Verdict
Presenting a real challenge to a mid-price soundbar for both AV and tunes, the Audio Pro A28 is a competent pair of powered speakers. Well-built and compact enough to flank a TV, the sound is clear and warm, but not without its faults either.
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Clear and smooth sound -
Excellent bass for small enclosures -
Good connection suite -
Well-built with chunky steel remote -
Wi-Fi included
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Some mid-range details lacking -
Bluetooth connection needed a few attempts
Key Features
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Connectivity
HDMI ARC to connect to a TV -
Streaming
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, Airplay 2 and Google Cast -
Multi-room
Multi-room sound and multi-person usage
Introduction
An HDMI ARC connection is included on many compact powered and active speakers. It means that external TV audio has taken an interesting twist in recent years. A soundbar might not always be the best option if you share an equal amount of time between watching TV and streaming music.
Audio Pro is a Swedish outfit whose expertise is rooted in specifically wireless speakers. The company provides a couple of floorstanding powered speaker options.
But it’s the super-compact A28 pair that might appeal to those who need a discreet audio solution with fewer wires near a TV, or one planted firmly on a bookshelf.
Serious music lovers might prefer to opt for larger full-range loudspeakers. But as a remedy for living room clutter, the A28s offer a tidy aesthetic profile for an accompanying display or while acting as a back-up music source in, say, a study or kitchen. Listening habits are changing and – along with them – the evolution of technology and convenience.
Design
- Compact
- Classy build
- Sleek steel remote
The Audio Pro A28 feel solid and well-built. Each enclosure weighs 3.3 kgs and their design is also refreshingly simple. Although the black colour option is the one I sourced for review at Trusted, they’re also available in white or a stylish walnut if you need more décor-compliant versions.
The surface is a fingerprinty matte vinyl texture and the slick grey cotton grilles magnetically snap onto the baffle with zeal. Both speakers feature a 1-inch textile dome tweeter (behind a metal grille) and a 4.5-inch woofer.
The left speaker is the one with the brains. Consequently it carries the amp plate with mains power and all the physical connections (covered in the next section). These are complemented by a pair of quality binding posts to the passive right speaker.
Included in the box is a long colour-coded speaker cable which tethers both together. A single LED indicator light in the left speaker faces the viewer and signals the input source with various colours.
The A28s are dinky with the longest dimension being the 23.8-cm height. This qualifies them for easy placement to the sides of a TV, as in this test, or on stands or neatly slotted onto bookshelves.
Note that the robust and tactile remote control is formed from a steel chassis. That’s a rare and welcome phenomenon in the price category. The fully decked black panel of buttons for input, play, skip and volume are neatly embedded into the curved edge housing. Full control is also available from the excellent Audio Pro app for iOS or Android.
Features
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Google Chromecast Built-in and Apple AirPlay 2
- HDMI ARC
- Audio Pro Multi-room
Class D-based amplifiers are the norm now for powered speakers. The A28s are no exception. Their modular design, minimalist form factor and heat mitigation make them ideal for small speakers. The days of the brightness and insipidness that could hamper Class D amps’ audio response are thankfully less common now.
The 2 x 75-watt amps reside in the left speaker. Note that an amp stage lodged forward of the crossover circuit, rather than behind, defines speakers as ‘powered’ rather than ‘active’. Audio Pro claims the A28’s frequency response spans 45 Hz up to 20 kHz.
The A28 doesn’t shortchange on connections. The left speaker back panel sports an analogue RCA input, a subwoofer output, HDMI ARC for connection to a TV, optical TOSLINK and a USB service port. There’s also a factory reset button which I employed at the get-go.
HDMI ARC proved to work a breeze with the TV quickly prioritising the A28 and channelling downmixed and lip-synced stereo audio to the device. Of course, you can also use the optical input for audio from legacy display devices. Both HDMI and optical connections carry a two-channel PCM signal for left and right stereo reproduction. If you’re hoping for a simulated surround or immersive soundfield, unfortunately neither is on offer.
As far as wireless protocols, the Audio Pro pair supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2. Connection to the latter via the Audio Pro app was not completely seamless and required a few attempts. But the app itself is well laid out and lines up all the available streaming platforms on a dedicated page.
Digging in with TIDAL Connect, the Audio Pro app presented a tidy navigation view of my playlists and search selections. There’s also Spotify Connect onboard for users of this most popular streaming service.
There’s more good news for friends of lossless audio. Both Apple Airplay 2 and Google Cast are onboard, so there should be streaming options to please most users from the A28’s comprehensive toolbox.
You can also take advantage of Audio Pro’s own multi-room functionality which allows playing out content to more single or pairs of wireless speakers. This is similar to the BluOS or Sonos multi-room platforms. The feature is controlled through the app and extends to shutting off select speakers or rooms when required.
Sound Quality
- Smooth and warm sound
- Some mid- and high-frequency reticence
- Impressive bass
The A28s promote an inviting sonic character which immediately draws you in. The sound is generally clear and detailed. Underscoring everything is a lush and smooth aura. Instrument leading edges are rounded and there’s a warmth to the presentation. The converse side of that is a lack of punch on some material.
Moreover, snappy and high-tuned snare drum hits render as crisp, but simply not forward enough in the mix. It’s as if the A28s hold back in the upper-mid frequencies.
There’s another distinct upside. The A28s are a pair of blinders when it comes to bass performance. That these unassuming enclosures can elicit such deep notes is quite a revelation. This is particularly noticeable with sustained bass cues, the ones that lend breadth and scale to a soundfield.
In Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Deadly Valentine, the almost orchestral chorus opens up and fills the room. It’s cemented with a low frequency synth motif in which the Audio Pros simply bask. But again, some of the midrange and pelt of the drums are in obvious retreat.
Proving that the A28s might be a worthy party companion, that confidence in the bass is highlighted in Kar Play’s Tribute to Ed Sheeran: Shape of You. There’s a serious-sounding kick drum thud. And it’s in the overarching musicality of the speakers that Jehain Alain’s famous organ work Litanies plays out as a pleasant listen. The bass stops are impactful and felt. The sound is just not quite detailed enough in the progressing arpeggios.
Given that the A28 will very likely find a home as a soundbar substitute, they must be scrutinised with movie content. While I conducted music listening on-axis in my studio, the speakers were below ear level on the display’s stand for TV watching. The A28s can produce a good sense of spaciousness and they also perform quite well off-axis.
The spectacular Boeing 747 crash sequence in Tenet (2020, Prime Video) reveals the speakers can fully hold their own when taxed with dialogue, music and effects. Voices are clean and centred, while the engine roars and off-loaded gold bullion bars crashing onto the tarmac do so with added weight. These qualities belie the speakers’ small size.
Should you buy it?
Buy if you want more fidelity than a soundbar
The trend for a discreet pair of compact speakers instead of a soundbar gathers apace. If you are in that market, the A28 is a good sounding and well-designed option.
Don’t buy if you can’t live without a more balanced frequency response
Hi-Fi aficionados might shun the mid-range anomalies found on this pair. But for more accuracy you could have to fork out quite a bit more.
Final Thoughts
The A28s sound convincing and sport an attractive and compact build. There’s a lot to be said for their smooth and spirited sonic character. Adding to the mix is a slew of streaming and connection features, which makes them quite the versatile pair. The inclusion of HDMI ARC also argues for upgrading from a price-equivalent soundbar, but you will need to find a place for them either side of a TV.
With all that said, and while bass output was impressive, the perceived dip in upper midrange details could be a deal breaker for more studious audiophiles. You could consider setting your price goals a little higher and opting for the warm-sounding Q Acoustics M40 or the more powerful Klipsch The Fives.
While the Klipsch is armed with an HDMI ARC connection, both the M40 and the Fives will take up more space. The competent performance of the Audio Pro A28s, though, combined with their mini-size profile and palatable price could be the purchase clincher.
How we test
We test every wireless speaker we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Tested across two weeks
- Tested with real world use
FAQs
The A28 features a sub out connection so you can add a subwoofer. Audio Pro sells the SW-10 and SW-5 if you want to keep it in the family.
Full Specs
| Audio Pro A28 Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £580 |
| USA RRP | $650 |
| EU RRP | €650 |
| Manufacturer | Audio Pro |
| Size (Dimensions) | 150 x 200 x 238 MM |
| Weight | 6.43 KG |
| ASIN | B09NM5GDRQ |
| Release Date | 2023 |
| Audio Resolution | Up to 24-bit/96kHz |
| Driver (s) | 4.5-inch woofer, 1-inch textile dome tweeter, |
| Ports | Analogue RCA, HDMI ARC, sub out, optical digital |
| Audio (Power output) | 150 W |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, AirPlay 2, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect |
| Colours | Black, White |
| Frequency Range | – Hz |
| Speaker Type | Wireless Speaker |
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