The Audioengine P4 is a cheap speaker.
Correction, it's an audiophile speaker that sells for $249 a pair. But that hasn't stopped it from getting raves from audiophiles who live with speakers that sell for a whole lot more.
I use Audioengine A2 self-powered speakers ($199 a pair) with my computer, so I thought I had a handle on what to expect from the P4.
The review P4 speaker sported a real, solid bamboo cabinet, wow!
(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)I did not; it's a whole new ball game. First, the P4 is a "passive" speaker, so you need to hook it up to an amplifier or receiver. The A2 is an "active" self-powered design that can be connected to a computer or MP3 player via a headphone jack.
I started listening to the P4 with my computer, with the speakers hooked up to an old Jolida hybrid tube/solid-state amplifier. The A2 is a sweet sounding little speaker, but the P4 was dramatically clearer, cleaner, and more vibrant. The P4 blows the A2 away--it's not even close.
At 9 inches tall by 5.5 inches wide by 6.5 inches deep, the P4 looks like a larger A2 (the A2 is 6 inches high by 4 inches wide by 5.25 inches deep). The P4 comes in satin-finished black or gloss white paint for $249 a pair, or in bamboo for $325 a pair. The wood isn't merely a veneer over medium-density fiberboard; no, the P4's cabinet is made out of solid bamboo, it's gorgeous!
Audioengine offers a nifty tabletop stand, the DS1 ($29 a pair), that cants the speaker back at an angle to project sounds up. The rubbery stands also isolate the speaker and prevent it from transmitting bass into your desk. Want to wall mount it? No problem, use the threaded inserts on the speaker's rear-end.
The P4's three-quarter inch silk dome tweeter and 4-inch Kevlar woofer appear to be of very high quality. Both drivers are made by Audioengine.
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John DeVore, a couple of cool cats, and a bunch of unfinished speaker cabinets.
(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)Devore Fidelity, founded by president and chief designer John DeVore in 2000, builds state-of-the-art speakers in the Brooklyn borough of New York.
DeVore is one of the few speaker designers I've met who worked as a high-end audio salesman, so he can draw upon first-hand knowledge of what buyers really want. He's also listened to the very best stuff out there, and learned that components that measure well and sound impressive at first don't always sound great over the long run.
I've known John for a long time, and when he first decided to get into the speaker business, I was skeptical. Over the years, I've seen many try to get into the game--and almost all go bust. Designing a great speaker is one thing; running a business and getting your stuff out to market are huge challenges.
John not only succeeded where others failed, but he didn't cut corners. I visited his Brooklyn factory last week and was mightily impressed by his workers' craftsmanship. The speakers' wood veneers, made of walnut and cherry, are gorgeous.
Devore Fidelity is still a small operation, selling about 400 pairs of speakers a year. John puts a higher value on quality than on quantity, and his customers appreciate that. Even in these tough times, sales are holding steady.
John played his latest design, the 3XL, a two-way bookshelf model with a solid bamboo wood cabinet, in the factory's large listening room. The sound was vivid and musically engaging, and considering the speaker's modest dimensions, it produced very decent bass.
DeVore Fidelity speaker prices now start around $2,000 a pair. I reviewed the DeVore Gibbon 7.1 speaker for Home Entertainment magazine in 2004.
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