Siblings in Buchardt's Active series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Buchardt A700 digs deeper - 17Hz against 25Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Built-in power | A | Buchardt A700 has the bigger amplifier (600W vs 450W RMS). |
| Connections | evenly matched | The same set of inputs and streaming options. |
| Size | depends | Buchardt A500 is easier to place; Buchardt A700 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Type | depends | A Powered Floor-standing against a Powered Bookshelf - a different job rather than a better one. |
| Price | B | Buchardt A500 is cheaper - $3,850 against $6,600, about 42% less; arguably a different class. |
A Buchardt A700 B Buchardt A500
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
The usual trade-off: Buchardt A700 measures better, Buchardt A500 costs about about 71% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 25Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Buchardt A500 much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, Buchardt A700 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Buchardt A500 is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.