Argon Forte A5 MKII

Lifestyle Looks with Audiophile Sound

The Argon Forte A5 MKII is a gorgeous active speaker system that challenges the notion that smaller, less expensive active speakers can’t deliver true audiophile performance. With four separate amplifiers (one for each woofer and tweeter), and some dsp magic, this speaker system delivers excellent sound for its size.

Later in the review, you will see some measurement comparisons with some other speakers of similar size and style. So read on to find out.

Note: At €649 for the Bluetooth model (or €799 if you want Wi-Fi for Airplay and additional streaming protocols), the Forte A5 MKII represents excellent value for European audio enthusiasts. Unfortunately, these speakers are primarily available in Europe. I hope reviews like this one will encourage Argon to extend their availability worldwide.

I first encountered the Argon Forte A5 MKII at Munich High-End and was immediately impressed by its combination of stylish “nordic” design and promising sound quality. But I was mostly intrigued by what appeared to be a very pragmatic value proposition amongst the craziness that was “Munich high end” (soon to be “Vienna high end”). So, I reached out to Argon Audio’s marketing team to see could I evaluate whether these speakers sounded as good as they looked.

And after living with these speakers for about 2 months now and comparing them with many of my other similar speakers, I feel they mostly do live up to that promise. However, there are few things that I wished Argon could have done to make this an exceptional offering.

Read on to find out. But first let’s get to look at the unboxing experience.

Unboxing and Build Quality

The Argon Forte A5 MKII comes well-packaged in a sturdy box that protects the speakers during shipping:

The unboxing experience is simple with the key thing that the speakers are securely positioned within protective foam:

Removing the speaker from the box, you finally get to see those gorgeous Scandinavians looks:

The accessories are in a separate box:

Inside the box, you’ll find:

• Two Forte A5 MKII speakers (one active, one passive)
• Remote control
• Power cable
• Speaker connection cable
• User manual
• Rubber feet

The included cable for connecting each speaker is proprietary but is a great length and good quality:

The connectors are well-designed and easily accessible, with clear labeling and quality construction:

Build Quality and Design

The build quality of the Forte A5 MKII is impressive, with a solid, substantial feel that belies its price point. The cabinets feature a beautiful finish that would look at home in much more expensive speaker systems.

The speakers feature an attractive grille design with a subtle LED indicator that shows the current input and status.

Note: the Red or blue light indicating different input options:

With the grilles removed, you can appreciate the clean, minimalist design of the drivers and front baffle:

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The speakers have a distinctive design that seems to blend elements from some other manufacturers like Q Acoustics (I will compare with the similar size 3020i later in this review), but with modern aesthetic that would complement virtually any living space.

The rear panels show how feature-rich these speakers are, but the layout is well-thought-out:

The bass port is small, even for a small speaker. However, the Forte is definitely using some DSP magic to make up for its size, and I found it interesting that it worked better in corners than some of my other speakers.

The speakers come with rubber feet that provide good isolation and stability:

Even the magnetically attached grille backs show attention to detail in the construction:

Overall, it is a lovely-looking speaker that does not disappoint when unboxing it.

Features and Connectivity

The Argon Forte A5 MKII is packed with features that make it versatile for various setups:

Amplification

This is a true active speaker where it contains four separate 80W amplifiers, one for each driver (woofer and tweeter), allowing for better distortion handling than other configurations. This multi-amp approach enables the DSP to optimise the performance of each driver independently.

Connectivity

The Bluetooth model offers:

• HDMI ARC for simple TV integration
• Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD and AAC support
• Optical digital input
• RCA analog inputs (including a dedicated Turntable MM input)
• Subwoofer output

The WiFi model adds:

• AirPlay 2
• Chromecast
• Spotify Connect
• DLNA compatibility

Since I was testing the “basic” bluetooth model, as well as using HDMI Arc and the new Fosi Audio turntable via the MM input enabled, I also use a WiiM Streamer via the optical input.

By using the WiiM Streamer I did not miss the features of the Wi-Fi model, but if you did not have a separate streamer, the Wi-Fi Model is a very decent upgrade.

Bluetooth connectivity is seamless and reliable, with clear status indication light on the right-hand speaker.

When connected to your Mac or PC, it appears as a speaker:

Controls

The primary speaker features physical controls for volume and input selection, while the included remote provides additional functionality:

Note: while the Wi-Fi model does add some great streaming options, I do feel like the Forte Series does miss a separate mobile companion application where you can control both the streaming but also configure and tweak the various audio aspects of the speaker.

Sound Impressions

The Argon Forte A5 MKII delivers a sound signature that is impressive for speakers of this size and price point. Out of the box, they present a slightly warm, engaging sound that works well with most music genres. But with a very decent bass extension for its size. Give its size you push the speaker too loud, the bass does distort, but for small and medium-sized rooms the DSP within the A5 does a great job of controlling the Woofer. I imagine the A55 (the floor stand model) would do an even more impressive job of handling that bass delivery, but I had nothing to complain about with the A5 even in my larger open-plan kitchen setup.

Bass

The bass as I mentioned is surprisingly robust for bookshelf speakers of this size. The low end extends deeper than expected, with good definition and control. While they won’t replace a dedicated subwoofer for the lowest octaves, they provide enough bass weight to satisfy most listeners for everyday music enjoyment.

But, I loved that these were is a subwoofer output, so if you are in a larger room, you can easily add a subwoofer to your setup. My only complaint with the subwoofer output is again the lack of an App to configure a High Pass filter for the woofer when a subwoofer was connected.

Midrange

The midrange is where these speakers truly shine. Vocals are presented with excellent clarity and natural timbre. Male and female voices alike sound realistic and well-positioned within the soundstage. Instruments like acoustic guitars and pianos have appropriate body and resonance.

Treble

The high frequencies are detailed without being harsh or fatiguing. There’s good extension and air, providing a sense of space and ambience in well-recorded tracks. Cymbals and high-hat strikes have appropriate shimmer without becoming splashy.

Soundstage & Imaging

For their size, the Forte A5 MKII speakers create an impressively wide and deep soundstage. Instrument placement is precise, and there’s a good sense of three-dimensionality to the presentation. The speakers disappear well, creating an immersive listening experience.

Room Correction and EQ

While the Forte A5 MKII sounds good out of the box, I feel as I mentioned earlier, it is a shame that we do not have access to the internal DSP. I found it interesting that Argon provides specially DSP-tuned firmware for using the Forte in different configurations, for example, you can mount a pair sideways within furniture when utilizing a special firmware:

I would love this flexibility to control the DSP via an app or even via the USB connection on the back of the Forte.

Note: I measured both the on-axis and off-axis, and I found that the off-axis setup for the Forte was optimal,
providing a very smooth frequency response, though obviously there will always be bass “room modes” that could be handled with some DSP tweaking and this is what I did when using the WiiM Pro with the Forte.

Here is a useful diagram for on-axis and off-axis references:

Real-World Setup and Usage

As I mentioned, I have been listening to the Forte in many different setups around my house for the past 2 months, mostly because I enjoyed the flexibility of the size of the Forte in various real-world scenarios around my house. However, it did delay the publication of this review, but I think it allowed me to truly appreciated the Forte.

Here are some examples of how they perform in different environments:

Living Room Setup

In my “playroom” space, the speakers provide excellent coverage and maintain their imaging characteristics when my family where playing the PlayStation:

This is a problem space normally where the corners can cause boomy bass, but the smaller port on the forte and the DSP controlled allowed it to sound big without every sounding boomy.

Smaller Room Configuration

In more intimate spaces, the speakers excel at creating an immersive listening experience:

The speakers’ compact footprint makes them ideal for desktop use or smaller listening rooms where space is at a premium, yet they still deliver full-range sound that doesn’t feel constrained by their size.

Bookshelf - near-ceiling setup

One other problem space I tried the Forte was ontop of a bookshelf near the ceiling. This is far from an ideal setup,
but the Forte did very well compared to the pair of KRK Rokit RP4 I had in this space previously:

I had to previously use the KRK Rokit DSP configuration to tame both the bass and treble for this problem space, but the Forte did well without tweaking.

Specifications and Measurements

Some measurements

Note: these measurements were taken with the Forte (and the other speakers I compared it with) setup on a high table in the middle of a large room with minimal reflections. The Minidsp UMIK-1 microphone was aligned with the tweeter height. But these measurements are no alternative to proper anechoic measurements.

The most interesting measurements I thought were the on-axis and off-axis response I was getting, you get much better performance pointing the Forte directly out into the room rather than point at the seating position:

I also found it worked better nearer a wall getting some decent bass re-enforcement but not overpowering the rest of the frequency response.

The grille has minimal impact on response:

With grilles on or off, the differences are tiny and not worth worrying about unless you’re chasing the last percent in a near-field setup.

The distortion was pretty good for a 5-inch speaker:

Note: I would not push it beyond 80 dpSPL at 1 meter, otherwise you will get some bass distortion.

Comparisons

I compared the Argon Forte A5 MKII with several other speakers in my collection to provide context for their performance:

vs. Q Acoustics 3020i

The Forte A5 MKII shares some visual design cues with the Q Acoustics 3020i:

The Q Acoustics is a passive speaker and requires a separate amplifier, while the Forte A5 MKII’s integrated amplification provides a more cohesive, optimized sound.

In frequency response, the Forte A5 MKII tracks the 3020i quite closely but with arguably a slightly smoother treble response, especially when listened ~30° off-axis:

The Forte A5 MKII also offers more connectivity options and convenience.

vs. Fosi Audio SP601

The Fosi Audio SP601 is another active speaker system again with similar styling with the rounded corners.

The Forte’s frequency response is noticeably smoother through the mids/treble, but due to physics, the SP601’s larger 6-inch driver naturally digs a bit deeper in the bass:

When comparing up close though, you can see that the Forte A5 MKII also offers more robust construction and a more premium aesthetic compared to the Fosi Audio offering.

vs. KRK Rokit RP5

Compared to the KRK Rokit RP5:

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The Forte offered a more controlled treble response with better controlled treble, especially when positioned ~30° off-axis:

Note: This is why I had to use the Rokit DSP to turn down their treble response.

Rating

The Argon Forte A5 MKII earns a pragmatic 5-star rating, but I personally feel it is a pity that there is no “end-user” controlled DSP tuning, but otherwise there is little to complain about the Forte A5 Mk3. It has a very decent frequency response and gives a decent bass performance for its size. If you set your expectations approximately (this is a small speaker so not for large rooms), and then paired with a modern streamer platform like the WiiM ultra or WiiM Pro, you get everything you could want in an active speaker with great connectivity options like a subwoofer or the phono input for a turntable, as well as the HDMI Arc.

Pros:

• Excellent build quality and attractive design
• Powerful accurate detailed sound with good bass extension for the size
• Versatile connectivity options
• Four separate amplifiers for precise driver control
• Outstanding value for money at €649 (Bluetooth model)

Cons:

• Lack of a companion application means limited configuration options
• It is a small speaker, so don’t drive it too hard otherwise it will distort
• Limited availability outside Europe
• Wi-Fi model adds (€150) for streaming features, so adding a WiiM is arguably better value.

The Forte A5 MKII is ideal for:

• Audiophiles seeking a spouse-friendly, small, and aesthetically pleasing system
• Those with space constraints who don’t want to compromise on sound quality
• Anyone looking for an all-in-one active speaker solution without separate components

Conclusion

The Argon Forte A5 MKII represents an excellent balance of performance, features, and value. While it is typically marketed more as a lifestyle speaker, it delivers genuine audiophile performance, and I can see what it was on display at the Munich High end.

What makes these speakers particularly special is how they combine the convenience of an active system with the sound quality typically associated with larger more expensive setup. The four-amplifier design with DSP processing allows these relatively compact speakers to deliver sound that belies their size.

For European audio enthusiasts looking for an attractive, room-friendly speaker system that doesn’t compromise on sound quality, the Argon Forte A5 MKII is an easy recommendation. It’s not a perfect speaker, but at €549, it offers exceptional value and performance that’s hard to beat.