These sit in different price classes - Audioengine A1 Wireless costs roughly 1.7x what Mackie CR3-XBT does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Audioengine A1 Wireless digs deeper - 65Hz against 80Hz. |
| Built-in power | evenly matched | Similar onboard amplification (25W vs 30W RMS). |
| Connections | evenly matched | The same set of inputs and streaming options. |
| Size | depends | Audioengine A1 Wireless is easier to place; Mackie CR3-XBT is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | B | Audioengine A1 Wireless: a sub output. Audioengine A1 Wireless sits in a wider range (6 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | A | Mackie CR3-XBT is cheaper - $120 against $199, about 40% less; arguably a different class. |
A Mackie CR3-XBT B Audioengine A1 Wireless
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: Audioengine A1 Wireless measures better, Mackie CR3-XBT costs about about 66% 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 80Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Mackie CR3-XBT much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, Mackie CR3-XBT has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Audioengine A1 Wireless 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.