Airpulse A100 Lively Speaker Assessment Ranking
Abstract
I just like the Airpulse A100 audio system lots. They’re my favorite Airpulse speaker to this point, and they’re arguably higher audio system than the Edifier S3000 Professional for those who worth the additional element within the increased ranges that the horned tweet gives.
Execs
- Superior bass to A80 and excellent general sound high quality having the ability to produce detailed highs will nonetheless having a lot of low finish.
- Engaging design and properly proportioned
Cons
Not a lot at this worth, however to be choosy:
- Wired speaker connectivity with dated DIN connector
- Lacks trendy Bluetooth and newer aptX codecs
I’ve labored my approach via many of the glorious Edifier lively audio system, and extra just lately, I’ve been trying out the premium Airpulse vary.
Just like Klipsch, the defining characteristic of those audio system is the horn-loaded tweeters which helps the speaker produce a large dynamic vary producing detailed highs and low distortion.
Once I reviewed the Airpulse A80, I loved the general expertise, however the bass was a bit of subdued for my preferences. The Airpulse A100 I’m reviewing in the present day is a giant enchancment for me and has been far more pleasurable to make use of.
The traditional audio system that I exploit each day are the Edifier S3000 Professional which I feel are excellent and are one of many logical options to the Airpulse A100.
Airpulse A80 vs A100 vs A200 vs A300 vs Edifier S3000 Professional Specs
I apologise for the large desk comparability, however I feel it’s value taking a look at all the audio system. There may be not an enormous soar in worth between every mannequin. I do know if I used to be prepared to spend £550 on the Edifier S3000 Professional, it wouldn’t take a lot psychological gymnastics to persuade myself to spend £900 on the Airpulse A300. I ignored the Airpulse A300 Professional as a result of they’ve an enormous worth distinction from all of the others.
| Airpulse A80 | Airpulse A100 | Airpulse A200 | Airpulse A300 | Edifier S3000 Professional | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tweeter | Horn Loaded Ribbon Tweeter | Horn Loaded Ribbon Tweeter | Part Correction Horn Loaded Ribbon Tweeter | Horn Loaded Ribbon Tweeter | 107 x 107mm Planar silk diaphragm |
| Mid Wooder | 4.5 inch Aluminum Cone 30mm VC Mid-Woofer | 5 inch Aluminum Cone Underhung Design Neo. Energy Mid-Woofer |
5.5″ Aluminum Cone Neo Energy Mid-Woofer | 6.5inch Aluminum Cone Underhung Design Neo Energy Mid-Woofer |
6.5” (179mm) aluminum alloy diaphragm |
| Amplifier System: | Digtal Amplifer With Xmos Processor | Digtal Amplifer With Xmos Processor | Digtal Amplifer With Xmos Processor | Digtal Amplifer With Xmos Processor | |
| Energy Output: | L/R(Treble):10W+10W L/R(Woofer): 40W+40W |
L/R(Treble)10W+10W L/R(Woofer): 40W+40W |
L/R(Treble)10W + 10W L/R(Min-Vary and Woofer) : 55W + 55W |
L/R(Treble):10W+10W L/R(Woofer): 70W+70W |
R/L (Treble): 8W+8W RMS R/L (Mid-range and bass): 120W+120W RMS |
| Frequency Rang: | 52Hz-40KHz | 52Hz-40KHz | 46Hz-20KHz | 40Hz-40KHz | 38HZ ~ 40kHZ |
| Sign-Noise Ratio: | L/R:≥90dB(A) | L/R:≥90dB(A) | L/R:≥90dB(A) | L/R:≥90dB(A) | ≥85dB(A) |
| Pattern Charge Enter Sensitivity: | AUX:450±50mV PC:550±50mV USB:400±50mFFs Optical:400±50mFFs Bluetooth:500±50mFFs |
AUX:450±50mV PC:550±50mV USB:400±50mFFs Optical:400±50mFFs Bluetooth:500±50mFFs |
Steadiness Enter 1000±50mV，AUX Enter 550±50mV，Bluetooth Enter 1000±50mFFs，Optical Enter 350±50mFFs，Coaxial Enter 350±50mFFs | AUX:450±50mV PC:550±50mV USB:400±50mFFs Optical:400±50mFFs Bluetooth:500±50mFFs |
Line in: 600 ± 50mV | Steadiness: 1000 ± 50mV | OPT/COAX: 400 ± 50mFFs | Bluetooth: 450 ± 50mFFs | USB: 400 ± 50mFFs |
| Sub Out: | Sure | 1200mV(max) | Sure | Sure | No |
| Enter | AUX, PC, USB, Optical, Bluetooth | AUX, PC, USB, Optical, Bluetooth. | AUX, Steadiness Enter, Optical, Coaxial, Bluetooth | AUX, PC, USB, Optical, Bluetooth | Line In/Steadiness/Bluetooth/Optical/Coaxial/USB |
| Speaker Connectivity | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | KleerNet Wi-fi |
| Cupboard Dimension (WxHxD): | 140x255x238mm | 160x288x273mm | 570x400x469mm | 225x384x358mm | 232*368*356 mm |
| Internet Weight: | 10Kg(22lbs) | 11Kg(24.2lbs) | 22.7Kg(50lbs) | 24kg (53lbs) | 21.1 KG |
| Value | £629 | £659 | £779 | £899.99 | £545.22 |
Design
I used to be despatched the audio system in a shiny white color. I’d say they give the impression of being extra enticing than the Edifier S3000 Professional, definitely a extra trendy aesthetic. Whereas they aren’t small, they’re significantly smaller than the Edifier audio system, which makes them a bit extra handy to put.
Other than the color and bodily dimensions, the general design is principally the identical because the Airpulse A80.
Identical to the Airpulse A80, the proper speaker connects to the left with a cable utilizing a DIN port. The Edifier S3000 Professional makes use of KleerNet wi-fi which has labored flawlessly for me and makes setting the audio system up and maintaining the set up tidy a lot simpler.
There may be some management over the bass and treble by way of the knobs on the rear. I discovered that this solely gives a delicate quantity of variations.
Equivalent to the A80, you get loads of equipment within the field, together with all of the cables you want. The included distant is fundamental however purposeful. It contains fewer options than the distant on my cheaper Edifier, which has fundamental sound profile choices and music management.
There may be additionally the froth wedge which is used for those who place the speaker in your desk, permitting you to angle the audio system up in direction of you and scale back distortion from laborious surfaces.
Connectivity
Like all the lively audio system from Edifier/Airpulse, you could have a variety of connectivity choices, together with:
- USB
- Aux
- Optical
- Bluetooth with aptX
This speaker additionally has a subwoofer output. Airpulse don’t appear to checklist this within the specs for all of the audio system, however so far as I can inform, all of them have it.
Sound High quality
The vast majority of my testing was performed both with the built-in DAC and USB connectivity or my FiiO K5 Professional Desktop DAC. The Airpulse goes as much as 24bit 192Khz, whereas the FiiO can do 32bit and 384KHz. I can’t say I observed a lot distinction in high quality switching between the 2, and there appears to be little advantage of 32bit for listeners.
I briefly examined the opposite connectivity choices. Optical and Bluetooth efficiency was good. You may have aptX for Bluetooth, which gives higher high quality than SBC/AAC, however extra trendy codecs are lacking, reminiscent of LDAC or aptX Adaptive (or HD).
On paper, there doesn’t appear to be a lot distinction between the A80 and A100. They’re rated for a similar energy output, they’ve the identical horn-loaded tweeter, and there’s not a large distinction in dimensions or weight.
The principle distinction appears to be the woofer design, and this has made a giant distinction.
I used to be instantly impressed with the sound of the Airpulse A100. Whereas I appreciated the sound of the A80, I discovered the bass a bit subdued to my tastes. These have a a lot richer low finish whereas producing a extra detailed increased than my S3000 Professional.
This then permits the audio system to be a bit extra versatile than my Edifier audio system. They carry out properly throughout all genres going from dance music and hip hop to harsher tones of punk. I additionally fairly just like the violin, and a few trendy violin music, like Black Violin, could be difficult for some audio system with the excessive notes of the violin and lows of the hip hop beats, however these dealt with the tracks with ease.
Mids are excellent, and these excel with vocals no matter pitch and style. Female and male vocals all come via with glorious readability with out being overwhelmed by devices on the low or excessive finish.
With plenty of audio system and earbuds, I discover that I’m fairly delicate to high-pitched frequencies and, most of the time, discover them fairly harsh. I do maybe discover these a bit of extra fatiguing to hearken to over a number of hours than my Edifier audio system. Nonetheless, evidently I can tolerate highs a lot better when the general high quality is superb, like on these.
I additionally used these for TV, films and gaming. They carried out properly throughout, and I’d say film efficiency was glorious. Many audio system wrestle with films these days, having problem with dialogue and altering volumes. I discovered that I didn’t, or not often, needed to regulate the quantity on these as scenes modified.
So far as quantity goes, I’ve a reasonably giant workplace. Utilizing USB connectivity and with the quantity knob within the center, I usually have home windows set to twenty% for informal listening. Dialling as much as 50%, and I can nearly tolerate it sitting at my desk. I’ve had these dialled up louder when I’m pottering round upstairs, and so they present room-filling audio with out distortion.
Value and Different Choices
If you’re proud of the white or purple colourway, then the Airpulse A100 is out there for £660 on Amazon.
As I highlighted within the comparability above, the large concern for me could be that it’s simple to persuade your self to spend an additional £100 or so on the following mannequin up. I’d possible repeat this course of till I find yourself with the A300.
The Edifier S3000 Professional is a wonderful, extra inexpensive choice. They’re larger and extra highly effective audio system however much less detailed within the highs. These even have wi-fi connectivity, which has been massively useful with my workplace set-up.
The extremely common KEF LSX has been as little as £799 and advantages from wi-fi speaker connectivity and WiFi/Ethernet for streaming. Whereas I’d love to do this speaker, I’ve learn many studies that it’s underwhelming with out a sub.
Klipsch has The Fives for £899, these have a horned tweeter for these detailed highs, and so they have superior connectivity, together with HDMI. A extra inexpensive choice is the Klipsch R-41PM for round £310.
Kanto seems to be a preferred powered bookshelf choice. They’ve the YU6 at round £490 or the TUK for £729.
Total
I just like the Airpulse A100 audio system lots. It is among the uncommon instances I’ve been capable of respect a bit extra emphasis on increased frequencies with out fighting harshness.
I personally assume these are considerably higher than the A80 and properly value the additional cash.
It’s a robust name to say if I desire these over my present Edifier S3000 Professional, it’s a shut name. If you’re somebody that may respect the superior detailed highs that the horned tweeter can obtain, then I’d strongly suggest contemplating this over the Edifier.
Final replace on 2022-10-18 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Pictures from Amazon Product Promoting API
