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Acoustic Energy AE309
The AE309² is a new slim-line floor-standing loudspeaker with compact dimensions, suitable for medium to large sized rooms. Featuring new cabinet design and drivers, performance has been considerably improved in all areas whilst maintaining the same competitive pricing as the previous model.
The AE309² utilises brand-new paper/coconut-fibre bass-mid drivers which were developed using research derived from the CORINIUM project. These drivers, along with an all-new soft dome tweeter are housed in an inert, slimline 18mm constrained-layer RSC™ MDF/bitumen cabinet – offering a significant step up in both audio and material quality at this price point. The slot shaped duct port on the rear of the speaker augments the bass output and has been carefully developed to reduce the effect of air turbulence with a clean, undistorted bass performance.
The cabinet is available in a choice of walnut or newly developed ‘silk-touch’ matte black or white finishes featuring screen-printed logos with trims and grilles which are colour matched for each finish. The new AE309² is also supplied with aluminium feet and spike covers and will easily integrate within any home décor while being considerate to any floor surface.
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Professional Reviews 91/100
Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
90/100
Build Quality
90/100
Value for Money
93/100
Compact in stature but big-hearted in scale, the AE309 combines deep, taut bass with fluid dynamics, an open midband and smooth, crisp treble. HiFi Choice admired its coherent, wide presentation, while What Hi-Fi? highlighted its instinctive musical flow. This slim 2.5-way floorstander brings room-filling drama and civilised detail to music and film alike.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Deep, powerful and tuneful bass delivers impressive scale for a compact floorstander.
Coherent, engaging musical presentation with strong timing, expressive dynamics and low perceived compression at higher levels.
Smooth, integrated treble offers crisp cymbal detail without harshness or metallic glare.
&
Cons
Bass prioritises weight and body over the very sharpest edge definition.
Female vocals and fine midrange harmonics can sound slightly opaque rather than fully transparent.
Soundstage depth and pinpoint image placement trail the strongest rivals.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 90/100
Reviewers consistently find the AE309 an engaging, coherent and unusually full-scale small floorstander. Its character favours musical flow, punch and a smooth presentation over forensic analysis, with some reservations about ultimate image precision, stage depth and midrange transparency.
Bass
93/100
Bass is a major strength: reviewers describe it as deep, plentiful, gutsy and unusually powerful for the cabinet size, with enough weight for film without a subwoofer. It remains fast, even and tuneful, although StereoNET and What Hi-Fi? note that it is not the tautest or most sharply defined low end.
Mid
89/100
The midband is widely praised as open, coherent and musically communicative, with an especially seamless handover from the bass. Vocals are generally natural and smoothly presented, though StereoNET heard a slight opacity and nasality with some female voices.
Treble
91/100
Treble is repeatedly characterised as smooth, crisp and well integrated, delivering cymbal texture and sparkle without shoutiness or metallic glare. What Hi-Fi? also finds a pleasing balance between excessive roll-off and undue brightness.
Soundstage Imaging
86/100
The AE309 produces a credible, immersive stage with convincing image placement and more width than its compact proportions suggest. However, reviewers also describe the presentation as relatively compact, with only decent-to-modest depth and less exact image location than the best alternatives.
Dynamics
92/100
Reviewers find the AE309 notably expressive and composed for its size and price, handling both delicate material and large-scale climaxes with ease. It is praised for low perceived compression, convincing rhythmic drive and an ability to retain control at high levels.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
90/100
The slim cabinets are consistently described as substantial, well finished and more grown-up in appearance than expected at the price. Reviews highlight the braced MDF construction, damping measures, carefully shaped port and attractive finish options; The Ear also calls the newer version really well made.
Value for Money
93/100
At the review prices of roughly £499 to £1,200 per pair, critics repeatedly regarded the AE309 as highly competitive and more capable-looking and sounding than expected. What Hi-Fi? calls it as likeable as anything heard below £1,000, while Hi-Fi Choice describes its market position as extremely competitive.
Reviews
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Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Acoustic Energy AE309
- Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
- Holt Hill — online and in-store — Andover, Massachusetts, United States (website)
- A1 Futureshop — online and in-store — North Rocks, New South Wales, Australia (website)
- Acoustica — online and in-store — Chester, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Akalın Muzik Ltd. — in-store — İstanbul, Turkey (website)
- Alen Audio — in-store — Extramurs, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
- Alex Audio Video — in-store — Sofia, Sofia City Province, Bulgaria (website)
- Ambiance Concert — in-store — Angers, Pays de la Loire, France (website)
- Anagram Audio — online and in-store — Bury St Edmunds, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
and 88 more verified dealers