Insignia™ - Powered Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - Black

Background- I owned a stereo store for over 25 years back in the day, so I have a pretty extensive background in audio technology. I would rate the sound quality of these good, but not great. And they do have a lot of features for the $$: wood cabinets, remote, two analog inputs plus bluetooth. If you intend to just use them by themselves, they seem like a very decent value. My issue with them is a feature that appears on the back panel but is not in their specs or description: a subwoofer output jack presumably for connection to a powered sub, and that's why I purchased them, to use with a Mirage sub I have. In order for the sub to work properly with powered speakers, the level of the sub out jack on the Insignia's should track the level of its speaker volume control, and I assumed it would, just like 100’s of other products that feature a mono sub out rca jack. But this product doesn't- the sub out is at max volume all the time. I assumed I got a defective pair, in part because when I got them home the bags the speakers were packed in were ripped and had obviously been opened by someone and returned. Not sure why BB thought it was OK to resell them as new, not Open Box, but that's another issue. I ordered a second pair from the website to try to assure I got a new pair from a different production run than the ones in the store. Looked brand new, but the second set had the same problem. I still hoped it might be a production defect, as opposed to a design defect, and might not be present on all examples so I exchanged the second set with a third one. Unfortunately, it had the exact same issue (and btw, it also had been previously opened- what’s up with that?). I looked for any other information on the Insignia website, and found a full instruction manual there (one had not been included with the speakers- just a quick start guide). It did not show anything hooked to the Sub Out jack in any of the configurations they illustrated, or mention the jack anywhere, leading me to believe that they realize that it was not designed correctly, and they are just pretending it isn’t there. The fixed output makes using them with a sub impractical -you have to adjust the sub level separately every time you adjust the speaker level via the remote. Again: if you don't plan to use a sub (or will control the sound level exclusively from your source and not use the Insignia’s own volume control) then these are a decent choice given the feature set, especially when on sale for under $150. In the end, I decided to keep them- I will use the left channel speaker output to feed a speaker level input on my Mirage. I'll only be getting one channel, but most bass in recordings is mixed to both channels to get the maximum lows a given pair of speakers can produce, so it will work, if not ideally. One other thing- my experience with both Geek Squad and Insignia in trying to get answers to this issue was uniformly poor. Three GS agents I spoke to on the phone had no knowledge about the product category, much less this specific item, and the Home Theater department manager I spoke with briefly claimed that all subwoofer outputs on home electronics are fixed level. I was surprised at this basic lack of knowledge, so I asked him if it made sense that every time I change the volume on a sub/sat system I have to walk over to the subwoofer and adjust it separately? He still didn’t back down- all subwoofer outs are fixed according to him. So apparently he intends to keep disseminating his incorrect assertion to other BB customers. Not a good sign for the training level at BB. FWIW, the Insignia 800 number (Insignia is a BB private label) hung up on me twice as soon as I identified the product and problem, again making me wonder if this is a known defect in a feature they are now trying to pretend doesn’t exist on this product, despite the presence of the labeled sub out jack. At least BB could Photoshop the product picture of the jack panel so the Sub Out jack isn’t there. That might cut down on the number of returns due to this issue. Which apparently are quite a few, given that two of the three pairs I received had been returned previously.

Pros/Good things: 1 - variety of inputs: Bluetooth, RCA, and 3.5mm phono input --Bluetooth range and connection is good. I have not had any problems with any device connecting with the speakers. As well, I keep the RCA connected to my television's audio out, and keep a Chromecast audio permanently connected to the 3.5mm input. 2 - remote control* (also see Cons/Not so good things) -- having a remote is nice, but there are also volume and tone controls, and the input selector on the speaker itself. 3- volume and sound -- These are bookshelf sized speakers, but they do get loud. I haven't had any issues with distortion, but I don't play music at peak loudness often. The bass is good enough for my liking. 4 - misc/etc -- The speaker grilles are removable. The main speaker has an LED to let you know what input you are on. You can also pair/connect your device via NFC, though I didn't use it and only paired via Bluetooth. Cons/Not so good things: 1 - remote control -- The remote is very cheap - though I very much appreciate having a remote, this one is rather flimsy.

First off I wil say that these speakers sound nice, operate quite easily and have some nice connection options. I ding a star because I find the input switching a bit clunky and these are just a shade too large for most "bookshelf" applications in my mind (about a third larger than some Polk Bookshelf speakers I have). configured the bluetooth to work with the echo dot I have in my office and they are an IMMENSE upgrade in sound quality there. That might be damning with faint praise- the Dot audio quality is less than som <$20 speakers I have, or even those cheap ones that came with my PC that I used to have it hooked to with the Aux cable. I'm no audiphile but the sound is quite clear, and I don't get any distortion at any level up to what I find comfortable even for louder music. As much as I like these speakers for the use that I have put them to I don't think there is ANY WAY they would be worth the MSRP. I picked these up on sale for $80, and that feels about right, and I often see them priced around $100 which wouldn't be horrendous. I tested these against the soundbar I have on my bedroom TV and now I wish I had a good place to stick some of these instead of the wall mounted bar because from a sound quality and stereo seperation aspect they blow the bar out of the water. I can see someone using some of these for computer speakers as well if space permitted. Like so many things it depends on how they are used, but I like them, as long as the price is right!

I work in film post production, so though I wouldn’t consider myself an audiophile, I know what good audio sounds like. When looking to upgrade my home theater, I considered the sound bar trend, but was sorely disappointed by the offerings in what I would consider to be a “reasonable” price range. Then I saw the last set of these on the shelf, and took the plunge on a whim because the price was incredible. No regrets a month in, these are an amazing value. Sound is deep and rich, none of the offensive bass found with cheaper sound bar/subwoofer combos. Highs are surprisingly natural, even with the volume cranked. There’s a little bit of typical cheap speaker midrange spike but still far superior to others in the price range. Built-in Bluetooth is easy and thus far dead on reliable. I have the “house” iPad synced to it, and popping on a Spotify playlist is quick, easy and sounds fantastic. I would love an optical input, but in lieu of that I paired it with the Insignia Optical to RCA converter, which also works wonderfully, and now I have a massive TV audio boost that works seamlessly with my PS4, Switch and everything else going through the TV. At the MSRP it’s a great pair of speakers. At the sale price, it’s probsbly the best home theater audio upgrade you’ll find anywhere. Highly recommended.

After researching a simple two channel audio set up for my study, including micro systems, stereo receivers, and integrated amps, I skeptically purchased these speakers, and I’m glad I did. Most importantly the audio for a speaker of this price point is outstanding. I own a high end sytem, including Aerial Acoustics speakers, and while these can’t match those, they sound really great. They’re a bit bright, favoring the high end of the frequency spectrum, but I wouldn’t expect anything different from a two-way bookshelf speaker. The available features are impressive, especially at this price. The Bluetooth connection is stable and sounds good with streaming music from my iPhone. The power is adequate to drive both speakers with no discernible drop off at higher volumes. The included remote enables users to skip forward/back and play/pause without having to grab the phone/tablet. Finally, the inclusion of a set of RCA inputs AND a dedicated subwoofer output is surprising and appreciated. If you’re looking for well made, feature packed, great sounding speakers that help avoid the added expense of a receiver or integrated amp, give these speakers an audition - I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. And, as with any speaker, remember to break them in before cranking the volume.

I have a few sets of speakers from JBL, Swan, AudioEngine, Edifier, Klipsch, all great and all different. However, they are all over $400 in price. For $100, I can't say I've heard a better set of powered speakers than these Insignia ones. They also have Bluetooth, which works phenomenally by the way! All different genres of music sound great on these speakers and you do not need a subwoofer. They have plenty of bass. I suggest using them at least 6 inches away from the wall for great bass response. I'm currently running a turntable which happens to have an Ortofon 2m blue stylus with a good external phono, and vinyl sounds fantastic! Fleetwood Mac Rumours, Boston, Hendrix, Lana Del Ray, Vivaldi... it all sounds amazing on these speakers, trust me. If you feed good audio into them, you'll get great audio out of them. The digital music from my phone or any source also sounds amazing. Put these in a small or mid sized room and people will be wondering where you hid the subwoofer! For $106.00 total, I have yet to find a better pair of active speakers in my lifetime, with Bluetooth!!!!! Highly recommended to anyone. They are fantastic! Remote works just fine.

I purchased a pair of these speakers when they were on sale for $129.99 to replace a smaller set (3" woofers) of similar speakers I was using with my TV. Build quality seems solid and the finish on the cabinets is an attractive wood grained, gloss black. I tested the speakers using a variety of music and was surprised at how much low end these put out. Volume was another pleasant surprise as these speakers could easily fill a good sized room with sound. Plenty of input options, the bluetooth connection was easy to set up with my iPhone and works from a good distance. The remote control is also a nice touch. I would have rated these speakers at 5 stars except for one small point. The addition of an "auto standby mode" (speakers go into low power mode when not receiving a signal) would have been a nice addition. This was likely a price point decision and is certainly not a deal breaker by any means. Overall, I was very pleased and I decided to purchased a second pair (at the sale price) for use with a small, mobile recording rig I keep at my vacation home.

I bought these for a TV in a large living room. I do not have a place for an AVR or amplifier. These speakers fit the space perfectly and are internally amplified... no AVR needed. You can power the speakers on/off using the remote or by clicking in the volume knob on the speaker. I programmed the remote code into my universal remote, so the speakers auto-power on when I'm starting up my system. Easy fix for those complaining about the speakers going into auto-standby. You can also change the input source by clicking in the volume knob or on the remote. The bluetooth has good range (about 40 ft in my house) But for a better solution. You can plug these speakers into an Airport express, Sonos connect, or Chromecast audio. That way you can play music through the speakers via wifi instead of bluetooth and get a more stable and longer range music experience. Bass is surprisingly good for the size of these speakers. It has a subwoofer output, which would be great for adding bass to a larger room. Treble is adjustable and I found it to be very clear and not fatiguing. Overall volume is great. They do distort when cranked to maximum, but they are not meant to be run at that high volume for long. You would want to get larger speakers and amp if you need to shake the whole house. Overall great value and quality. Highly recommended.