Guns N’Roses

FEATURE
FEATURE
PERSONAL FIDELITY
Subliminal
Good as streaming tracks from your
Much as I love the HD6, adding Audioengine’s
S8B powered subwoofer really
tablet or phone is, stepping up to a direct
connection via the optical digital input
makes for an unbelievably good compact
is even better. Connecting this way in
system, whether out in a room, audiophile
my office via Mac Mini makes it easy to
style, with the HD6s up on stands (the
compare. You’ll notice it most on solo vocalists
or acoustic tracks. Listening to Al
more massive the better) on a desktop
with your computer, or my favorite combination:
in the bedroom as a high perfortion
for Solo Guitar Vol. 1, the direct input
DiMeola’s Diabolic Inventions and Seducmance
2.1 system for your television.
captures more of this guitar master’s
fingerwork on the fretboard than when
With the S8B available in white, it’s
streaming. Not only is the presentation
incredibly easy to tuck away in the corner,
adjust the controls appropriately for a
clearer, there is more air around where
the notes begin and end. Ditto for solo
seamless blend and give your favorite action
movie the punch it deserves. Unfortu-
vocals. Johnny Cash’s solo work is always
a go-to, and again, his voice sounds
nately the HD6s are not available in white,
bigger and scarier through the direct input.
this would be a nice touch for bedroom
and bathroom use. Marketing department,
are you listening?
Saving the best for last: analog.
Should you be a music lover with a turntable
to integrate, the analog input of the
Color notwithstanding, the wood finish
our review samples came in is outstanding.
This is another area in which Audio-
HD6 is the perfect solution. Jacking in the
new Rega Planar 3/Elys 2 via a Lehmann
engine has stepped up the game, getting
Black Cube (nearly three times the price
better all the time. These little speakers
of the HD6s, but still awesome) takes
look a lot like something you might expect
these little speakers to an even higher level.
And as good of a performance as they
from a British company that’s been doing
this kind of thing for decades!
muster in a small room, analog through
the HD6s on my desktop with the sub
Tonally Scrumptious
tucked under the desk is sublime. It’s like
If you want all the technical minutiae, click
the world’s largest pair of headphones
here (http://audioengineusa.com/Store/
in a compact space. Spinning Spinning
HD6-CHR-Powered-Speakers), but the
Neu!s self titled album turns my tiny office
minute you play some music you won’t
setup into a fishbowl of sound, feeling like
care. The first generation speakers are
the world’s biggest pair of headphones!
fantastic, but the current models are a revelation.
Streaming through a wide range
No matter how you choose to
of known favorite tracks on Tidal, I am the
configure your HD6s, these are the best
most impressed with the wide dynamic
value in compact, high performance
range, solid bass response and lack of
powered speakers going. We are very
grain these small speakers present. Having
sampled a number of powered, wire-
happy to give the folks at Audioengine
one of our Exceptional Value Awards for
less speakers from other manufacturers,
2016. There’s no better way to get into
some costing twice as much, the HD6
high end audio without spending a ton
provides some of the best audio performance
I’ve experienced.
www.audioengine.com
of dough. l
120 TONE AUDIO NO.78
AUGUST 2016 121