Acoustic Energy AE1 active speakers

The Acoustic Energy AE1 Active is a 2-way speaker with 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. 

Now in its fifth generation, the 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.

The active design offers the ability for accurate tuning to the listening room and placement thanks to defeatable +/- 2dB trims for bass and treble response. Each speaker features a high quality analogue volume pot for systems without level control on the source component.