Acoustic Energy Announce the AE1 40th Anniversary Edition Loudspeaker
Acoustic Energy proudly announces the launch of the AE1 40th Anniversary Edition, a reimagined version of our iconic AE1 loudspeaker which revolutionised the compact loudspeaker market when it was launched in 1987.
Honouring four decades of acoustic innovation, this 40th Anniversary Edition blends timeless design with cutting-edge engineering to deliver uncompromising sound from a compact enclosure. The AE1 has become a benchmark in high-fidelity audio, the 40th Anniversary Edition continues this legacy with a host of modern enhancements while preserving the sonic character that made the original a legend.
“Re-engineering a beloved and well-known classic is no easy feat” says Managing Director Mat Spandl, “we had to examine where we could improve upon the original while retaining the character which made it such a big hit for decades. The AE1 40th is a faithful evolution, not a simple reissue.”
None of the original parts remain in production so we meticulously broke the original down component by component, examining, appraising and, where possible, improving:
All-new aluminium tweeter: Featuring many improvements including a larger 29mm voice coil (up from 25mm) for lower thermal compression and improved dynamics. A large rear chamber has been added to absorb rearward energy and keep the fundamental resonance low.
Bass driver: The spun and hard-anodised cone is slightly larger at 125mm for greater radiating area, higher efficiency and an aluminium shorting ring has been added to greatly reduce distortion from motion-induced induction variances in the voice coil.
Cabinet: With 10 layers of gloss paint the new cabinet benefits from a HDF version of our RSC™ technology, tuned to mimic the acoustic characteristics of the original cabinet while freeing up half a litre of internal volume to work optimally with the larger bass driver. All of this is achieved with no increase in external size from the original’s 295 x 180 x 240mm (HWD).
For the comprehensive story behind the AE1 40th Anniversary Edition and full details of all the technical upgrades please visit this page.
The AE1 40th Anniversary Edition comes in High Gloss Black or Walnut veneer and has an SRP of £1499 per pair, available from October through authorised Acoustic Energy Dealers.
The Legend Continues…