Acoustic Energy AE200
Nearfield Monitors
Reviews : Monitors
The AE200s use metal-coned drivers throughout, but does this technology offer any advantages over more conventional designs? PAUL WHITE investigates.
Loudspeaker manufacturers are all bounded by the same physical laws, yet there are as many opinions on the best way to build a loudspeaker system as there are designers. Many of the differences centre around cone materials, with some designers being prepared to sacrifice acoustic efficiency by using heavier, highly damped materials while others prefer lighter paper or polymer cones. There's also the option of using metal cones, and there are numerous metal-diaphragm dome tweeters on the market, but metal-coned bass/mid units are less common.
Intriguingly, in designing this 2-way nearfield monitor, AE have opted for a metal-coned 130mm chassis bass/mid driver as well as a domed, ferrofluid-damped 25mm alloy tweeter. One reason for this choice is that anodised aluminium is light, rigid and helps conduct heat away from the voice coil, which, in this case, is thermally bonded to it. A five-element crossover operates at 3kHz and two sets of terminals are provided on the back panel for bi-wiring. The maximum power handling is quoted at 125 Watts.
ACOUSTIC ENERGY AE200 £300 PER PAIR pros
cons
summary
|
The AE200's black ash-finish MDF cabinet forms a fairly conventional ported enclosure measuring 185 x 3000 x 250mm, and the walls are 18mm thick and internally braced, with the front edges rounded to help reduce cabinet-edge diffraction. Both drivers are centrally mounted and recessed into the front baffle along with two flared plastic vents for the porting system.
Despite their small size, the AE200s deliver a very reasonable amount of depth and power. They're also quite sensitive, at 89dB for 1W at 1m, and the '3dB down' points are at 60Hz and 20kHz, although the usable response extends from 40Hz to 25kHz. Both drivers are magnetically shielded to permit use close to a computer monitor, and the nominal load impedance is 8(omega).
LISTENING TEST
A detailed listening test immediately revealed the futility of relying purely on measured parameters when evaluating loudspeakers, because although these speakers are designed to produce a nominally flat response, they have an obvious brightness about them. Some of this may be due to the choice of an aluminium bass/mid diaphragm, but I suspect that most of it is down to the choice of tweeter, and to be fair, you have to make compromises when you're trying to design a budget-priced loudspeaker. I've never yet heard a metal-domed tweeter that doesn't introduce some audible coloration, and in this case, there's a trace of splashiness in the high end. It isn't excessively aggressive, and it does help to make these speakers extremely revealing of transient detail, albeit at the expense of over-emphasising any sibilance that might be present in the recording. However, don't assume that these are in any way lightweight-sounding speakers, because the bass end actually turns out to be quite solid and extends well below the usual 80Hz kick drum peak. Drums and other types of percussion sound solid, lively and confident, as do basses. Voices exhibit a noticeably forward character, while plucked stringed instruments come over with quite a sharp attack. There's more than enough volume for comfortable nearfield listening and the stereo imaging is generally good with a usefully wide sweet spot.
SUMMARY
It's simply not possible to build a loudspeaker at this price that is perfect in all areas, but the AE200s have a lot of positive attributes alongside their tendency to be over-bright. Indeed, those used to mixing on traditionally bright monitors, such as NS10s or some JBLs, will probably find the AE200s suit them without too much of an adjustment period. I like the lively, punchy aspect of these speakers, and have no argument with their SPL capability, but I have to admit that listening at high levels for any period of time can be fatiguing. I tend to prefer very neutral monitors, but I know that a lot of studio engineers are used to monitors with a degree of forward voicing, so it may be that AE are deliberately targeting this sector of the market. Either way, you should always try to listen to monitors before you buy them, as different people seem to perceive different audio 'truths'. If the voicing suits your way of working, these are good-value monitors that are able to perform well in a small studio environment, even close to computer and video monitors.
|
Home |
Search |
News |
Current Issue |
Digital Editions |
Articles |
Forum |
Subscribe |
Shop |
Readers Ads
Advertise |
Information |
Links |
Privacy Policy |
Support
2.1 Monitor System
This interesting monitor system uses the natural roll-off of the satellite speakers to provide the crossover with the subwoofer.
Studio Nearfield Reference Monitors
Building to a price inevitably entails compromises. The art is in choosing the right ones...
Three-way Active Monitors
Sometimes, a dose of old-fashioned good engineering delivers something well worth listening to...
Active Two-way Studio Monitors
Their A7 nearfield monitors received many plaudits, not least in the pages of SOS, but manufacturer Adam thought there was room for improvement.
Active Nearfield Monitors
PMC broke new ground a decade ago with their TB2 monitors, but the competition have been catching up. Does PMC’s new ‘activated’ design nudge them back to the front of the pack?
Secondary Reference Monitors
Avantone have added on-board amplification to their contemporary take on the classic ‘Horrortone’ secondary monitor, and the result is something quite special...
Two-way Nearfield Active Monitors
India may be a growing force in most industries these days, but few Indian pro-audio companies have made it into Western markets. Can Sonodyne’s speakers change all that?
Monitor Speakers
The time-domain response of monitors is often sacrificed for level, but this sealed-cabinet design tackles that issue head-on...
Nearfield Monitor Speakers
With digital and analogue inputs, these small speakers from newcomers Infrasonic promise a lot for the money. Can they outperform their budget price tag?
2.1 Monitoring System
If you demand brutal and revealing precision from your monitors, read on...
Active Three-way Monitors
As well as a distinctive design, these huge nearfield monitors offer a frequency and time-domain performance that compares with the best.
Studio Reference Monitors
Adam make the leap to a three-way speaker design that seems to pay dividends in clarity and separation.
Monitor Speakers
JBL have a reputation for clinically precise monitors, but this time they’ve come up with something a little smoother...
Active Monitors
Coaxially-mounted speakers may seem a bit old-school, but there’s nothing wrong with the theory — and a touch of DSP can make them very modern indeed!
DSP Reference Monitors
Built-in DSP extends the flexibility and usefulness of these capable speakers.
Studio Monitors
Event’s new owners make some extravagant claims for these new high-end monitors, whose design is said to put quality first. Do they live up to the hype?
Studio Monitors & Subwoofer
Samson’s new low-cost nearfields can produce a big sound, but do they measure up for serious mixing? We find out.
Active Monitors
Ribbon tweeters can yield a smooth sound, while still capably reproducing transient detail — and the Pro Ribbon range promises to do so for an attractive price.
Active Nearfield Monitors
Focal control everything from design to manufacture in their factory in France — and this approach appears to be paying off.
Active Midfield Monitors
Getting the balance right between the benefits and disadvantages of ported and non-ported speaker designs is a tricky job, and K+H do it better than most with this ported model.
Sound On Sound : Est. 1985