nuBoxx A-125 pro

Box type, sound and recommended use

If you want maximum sound quality in the smallest possible space, if you value a wide range of connection and application options, if you don't want to miss out on useful sound settings, but want them to be as easy to operate as possible - in other words, if you're looking for the best possible compact active speakers at an affordable price, then you'll find them in the nuBoxx A-125 pro.

The speaker duo, specially designed for paired operation, offers everything that distinguishes a modern stereo system - you just connect the appropriate player. This can be your smartphone or tablet, which connect wirelessly via Bluetooth, thanks to support for aptX HD and AAC with excellent transmission quality. Or even a laptop or desktop computer, the speakers then act as a high-resolution USB sound card (up to 192 kHz/24 bit). Last but not least, a traditional hi-fi device like a CD or network player. With no less than five analog, digital and wireless inputs, the nuBoxx A-125 pro prove to be extremely sociable. Set up, connect, start - and enjoy!

When the music plays, the aha experience follows - small can sound that big? In view of the compact dimensions - the speakers take up hardly more space than a shoebox - the amazing low bass and bass pressure of the transducers is particularly amazing. If you like it even louder and deeper, simply add a subwoofer (tip: nuSub XW-700), but even from the factory, the tiny speakers play surprisingly mature. Thanks to extensive setting options, you can precisely adjust the sound to your personal taste, the sound material or the environment. In addition to a classic bass and treble/mid control, the sound modes Movie and Music offer two clever algorithms that expand the stereo panorama impressively far ("listening zone expansion"). All options are conveniently accessible via the included high-quality remote control.

The nuBoxx A-125 pro feel particularly at home on the desk, as a multimedia speaker for leisure use or even in a professional production environment. But they are just as at home on the kitchen cabinet, where they provide sophisticated music enjoyment, far above the level of the usual "background sound" of typical smart speakers. On the lowboard in the living room or on the shelf, they provide a small but fine stereo system that is ready to play at any time with the cell phone and Spotify, Tidal & Co. Thanks to the small footprint and the included three-meter link cable that connects both boxes, you can place the nuBoxx A-125 pro virtually anywhere.

So: If you want to enjoy music as simply as possible, make no compromises in terms of sound, but don't want to break the bank for it either, then by all means try the nuBoxx A-125 pro - thanks to the 30-day test guarantee, completely risk-free!

If you prefer an HDMI input instead of the USB port, you will find what you are looking for in our nuBox A-125.

Design principle and housing

As fully active two-way speakers, the nuBoxx A-125 pro house an active crossover as well as a total of four powerful digital amplifiers, each with 40 watts of music power for the high and low-mid ranges. The digital operating principle enables precise separation and equalization of the frequency paths, which accounts for the good low-frequency performance of the compact speakers.

The cabinets of both speakers are made of 19 millimeter thick medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which reliably reduces resonances and promotes a clean sound image. The oval bass reflex ports are located on the back of each of the two speakers. The cabinet body is equipped with a high-quality decorative foil in black or white, the baffle is painted satin black or white. The removable, magnetically adhering front cover is covered with optimally permeable acoustic fabric (light gray cover for the white version).

Chassis

The nuBoxx A-125 pro each employ a 118-millimeter woofer and a 25-millimeter tweeter. Both drivers were specially developed for the A-series speakers and feature impressive performance values for their size class. For example, the pair of active speakers owes its respectable lower cutoff frequency of 50 Hertz (at -3 decibels) to both precise DSP control and optimized long-throw woofers. And the textile dome tweeter is characterized by excellent omnidirectional sound distribution and particularly fine resolution.

Operation and setting options

The speakers of the nuBoxx A series are controlled with the included remote control. The buttons allow direct access to all important functions: Inputs, volume, listening zone expansion, tone control, stand-by, mute and Bluetooth pairing. A multicolored LED provides information about the operating status:

• Bluetooth: Blue
• Aux (analog): Green
• Optical (digital): Red
• Coax (digital): White
• USB: Purple

Thus, the active speakers permanently display the selected input. Received commands are acknowledged with a short flashing of the LED. In energy-saving mode, the light goes out. The nuBoxx A-125 pro have a switchable automatic switch-on function, with which they react to signals of the last selected input.

Tone control

The nuBoxx A-125 pro are neutrally tuned and output true-to-original two-channel sound at the factory. If a more effective reproduction is desired, pressing the "Movie" button on the remote control activates a special DSP circuit that increases the spatiality of the reproduction and makes the sound more vivid - ideal for movies and TV shows. The Music mode, on the other hand, is recommended for music playback. The effect expands the acoustic stage and immerses the listener even deeper into the sound experience. We call this "listening zone expansion". Pressing the respective keys again deactivates the effects.

Connections

The nuBoxx A-125 pro has five inputs, all located on the right speaker, which acts as the master speaker controlling the overall system. Available are an optical digital and an electrical digital input, a USB port, an analog stereo RCA connection and a Bluetooth receiver with aptX HD and AAC support for wireless connections. Thus, users enjoy almost free choice when it comes to the input player: From classic CD players, multimedia computers or game consoles to mobile multi-talents like smartphones or tablets, almost all modern media systems can be connected.

A sub output is available for connecting an external subwoofer. If this is used to set up a sub-sat system, the lower cut-off frequency of the nuBoxx A-125 pro is raised to 80 hertz, which increases the level reserves.

Energy

The nuBoxx A-125 pro are equipped with a convenient automatic energy-saving feature that switches the speakers on independently or puts them into power-saving standby mode when not in use. In this stand-by mode, which can also be activated manually via remote control, the speakers consume less than 0.5 watts. The wide-range power supply allows these active speakers to be used with mains voltages from 110/120 to 230/240 volts. The automatic stand-by function can be deactivated manually.

More info in technology

For all technically interested music and home cinema lovers who are not put off by hard facts and metrological details, Günther Nubert's "Technik satt" offers plenty of technical correlations and electro-acoustic background knowledge as well as the topic of sound optimization and insights into the development and history of Nubert loudspeakers and devices.