jack, RCA input and output, S/PDIF optical, and aptX bluetooth. Connectivity over bluetooth is very good, never had any issues so far. The remote is also very simple and elegant, no unnecessary buttons but it feels good with a good weight to it. Very solid and quality feeling system overall, and the sound is absolutely incredible. I also like the volume knob, it feels clicky when turning it without making any sound at all. I paired mine with an S8 subwoofer, and it's the best listening experience I've ever had, even though I consider myself a bit of an audiophile. Love Audioengine's stuff, you can't go wrong.
Top reviews from the United States
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Top reviews from other countries
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customerReviewed in France on February 20, 2019
Excellent son mais bluethoo par défaut
- Stevie GeeReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2021
Looks very tidy surprisingly loud with no loss in quality.
Color: WhiteVerified Purchase - MinterReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 28, 2016
as much as i love them these are simply on another level entirely
Color: BlackVerified Purchase - Lee Boon SiongReviewed in Singapore on June 29, 2020
Up to expectations! Disclaimer : I am a beginner
Color: Real Walnut Wood VeneerVerified Purchase
