Floorstanding loudspeakers — Audio Pro A38 W

The A38 W is a pair of powered floorstanding speakers made by Audio Pro in Sweden, built to take over from a soundbar under a television while also working as a streaming stereo system for music. Each cabinet carries its own drivers, and the amplification, wireless module and inputs are built in, so no separate amplifier or receiver is part of the setup. The UK list price is GBP 700, and the pair is sold in a black or a white finish.

Key specs that matter

The built-in amplifiers are Class D, rated at 2 x 75 W. Each speaker uses a 1 inch tweeter with a pair of 4.5 inch woofers, and the crossover point between them sits at 2,900 Hz. The quoted frequency range runs from 32 Hz to 25 kHz. Each cabinet measures 832 x 190 x 210 mm (height x width x depth). Wired inputs are an analogue line input on RCA, an optical TOSLINK input that accepts PCM only, and an ARC connection for the television, and a subwoofer output is also present. Wireless connections cover WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2.

Engineering and use context

Where the compact bookshelf pairs of the range stop at one woofer per side, the A38 W moves to a taller cabinet that has room for twin woofers per side, giving more cone area without a separate bass unit. The ARC link lets the speakers switch on and follow volume commands together with the television, which is the main reason Audio Pro positions the model as a stereo alternative to a soundbar. Streaming support includes Google Cast and AirPlay 2, and the Audio Pro app gives access to Amazon Music, Deezer, iHeart Radio, Napster, Qobuz, QQ Music, Spotify, TIDAL, TuneIn and vTuner. The app also handles multiroom grouping with other Audio Pro speakers, and five presets store playlists or stations for one-press recall. The maker lists a standby draw of 5.5 W, with standby starting after less than 20 minutes without a signal, and the speakers have no battery.

Pairing

Because the amplifiers and streaming hardware sit inside the cabinets, the natural partners are a television with ARC, a phone or tablet for streaming, or a CD player or turntable preamp on the analogue input. The subwoofer output allows an Audio Pro SW-5 or SW-10 powered subwoofer, or another make with an RCA input, to be added when deeper bass is wanted. The optical input is useful for older televisions or game consoles without ARC, as long as they send PCM rather than a surround bitstream.

Alternatives

The Audio Pro A48 W is a larger floorstanding model in the same wireless range with more amplifier power.