Acoustic Energy AE1 Active speakers combine 30 years of hi-fi knowhow

This year marks the 30th anniversary of The Bristol Show, and also the 30th year that Acoustic Energy has been making hi-fi gear. To celebrate this milestone, the company has launched the AE1 Active, the latest in its long-running AE1 range.

With two 50W Class A/B amplifiers per speaker, they promise "class-leading dynamics" with all the musical insight and detail you would expect from the range.

The new unit is designed to work in harmony with AE's Wide Dispersion Technology waveguide, for seamless integration with the mid/bass driver. The result is a wide, spacious image.

Electronically, the AE1 Active is an all-analogue design. The firm says it experimented with components like wireless inputs and Class D amplification, but found they didn't offer the performance required.

The AE1 Actives are on sale now, priced £1,000 for the piano black or piano white finish, and £1,200 for the piano cherry veneer.

Joe Svetlik

Joe has been writing about tech for 20 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine (now defunct), Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more. His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.