The Bit at the Beginning

It’s not really much of a secret that, alongside Prog Rock in all shapes and forms, I have a pretty serious and full on fetish for big loudspeakers. The latest recipient of my lascivious lusting is the rather sexy AE509 from Cotswolds loudspeaker experts Acoustic Energy. As a company Acoustic Energy was founded in 1987 and quickly built a reputation for great quality at reasonable prices, that was the envy of many manufacturers at the time. After a period in the wilderness ( those pesky Americans! ) and after a management buyout ( yay for the Brits! ), they are well and truly back and have a wonderful range of loudspeakers that will suit most rooms /systems/budgets. Over the past year or so I have grown to really love what this particular pair of loudspeakers is capable of, and I feel that the world needs to know what they can do too!

The Techie Bit

The AE509 has a Mid Tweeter Mid/bass (MTM) driver layout with a 2 way crossover using high voltage polypropylene film wound capacitors and air core inductors for optimum sound dispersion .

The Carbon Fibre Drive Units In All Their Glory.

The 125mm mid/bass drivers include new oversized 35mm voice coils, for low thermal compression and very high motor force factor, to provide a highly dynamic yet controlled bass response. The woofer has an optimised motor and suspension system for maximum linearity and lowest distortion, ensuring pin point mid-range definition, whilst the lightweight nature of the carbon fibre cone material increases transient speed and clarity.

The new 25mm carbon fibre dome tweeter is much lighter and better damped than other typical hard dome materials, and provides a lightning fast, natural sound without harshness. A new cast aluminium waveguide on this high frequency driver is positioned close to the mid/bass drivers for optimum dispersion, and is extremely stiff to minimise vibration within the tweeter, ensuring sweet, clear and natural highs.

This complement of hightech drivers are housed in Resonance Suppression Composite (RSC) cabinets, evolved from the prestigious Reference Series and featuring the same constrained layer composite, to greatly reduce cabinet acoustic radiation, which would otherwise colour the sound. This is basically a cabinet within a cabinet with damping in between - Clever eh? These cabinets are finished in a choice of high gloss Piano Black, Piano White or American Walnut wood veneer finishes.

Another thing I really like about these speakers is the gorgeous metal bases with proper chunky spikes. Most speakers these days treat the spikes as just a cheap add on and they don’t give you a great method of making sure your speaker does not wobble around whereas the Acoustic Energy base and spikes looks amazing, really works, and makes set up easy as well. The stiffness of these metal structures reduces any unwanted room to speaker interactions that might colour the sound too….genius! There are some rather chunky banana sockets too, proof that no detail has been overlooked.

The Bit In the Middle

Over the course of the last year or so I have grown to really love what these loudspeakers can do. They are at once precise, open and detailed and able to produce a huge soundstage that projects way out of the boxes in all directions. The bass goes down really deep when it needs to, but is always clean and tight never getting out of control. Also, and mega importantly, they never sound overly bright or clinical like so many modern designs can do. They are also easy to drive but respond magnificently to having high quality sources and amplification in front of them. Could they be the perfect loudspeaker? Lets put them to the test with some music shall we?

The Music Bit

Loops In The Secret Society by Jane Weaver

‘Loops in The Secret Society’ contains lots of gloriously wonky, cyclical, ambient re-workings of some of Jane Weaver’s most requested songs from her most recent albums and live shows. Here she uses analogue tape-loop devices, vocal manipulation and dubbed-out multi-layered custom vinyl plates to produce genuinely thrilling and challenging experimental pop, with a Motorik Krautrock vein right through the centre. Played via the AE509’s I am totally sucked in and get lost in the hugeness of it all. A great recording and a beautiful pressing to boot, not a click or a pop on any of the four sides. And what about that gorgeous pink vinyl! Whenever I listen to Jane Weaver I always imagine that this is the kind of music that the late great and criminally underrated Delia Derbyshire would be making if she were still with us……Ah….If only!?

This is ‘Sun’s Signature’, the current project from vocalist Elizabeth Fraser (of Cocteau Twins fame) and her musical and life partner, percussionist Damon Reece. This is a wonderfully lush recording with some truly cavernous bass and an open atmospheric ambience that on the AE509 you can fall into and get lost in. Also on this EP is a healthy and rather unexpected dose of prog rock with, former Genesis member, Steve Hackett providing crackling sustained guitar to the track “Underwater” and his work also sets psychedelic fire to the very trippy “Golden Air”. He contributes Spanish guitar to the beautiful closing track “Make Lovely the Day,” Hell, the album even has mellotron on it. Just amazing! And Liz Frazer can still do it! So if you love The Cocteau Twins and you love Genesis you need this in your life.

The Bit At The End

All this attention to detail produces what must be one of the finest floor-standing loudspeakers that we have ever had the pleasure of listening to at Audio T Cheltenham. They are never harsh or bright sounding, these are speakers that you can listen to all day long and never get tired of. The bass is deep and juicy but always perfectly controlled. The whole soundstage they produce is big and open, extending massively outside the boxes. They are easy to accommodate room-wise, and they do not need lots of space behind them to be able to produce that wonderful lush goose-bumpy soundstage. They are easy to drive so will work with fairly modest amps but they respond beautifully to being driven by big powerful current monsters too.

If I have whetted your appetite even a little please feel free to give us a call and bring in a pile of your favourite music and have some fun… We do! We also make a great cup of tea or coffee and have some nice biscuits too.

Thanks for reading,

Andy, Jon and Farid - Audio T Cheltenham.

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

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