The affordable AE1 was a revelation in 1987. It was a small loudspeaker with the kind of dynamic range, clarity, and bass extension usually reserved for much larger enclosures. Now, decades later, Acoustic Energy is celebrating the 40th anniversary of this groundbreaking loudspeaker, and its designers are proud to launch the AE1 40th Anniversary Edition. Designing the new AE1 was no easy feat. Not only was it a design classic, but all the original components had been unavailable for some time, so the manufacturer, according to the company, had to start from scratch.
The original design was, in a way, the foundation. With this speaker’s sound and reputation for exceptional performance already established, there was no room for wild variations from the original design. Every element had to be designed to sound exactly like the old one, and while the manufacturer claims to have smoothed out some of the rough edges, it did so with a very light touch so as not to destroy the original design’s great qualities. This speaker also had to win the approval of the many AE1 fans worldwide, but also appeal to a new customer who might not be so familiar with the tradition.
The development process took several years. Carefully considered modernizations were implemented, without compromising the original. The fundamental principles of this speaker are the massive, stiff, and straight-sided cone, driven by a powerful BL motor, housed in a small, strong, and heavy cabinet with classic dual front ports, combined with a metal dome tweeter.
Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary Edition: tweeter
A completely new tweeter design was developed specifically to match the performance of the long-discontinued original. Featuring a larger 29mm voice coil, this tweeter supports a slightly larger aluminum dome, which reduces distortion by providing a larger radiating surface compared to the usual 25mm dome.
While the dome profile is shallow for excellent bandwidth, it also features a large rear chamber to keep fundamental resonance low and absorb energy from the rear chamber. Furthermore, like the original, this tweeter is cooled and damped with ferrofluid for improved power handling, dynamics, and reduced thermal compression.
Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary Edition: woofer
The woofer has also been redesigned to specifically match the original’s characteristic sound. The new cone is slightly larger and meets modern 125mm woofer standards, while the increased radiating surface area offers slightly higher efficiency, lower distortion, and the ability to move more air. The cone design was the key element of the original woofer and fundamental to its success. The result is a very natural midrange, excellent power handling, and dynamics for its size. The straight aluminum profile and a rarely used forming process known as “spinning” have been retained, rather than the more common pressing method. The cone itself is then further reinforced by a thick, hard-anodized ceramic layer on both sides, effectively creating a sandwich.
Beneath the characteristic pointed aluminum dust cap, the new woofer features a thermally conductive aluminum voice coil with a very powerful motor structure. A modern improvement was the addition of an aluminum shorting ring in the motor structure. This significantly reduces distortion caused by variations in the voice coil’s inductance. The woofer was designed around a 5 ohm DCR instead of the original 7 ohms, which was partly responsible for the reputation of needing more powerful amplification. The new version of the AE1 is easy to drive and consumes less power.
Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary Edition: crossover
Inspired by the deluxe “Signature” version of the original speaker, the crossover uses low-order filters and high-quality components to achieve a very natural, “live” dynamic sound. The latest version is balanced to better suit a typical home environment than the original studio monitor. It thus has a warm, natural midrange, good bass for its size, forgiving high frequencies, and exceptional punch across the entire operating range.
Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary Edition: housing
All these improvements to the driver unit and crossover are housed in a luxuriously finished cabinet. Finished with ten layers of high-gloss black paint or walnut veneer, the cabinet is tuned to reproduce the characteristic sound of the original AE1. The cabinet has been enhanced with the company’s proprietary RSC material, successfully used in high-performance models from the flagship Corinium to the 300 series. By increasing the cabinet’s rigidity compared to the usual formula, the engineers have been able to reproduce the sound of the original, concrete-clad cabinets without the production problems.
Finally, since the original ports were no longer available, Acoustic Energy reworked them with some subtle tweaks, including the addition of an internal flare to reduce distortion and allow for more bass response.
“With unparalleled performance, quality, and value, the AE1 is equally comfortable at home or in the recording studio. The result is a loudspeaker with clean, uncluttered lines that delivers an exciting and powerful sound worthy of the AE1 quality that discerning Acoustic Energy owners have expected for 40 years,” Acoustic Energy explains.
Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary Edition: Specifications
- Type: dynamic two-way loudspeaker with bass reflex enclosure
- Tweeter: 29 mm anodized aluminum dome
- Woofer/midrange driver: 125 mm spun/hard anodized aluminum cone
- Frequency response (+/- 6 dB): 50 Hz – 45 kHz
- Sensitivity (2.83 Volt / 1 meter): 87 dB
- Power handling capacity: 150 Watts
- Crossover frequency: 2.8 kHz
- Impedance: 6 Ohms
- Casing: 18-22 mm RSC limited layer HDF/bitumen construction, reinforced, dual reflex port
- Cover grille: magnetically attachable, cloth
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 295 x 180 x 240 millimeters
- Weight: 7 kilograms
- Finishes: high-gloss walnut and high-gloss black
