Argon Audio is a Danish company specialized in products with a minimalist design, advanced technical features and an excellent quality/price ratio. On test today are the Forte A55 Mk2 speakers: a complete hi-fi system with a refined design. Advanced active speakers, which therefore do not require an external amplifier, can be connected to TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs and more.
Let us therefore analyze in detail all the features and performances of the Argon Audio Forte A55 Mk2 speakers.
Design and packaging
A55 MK2 adopt a Scandinavian design, elegant and essential. Let’s start with the MDF cabinet, well finished, with rounded corners and no visible screws on the front panel thanks to elegant aluminum flanges that cover the driver anchoring points. We continue with the fabric dustproof grilles, with magnetic hooks.
Diffusers also equipped with a large and stable base covered in soft fabric to avoid damaging parquet and other delicate floors.
Argon Audio speakers also boast an excellent lacquered, matte finish, available in white or black. Unfortunately, the Walnut version cannot be ordered at the moment.
Let’s not forget the dimensions of 85 x 16.5 x 25 cm and the weight of 26 kg.
We end with the excellent and robust packaging which includes a quick guide (the manual in Italian is available online) and three accessories matching the speakers: a small and complete remote control, a power cable and the connection cable between the two speakers, 5 m and with 4-pole “aeronautical” connection.
Inside the package we also find 4 sponges to be inserted into the rear bass reflex ducts and useful for reducing the emission of low frequencies if the speakers are positioned very close to a wall or in small rooms.
Technical characteristics
The speakers boast an advanced audio architecture with custom drivers. Going into detail, each speaker houses a 1″ tweeter and 2 5″ Mid-Woofers, with two bass reflex ducts at the rear and a frequency response from 35 to 20,000 Hz. Dome tweeter, made of soft silk and with neodymium magnet. The mid-woofer is also custom designed and uses a special 2-layer cone and an ultra-low distortion system.
The Class D amplification system with fully digital signal path is also excellent. Sources are kept in the digital domain right through to the final stage, reducing noise and unnecessary losses in the signal path.
In the Argon Audio Forte A55 Mk2 speakers we find an advanced architecture called active bi-amplification with digital crossover (DSP). In a traditional (passive) system there is only one external amplifier that sends the entire signal to the speaker; inside the speaker, a passive crossover “steals” power and divides the frequencies between the tweeter and woofer, introducing imprecise frequency cuts, harmful overlaps between the speakers and holes in the acoustic response into cheap commercial products.
In the Forte A55 MK2 the process is, however, totally optimized and each driver receives only the frequencies it must reproduce. Inside the main tower on the left there are 4 separate Class D amplification modules of 80 Watts each, for a total of 320 Watts of dynamic peak. In the A55 towers, this power is precisely distributed by the DSP per channel and per single way: amplification modules for each tweeter and for the pairs of speakers (right and left).
Connections
Argon Audio speakers also boast comprehensive connections, housed in a panel at the bottom of the left speaker. Panel, a little awkward to reach, in silver brushed aluminum in the white and black variant for the dark version of the speakers. Here we find an RCA input for grounded turntables, an RCA input for analogue sources, an output for an optional subwoofer, an optical-digital SPDIF input (up to 24-bit / 96 kHz), a USB-A port (only for firmware updates), an HDMI ARC input for TV audio, (PCM 2.0 only) and the output for connecting the right speaker.
Let’s not forget Bluetooth 5.0 with support for aptX, aptX Hd, Aac and Sbc formats. Too bad for the absence of the LDAC codec.
Audio performance
We conclude our review with the analysis of audio performance. Argon Audio Forte A55 Mk2 speakers are an ideal solution for living rooms, TV rooms and other environments where you want to reduce the number of components without sacrificing quality. Floorstanding speakers recommended for large environments (up to a maximum of 50-60 m2) where maximum impact is sought without the aid of a subwoofer. Excellent speakers for films and TV series and suitable for reproducing any musical genre.
A complete system that boasts excellent construction quality, with great attention to every detail. Speakers capable of creating a wide and deep soundstage, with a precise dislocation of the instruments in space. High performance that brings these speakers closer to the performance of an audiophile-level passive Hi-Fi system. Going into detail, in the high range, the silk dome offers a precise and soft sound that never results in the cold-metallic timbre typical of rigid dome tweeters. Furthermore, even after hours of playback at high volumes, very high frequencies (such as drum cymbals, vocal sibilance, violins) never become annoying.
Moving on to the mid frequencies, a thorough examination of this range reveals a distinctly vivid and clear setting, designed to give maximum emphasis to the expressiveness and intelligibility of the voices. A natural and detailed reproduction, essential to guarantee crystal-clear dialogues when the towers are connected to the TV. Finally, the bass: deep, without “tail” and of great impact. Bass always full and present even at minimum volume.
The integrated amplification system is also excellent. Active bi-amplification with DSP eliminates the dispersions of passive systems, dedicating an amplifier to each driver and digitally synchronizing them to deliver powerful bass and perfectly balanced sound at any volume.
Let’s not forget the very easy installation, complete control via the TV remote control and automatic connection with the smartphone’s Bluetooth.
Active towers, with 3 years warranty and an excellent quality/price ratio, can be purchased here for 1,149 euros. Speakers capable of rivaling passive systems with a significantly higher cost.
Finally we remember the Forte A55 WiFi version at 1,349 euros which allows wireless connection for lossless music coming from Spotify Connect and other streaming services.
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