Hello everyone, Happy New Year and welcome to the January blog from Audio T Brighton. This month, we’re looking at ways to energise your home sound system, with a closer look at two speakers from the Acoustic Energy range — a blast from the past in the 40th Anniversary AE1 standmounts, and a modern budget marvel, the AE120² floorstanding loudspeakers.

Let’s dive in and see how they fare with a selection of source electronics and amplifiers available here at Audio T Brighton…

Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary

Before we get into the technical and sonic qualities of these little marvels, let’s first admire the gloss walnut finish of the AE1 40th Anniversary Acoustic Energy, because it really is love at first sight. It’s not often you can say that about hi-fi speakers — they really are something to behold.

The only real drawback is that they do attract fingerprints, which isn’t surprising given the high-gloss finish, especially when you keep taking them on and off the dem stands for listening sessions.

A couple of years ago, one of our customers brought in a pair of the original AE1s and, despite them “knocking on a bit”, I was impressed with their dynamics and musical qualities. They also worked well in our listening space, something not all ported speakers manage.

The dimensions and appearance of the 40th Anniversary AE1 will be familiar to owners of the originals, but there are differences in the modern design. Many of the original components are no longer made, so Acoustic Energy has recreated the AE1’s acoustic signature using modern materials and construction techniques.

The 29mm anodised aluminium, ferrofluid-cooled tweeter and 125mm mid/bass driver are housed in an RSC cabinet material, derived from Acoustic Energy’s high-performance Corinium range. This differs significantly from the concrete-lined originals, but the goal remains the same: to recreate the sound characteristics that made the AE1 so special.

Acoustic Energy has largely succeeded. Even if you’ve never heard the originals, you’re likely to be astounded by the refined, dynamic and cohesive performance of this beautifully executed mini-monitor.

Rather than list extensive specifications, here.

Small monitors with moderate to low sensitivity typically require a muscular amplifier, and the AE1s are no exception. We tested them using both the Rega Elex Mk4 and Rega Aethos integrated amplifiers, partnered with a Bluesound Node Icon streamer.

As expected, the Rega Aethos provided a clear step up in performance, demonstrating just how resolving the 40th Anniversary AE1 are. They reward listeners with greater refinement, clarity and authority when given higher-quality amplification.

Acoustic Energy AE120² Floorstanders

The Acoustic Energy AE120² are the flagship model in the 100 Series and feature a true three-way design, sitting alongside the AE100² and AE109².

For the money, they’re impressively solid and reassuringly heavy. The design incorporates a 25mm fabric dome tweeter, a 130mm paper cone midrange driver, and twin 130mm paper cone bass drivers. Crossover points are set at 300Hz and 2.7kHz, with a frequency response spanning 39Hz to 26kHz.

With a nominal impedance of 8 ohms and a sensitivity of 89dB, the AE120s are an easy load for most amplifiers — certainly easier to drive than they are to lift, at 19kg each. A detailed specification sheet is available here.

So how do they sound? If we’re being honest, we’ve never been huge fans of sub-£1,000 floorstanders. Too often they can sound coloured, boomy or overly forward. At this price point, customers are usually better served by standmount speakers on quality stands, where cabinet colouration is easier to control.

That’s why the AE120² came as such a pleasant surprise.

What we heard was a sound largely free from the usual colourations, offering a lively, balanced and engaging presentation. Bass extension was impressive without being overblown, and the treble was open and well judged.

Despite being easy to drive, better amplification still pays dividends. We achieved excellent results using our Rega Planar 3 with ND3 cartridge and the Bluesound Node Icon, paired with both the Rega Elex Mk4 and our go-to amplifier, the Rega Aethos. Even a “low-powered” Naim Nait 50 we had to hand sounded superb.

All things considered, the Acoustic Energy AE120² deliver impressive sound quality and outstanding value in the sub-£1,000 speaker market.

As always, the proof of the pudding is in the eating — so get in touch to book a demonstration and hear them for yourself.

Thanks for reading.

Adey, Jake, Kevin and Paul - Audio T Brighton

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Acoustic Energy can be found at the following Audio T stores

Rega can be found at the following Audio T stores

Bluesound can be found at the following Audio-T stores

*All prices, credit terms and interest rates quoted are correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change. E&OE

Audio T Blogs

Energising Your System for 2026: Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary & AE120² Loudspeakers

Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary

Acoustic Energy AE120² Floorstanders

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