The Acoustic Energy AE500 speaker system has a weighty 8-kilogram case made using the new Resonance Suppression Composite (RSC) damping technology, and the wall thickness is 18 mm – and for these speakers, this is even with a reserve. If you look from the back to examine the phase inverter – then at first glance it is simply not there, but in fact, the phase inverter is located on top and is made in the form of a slit. This solution allows you to place the speakers quite close to the wall without much damage to the sound.
The speakers look much more impressive without the protective black grilles (which are quite stylish, by the way), but this case is special – both speakers, including the tweeter, are made of black carbon fabric. Let’s start with the fact that it just looks great. And the main thing for the sound is that the carbon diffusers weigh almost half as much as traditional branded aluminum emitters – and at the same time they have retained sufficient rigidity to avoid unwanted distortions and resonances.
The 25 mm dome tweeter is housed in a cast aluminum waveguide (WDT), which is positioned close enough to the midrange/bass driver for better acoustic dispersion. The lower 125 mm driver is equipped with large 35 mm voice coils, which help reduce sensitivity loss due to heating (thermocompression), as well as provide a high acceleration factor of the diffuser. The crossover with a frequency of 2,800 Hz uses polypropylene film capacitors and air-core inductors.
It is believed that shelf speakers are best suited for light classical music, jazz and pop. But judging by the design, for Acoustic Energy AE500 this is not just a preference – it is their element. The excellently recorded album of the American neo-swing band The Hot Sardines “French Fries + Champagne” in the MQA format sounded not just natural, but created the illusion of a live performance – with the smallest nuances, a wide stage and a voluminous arrangement of musicians and vocalist Elizabeth Bougerol. That same day, I specifically listened to the album again in another good setup and did not hear a fair amount of detail – I say without exaggeration.
As for rock music, here the Acoustic Energy AE500 again demonstrate a finicky character. If the sound engineer has tried, the speakers will gladly reveal all the advantages of the recording. The composition “Eagle Birds” from the album “Let’s Rock” by the American blues-rock group The Black Keys in a cheerful and fiery manner demonstrated clearly defined vocals and guitars, as well as quite noticeable bass. But as soon as the song “Dragonfly” by the German power metal group Edguy was turned on, the support in the lows disappeared and the sound became flat, although the vocals of Tobias Sammet (the same one who founded the epic project Avantasia) remained clear and soulful, as did the sound of the guitars.
When it comes to light and melodic vocal and instrumental genres, including classical, jazz and pop, the Acoustic Energy AE500 are at their best here, and it is very difficult to compete with them in this form factor and price segment (as well as among a number of more expensive speakers). Well-recorded electronics and not particularly heavy rock also leave the most favorable impression.
As for heavier rock music, the potential capabilities of the acoustics allow you to experiment with amplifiers and sources to find an acceptable option – but is it worth it? Perhaps it would be wiser to look for speakers of a suitable configuration and listen to, for example, the floor speakers of the same Acoustic Energy.
Specifications Acoustic Energy 509
Number of bands: 2
Acoustic design: bass reflex with slotted port
Power: 120 W
HF driver: carbon, 25 mm dome
MF/LF driver: carbon, 125 mm
Frequency range: 45–28,000 Hz (±6 dB)
Crossover frequency: 2,800 Hz
Impedance: 6 Ohm
Sensitivity: 87 dB
Peak sound pressure: 113 dB
Finish: white/black piano lacquer, American walnut veneer
Grilles: magnetic mount
Weight: 8 kg (one speaker)
Dimensions (WxHxD): 185x310x260 mm
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