Retro is very much the ‘in’ thing at the moment. The vinyl revival continues, and interest in cassette decks, reel-to-reel machines and even CD players has, if not boomed, grown beyond a gentle simmer.
Against this backdrop, it felt entirely logical that Acoustic Energy would want to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a very special ‘old’ product. Many companies would have taken that as an opportunity to launch a statement piece that shows off the full might of their engineering prowess, a ‘here’s what we can do’ design; Acoustic Energy chose a different route.
It released a reimagined version of its first speaker, the AE1, a tiny monitor that set new standards for performance, technology and price when it was introduced all those decades ago.
The AE1 40th Anniversary is entirely faithful to the ’80s original in its design principles and sonic priorities. However, it is engineered and manufactured to current standards.
The original tweeter and mid/bass have long been out of production, so Acoustic Energy’s engineers redesigned them from the ground up and tweaked the recipe a little.
The tweeter now uses a 29mm aluminium dome, 4mm larger than before, giving a greater radiating area, and the diaphragm is deliberately shallow to help increase bandwidth. The design is vented to keep the fundamental resonance low.
Like the original, this metal-dome tweeter uses ferrofluid to improve power handling and reduce dynamic compression. It crosses over to the mid/bass unit at an entirely conventional 2.8kHz.
The original mid/bass driver was an unusual design for the time. It has a rigid, straight-sided anodised-aluminium cone to promote pistonic motion, an unusually powerful motor system, and the ability to cope with high power levels thanks to good heat dissipation.
The new unit doesn’t change any of that, but the cone is now 5mm bigger at 12.5cm in diameter, increasing the radiating area and sensitivity. The engineers have also adopted modern practices, such as adding a shorting ring in the motor system, to reduce distortion levels.
Production standards and materials are much better now than they used to be, giving useful gains in consistency and performance. The old design’s aggressive-looking twin reflex ports remain, but they are now flared at both ends to reduce distortion and allow more output.
A benefit of using more capable drivers is that the crossover can be simplified, as it isn’t trying to compensate for any shortcomings in the units. It is now a low-order network, claimed to be more transparent than the complex circuit used in the original speaker.
The AE1’s 29.5cm-tall cabinet has evolved too. The first version was lined with latex-modified concrete to suppress resonances, but this 40th Anniversary model uses the company’s current, more elegant RSC (Resonance Suppression Composite) technology instead.
RSC panels sandwich a Bitumen layer between sheets of HDF (High Density Fibreboard). This creates a rigid but low-resonance structure that is designed to replicate the sonic characteristics of the original cabinets.
Switching to RSC panels makes for quicker manufacturing – no waiting for the concrete to dry – but also results in a slight gain of internal volume, which helps to extend the AE1's low-end reach.
Despite the basic design’s age, this 40th Anniversary model still delivers a performance that challenges the best modern designs at its £1499 / $1999 / AU$3100 price.
"A distinctive character"
The AE1 has a distinctive character. It isn’t quite as transparent or subtle as the class leaders, but we love its bold approach to music replay. As far as small speakers go – the AE1 is about the size of a shoebox – the 40th Anniversary is something of a gem.
We aren’t alone in this impression. Sales have outstripped the company’s expectations by a huge margin. A side effect of this success is that the clamour for a new version of the bigger AE2 grew to a level the company couldn’t ignore. Ultimately, Acoustic Energy was happy to oblige.
At first, the new AE2 40th Anniversary speakers' (£2499 / $3699 / AU$4950) production run was limited to 500 pairs, but the demand has been such that Acoustic Energy has turned it into a proper production model.
The AE2’s design shares much with its smaller sibling. The drivers are the same, but with twin mid/bass units in the larger model. The simpler crossover continues here, though the handover is lowered to 2.2kHz.
Cabinet volume has more than doubled, though it still employs RSC composite panels for their blend of rigidity and resonance control. In a nod to the high-end Signature version of the original AE2, the engineers have added 3mm steel plates inside to improve stiffness and damping.
The AE2 40th Anniversary are hefty and immensely sturdy-feeling boxes. They share the same two lovely high-gloss finishes (black or walnut) as their sibling, and the build quality remains excellent.
Over the decades, we have heard various versions of the original AE1 and AE2. They have always had distinctive sonic characters despite sharing plenty of ingredients and a common engineering ethos. That remains the case here, but not to the degree we expected.
The AE1 has always been the livelier-sounding model, and remains so now. The sheer scale of sound it produces for something so small borders on the shocking. This 40th Anniversary version reinforces that impression, but it is a smoother and more refined performer than before.
Its stereo imaging is exceptional. Few alternatives ‘disappear’ in an aural sense so convincingly, which points to a low-resonance enclosure and nicely controlled dispersion. The AE1 delivers the more precise and layered soundstaging of the two speakers.
It also remains clean and unflustered when pushed hard, producing wide-ranging dynamic shifts with ease and an unusual degree of authority for something of its size.
"A fine sense of balance and cohesion"
Good as this speaker is, switching to its bigger sibling shows the benefits of twin mid/bass drivers and a larger cabinet. The AE2 40th Anniversary justifies its more premium price with significant gains in overall authority and bass power.
It takes the AE1’s impressive talents and turns them up to 11, going even louder and deeper, while maintaining composure longer. The bass depth and power are a match for anything we’ve heard at its price, but the pleasing thing is that the AE2 maintains a fine sense of balance and cohesion.
Both models are smoother than earlier versions and notably more detailed too. Their tonal balance is pretty even, though a little richer than before. Neither produces the kind of delicacy or transparency that the class leaders at their price manage, but they compensate with a robust and punchier presentation that little else betters.
Given the common drivers, similar crossovers and cabinet construction, it comes as no surprise that both speakers are broadly similar in detail resolution, agility and rhythmic drive.
They are surefooted rather than overtly enthusiastic when it comes to playing music such as Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson, but they are fun and still manage to pull us into the musical experience.
If you listen to larger-scale symphonies, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, for example, or play Eminem at very high levels, the AE2 40th Anniversary is the better bet, particularly in larger rooms. It is the more muscular of the two, even if its overall presentation is a touch more measured.
The choice depends on your requirements. The AE1 is the better option in small to medium rooms, where its dynamic reach and volume capabilities will convince you nothing is missing. In the right context, these speakers are a joy.
However, if you have a larger budget and bigger space to fill, go for the AE2 40th Anniversary. It extends the smaller speakers’ abilities without introducing significant flaws.
Either way, both are excellent. Given the age of the basic designs, it makes me wonder how far the industry has really progressed in all these decades.
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