Acoustic Energy AE1 Active

The changing roles of hifi equipment mean that audio systems themselves are changing shape. The increasing number of products with integrated pre-amplifiers mean that many customers are searching for an equally convenient speaker to connect them to. Taking full advantage of Acoustic Energy’s considerable experience in the field of active speakers, the AE1 Active is designed to deliver this convenience without trading performance.
The AE1 Active is a two way standmount speaker with integrated class A/B amplification and fully active filter networks. Featuring Acoustic Energy’s legendary pure piston ceramic aluminium cone technology, the AE1 Active has all the refinement and impact you would expect from the original AE1 housed within a self powered, fully active package. The speakers also feature Acoustic Energy’s proprietary aluminium dome tweeter with our unique WDT waveguide for improved coverage and room integration.

Ideal for direct connection to audiophile DAC/Preamps and Hi-Res streamers, the AE1 Active merges three decades of AE1 refinement with Acoustic Energy’s expertise in the active studio monitor sector. Fully bi-amped with two 50Watt class A/B amplifiers per speaker, the design offers unrivalled amplifier speaker integration and class leading dynamics. The new Active model offers all the musical insight and detail that has made the AE1 the audiophile’s small speaker of choice for 30 years.

Key to the success of the AE1 Active design is its unique pure piston ceramic aluminium cone technology. Now in its fifth generation, this 125mm ceramic hard-anodised spun aluminium cone offers exceptional stiffness at low weight. This negates the cone flex and break-up nodes at frequencies typical of paper and plastic cone designs. The tweeter is an all-new Acoustic Energy designed 27mm metal done unit designed to work in harmony with our Wide Dispersion Technology (WDT) waveguide. The result is perfect integration with the mid/bass driver, with extremely wide and spacious imaging.

Electronically, the AE1 Active is proudly an all-analogue design focused on performance without compromise. This includes wired analogue inputs, both balanced XLR and standard RCA, the highest quality linear power supplies and two pair-matched, high-performance 50Watt Class A/B amplifiers per speaker. While the design team experimented with wireless inputs, switch mode power supplies, Class D amplification and DSP, none delivered the audio performance befitting of a loudspeaker wearing the legendary AE1 badge.