The world of compact audio equipment is often dominated by well-known brands. But what if we stray from the beaten path and look to Northern Europe? For several decades, the Swedish company Audio Pro has been creating speaker systems that combine Scandinavian minimalism, attention to detail, and lively, natural sound.
Today we will take a look at two of their active stereo systems — the compact A26 and the more powerful A36 — and add low frequencies with the SW10 subwoofer. These are ready-made, well-designed sets that eliminate the need to select amplifiers and speakers separately.
Our goal is to understand whether these devices can compete with traditional solutions. We will test them in action: how convenient they are in everyday use, how they cope with different types of music, and what the subwoofer connection offers. Let's find out together what their northern magic is all about.
Audio Pro A26 and A36: metal and wood
First, let's have a little quiz: who can guess the country of manufacture based on the appearance of the speakers? The answer is obvious!
The Scandinavian origin is clear at first glance. “Scandinavian roots” add a touch of coldness and austerity to the design — we have seen this many times. And often this also affects the sound, which is not very desirable — winter is already cold enough.
Audio Pro was indeed founded in Sweden in 1978. Since then, it has specialized in the development and manufacture of home audio systems of various shapes and sizes. Of course, the Swedes set themselves quite ambitious goals: the best possible sound for the least possible money.
During the company's existence, Audio Pro engineers have patented several of their own developments, among which the company particularly highlights Ace-Bass technology. According to press releases, this technology has made it possible to achieve very deep, rich, and detailed bass even when the speaker cabinet is quite modest in size. And our test involves the small Audio Pro A26 bookshelf speakers, so they are sure to be put to the test.
But let's get back to the design. As representatives of the true Scandinavian style, Audio Pro simply had to offer a small selection of colors. That's why the A26 bookshelf speakers, the A36 floorstanding speakers, and the SW10 subwoofer are available in two colors: black and white.
Since both stereo systems come from the same line, their designs are very similar—the only differences are in the number of drivers and dimensions. The A26 bookshelf speakers have two drivers on the front panel: a 115 mm bass driver and a 25 mm fabric dome tweeter protected by a metal grille. The A36 mini floorstanding speakers have room for two woofers, and both types of speakers use similar drivers.
The front panels have clean lines and no decorations. The picture is brightened up by the included grilles, which are attached with magnets. They also add variety to the overall color scheme and have a metal label with the company name near the bottom edge.
The rear panel of the A26 bookshelf speakers is covered with a metal plate, which also has a cutout for a slot-type phase inverter. Just below, both bookshelf speakers have a mount for the brand's bracket. At the bottom of the plate, there are a pair of terminals for connecting the speaker cable. All of this applies to both speakers.
The left speaker is active and, in addition to two Class D amplifiers with a total power of 150 W, also contains all the connection terminals. There is one optical input, one HDMI ARC, and one 3.5 mm AUX input for receiving incoming signals. One RCA connector is reserved for connecting a subwoofer.
A mechanical toggle switch determines how the Audio Pro A26 will work: as satellites paired with a subwoofer or as a standalone stereo pair. When the satellite mode is selected, the built-in crossover takes some of the bass away from the bookshelf speakers to relieve the load on the drivers. A simple but logical and effective solution. The second mechanical button is for connecting to a smartphone via Wi-Fi, but we'll talk about that a little later.
As for the Audio Pro A36 floorstanding speakers, they have a similar panel at the bottom of the cabinet and another metal panel at the top. They are ranked the same way: the left speaker is the main one and contains the same two amplifiers and similar functionality — except for the toggle switch, which cuts the bass in favor of the subwoofer. And the phase inverter here does not violate the integrity of the metal plate, as it is located higher up and has the usual round shape.
Both speakers have a dim LED on the left (main) column under the tweeter grille, which indicates the selected input in different colors — a rather convenient feature.
The A36 rests on a kind of pedestal, which is larger than the cabinet and provides the speaker with reliable stability. The situation is different with the A26 bookshelf speakers: their bottom panel is covered with a pleasant soft material, which allows you to place them even on lacquered surfaces without fear.
Both speaker models are connected in stereo pairs using the included acoustic cable. In general terms, they are made of wood and metal, metal and wood. There is a little fabric on the grilles, but even there, there is metal. That's how Scandinavians are.
The Audio Pro A26 and A36 active stereo systems with the optional SW10 subwoofer are a simple and stylish solution for those who want good sound without unnecessary wires and complicated settings. These speakers from Sweden offer warm, clear sound, convenient Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and the ability to work with both your phone and TV. This is not hyper-technical audiophile gear, but a smart balance between design, comfort, and true Scandinavian quality — an excellent choice for your home without compromise.
Audio Pro SW10
A rather attractive, small subwoofer that is literally studded with radiators.
The front panel hides a 203 mm diameter active driver behind a metal protective grille. On either side are two more passive diffusers, each 229 mm in diameter — now that's impressive! At the same time, the SW10's dimensions do not exceed 30 cm in any plane.
The subwoofer was released as an addition to the A26 and 36, and completely echoes their design: nothing superfluous. In the lower right corner of the front panel, there is a company label — without it, it would be even more minimalistic.
The rear panel is also metal and houses the minimum necessary for setting up and connecting the subwoofer: crossover cutoff and volume control, a phase switch, and one RCA for connecting to the speakers. The outer switch is responsible for the subwoofer's operating mode: it will either be always on or will mute when there is no signal.
Almost all of the metal plates encountered during today's test bear the ominous inscription “SOUND OF SCANDINAVIA.” Let's hope this is just a marketing ploy.
Versatility
In fact, all of the above is only part of the versatility we mentioned at the beginning. Modern technologies come into play next: a smartphone app, streaming, multi-room, and other goodies.
Let's start with the simple stuff: there is a metal remote control. But only the Audio Pro Control app will give you access to the full functionality. I must say, it's impressive.
First, there is an abundance of streaming services, including Tidal, Spotify (Spotify Connect is also supported), Deezer, Qobuz, and others. Second, you can set up and configure a multi-room system if you have more than one pair of Audio Pro speakers. You can divide the speakers into zones and rename them, but you can't combine them into a 5.1 home theater system — they'll always be stereo pairs.
From here, you can also select the input source for the speakers, so you probably won't need the remote control in the future. However, additional features have also been added to the remote control: for example, you can assign the five programmable buttons to start playing your favorite playlist or something else interesting.
By the way, one of the input sources can be Bluetooth 5.0, with support for low-power Qualcomm aptX, which is relevant for users of Android-based smartphones and tablets.
The app's functionality includes an equalizer. However, it is quite primitive — there is only high and low frequency adjustment in the range of ±5 dB. It is complemented by a “Virtual Sound” slider, which, unfortunately (or fortunately?), only works with HDMI ARC input — that is, when connecting Audio Pro A26 or A36 to a TV with the appropriate connector.
The same input also provides access to the so-called “night mode”: it mutes all frequencies except those responsible for voice reproduction and can also automatically suppress unexpected dynamic sound fluctuations — your neighbors will be happy.
All this time, the Audio Pro SW10 subwoofer stood aside, looking enviously at its stereo counterparts: the sub has no network functionality and can only boast three large drivers and compact dimensions.
Audio Pro A26 and SW10: hope for Hi-Fi
The listening session took place at the Dr.Head salon in Moscow and began with the A26 bookshelf speakers as a stereo pair. They were placed, as is customary for TV speakers, on a stand on either side of the TV.
Incidentally, the manufacturer itself makes no secret of the fact that the main task of the bookshelf and floorstanding speakers under consideration is to provide sound for the TV as a replacement for the TV's built-in speakers. However, on the manufacturer's website, one of the pages has the word “Hi-Fi” on it, so there is still some hope.
The music was played using Tidal from the Audio Pro Control app and a smartphone connected to the speakers via Bluetooth.
The Audio Pro A26 can definitely cause a wow effect: from the very first notes, they make it clear why the manufacturer drew our attention to Ace-Bass technology. There is really a surprising amount of bass, to such an extent that a random witness to the test said, “Yes, these floorstanding speakers have good bass, even though they are small.” But it was the bookshelf speakers that were playing!
It is worth noting that there was enough space behind the phase inverter — about 0.5 meters. But this did not prevent the Audio Pro A26 from producing bass that was deep and powerful beyond its size.
The bass quickly cooled down the midrange frequencies — the threat of “SOUND OF SCANDINAVIA” began to materialize. The midrange and everything above it turned out to be quite cool, giving preference to the main details in the sound, but bypassing semitones and overtones. The vocals are clear, the instruments are also distinguishable and have a claim to positioning on the stage.
I found myself agreeing with the manufacturer: these bookshelf speakers are very good for TV sound. They are also suitable for the unpretentious music lover — the Audio Pro A26 copes well with all genres, develops good sound pressure, and is easy to use.
By the way, when the Audio Pro SW10 subwoofer came to the aid of the A26, after switching to “satellite” mode, the bookshelf speakers breathed more freely, and the subwoofer, after a brief adjustment, confidently took its place in the range. Its bass is noticeably deeper and more elastic. You can't fool physics.
However, frankly speaking, having one active radiator and two passive ones in this budget is simply audacious. There must be a catch somewhere. But after painstakingly studying various low-frequency parts in compositions of different genres, we couldn't find a catch. So the subwoofer turned out to be really good, and stylish too.
Audio Pro A36: hope for Hi-Fi
Hope is still alive — I want to believe that the manufacturer's website was not just making empty promises when it wrote those four cherished letters on its wall. It should be noted that it is not clear from the specifications whether both pairs of speakers meet Hi-Fi requirements.
The listening scenarios for the Audio Pro A36 mini floorstanding speakers have not changed — preferably Tidal and all the abundance of genres represented there. The Audio Pro A36 took their place on either side of the TV stand and fit very harmoniously into this space.
The situation has clearly changed for the better. First of all, the A36s are noticeably different in tone and sound warmer and more melodic. And they've gained some solidity — after all, these are floor-standing speakers.
Listening to music with the A36 was a pleasure: pleasant, somewhat soft, but with all the details in place. The bass remained as solid as ever, slightly deeper and comfortably fitting into the overall sound picture. It was pleasantly complemented by the midrange frequencies, which already featured reverberation, after-sound, and a clear soundstage.
Against this backdrop, the high frequencies had little to do but not spoil anything. And they did an excellent job, even better than expected: comfortable and detailed. However, if you listen closely, there are still hints of menace, but they are so insignificant that you soon stop paying attention to them.
The results of this test show that Audio Pro creates systems that are difficult to call ordinary speakers. They are, rather, ready-made, smart music hubs for the home. They are ideal for those who want high-quality, rich sound without the hassle of selecting components and dealing with a bunch of wires. The A26, A36, and SW10 are an elegant way to organize music in any room.
Their main strength lies in their uncompromising simplicity and coherent sound. You choose the power and bass levels depending on the size of the room, and then just enjoy the music. Their modest but stylish Scandinavian aesthetics allow them to fit into a modern interior without dominating it.
If you are looking for an alternative to mass-market wireless speakers or don't want to dive into the world of classic stereo systems, Audio Pro offers a very compelling solution. This is a case where technology, design, and lively, energetic sound are brought together in a single, well-thought-out package.
