Well I have the 530 (and IL-10 and M106 and R263 and more) so it's not like I need another pair ...but curious about that bass quality.
Howdy,
I know you have the 530's but I'll write so that others can interpret when cross shopping...
I don't have my measurements handy but I measured both sets extensively.
Measurement wise they are both truly excellent.
Neither measures as a bright speaker, both generally track the Harman downward slope quite well in my room.
The A130 has more forward mids both in measurement and subjectively.
In my medium room the
530 has much better bass extension and output below 60hrz above they are similar.
The A130 measures with lower HD in the 60-120hrz zone above that the 530 is generally similar or superior. IMD was not measured but the 530 appears to have higher Xmax so factor that in.
Ultimately I use PEQ as nearly all speakers benefit and all rooms are influential.
More corrections are used with the A130 to track my preferred curve, the 530 is smoother pre-PEQ.
With PEQ both speakers are phenomenal, really.
Measured distortion wise (&subjectively) both benefit from high-pass & bass reinforcement (like nearly all small speakers) at least to allow removing the low bass from their agenda. The 530 would be my choice for a full range between the two though I haven't spent as much time with the A130 full range yet.
I should note that the 530 has very low distortion in my measurements from the tweeter, it is all 2nd order and orders higher than that are super low - as in near world class for a home speaker at typical volumes. That compression driver is barely working up any sort of sweat. I hear zero ringing during the HD test sweep, I do hear some chirping from the A130. Still that button tweet is amazing. I can't believe how cheap it is appears in construction and yet how well it performs here.
(PEQ tweaks judiciously applied) Subjectively, wow. Such low money for this?
The A130 has a very wide dispersion and in my room sounds very different from the 530. These are different speakers from the 530's. The level of detail retrieval competes with much, much more expensive speakers I have owned and DIY'ed. This is after PEQ so not due to the elevated mids.
Bass wise the A130's are really great above about 60hrz, lower notes sound bad at volume and they measure poorly. This is a small speaker run full range, however crossed at about 70/75hrz they rip. Very easy to drive, using about half the power of the 530 for equal SPL.
Still the 530 are my favorite between the two. (not by much) Something about them, I don't know. Of course there is something about these A130's as well, I mean I am seriously impressed. I have a shelf full of carefully selected RAW drivers some of which cost as much as a pair of these finished speakers, good thing I love DIY for the experience and am not doing it to save money.
The A170's are on sale as well, if you want to try them and the 570's never get back in stock. You already have the 530's so the A170's might be fun. The reviews of the A170 in the press are high praise - Stereophile has some published measurements as well.
By the way regarding PEQ, the files and recommendations folks have posted here are pretty pointless. One has to measure in room. None of the examples here match in the way that I would want when compared to what I actually used in my room. In fact I think using them would be just slightly above a zero sum game.