Different kinds of product: one is active with its amplifier built in, the other passive and needs one. Judge them on how you want to own the system, not just the specs.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (49Hz vs 50Hz). |
| What you buy | depends | Audioengine A5+ is a complete system - just add a source. Triangle Esprit Comete Ez also needs an amplifier: more money and another box, but you choose it. |
| Connections | depends | With Triangle Esprit Comete Ez that all comes from the amplifier you pair it with. |
| Upgrade path | depends | Triangle Esprit Comete Ez can be re-amped later and outlive several amplifiers; Audioengine A5+ ages as one unit. |
| Size | depends | Audioengine A5+ is easier to place; Triangle Esprit Comete Ez is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Triangle Esprit Comete Ez: bi-amping; Audioengine A5+: a sub output. |
| Price | B | Audioengine A5+ is cheaper - $399 against $899, about 56% less; arguably a different class. And that is the whole system. |
A Triangle Esprit Comete Ez B Audioengine A5+
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?
Audioengine A5+ suits you if you want one box, ready to play, with nothing else to buy. Triangle Esprit Comete Ez suits you if you already have an amplifier, want to choose the electronics, or expect to upgrade in stages. Neither is the better speaker in the abstract. In a large or open-plan room, Triangle Esprit Comete Ez has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Audioengine A5+ is the easier speaker to get right. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $500 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
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.