MORE FROM THIS BRAND RESUME The AE 520 is a nice, well-built, neutral and transparent sounding speaker. It continues to sound good and transparent, even when the volume is turned up. But even at a low volume the AE will sound 667 neutral and detailed. The AE 667 makes no special demands on the connected amplifier, but those who connect a high-quality amplifier will be positively surprised by these slim floor stands.

PLUS POINTS Sleek rectangular shape without decoration Heavy duty and solid housing Installation is easy No musical preference Detailed, neutral and transparent sound Can play loud and undistorted MINUSES Black high gloss version is sensitive to fingerprints The British loudspeaker manufacturer Acoustic Energy has its roots in the professional world. The very first product, the AE1, was intended for studio use, but soon found its way into consumers’ living rooms. Acoustic Energy claims that its professional orientation has always been central to its design philosophy. The professional DNA is in all models of Acoustic Energy. In our space is a pair of the floor standing model AE 520, the current flagship of the English manufacturer. Acoustic Energy promises a neutral, detailed and transparent sound. We will test that.

Acoustic Energy: British speaker builder

The UK-based speaker builder Acoustic Energy was founded by Phil Jones in West London on April 4 1994. The original name of the company was “Eldonfield Limited”. This name was changed on 28 June 1987 and then “Acoustic Energy” was officially born. Jones was involved in making music and building loudspeakers from an early age. Jones says he was not a bookworm, but he has read many books about designing and building loudspeakers. The first book was that of Gilbert Briggs, the founder of the British Wharfedale.

The very first A product designed and manufactured by Acoustic Energy (AE) was the AE1, a now legendary and world famous loudspeaker that was also very affordable. Advanced with a woofer with an aluminum cone, this relatively small two-way monitor speaker set a new tone in the industry’s standards of audio performance from a compact enclosure that remains the foundation of the design philosophy of Company. Originally the AE1 was aimed at the professional market, but soon the focus was successfully shifted towards consumers.

The company grew steadily and got in 1994 support from overseas OEM manufacturing partner. The financial and manufacturing strength offered supported AE’s ability to expand its global reach. To facilitate this growth, AE moved from London to larger premises in the historic Cotswold town of Cirencester, where the company still resides today. In the spring of 2017 AE took the opportunity to regain full British ownership.

The current trade name is “Acoustic Energy Loudspeakers Limited”. As music aficionados, the four directors, Mat Spandl, Neil Truckell, James Luce and Martin Harding have been involved with the company for over twenty years and collectively combine more than 100 years of experience and knowledge in the audio industry. Since Acoustic Energy was born over thirty years ago, the company has won many awards and accolades from the global hi-fi press.

Acoustic Energy: portfolio It started so all with the AE1, a passive two-way monitor loudspeaker. The AE1 is no longer for sale, at least not in passive form. Acoustic Energy does have an active version of the AE1 in its portfolio. Also read our Acoustic Energy’s Active AE1 review.

For the rest, the company only builds passive models, divided over three product lines. The 100-product line consists of five models. The 107 is the only monitor model and it is with a price of 125 euro each the cheapest loudspeaker from Acoustic Energy. The 107 is a center model, the 108 is an active subwoofer and the 109 and 120 are floor standing models. The 120 is a three-way speaker.

Above the 100 – Product line is the 300-product line and it consists of four models. The smallest is the 307, a monitor model. Then come center model 308 and subwoofer 308. The 309 is a floorstander and the latter was researched by this medium about a year ago. Also read our review about the AE 309 from Acoustic Energy.

Acoustic Energy’s flagship line is the 500-product line . It consists of monitor model 500 and floor uprights 509 and 520. The latter is the subject of research in this review and is the current top model from Acoustic Energy. The AE 520 is also the second three-way model in Acoustic Energy’s current portfolio. For an amount of 1. 995 euro each goes the AE 520 over the counter in a choice of black or white lacquered finish or in walnut veneer. The black version was used for the review. Incidentally, Acoustic Energy supplies a magnetically attached fabric cover to hide the drivers from view. This cover is black, regardless of the color of the case.

We take a look at the construction and technology of the AE 520 and then we will listen to music .

Acoustic Energy AE 520: Flagship Floor Stand A Closer Look The AE 520 is a tall, slim, three-way floorstanding loudspeaker with drivers fitted with a carbon fiber cone. In total no less than six drivers have been installed.

For frequencies above 2.8 kHz, a newly developed carbon fiber dome tweeter from 28 millimeter on top, which is equipped with an aluminum waveguide “ for optimal spread ”.

Above and below the tweeter are midrange drivers with a 125 millimeter carbon fiber cone. They cover the range of an unusually specific 500 Hz to 2.8 kHz. The tweeter is thus located between two equal midrange speakers. This configuration is called d’Appolito setup. By placing the tweeter halfway between the midrange, the mids and highs sensitive to human hearing are reproduced more homogeneously regardless of whether the listener is sitting or standing.

The bass are provided by another three 125 mm carbon fiber cone drivers, stacked in a column in the bottom half of the baffle.

The two mid-toners and three w oofers each have an oversized voice coil of 35 millimeters to ensure low thermal compression and very high motor power . The mid-range speakers each have their own sealed enclosure for acoustic isolation of the three woofers. The woofers are assisted by bass reflection, through a port on the back. The AE 667 cannot be placed very close to a wall behind it.

In each speaker are two circuit boards for the crossover, with the components for the low-frequency part on a separate board. This is to minimize crosstalk between components. The chokes are all air-core for low distortion. The AE 667 features a single speaker terminal. Bi-wiring or bi-amping is therefore not possible.

The rectangular housing is only 185 millimeter wide , but 1. 130 millimeter high and 320 millimeter deep (that is without spikes and feet included). Acoustic Energy has not applied any decorative elements. The black cabinets are hardly noticeable in dim light. The cabinets are very heavily constructed. Each speaker weighs 35 kilogram and is made of Acoustic Energy Resonance Suppression Composite (RSC) material. This material consists of a MDF outer wall with a thickness of nine millimeters and an MDF inner wall of six millimeters, both glued with a bitumen layer of three millimeters in between. The design would be acoustically inert. They stand on solid aluminum plates with spikes. The spikes are adjustable and the AE 667 can therefore be placed wobble-free. Acoustic Energy supplies underpads so that the tips of the spikes cannot damage the floor.

Acoustic Energy specifies the frequency response of 30 Hz to 28 kHz (± 6 dB). The specified sensitivity is 90 dB. The connected amplifier does not have to be a powerhouse. The maximum load capacity is a wide 307 Watts at a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. The maximum sound pressure is 113 dB.

Let’s go the AE 520 Connect and listen to music.

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