Mel sent me the HD4 Next Gen product page asking whether it was the HD4 we already held. It is not, so the Audioengine HD4 Next Gen is now on file next to the HD4 it replaces. You can see the rest of the range on our Audioengine page.
The Audioengine HD4 Next Gen in walnut, 429 dollars a pair
It costs 429 dollars a pair, which is 20 dollars less than the price we hold for the old one. The interesting part is how narrow the change is.
Quick facts
- 429 dollars a pair, in satin black, real walnut veneer or gloss white.
- Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Adaptive, on a Qualcomm QCC3040 receiver. Only one other speaker we hold does this codec.
- USB-C in place of micro USB, now accepting 24 bit at 48 or 96 kHz, through a PCM 5100A converter.
- Everything acoustic is carried over: same 4 inch aramid woofer, 0.75 inch silk tweeter, Class A/B amplifier, 60 Hz to 22 kHz.
- No HDMI and no phono stage. A turntable needs its own preamp, and a TV needs an analog output.
A new digital half, bolted to the old speaker
Put the two generations side by side and the list of real differences is short.
| HD4 | HD4 Next Gen |
|---|
| Price a pair | 449 dollars | 429 dollars |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, aptX HD | 5.3, aptX Adaptive |
| USB | micro USB, 48 kHz | USB-C, 48 or 96 kHz |
| Converter | PCM 5102 | PCM 5100A |
| Headphone amplifier | OPA2134 | OPA1602, 300 mW at 32 ohms |
| Amplifier | Class A/B, 30 watts a channel | Class A/B, 30 watts a channel |
| Drivers | 4 inch aramid, 0.75 inch silk | 4 inch aramid, 0.75 inch silk |
| Finishes | Black, walnut | Black, walnut, gloss white |
The rear panel: RCA in and out, a 3.5 mm input, USB-C, the headphone jack and the volume knob
So nothing about the sound of the speaker itself has been touched. The response is the same 60 Hz to 22 kHz, within 1.5 dB, and the crossover is still at 3 kHz. If you own the older HD4 and listen through its analog inputs, this generation has nothing for you.
What it does have is a better wireless path. aptX Adaptive changes its bit rate as the signal gets weaker, instead of dropping out, and it carries 24 bit. The same thing arrived on the A2+ Gen 3 last month, which we wrote about in September.
Two speakers out of 134
How many of the 134 powered speaker systems we hold have each of these connections
We hold 134 powered stereo speaker systems. Two of them take an aptX Adaptive stream, and both are Audioengine: this and the A2+ Gen 3. Six have Bluetooth 5.3 at all, and four have a USB-C input.
That sounds better than it is, and it is worth being plain about why. aptX Adaptive only works if the phone or laptop sending the music also supports it. Most Android phones with recent Qualcomm chips do. iPhones do not, and never have. On an iPhone this speaker runs AAC, exactly like a 150 dollar Bluetooth speaker does.
What it will not do
There is no HDMI socket, and 33 of the 134 powered systems we hold have one. If you want these under a television, you need a TV with an analog or headphone output, or a converter box.
There is no phono stage either, which 26 of the 134 do have. Audioengine's own page sells the HD4 Next Gen as turntable-friendly, and it is, but only with a turntable that has a preamp built in or an outboard one in between.
And the hi-res path has a ceiling. USB-C tops out at 96 kHz, and there is no optical input, no Wi-Fi and no network streaming. This is a speaker for a desk or a small room with a phone, a computer or a record player attached, which is exactly what it says it is.
The HD4 Next Gen comes in walnut, satin black and gloss white
Two corrections to our own HD4 row
Adding the new model turned up two things wrong on the old one, and both are now fixed.
The amplifier class. We had the HD4 as Class D. Audioengine builds this series with Class A/B amplifiers, says so on its own technical page, and eCoustics prints Class A/B for both generations in its comparison table.
The cabinet depth. We had 8 and 7/8 inches, which came from a retailer measuring the unit with its rear sockets and antenna included. Audioengine publishes 6.5 inches for the cabinet, for both generations. Left alone, our compare page would have shown a size difference between two identical boxes.
The two generations, side by side
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |
| Model | Audioengine HD4 | Audioengine HD4 Next Gen |
| Speaker Type | Powered Bookshelf | Powered Bookshelf |
| Enclosure Type | Ported | Ported |
| Driver Setup | 2-way | 2-way |
| Max Power (RMS) | 60 watts | 60 watts |
| Max Power (Peak) | 120 watts | 120 watts |
| Tweeter | 0.75" Soft-Dome Tweeter | 0.75" Soft-Dome Tweeter |
| Woofer | 1 x 4" Aramid Woofer | 1 x 4" Aramid Woofer |
| Frequency Range / Low | 60Hz | 60Hz |
| Frequency Range / High | 22kHz | 22kHz |
| Port Position | front | front |
| Available Colors | Black, Walnut | Satin Black, Walnut, Hi-Gloss Piano White |
| Video Shield | Yes | Yes |
| Grille | Yes | Yes |
| Height | 228.6mm | 228.6mm |
| Width | 139.7mm | 139.7mm |
| Depth | 165.1mm | 165.1mm |
| Weight | 2.40kg | 2.40kg |
| USB Port | microUSB | USB-C |
| Aux Input | 3.5mm, RCA | 3.5mm, RCA |
| MSRP(pair) | 449USD | 429USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon | Amazon |
Audioengine HD4 Next Gen Powered Bookshelf Speaker Key Specs
- 2-way Bass Reflex Design
- 0.75" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 1 x 4" Aramid Woofer
- 60-22k Hz Frequency Response
- Crossover Frequency at 3000Hz
- 60-watt RMS ( 120-watt Peak) Class A/B Type Integrated Amplifier
- 24-bit Max Depth / 96 kHz Max Sample Rate
- Built-in 5.3 Bluetooth
- RCA variable line-out Subwoofer Output
- Weight:5.29 lbs / 2.40 kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 9" x 5.5" x 6.5" / 228.6 x 139.7 x 165.1mm
- Replaces the Audioengine HD4 compare them
- Read the Review
Questions answered
How much is the Audioengine HD4 Next Gen?
429 dollars a pair, direct from Audioengine, in satin black, real walnut veneer or hi-gloss white. That is 20 dollars below the price we hold for the previous HD4.
What is the difference between the HD4 and the HD4 Next Gen?
The digital section. Bluetooth goes from 5.0 with aptX HD to 5.3 with aptX Adaptive, the USB input becomes USB-C and accepts 96 kHz instead of 48, the converter changes to a PCM 5100A, and the headphone amplifier chip changes. The cabinet, the 4 inch aramid woofer, the 0.75 inch silk tweeter, the Class A/B amplifier and the 60 Hz to 22 kHz response are all unchanged.
Is it worth upgrading from the older HD4?
Only for the wireless. If you listen through RCA or the 3.5 mm input, nothing in this generation changes what you hear. If you stream from an Android phone with aptX Adaptive, or you want to plug a modern laptop in over USB-C, that is the case for it.
Can I connect a TV to the HD4 Next Gen?
Only through an analog output or a converter. There is no HDMI input and no optical input. Of the 134 powered speaker systems we hold, 33 have HDMI, so if TV sound is the main job there are easier choices.
Do I need a phono preamp for my turntable?
Yes, unless your turntable has one built in. The HD4 Next Gen has RCA and 3.5 mm line inputs but no phono stage.
How big are they and what is in the box?
Each speaker is 9 by 5.5 by 6.5 inches. The powered left one weighs 3.2 kg and the passive right one 2.4 kg. The box has both speakers, the Bluetooth antenna, banana-plug speaker cable, power cord, USB-C cable, 3.5 mm and RCA cables, microfiber bags and a setup guide. There is no remote control.
So would you take aptX Adaptive and a USB-C socket for 429 dollars, or does a speaker at this price need an HDMI input now?
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