News

Fresh from resurrecting its 1980s-era AE1 passive standmount as the AE1 40th Anniversary [HFN Jan ’26], Acoustic Energy has turned attention to its active sibling. Priced £1250, the AE Active replaces the long-running AE1 Active as the British brand’s solo active solution. Available in a choice of Walnut Satin, High Gloss Black or High Gloss White finishes, the speaker marries a 125mm ceramic/aluminium bass/mid driver – leveraged from the AE1 40th – with a 27mm aluminium dome tweeter sat in a WDT (Wide Dispersion Technology) waveguide. A line-level (op-amp based) active crossover splits the signal at 3.1kHz prior to feeding two internal, 50W-rated Class AB amplifiers. Acoustic Energy is keen to emphasise both its use of a linear PSU and the wholly analogue nature of the design, saying the absence of DSP enables the AE Active to ‘preserve audio integrity’.

A degree of user tuning is offered via ±2dB treble and bass controls on the speaker’s rear panel. Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs are provided, next to an auto on/off switch that can power down the speaker if no signal is detected after 15 minutes. Acoustic Energy says this new feature was ‘much requested’ by owners of the earlier AE1 Active. The 312x180x250mm (hwd) cabinets are made from 18mm-thick MDF and are slot-ported at the rear, resulting in a claimed bass extension of 42Hz.