Audioengine
Lacks transparency. Shows little about where or how its products are made.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 4 sources
Texas audio company selling powered speakers and DACs.
We couldn't find where Audioengine makes most of its powered speakers and DACs, a certification covering its range or a list of its suppliers.
Also worth knowing
Most electronics are made in countries such as China and Vietnam, where pay is usually below a living wage.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Audioengine? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production, probably in high-risk countries and untraced high-risk mined materials. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsWhere electronics are usually made, such as China and Malaysia, unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: Traces its cobalt, gold and other conflict minerals to the mine
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Probably made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't traceShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
We couldn't confirm where Audioengine makes most of its products, so this shows where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 55% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Taiwan | 10% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Malaysia | 8% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South Korea | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| India | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: cobalt, tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold mining carry child and forced labour risk (DR Congo, Indonesia), and assembly overtime is widespread.
- Relies on metals such as cobalt, gold and tin from artisanal mines where miners, including children, face toxic dust, mercury exposure and deadly tunnel collapses. It hasn't shown any steps to trace these materials to the mine, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Audioengine's co-founder has said its products are designed and assembled in Asia, with some final assembly possibly returning to the US, but the company gives no country or factory names. It publishes no supplier list, modern slavery statement or audit results, and an article claiming US manufacture is not confirmed by the company. No certifications, living wage commitment or reported labour abuses were found.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not listed | Audioengine was not rated in Baptist World Aid's last Electronics Industry Report (2016); the series has ended. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No Audioengine statement was found on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse reports involving Audioengine or its suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- What was the genesis of Audioengine? (High Fidelity Review) · search the archive · Co-founder says design and assembly of Audioengine products is done in Asia; no country named
- Audioengine A2+ Bluetooth Home Music System (The Audio Tailor) · search the archive · Audioengine A2+ in stock at A$449 from an Australian retailer with a showroom in Murarrie, Queensland
Published by Audioengine or its owner
- About Audioengine · search the archive · Founded in Austin in 2005, based in Sherman, Texas; no parent company or venture capital investors
- 20 Years of Audioengine · search the archive · Speakers described as handcrafted and hand-tuned; US-based and veteran-owned; no production location given
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Audioengine ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/audioengine, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Audioengine.