Argon Audio Forte A55 MK2 Active Speakers Review – Superb Sonic Delight
Argon Audio Forte A55 MK2 is a 1349 Euro / $1549 USD pair of active floorstanding speakers, the current pinnacle and gold standard of what Argon Audio has to offer, and they include HDMI ARC, Bluetooth 5.0, Digital Inputs, Turntable MM input, and an Audiophile-Grade 4×80 Watt Class D Amplifier with advanced DSP and crossover for the best sound quality. Today we will review the Forte A55 MK2 and also compare them with FiiO SP5 (749 USD), SVS Prime Wireless Pro (899 USD) and Aurender S5W (3000 USD).
Introduction
Argon Audio is a company part of the mighty Nordic HIFI and today we have from them the flagship of their speakers, the best one they made so far, and it also received a new MK2 revision with a promise that this is the best to get if you can’t settle for anything but the best, transforming every room into an audiophile heaven. We’re talking active speakers and Forte Mk2 A55 represents the golden standard, with a full digital amplification, four separate channels for the tweeters and woofers and with custom drivers especially designed for those AMPs, more connections that you might ever need, including HDMI ARC, RCA and more, Forte A55 MK2 will deliver the best pair of speakers that Argon Audio and Nordic HIFI has in store so far.
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Product Link
Official Link – https://argonaudio.com/products/forte-a55-mk2
Build Quality – Design
Technically, we are looking at a floorstanding pair of speakers with internal DAC AMPs and with a 4 x 80W internal power design, full Class D with a full digital signal path. The frequency response is quoted to be between 35 Hz and 20.000 Hz with a deviation of 3dB. We have a soft dome tweeter 1″ in size, and each speaker is built with two 5″ Woofers made out of Custom 2-Layers cones.
Argon Audio Forte A55+ MK2 is a highly connected pair of speakers as they sport multiple connection modes, including Bluetooth 5.0 with support for advanced codecs including aptX, aptX HD, AAC and SBc, and a max resolution of 24 Bit / 96 kHz. The full list of inputs includes HDMI ARC, Optical digital, Analogue RCA and MM Turntable inputs. There’s a USB input, but it is made for firmware updates, and the updates include a subwoofer output which we will hopefully test with subwoofers from ARgon Audio in the near future.
Forte A55 MK2 also comes with a Remote Control and an Auto On / Standby function which makes it automatically turn on and off based on when they receive an input signal. Cabinets are made of MDF, and the speakers can automatically turn on, on signal from all inputs except for phono, and it can automatically switch inputs, as well as give you the ability to dim the LED light on the face. In the box you can find the speakers, power cable, speaker cable, which connects the two speakers between them, and is 5m in length, and a remote control, as well as front covers that mount on the speakers via magnets. A55 MK2 is available in three colors, Black with a Matte Lacquer, While with a matte lacquer and Walnut with a PVC finish. Net weight is 26 KG with a Gross Weight of 29,4 kg, with a standby power consumption of less than half a watt, and full size of the speakers is 85x38x25cm.
Argon Audio has multiple versions of their Forte Speakers, but A55 MK2 is currently the best you can get, and they are designed in Denmark, with a fully digital amplifier with digital modulation. Digital sources are kept fully digital from input to output, with no added noise, and all low resolution sources are upscaled to 32 Bit / 96 kHz, with a high-performance DSP and active crossover, as woofers and tweeters have individual dedicated amplifiers. With a custom engineered bass driver, A55 MK2 delivers ultra low distortion in the bass and the midrange, and with the cabinets being designed using advanced computer modelling, Argon Audio built a flow resistor between the two woofers, eliminating the standing wave resonances. This is combined with careful tuning to deliver a well-defined bass and punch at all volumes.
Subjective Usage And Placement
Placement is very simple with Argon Audio A55 MK2, especially as the only limiting factor is the cable between them, and I am fairly sure that you could find a provider that could make you a longer one. They are not one bit sensitive to room quality, placement against the wall and are adequate for both nearfield and far field listening, with the best spot being towards the far field or traditional hifi listening for them. They are speakers capable of delivering extreme maximum volumes, but will not complicate things, will not run into overdrive and will not cause any trouble even if you are listening quietly.
Self noise is incredibly low, to the point where even with my ear on the speaker I cannot hear the self noise while it is running. I can absolutely hear my AC, the water pump of my PC, fans of my PC and generally even if leaves are rustling outside with my door closed, but A55m2 has zero self noise which I absolutely love. They do turn off when there is no signal, and I feel like this is my only gripe with them, and I had that to mention in my Argon Audio SA2 Streaming Amplifier. After I published that written review, Argon Audio reached out to me and let me know that if I want, I can disable that feature, which is just brilliant. With A55m2, I have not yet found a way to disable the auto off feature, but I did figure out how to use it smartly.
The turn-off function will still happen, but it starts right back up if you give it signal, so what I figured is that it is best if you don’t have the speakers set to max volume, but instead a middleground. This is because if you set them to a mid volume, they start right up and won’t be too loud, while if you have them set at max speaker volume, to get the minimum signal strength to turn them on would mean creating a fairly loud sound. Moreover, the reaction is snappy and I love that, and A55 mk2 works well with all inputs, they sound brilliant regardless of what input you are using and there does not seem to be much of a difference regarding the input.
Argon Audio A55m2 comes with a beautiful matte finish and while other options are available, the white version makes them feel sleek and refined. I like that they have a foot that gives them top stability and that the shape is rounded for both the foot and the speaker cabinet, resulting in a design that is more sleekier and more modern than what I reviewed so far. It actually takes more effort to construct a pair of speakers with rounded edges, as the processing is pricier, but it results in a more mid century, modern look rather than the traditional blocky hifi speaker. You can use the a55mk2 with the textile protection on or off, it does not seem to affect sound too much but it might be better for the peace of mind to leave it on, as you wouldn’t want anyone touching the drivers.
Argon also includes a remote with the a55 mk2 which I like a lot as it allows me to fine control the inputs and volume, but as per my usual shenanigans, I prefer controlling the volume using the DAC and PRE rather than the speakers even though I do know and understand that the final sound quality might be a bit better if I use a combo of both. The weight of the speakers is distributed evenly, which is good, because they won’t fall if you bump into them. While mine have been running 24/7 in my system, I noticed no difference in the total power draw of my home, so my guess is that they don’t consume a lot when they sleep and also they do not get hot, the internals stay cool, regardless whether you’re listening at low or high volumes.
All inputs produce a similar sound quality, with the best being RCA single ended analog for me, as I get to use some of the best DACS I have, but streaming is brilliant and all the best streaming services work just fine including Apple Airplay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect (Lossless), DTS Play-Fi. Bluetooth sounds the least interesting as there are no advanced codecs enabled, but I can do just fine with Spotify. As far as I experimented, Tidal does not see them for wireless streaming.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have been using the Argon Audio A55 mk II with a collection of DACs as I like the effect they have on sound, but you should keep in mind that they have hdmi, optical and even complex streaming available if you want to take full advantage of them. While testing, I have paired the forte a55m2 with a collection of DACs including Luxin X9, Musician Pegasus III R2R, FiiO Warmer R2R, Burson PlayMate 3, JDS Labs Element IV, Topping DX5 II, Rose Technics RT-5000, and Fosi Audio ZD3. A55m2 prefers a better DAC, a neutral one and a high resolution DAC. While there are not many options to tune and EQ them, they do work well with most DACs. I cannot tell whether there is any ADC conversion for the RCA input, but for all digital inputs A55 has their own DAC that does the D A conversion.
Overall Signature – It feels like Argon Audio Forte A55 MK2 is a hidden gem as they have a powerful bass, combined with a sharp and yet musically resonant treble, and a juicy, pleasing vocal midrange. I am surprised to report that at times I like them as much as I like Pylon flagship speakers, and the setup is much simpler with A55 since they do not need any kind of special amplification, only a DAC with RCA output. They do respond and scale quite a bit with better DAC, and they sound always engaging, vivid and lively. It is like opening the windows to a summer day and feeling filled with hope and desire. This is how they make each song sound like, having a bit of extra warmth in the lower midrange, a full and pleasing bass that gives music body, but also the hope of resolution, analytical detail and a super nice soundstage and instrument separation. A55 M2 is a perfect all-rounder with the right balance of depth, impact, brilliance and separation, making all music basically perfect.
Bass – At the deep end, A55 Mk2 can reach around 40 Hz audibly, giving music a strong and powerful deep end, with a strong punch and impact starting right from 50 Hz. It feels pumped up and fast, but has a good amount of body and warmth, giving music a pleasing and fun tone. Bass has less upper bass and mid bass than it has lower bass, so the speakers end up sounding much bigger, much fuller and much more authoritative than they look. In fact, despite them being significantly smaller than Pylon Diamond 30 mkii, A55 M2 produces a bigger, deeper bass with more punch. This can be considered to color the sound slightly relative to an absolutely neutral tuning, but it is not a warm or bassy overall tuning, rather controlled and powerful, perfect for all music styles.
Midrange – A55 mk2 produces a really colorful, vivid midrange, and while the bass was already a strong point, I feel like the midrange is the actual highlight. Most active speakers have some fidelity loss compared to passive speakers since on a passive speaker you can use any amplifier and fine tune the vocals, but A55 mk2 bears a uniquely vivid, engaging and detailed sound that is not reminiscent of anything else I reviewed. Basically, they are more vivid and more detailed than all speakers if they are amplified by a Class D amp, the matching between the amplifier, DAC and speaker drivers, along with the enclosure and all the other electronics is just insane. Vocals are vivid, personal and ever so slightly forward on A55mk2, similar to a live experience, sitting in first rows at a concert. A55 renders both male and female invoices equally well, with a slight focus and emphasis on the lower and upper midrange, and a slightly punished back absolute middle of the vocal range. This helps give a bit more emotion to female voices, and depth, seriousness to male vocals, without making the whole midrange sound distant or absent. It is a uniquely good combo of the whole speakers sounding detailed, as the resolution is extremely good, but also keeps music engaging.
Treble – Top end is fairly sharp and crisp, more detailed than the class D would imply, with a strong focus on the entire treble equally. Top-end presence is not emphasized enough to make music too fatiguing, rather it is just enough for cymbal crashes to be audible in most mixes, including pop, rap and rock music, but keeps metal music interesting and sharp. I find all styles equally enjoyable with A55m2, they are the kind of speakers that make music flow easily, the type of speakers that make music easy to enjoy, active. Granted, you should take into account that I have such a high opinion of them because they also pair exceptionally well with all my music library, from J-Pop, J-Rock to death metal, grindcore, black metal, pop and basically all music styles.
Dynamics And Textures – The most obvious thing you notice right away is a high dynamic range, and a bouncy sound with a strong weight to each musical note. Textures are free and flowing in boundless rivers, but rich and creamy in the bass, while the treble drivers are faster, but still bear a wet character. To transcribe this if this is the first time you read a review from me, it will sound like a live concert, it is very detailed and defined, but without sounding falsely fast or dry. This type of combo of the dynamics and textures makes music especially easy to enjoy and dance to, and I feel like A55mk2 are a fine pair of speakers to get also if you want to hold mini house parties. Despite their small size, they command more authority and more real substance than any speaker of similar size I heard so far. I love the way both J-Rock and Metal alike sound like, it is present and lively.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – This is a tricky one, because I expected that this is where A55m2 would fail, but instead they outlived and outdid all my expectations. This is because they deliver a really bright, sharp and controlled sound from the lowest levels all the way to the highest levels. Since you can set their volume, you can set the sensitivity, and if you have a DAC with volume control, you can leave the speakers on max with the DAC controlling the volume. This method does not work ideally, because even at very low levels, they are already a bit loud, but you really don’t need to do it, as the sound is excellent even at lower level speaker side. I left them at around 80% max volume for the speaker, this way they still sense lower signals from the DAC and auto on function works well. The auto on function is excellent as they turn off if they have no input signal for a while, and start right up in a couple of seconds. At maximum, you can easily hold a full house party with 20 people just with the a55m2, they are perfect for a room up to 100m2, although i mostly use them in much smaller rooms, between 12m2 and 20m2. Overall, volume is not just sufficient but also controlled, and I surprised to recommend them considering that the amplifier is built inside, but I can achieve slightly higher volumes than with FiiO SP5, Elipson XLS7, Amphion Argon3s, and KLH Model Five regardless of what AMPs I use for the passive ones. Adding that control at low volumes and clarity of the sound with zero audible background noise at those lower volumes, I feel like A55mk2 handles the volume part really well.
Soundstage – Despite all of the other points being strong, Staging is actually even better than all of the other aspects of the speakers, and they create a huge, wide and deep soundstage, with a strong instrument separation and clear delimitation between layers. The best part is that even when using A55m2 in near-field fashion, on the sides of my 65″ Samsung TV, they create a wide, holographic soundstage, big and with strong separation, so you don’t need to have a large room, and they shine starting with rooms as small as 12m2. Staging is the natural – wide type, not overly atmospheric and rather they define each layer precisely, each instrument precisely and are very strong in resolution and details, with a strong separation between foreground and background rather than blending everything together. This makes a55m2 sound a bit technical, but it is just enough to keep them competitive, it is not fatiguing nor too technical.
Comparisons
Argon Audio Forte A55 MK2 vs SVS Prime Wireless Pro – (1549 USD vs 899 USD) – I really enjoy the SVS prime Wireless PRO, and they deliver nicely with streaming and sound quality is also great, but for about the same price you can have the Argon A55 mk2 which has a much higher maximum SPL, a more vivid and more engaging sound, deeper bass, better impact, and a fuller, more natural sound. While both choices surely are enticing, I feel like A55 just has a better value, both are good sets of speakers and the fact that I am reviewing the A55 mk2 does not undermine the Prime Wireless Pro, both have subwoofer output and digital inputs, both have a nice bass, but A55 mk2 creates a wider, more holographic soundstage, much better instrument separation, a higher resolution and improved vocal range for both male and female voices. In general, A55 mkii will deliver a better overall music, movie and gaming experience, looks more stunning and it is simply a better choice for most listeners.
Argon Audio Forte A55 MK2 vs FiiO SP5 – (1549 USD vs 749 USD) – When I started writing the review, I was under the impression that the prices were a bit closer, but the comparison is still valid as there are not many competitors unless you’re willing to go beyond the 3000 USD price point. SP5 is active just like A55, and in fact all of the comparisons are with active speakers, since otherwise you’d have to take into account the cost of the AMP that can almost double the price of a setup. SP5 has a similar function to A55 mk2, but it is only a bookshelf in design while A55 mk2 is a floorstanding pair of speakers. This means a much improved bass response, better depth, better midrange vocal range, better impact and a more holographic, more vivid sound with the A55 mk2. FiiO SP5 does have xlr inputs which I would have liked A55 mk2 to have, and SP5 also has a type-c input, but the actual sound is still leaps ahead as rendered by Forte A55 mk2.
Argon Audio Forte A55 MK2 vs Aurender S5W – (1549 USD vs 3000 USD) – While we do get Wireless streaming from A55 mk2, Aurender were the first to come with wireless streaming, and they have wireless streaming between the speakers and between the speakers and the source, with the aid of a dongle. This does not mean streaming in the modern sense as they need a USB connection and cannot stream via Tidal, Spotify, Google or Airplay, like A55 mk2 can. From a constructional point of view, S5W is made fully of metal so they look impressive but they are also small and require a set of power tools batteries to work, which lowers their value as just after you bought them for a premium price, you need to spend another 200 USD on batteries to use them. Sonically, both speakers are detailed and sound crisp, but S5W is much brighter, sharper sounding with much less bass and even a strong bass roll-off. This is caused by the fact that S5W has much smaller physical drivers which cannot move more air while A55 mk2 has larger drivers and can produce a much deeper bass, a similar resolution and clarity but with improved impact, and realism of the sound. The soundstage is a bit wider as produced by S5W but it lacks definition and feels vague while A55 mk2 produces a clean instrument separation, much better spatial resolution and just feels more rounded for all music styles.
Value – Conclusion
I don’t often get excited for speakers, and especially in this price range, since my reference cost about 5 times the price of the A55 mk2, but those are genuinely an excellent deal, and they come at a price point where you typically get bookshelf speakers, they come with excellent streaming, and a sound that’s just brilliant. A55 mk2 can fill up a room, can deliver a concert like experience, and can make your entire house sing and feel like a party, while staying cool, but they can also be a top choice for casual music listening, gaming, watching movies, basically being the perfect choice for a versatile pair of speakers. I enjoy A55 mk2 more than I enjoy most speakers, the convenience, design and above everything, the sound.
Award – It has been months since I last awarded a product a place in our hall of fame, and it is not that I’m jaded but most products simply are not that revolutionary and don’t offer something different from their peers, so this time I am happy to report that Argon Audio Forte A55 MK II is a special addition to our Hall Of fame, basically outdoing what every direct competitor does by being a floorstanding pair of speakers with excellent sound in a world where this price point is reserved for bookshelf pairs, and by offering a vivid, engaging, natural yet holographic and wide sound.
While most products are geared towards someone and can be a niche within a nice, I feel like Argon Audio A55 Forte MK2 is not a niche product, and instead they are the pair of speakers I feel the most confident recommending to basically everyone. They offer both the energy, raw impact but also holographic soundstage and vivid sound to be the perfect all-rounders, sounding excellent with all music styles, in all rooms, with all setups and basically being a perfect choice for anyone who’s looking for fun.
PROs
- Universally likable with an excellent sound tuning for all music styles, movies and games
- Spatially wide and holographic with an excellent instrument separation
- Capable of wireless streaming, digital inputs but also analogic RCA inputs
- Stays cool and can run 24/7 without any issues
- Does not consume much power in standby or in full operation
- Loud enough for a party, but gentle and clean enough at low volumes to be a good all-rounder
- Top choice for rock, metal, edm, but also classical and orchestral music
- Good with both female and male voices, guitars and pianos alike
- Price performance ratio is just insane, as they offer more than the market, are a floorstanding speaker in a price segment that usually includes bookshelf midrange models
Cons
- RCA inputs do not include XLR, only RCA
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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