There's nothing wrong with mono sound. High-quality mono systems like Tivoli's PAL can sound great - particularly out of doors where stereo imaging is all but lost to the elements, anyway. However, if you're into that whole stereo thing, you need speakers that can separate a fair amount from one another (how much depends on the size of that equilateral triangle). Apple's iPod HiFi doesn't really do stereo. Bose's SoundDock doesn't really do stereo. Those JBL iPod docks that look like spaceships don't really do stereo. Multiple speakers in a single box can sound good, but they can't create true stereo imaging.

Audioengine USA has officially thrown their hat into the iPod accessory ring with the Audioengine 5 powered speaker system. Audioengine 5 is two bookshelf size speakers with built-in amplification and standard audio-in jacks that can connect to an iPod, a MacBook, or most anything else you might want to use as a music source. Audioengine 5 sells for the same price that iPod HiFi does, and fifty dollars more than either Bose SoundDock or JBL Radial.

Audioengine 5 bests them all when it comes to sound quality.

Good Design. Good Build. Good Sound.
Each of the two enclosures that comprise Audioengine 5 is 10" x 7" x 7.75" in size and constructed of 1" thick high-resin MDF. The set weighs close to 30 pounds combined. The speaker drivers are made from Kevlar and the drivers, woofers, crossovers, amplifiers, power supplies, and cabinets are all designed and manufactured in house. The result is speakers that look good, feel solid, and sound incredible. And they're available finished in your choice of white or black with black

I'm tempted to wax poetic about Audioengine's technology, but I really don't know enough to do more than regurgitate what's on the tech page on their Website. So if you're interested, go read that. They said it better than I could, anyway.

What I can tell you is that these speakers are sublime to listen to. There's a volume knob and LED power indicator on the front of the left speaker, along with an 1/8" stereo input jack and USB port (for powering iPods and other USB devices, not for any kind of music synching) on top. The back panel of this speaker features another 1/8" input jack, a three-prong AC outlet that's perfect for plugging an iPod dock or Aiport Express into, a power switch, and spring clip speaker wire jacks for connecting the right speaker. That's it. No iPod dock, no remote control, no progressive wake alarm clock. These are speakers with a built-in amp, pure and simple.

Audioengine 5 is a little too big for my desk (where I currently use a Logitech sub/sat system with wee little sattelites), so I hauled them out to the living room and set 'em up next to the home theater system. I'm not quite an audiophile but I do listen to a lot of music. So while my Onkyo receiver/Energy sattelites/Athena subwoofer system may not be "high end," I think it sounds pretty good. Maybe not as good as those DCM TimeFrame speakers I had back in Brooklyn, but pretty good all the same.

I hooked the AE 5 speakers up to my iPod, cued up the new one from The Roots, made sure the EQ was off, and hit play. Boom! The Audioengine 5 sounded at least as good as my component system. Rich soundfield, strong clear bass, clean highs. I cranked the system up as loud as I could take it and nary any distortion was heard. These things sound good. Real good.

I moved on to a range of music - some rock, some electronica, some jazz, some of my own band's jam sessions - and a range of sources including uncompressed music from CD and mp3 and AAC files from my iPod and iBook alike. Across the board, the Audioengine 5 delivered. Loud, soft, electronic music or acoustic singer/songwriter stuff, everything sounded good when played through these speakers.

About the only negatives I could find with the Audioengine 5 were the lack of an integrated iPod dock and remote. But it's really easy enough to connect a dock to the AE 5 by way of an 1/8" audio cable and AC adapter. And most docks now on the market come with remote controls. So the only real issue with the speakers is that you have to reach around to the back of the left speaker to power the system on and off. A real, if minor, inconvenience.

Conclusion
If you're in the market for a serious set of powered speakers to turn your iPod, Airport Express, or Mac into a true stereo system, do yourself a favor and check out the Audioengine 5. 349 of your dollars won't get you an integrated iPod dock, remote control, or LCD clock radio shaped like a flying saucer, but it will get you something that, to me, is far more important: great sound. Audioengine 5 speakers aren't portable, and they're probably too big to fit on your desk next to that MacBook, but if you want an easy way to turn that mp3 player into a high-quality sound system, they offer just about the best bang for your buck on the market today. And if you buy a set and don't like 'em, Audioengine will take them back for a full refund within 30 days.

The Audioengine 5 powered speaker system is available in black or white and sells for $349 direct from Audioengineusa.com.

ADDENDUM
A day after this review was posted, Brady from Audioengine dropped this update our way:

We just started shipping with some new features that would be great to point out if you have the time:

1. New 5-way speaker binding posts (gold-plated screw-down type replaced the plastic spring clip speaker connectors found on earlier versions).
2. Direct subwoofer outputs. This is a full-range output to go directly into a sub input.
3. New black finish. White is high-gloss and the new black version is semi-matte black to hide fingerprints and scratches. Both white and black include the same new features.

Here's a pic of the new black model featuring the new subwoofer output and speaker posts: