Acoustic Energy By popular demand AE1 Classic, Classic Principles, AE1 First and Second

By popular demand...

...AE1 Classic

In 1985 Acoustic Energy launched its first product: a compact nearfield monitor featuring metal diaphragm drivers and a composite lined cabinet. The AE1 was an immediate hit with music and broadcast professionals worldwide and many mourned its passing in the late 90s. So many, in fact, that we decided to bring it back....

Classic Principles

Time may move on but the principles of accuracy, transparency, reliability, and listening ease that made the AE1 such a success first time around don't change. The AE1 Classic embodies those principles once again.

The AE1 Classic is modelled on the original AE1 from around 1990. Our aim was, within the limitations of component supply and manufacturing, to make the AE1 Classic as close to identical as possible. That we didn't quite make it is only because, thanks to improved components and manufacturing consistency, the AE1 Classic is better.

Seriously Small - Seriously Good

The original AE1 introduced new techniques in almost every element of its design and construction, each one aimed at making a better nearfield monitor. It was, for example, the first professional monitor with a ceramic sandwich aluminium cone, the first to increase power handling by using the cone as a heat-sink, the first to incorporate a metal dome tweeter, the first to feature a latex fibre/powder composite lined cabinet, and the first to demonstrate beyond doubt that a seriously small speaker could be a seriously capable monitor.

The AE1 technical highlights feature in the Classic just as they did in the original. The bass/midrange driver is UK manufactured in-house at Acoustic Energy using a spun aluminium cone only 0.3mm thick. The cone is hard anodised on both sides to create an immensely rigid sandwich component and then bonded to an aluminium voice-coil former. The intimate bond between metal former and cone means that the entire cone area is used for heat dissipation. As a result, and despite its small dimensions, the AE1 driver offers generous power handling and suffers

minimal compression.

Welcome though it is, power handling is not the primary reason for the choice of an aluminium cone. Aluminium's combination of light weight and rigidity means that cone break-up is delayed till well above the crossover frequency. And thanks to the aluminium cone, bass/mid driver and magnesium dome tweeter, the AE1 Classic is one of very few speakers of any type that can genuinely claim pistonic operation over the full audio bandwidth. The result is extraordinary tonal accuracy that reveals the shortcomings of most other monitors.

Near ideal drive unit performance however would mean little if the AE1's cabinet panels sang along in sympathy. That they don't is thanks both to the inherent rigidity of the AE1 construction and to the unique latex composite lining of the internal walls.

AE1 First and Second

The AE1 was the first truly accurate, high power compact nearfield monitor. We believe 20 years later the AE1 Classic is perhaps the only speaker to reach its predecessor's standards. The AE1 Classic completes the award winning reference series, which features the AE1 MKIII and AE3 MKII.

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