Fantastic review Tarun. Very insightful and informative. It's clear that you love music and music reproduction equipment and are very talented at communicating your thoughts. Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to produce this review.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Andrew. Very kind of you to say and much appreciated 😊👍

After I bought these active speakers by your recommendation 2 years ago, I can say that I am very satisfied with them. Especially now that I've paired them with the Eversolo DMP-A6 Master Edition streamer. Thank you Tarun and greetings from Split, Croatia. Anton

@abritishaudiophile7314

11 ай бұрын

That is great. Thank you 😊👍

@yodigak8810

9 ай бұрын

Would I be able to extend my setup to an 5.1 setup? I just saw that accoustic energy also has centers and rears but they are passive. Or would i be better off grabing the passive ae1‘s. S/o from Frankfurt 😊

Great review. You've now got my curiosity up about the entire notion of active speakers and particularly the AE-1s. Thanks!

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and sharing Steve 😊👍

Well done Tarun, and Bob another fine review what a wonderful little puppy 🐶

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Jason. Much appreciated 😊👍

Tarun ...You have done it again...immaculate presentation indeed !

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Hrvoje. I greatly appreciate you watching and your support 😉👍👍

I’ve been waiting for this review and of course I was not disappointed. Excellent job!! One of the most interesting points to me was your comment on how manufacturers are starting to express interest for developing active speakers. This shows they recognize an emerging market for this technology. What your review shows in addition is that the technology has really matured and can now compete at an audiophile level for sound quality. It’s not just about connectivity via Bluetooth and wireless but that amazing sound can be had at a great price. I hope you do more active speaker reviews in the future. The edifier s3000 pros also give great performance at a great price. And there’s the new Buchardt’s that I and others keep clamoring about that are coming. It would be wonderful to have comparisons to the acoustic energy’s, both high and low pricing. Your reviews are so precise and understandable it would make a great benchmark

@John2E0GTU

3 жыл бұрын

Some British hifi companies have both speaker and amp. subsidiaries and they may think it not a good idea to combine the two and lose the income. After listening to the AE1 actives I actually bought the AE Reference 1s. They had a scratch so were the same price. I already had a nice amplifier. Both speakers have the same house sound. AE speakers are all day listen and deservedly have a great reputation for that.

@hemantishwaran5741

3 жыл бұрын

@@John2E0GTU thanks for the feedback! Maybe some of these companies will have no choice but take the plunge as the competition starts to heat up and active speakers start to get really good. I just watched John Darko's review of the Buchardt A500's (I guess he was provided early access) and he literally called them the best product he has reviewed in his 10 years. He didn't mince words and compared them to several benchmarks. The room correction feature was also a notable advantage of the DSP system. Frankly, I'm not surprised and expect other reviewers to weigh in with the same observations. I look forward to that.

Hi Tarun, Thanks to your tremendous review I auditioned and purchased AE1 Actives to my study. I paired AE1 with Bluesound Node and REL T/5x. Separation of instruments and soundstage are exceptional. Not only the system sounds great but also looks like a work of one design studio (all components in white). You are doing great job 👍 Best KZread HiFi audio channel in my opinion 👏👏 One more thing - please do a video with Bob again 🙂. Greetings from Poland Peter

@abritishaudiophile7314

Жыл бұрын

Thank you kindly Peter. That is a great system you have put together. It is about time Bob made another appearance 😊👍

@is3commander

5 ай бұрын

Hello Pitu, what you are using for volume control?

Great review! No gimmicks.. no loud music just loads of information.. I have been considering the kef lsx but these seem interesting too ! Many thanks

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍

@slawmac7352

3 жыл бұрын

I've also thought abou KEF LSX, but they have built-in DAC that is most likely not as good as the one that I currently own (RME ADI-2 DAC), and (correct me if I'm wrong) putting two dacs in a row will result in the lowest common denominator

Hi and thank you for your reviews. I have purchased a pair of ae1 active speakers, partly based on your review. I have a long and varied history of source components coupled with amps and passive speakers. And I can say immediately that I have been shocked at how great these speakers sound. Coupled with a bluesound node 2i they offer depth and detail at all volumes, with no high frequency fatigue. And they look good in piano white. Thank you.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

They are pretty special aren’t they. Thank you for sharing 😊👍👍

@papapatriot

2 жыл бұрын

I have a pair coming to me in a week or so and also have bluesound node 2i with a nice DAC and want to use the Node as the preamp and was wondering how you enjoy this setup or did you upgrade to a preamp?

@youtubiers

2 жыл бұрын

Do the woofers have foam surrounds? From the video it looks like they do. I'm a little concerned that I'd have to get the surrounds replaced after they rot out in 15 years or so. Can any of you owners confirm?

Hello Bob, nice to meet you. Good, clear and informative review, as ever. Thank you, sir.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and your kind words of support Sinan 😉👍

Wow, what find. These AE speakers "sound" amazing. Great review, very informative.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you B Shah. Great to hear from you buddy 😉👍

I will need to watch this twice as the puppy keeps distracting me (in a good way: adorable!). Congrats!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Anton. He is just making a guest appearance. It was a case of no video this week, as he won’t stay quiet if I leave him alone yet, or leaving him with me and hoping for the best. It is great that they get exhausted after 20mins of play at this age. It will be interesting to see how I am going to manage going forward. 😉👍

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Only with affection 😉

Love your channel Tarun. You have a rare ability to explain quite complex subjects in a very engaging and interesting manner. I bought these speakers partly on the strength of your review and they more than live up to my expectations of them. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and opinions and I hope your channel grows in the way you want. Richard

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

That is great Richard. So glad they worked out. Thank you for watching and your support. Very kind of you and very much appreciated 😊👍👍

@MakiPavlidis

3 жыл бұрын

I whole heartedly agree with Richard's comment Tarun. I'm really enjoying and valuing your videos. The way you order and pitch your content, it's spot on, with the key points easy to understand and retain. And good fun. Thanks.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

@@MakiPavlidis thank you Maki. It is reading comments like that from you and Richard that makes it so worthwhile 😊👍👍

Great review and a good technical explanation of how an active speaker can be superior, which was an eye opener to me. I often thought active speakers were a gimmick but I understand now that's not necessarily the case. Sounds like AE did their homework on these. Lots of goofy impedance issues can be ironed out with the active crossover setup. I have a pair of AE Evo 1s and at first thought they were what you were reviewing, they have impressed me.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences rotaxtwin 😊👍

What a cute dog and by the way thanks for all your work and reviews.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Ricky. He is cute isn’t he. Asleep at my feet as I reply to you. Thank you for watching and your kind words of support 😊👍

Excellent review, thanks Tarun. I've always been a fan of active systems, and I've been using an active crossover and multiple power amps (with passive crossovers removed from speakers) for a long time. Currently building a new active crossover on Rod Elliott's Linkwitz-Riley design. As an aside, many years ago I heard the original passive AE1s hooked up to a stack of Krell, and they sounded fantastic - very revealing, even as a passive design.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you osliverpool. I greatly appreciate your support. I am just curious, what is the Rod Elliott’s version of the classic Linkwitz-Riley crossover designs? A variation on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th? Great to hear from you by the way 😊👍

@osliverpool

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Hi Tarun, you can find details of Rod's crossover at sound-au.com/project09.htm

Really good channel you got here, Your nicety comes across in the videos really well. Keep it up.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Frags 😊👍

Love your reviews, another great one. Thanks

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Peter 😉👍

Based on your recommendation, I am now running the Active AE1 from my PC - Chord TT 2. Very happy and satisfied. Thank you.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

That is great. Thank you letting me know 😊👍

@vytkaz

3 жыл бұрын

Hi, can you please post some videos of TT2 into AE1active? I am also thinking of going this way. Thank you!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

@@vytkaz I am struggling to get hold of Chord products at the moment.

I already own a pair of AE1 speakers and I absolutely agree with the conclusions. Still there were some interesting other remarks, about analogue and digital and a couple more. Great, thanks!

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Hans 😊👍

Just 3 days back i got my hands on the AE1-lite (passive) speakers and i cant beleive myself that i am listening again & again to all my tracks that these speakers brings something special to my ears. And i am expecting even more after the burn-in is completed.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

That is great 😊👍

In this day and age of covid-19, getting out and auditioning speakers has become nearly impossible. So we are more so than ever faced with having to rely on reviews and opinions from experts etal in making purchase decisions. Thank God for Amazon's return policy and similar return policies of most of the higher end vendors, but I digress. What started out as a CD player suddenly not working properly, evolved into the research and building of a new system. After about 3 months of research I settled on an RME ADI-2 Dac, an Audiolab 6000CDT transport, and the Acoustic Energy AE1 actives. Also threw my laptop with external hard drive and my CD collection ripped to flac, and qobuz & tidal in there for good measure. After about 3 months of heavy listening I have to say I'm delighted with the results, and your review is the cherry on top for me because although I am really enjoying my experience so far, there's always the audiophile tendency to seek out something better and the fear that "uh oh I bought the flavor of the month". There have been very few reviews on the AE1 actives relatively speaking, although the handful that are out there are all mostly positive. There are also very few acoustic energy dealers here in the US, however the one I purchased these from conducted the sale online, placed the order, and the speakers arrived duty free about 4 days later directly from acoustic energy. It was a seamless and quite impressive experience. The long and short of it is that I'm extremely satisfied so far and I'm so glad that these speakers meet with your approval, as yours is one opinion I greatly respect. Thanks for all you do.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you David. I greatly appreciate your support. I am not surprised that you are so happy with your AE1s. They are quite special. Thank you for sharing your experiences with them 😊👍

Another good review Tarun.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you filofilo 😉👍

This looks like a great solution for me to be able to use to listen to music in a HiFi sense and use to mix and record music (as a hobby/musician)... Thanks for the great review.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

They would make great studio monitors Jeremy. I suspect AE designed them with commercial and domestic use in mind. Thank you for watching and commenting 😊👍

I love these speakers. They sound beautiful in my room. The bass is clean and fast. It goes deep enough to perfectly compliment the mids and highs. Very well built.

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

They are special 😊👍

Your reviews are perfect for me.. thanks.. more incidental Bob anytime.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you chevyimp. Next week will be interesting to see if he will stay quiet 🤔

Love your new puppy, Tarun! Absolutely adorable. I used to have a Springer spaniel, and just recently rescued a brother and sister kitten team. They already think they own the place. That’s interesting re the designers saying they’d design an all active system. Makes sense though from what you mentioned. I guess I’m old school in that I really enjoy the challenge of putting together a good passive system, and not too keen on someone else choosing my amplification. I guess we’ll see what the future holds though, and maybe my opinion will change. Always gotta keep an open mind, especially when it comes to HiFi. Thanks for another great and very informative vid, Tarun. 🎶✌️🔊🙂

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Nick, that is great about the brother and sister kittens. Must be very rewarding. I am with you on putting together a passive system. That is the fun of hifi but honestly, I would struggle to put together a passive system this good for £2k. Kef LS50 and Exposure 2510 maybe?

@NickP333

3 жыл бұрын

A British Audiophile Yeah, I’d most definitely struggle doing so also, especially for that price point. Thanks again, Tarun.

@geraldmcmullon2465

3 жыл бұрын

In my upgrade days I spent Saturdays in hi-fi shops comparing a range of equipment, some with silly prices were relatively awful. I was listening to high end Naim and Linn combination. On some of my albums it was like being on the front row of the concert. But I picked Meridian active speakers. They were better on every other album I had. In 40 years I have never heard anything that made me wish to change them. Without another careful A/B comparison my impression is that those that have impressed are a little different but not clearly better. I have also found that for much of the listening to sources from radio, television and KZread more modest systems can delivery most of the enjoyment and I would not notice any short comings in isolation. Listening to the drama, the music, etc not to the equipment.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Gerald

@NickP333

3 жыл бұрын

Gerald McMullon Gerald, that’s a great story. It must be wonderful to have found your last pair of speakers 40 yrs ago. I’m on year 3 with the same speakers (Tekton Pendragons) and have absolutely zero “upgraditis”. It’s tough to think in terms of better when it comes to HiFi, as the word different seems much more suiting in the majority of situations. I really enjoyed what you had to say, Gerald. Thank you.

Another excellent review - thanks Tarun. I am saving up for a pair of these to go with my new MOJO 2 (which keeps amazing me! 👍). Should be a good match, I think.

@abritishaudiophile7314

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Emmanuel. That may work if the cable runs through RCA are kept short 👍

Brilliant as always...thanks.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Kevin 😉👍

Great puppy, we just got a new dog two months ago. He looks very similar but is a shihpoo, Shih Tzu Poodle mix. Happy times expanding the family.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Jeff. He is settling in well and very playful. We are all have a lot of fun 😊

Very informative.. big thumbs up .. 👍👍👍

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Simon 😊👍

Absolutely adorable pup!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you vaishal27 🐶👍

Super helpful Tarun, thanks. Definitely buying a pair of these this coming week.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you redgordonm. Please let me know how you get on 😊👍

@redgordonm

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Well they are here Tarun and they look fabulous! My next problem is where to put them. I’ve decided to go with my study for now. The only source will be a CD player but I’m debating following some advice you gave elsewhere and getting something new like a Pro-Ject CD Box S2 paired with the Pre Box S2 Digital.....would that be a worthy combo? Cheers! Gordon

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

@@redgordonm another option would be using something like the SMSL M300 MkII that I reviewed. It has XLR outputs which may be beneficial if you have long cable runs. Thank you for the update

@redgordonm

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Followed your advice to a T Tarun. Hooked up the AE1’s to my Brennan B2 and bought the SMSL M300 Mk II DAC. Don’t claim to be an audiophile to the extent of many of your followers but, wow, what a sound. Thanks for all the advice, my study is rocking!!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

@@redgordonm that is great buddy. You have a system that will complete with much more expensive systems IMHO. Hope it gives you many years of listening pleasure 😊👍👍

Bit late to the party but great review! I have been looking an active ‘hifi’ speaker for a while as opposed to studio monitors. The deciding factor for me to buy the ae1’s was the balanced inputs. I was Surprised at how few manufacturers Didn’t have these inputs, definitely seems to be a gap in the market. This review definitely persuaded me to buy a pair.

@abritishaudiophile7314

Жыл бұрын

That is great Matthew. Please let me know how you get on with them 😊👍

Good review per usual. Actives are the tech of the future. Now that there's high quality D amps (though some will employ A/B as the reviewed speakers did...), DSP, etc. actives are the way to go. One can now get very respectable audio for little $ by purchasing the best actives they can afford, and using their phone as a DAC/pre amp/streamer/music server. Add a quality DAC/pre amp/streamer, and the audio improves, still for surprisingly little $ output. GREAT audio, is a different matter, but I suspect 90% or so of people will be very happy with that set up. All the majors and minor brands offering actives: Focal, B&W, Dynaudio, etc.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

I agree with you Will. Thank you for watching and your continued support my friend 😊👍

Great review! I'm toying with some actives. I currently have the AE1 mkII, although I find them a bit 'clinical' now as my tastes in how I listen to music have evolved. I have a few pairs of TDL Studio 0.5s which are fabulous yet not as detailed as the AEs, and a dinky pair of Alexander SE2 which are truly sensational for what looks like a couple of black bricks with a chicken-wire grille. I've been mighty impressed with a mate's Fostex actives and have a hankering for some AVI actives so we'll see how it pans out. Thanks for fuelling my fire :) Great channel, especially now you appear to be getting to grips with how to pronounce 'Celestion' :p

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Homeopathical. I have had to retrain my self after calling them “Celestrion” for the best part of 30 years 😂

@homeopathical

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 well, if it's any consolation, at least you taught me how to say 'Buchardt' properly :D

These speakers are the real deal. Alright then. Guess I’ll have to wait on mine. Good video Taraun! Working to remove debt first. No need to cause problems. Wouldn’t hesitate otherwise. Stay safe mates!😊👍🏻😷

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

You too my friend. I hope you get things sorted out. Always great to hear from you 😉👍

I would be interested to see a review from you on the AE 500 speakers, I'm very curious about the carbon fibre tweeter. Great review by the way.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and your suggestion Peter 😉👍

@123oner

3 жыл бұрын

Me too!

i like your pup. best review so far. i think more puppy with speaker reviews! keep up the good work. love this channel. also alot of all in one's have class d power, and this amp has a/b i beleive. maybe that's what helps the quality - for it to sing!?

@abritishaudiophile7314

Жыл бұрын

Thank you. Bob will be 3 in July 2023. Doesn’t time fly? It is class A/B. They tried class D during development but didn’t like the sound as much 😊

We have these speakers at home. We only have good things to say about them. I think this review is 100% accurate.. They are unbeatable at this price.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Cesar 😊👍

Great review

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you 😉👍

Thanks for the review! *twothumbsup*

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Markus, you too 👍👍

Congratulations 🥳 for new member in your house

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Atri 😊👍

G'day from down under ABA and thank you for your site ! I've owned a pair of AE1a speakers for a year and your review corresponds very much to my experience. I a particularly agree with them as not being then most dynamic of speakers which, given my broad tastes in music, can be a bit irritating at times. I would be interested in your thoughts on how they compare, even if only from memory, to the Elac Navis ARB 51, especially in terms of dynamics.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you buddy. I have spent an hour or so listening to the Navis ARB51s but not at home. They are certainly more dynamic that the AE1s. Would have get them in to see how much better they are 😊

This has been one of the most enlightening reviews I have ever come across! Can I get all the money I spent on amps and passive speakers back? I am curious how you would complete the system. Possible price appropriate preamps and streamers etc .. with vinyl. How they all connect together etc with balanced inputs. Almost a how to build and connect a great active system tutorial on budget! I seem to keep running out of money before completion

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Dustin. You and me both. How much money have I spent trying different amps with speakers over the years. If I was putting together a system to incorporate vinyl stuff whilst keep costs down, I would look at the Project S2 range. They do a decent phono box, analogue preamp and DAC, for that matter, for a reasonable price. I wouldn’t worry about the balanced connections unless you have very long runs between components in the system. If you want to go the balanced route, it is going to be expensive. Thank you for watching and sharing 😉👍

@ememe1412

3 жыл бұрын

On a mid size (UK typical) room, Elac Navis arb-51 paired to an Audiolab M-Dac Plus. All in for about 2.5kGbp, 2k if you wait around for 2nd hand and ex demo. (If you have a TT, then a Puffin DSP with the digital out (~600gbp shipped).) For XLR, the M-Dac Plus and Navis will accommodate them. Best value is to use Van Damme cables with Neutrik plugs that you put together yourself or get someone to do (there's an eBay UK seller that'll put together custom lengths). Even the best professional balanced cables are not that expensive relatively. The plugs is where the money should go though. All in, still cheaper than a 3M run of most speaker cables terminated by Furutechs. Going to the shop or buying hifi marketed items is not best value for XLR. A meter run (a bit audiophile overkill already for a home rig) in RS for 139 bragging about 'studio quality' when the same run for a cable that is actually used in a studio is a fraction of the price, not to mention that the plugs are most probably Neutrik OEM anyways... Do not be put off using the XLR even over shorter runs if your gear takes them. You can get a lot of real performance to value in XLR cables, regardless of hype, as compared to the myriad of phono cables marketed using esoteric explanations. My monoblock Ncores only accept balanced. From my pre, I use half meter runs of XLR. If listening near field or in a smaller room, then the pro entry level ATC SCM12 active for about 1.5K might be worth a punt.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank is excellent advice EmE Me. Thank you for watching and sharing 😉👍

@ememe1412

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 I got carried away. I think you're doing a fine job breaking things down in to perspectives. It's what people need really, a more wholistic presentation of a review.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you EmE Me. Much appreciated 😊👍

I have been previously convinced, very thoroughly, that for reasons of design, engineering, cost, and physical principles, active speakers are the future of most music playback systems. The only exception is the use of vacuum tubes (aka valves) in power output stages. Your review of this high quality example of the genre is most welcome. I am also pleased with the strong trend toward using balanced interconnects at line levels. It seems only proper that reproducer builders take in house the responsibility of tuning the driver/enclosure/amplifier as a unit. The current and long standing puzzle of matching seeming Lego pieces into a final result results in too gross an approximation with myriad hard edges and pitfalls. But, I know, there will be resistance by the Lego or Erector set aficionados. C'est la vie. Ned Ludd lives. I also see a future for such manufacturers to also add new categories of combinations of drivers, enclosure sizes, and amplifiers to match users' needs. For example, instead of speaker size being prime, perhaps room size and acoustic output might become product class prime descriptors. Reproducers will become less tunable by the user -- granted -- but that personal tuning chore will be the responsibility of the preamp/controller or DAC. Put the vacuum tubes there, if you will. Integrated amplifiers will become preamps with standardized, balanced outputs. What I particularly wish to compliment you on is the organized and coherent approach you take in your reviews. They do fit nicely together, and even if we disagreed on a point, I would feel the same. It's rather like coming away from a proper five course meal, satisfied and delighted, but with a small disagreement on one wine choice.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Jim for the very thoughtful insight. You will never get two audiophiles to completely agree on anything. Hopefully, we are on the same page most of the time. Great to hear from you. Thank you for sharing 😊👍

@ememe1412

3 жыл бұрын

I think that actives are the future and a long time coming. It didn't gain momentum in the mid 80s when some manufacturers were starting to offer outboard crossovers for active amplification, maybe due to cost of multiple amps within living memory of the audiophiles who had upgraded to stereo from mono 20yrs before and marketing. Today, I can't see the hindrance if AE can produce this quality at this price. 'Purists' can well put their trust on companies like ATC that the in-house drivers and active crossovers with the amp pairing are optimised (a lot have managed to on the pre/power section of integrateds, DACs in players, table/arm combos of TTs etc so why not with speaker/active crossovers designed from the ground up?). They can add their input with a 'straight' preamp. Others that may have limitations in-room can take advantage of automated room response measurements and DSP, from dedicated preamps, to tailor to situations. AV receivers already have something similar for years... I think what you say is right, room size comparability would and should come to the for of the specs. One of the resistant opinions I've heard was for the topology and power of the amplification. I don't see the issue. Elac can fit a class AB in the Navis... They can conceivably use Class D and DSP from plate amps for a similar result at a lower price point. Any case, without a passive crossover dissipating a lot of the amp's power, the required wattage output is lower.

@jimshaw899

3 жыл бұрын

@@ememe1412 It would be nice to see a bit of standardization in the size and shape of in-built amps. Not one size, but a family of them. In that way, an owner could replace or return for service without shipping the entire enclosure. I am also convinced that we need a better solution than the XLR for low Z balanced connections. It is way too big and rugged, having been designed for microphone use circa 1955. As DSP develops and becomes more accepted, reproducer engineers could build in better and better tuning for their products. This could help fix things like cabinet resonances, driver peculiarities, crossover-point non-linearities, and even room corrections into the amp portion. With one or two amps for a driver/enclosure, the results could be better than ever before feasible.

Nice review, thanks. What discourages me from all active speakers is the power switch for each of them

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Tomas. Understood 😊👍

@backrack01

2 жыл бұрын

I leave mine on :p

I had the AE1 active in for review last month. Yeah ... they are nice! I find them very slightly to the cool side of neutral but if you prefer the modern sound, it’s great. Thanks for your reviews. 😬

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

To my ears they are as neutral as it gets at this price. Thank you for watching hushpuppykl 😉

@hushpuppykl

3 жыл бұрын

A British Audiophile ... different rooms, different set up. 😬 Nice to see your channel growing strong and fast. All the best!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you hushpuppykl 😉👍

I know I am late but after watching your chat with Randy CheapAudioMan, I looked up this review. I actually have been following you for a few months. I loved that two of my favorite reviewers got together. I loved that video. Seeing this made me rethink my next audio upgrade. I am torn between the Denafrips Ares II and the RME ADI2 to use with these active speakers. I am leaning towards the RME because it has a remote. This will be a combination music and home theater solution. Care to comment on that? Also, any comment on adding a tube preamp? I have recently got into the tube sound. Thank you and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you my friend. I appreciate your support. It was great chatting with Randy. Both the ADI-2 and Ares II are great options. The ADI-2 has a volume control so you can connect it to AE1s without needing anything else. I prefer the sound of the the Ares II but you will need a preamp to control the volume. This could be a tube preamp. If you want to use it for home cinema duties in a two channel setup then adding a subwoofer or two will greatly enhance your experience. You will need a preamp with two pairs of outputs or sub outs to do this 😊👍

@davdidit6

2 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 thank you so much

Love your dog. What a sweetie.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you stanno 😊

hi bob,welcome to the community :)

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Glen 😉👍

Beautiful finish for the price as well as great sound!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed. Thank you for watching and commenting Derek 😊👍

After watching your video on these speakers I so want to hear them. I wish the price in Canada $2200-$2400 was closer to £1,000 but if they sound as good as your review I'll buy them. As always a great video and detail on how they sound!

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you buddy. They are better value in the U.K. 😊👍

@papapatriot

2 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 I just received a used pair yesterday and they are sure resolving. I'm trying them with different DACs to add a little more body to the sound. They image better than my old Celestion SLS6s'.

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

@@papapatriot cool 😎 please keep me updated 😊

@papapatriot

2 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 I kept using my smooth sounding tube DAC in the mix and brought in a 24 band equalizer then played Voices from singers that I know very well. I used my Celestion’s as a reference and mixed the sound to match the sweet natural vocals of the SL6s’. The adjustments are not huge but boosted the 80hz 120hz, 200hz all plus 3db. I moved the speakers before starting to a rear field to eliminate the room nodes. I’ve turned the tweeter -2db on the back of each speaker and added a little sparkle back on the equalizer with a plus 3db on 8k and 13k.

I’ve had these for a few months now, they performed well straight out the box and have just got better and better since. I’ve introduced an AE Subwoofer via a balanced pre out and cut the bass on the speakers -2db, and with some room treatment the result to my ears is indeed outstanding. Ps. I can’t recall seeing Bob again after this video hope he’s ok 👍

@abritishaudiophile7314

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing. Bob is over 3 years old now. Doing great and an integral part of the family 🐕 🙂

Just ordered me a pair with a Bluesound Node 2i. So happy. Now, where can I get the dog to go with it? Wonderfully structured and presented review.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

My god! I had no idea how often they go for a poop and a pee. Thank you for watching my video His Madness Inc. 😊👍

@wollymolly

3 жыл бұрын

Hi, would you mind sharing your thoughts on how this setup with Node 2i is working out? Was curious about that combination. Thanks.

@HisMadness_

3 жыл бұрын

@@wollymolly hi, the combination has worked out great for me. I really love the quality sound the AE1s produce. They really bring well produced music to life. In my biased opinion, they don't like overproduced, overcompressed music, but that is to be expected of an audiophile speaker : the AE1's are the stars in this setup. Great value for money. The Node 2i performs as I hoped and expected, the Bluesound app works like a charm. Integration with - in my case - Tidal, is flawless. Hope this helps

@wollymolly

3 жыл бұрын

@@HisMadness_ Thanks for your detailed reply. I'll try to find a place to audition this. Also considering Cambridge CXN V2,

Your dog is a real beauty!

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Peter 🐶👍

Hi Tarun. I had the opportunity to listen to the Focal Shape 65 studio monitors recently. Those are active speakers in the same price range as the AE1 Active. The Focals are a bit bigger with a little more bass extension provided by 2 passive radiators. I listened to similarly priced home audio standmount Focals before and found the sound too coloured but these are much more transparent (as one would expect of course) without being analytical. They also look much better than your average studio monitor. I’m not pushing them over the AE1 at all, just wanted to mention that to my ears they would be worth your time if you ever come across a pair. Take care.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Claude. I do want to try out more active speakers 😉

Too bad I didn't buy these for my office system, caught between feeling pissed and grateful for this review lol!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

I know that feeling. Thank you for watching and sharing Michael 😊👍

thanks for yet another great review. can you please also review the Buchardt Audio's A500?

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

I am talking to Mads Buchardt about it rp. They will need to be quite a bit better than the S400 to justify the price. Watch this space.

@rptempmail1

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 can you please help me understand your comment? in this video you gave a convincing explanation as to why active is better than passive, well as you know the A500 is an active with built-in DSP,, 3x150W amp, dual DAC, AND room correction!, these are quite a bit more than what comes with the S400! you are hard to please sir!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

The actives should be inherently better the passives. The S400s are a good speaker for the price for people who want a big sound and floorstander bass extension. However, they also have their shortcomings, dark tonal balance, soft leading edges and rolled off treble. These are forgivable at the £1,650 price point of the S400s but will have to be addressed in the A500 bundle @ circa £4K, active or not.

@rptempmail1

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 ok thanks

Thanks Tarun for your timely review! In fact, I was wondering why there were a lack of reviews on KZread when there were at least a few good reviews on the Internet. I actually went to a local audio shop and listened to the AE1 myself. Boy when the music was played I was instantly amazed by its sound stage, clarity and the prowess of the sound effects! Immediately after that, I paid a deposit for the piano black version, am so glad that you took the efforts to make this review! P. S I was actually looking at the SMSL M500 for future DAC combination, would you think it is suitable combination, or would you suggest a better DAC?

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Rick. I haven’t heard the M500 but the M300 MkII is good value and would be a good choice to run with the AE1s. For me the next step up would be a Chord DAC. I wouldn’t mind checking out the Denafrips Aries II either. A genuine R2R NOS DAC for £750 is interesting.

@ricksiow2953

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks for your recommendation, will consider them for future upgrades, cheers man👍

I started with edfier active speakers. They were very nice back then. Specially the 3 way speakers. I still have to find that type of sound coming from a 2 way passive speaker. It was not hifi but there is really something nice happening to the midrange and the bass when it is done by 2 different drivers. The drivers integration was far from perfect but the seperation between voices and the bass note was amazing even at high volume. What do you think of 3 way speakers ? fav brands in passive ? Nice review as always and welcome to Bob :)

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you yannick. There are some great 2 way and 3 ways speakers out there. It all comes down to implementation of the design. The big difference is going to be that the 3 way is going to have to be naturally larger and you will need to sit further away so that you don’t experience driver integration problems. What I am getting at is that they both work well but for different scenarios. Some great 3 ways are the ATC SCM 40s, Proac K6, Dynaudio Confidence 30s. These are all pretty expensive. At a more reasonable price there are some dual concentric versions that I like which means that you don’t have to be so far away from them. Kef R3s, Elac UB52s, and Tannoy XT6Fs. Good to hear from as always 😉

Good job. I am enjoying your review. I am curious about the non amplified top of the AE line bookshelf speaker, the 500. It seems to have a special tweeter unfamiliar to me.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you James. I have the 300s in for review at the moment. I am sure I will get to the 500s at some point. 😉👍

Love that pooch! 😍

@abritishaudiophile7314

Жыл бұрын

Thank you 👍

Thank you, as I am in the market for a good small monitor system and that would seem to be these.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching Lonnie. If you get them, please let me know how you get on with them 😊👍

New 'woofer' is very quiet 😉. Who's a good boy?

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Excellent 😂😂😂 Well said paz

I was wondering which speaker pair would get the first Outstanding rating. Great find Tarun and many thanks for the video. A funny coincidence is that I went to an audio store this afternoon to listen to the Acoustic Energy AE500 bookshelves. These are passive and have carbon fiber drivers (both mid/bass and tweeter!). I really, really liked them and somewhat surprisingly, my impressions on how they sound exactly match what you said about the AE1 despite the fact that the AE1 is active and has aluminum drivers. The amp at the audio store was an Exposure unit. Impressive that Acoustic Energy is able to get great sound out of completely different driver material. Would you see a reason why they would choose carbon fiber for the passive and aluminum for the active units?

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Claude Côté, that is really interesting. Thank you for sharing. I suspect they went for a less expensive driver in the Actives to get it to market for £1k. That doesn’t mean that the 500s will sound better as there is an inherent advantage in an active solution. It would be interesting to see how the Exposure/AE500 combo compares with the AE1s. Of course, they are not at the same price point. Great to hear from 😉👍

Thanks Tarun, another great video. Would be interested to hear how these speakers sound with the audiolab 6000n Play and the Bluenode 2i?

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Yes indeed. I think that is exactly the kind of stuff you should partner them with plus a good external DAC 😉👍

Hi. very good review as always. Do you plan to review the Kef LS50 wireless II?

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you KM. I was hoping to but Kef haven’t got back to me on sending stuff. I have tried a couple of times 🤨👍

Awesome review. This with a Node2i could be a neat little system. I wander how these would compare to the AE500 passives with a comparatively priced amp.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I am planning to get the AE509s in for review this year 😊👍

I love watching your reviews, they're honest and informative. I'm considering to buy the AE1 Actives after watching this video. Do you think it matches well with the Danafrips Ares 12th? I should be able to plug them together and get great music? Where I live, it's not possible to try them out at a store unfortunately, so I'm buying blind. Thanks!

@abritishaudiophile7314

Жыл бұрын

Thank you kindly. The Ares 12th will be a good match but has no volume control. I would go with the SMSL VMVD1SE 😊👍

@awchiu

Жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks for your recommendation! I'm actually quite intrigued by an R2R DAC, as I've only been using a Topping one. Do you have a good recommendation for tube pre-amp between the AE-1 and Ares? My budget would be around same as those 2 devices. Thanks!

Nice review. I've owned active speakers for many years, first some Avantgardes, currently, some ADAM Tensor Deltas, I'd never go back to passive speakers again. I bought my AE1s several months ago, mainly for nearfield listening playing flac files from my laptop through a FiiO K5Pro DAC, and I'm impressed, like you with the resolution, imaging and coherence. I've connected them to my main system using a Weiss DAC, of course, the limitations are obvious compared to the ADAMs, but really that's comparing apples with oranges. For the price, and in the right room, I doubt that you can do better.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Nick, great to hear about your experiences and that your experiences with your AE1s seem to match my own. Thank you for sharing. 😊👍

@panagodavenura7380

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Nick, how far from the back wall do you have them ? I'm was going to get KEF LSX's but after auditioning them... wasn't for me. So I'm trying out to find out how these would work on a desk or at least near a wall if it's your use case. Thanks !

@nicktesla5020

3 жыл бұрын

@@panagodavenura7380 I use them mainly as near-field speakers. They are around 3m from a wall and decoupled from the floor. Don't expect ground-shaking bass from a speaker this size, it isn't there, but what it does, it does well, with real bass resolution, not the 'faked' one-note bass boost that many ported speaker boxes provide. Not surprisingly, my ADAMs also have a slotted port (front-mounted).

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

I think you need to be about 1.5m away from the speakers Panagoda. The minimum distance would be 90cm from the front wall measuring to the front baffle or about 60cm from the rear of the speakers. You may be able to get away with less and turn the bass setting down by 2dB.

@panagodavenura7380

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you both for your answers ! It would near impossible for me to be at 1.5M from the speakers, so I would be looking for something that can sound good when sitting closer and that could work relatively close to a wall (like 30cm from the back of the speakers). If you have any recommendations for me I would be grateful ! 😁 The obvious answer seemed to be the KEF LSX's that could even go on a desk but as I mentioned before, I auditioned them yesterday and didn't sound...I don't know how to put it...not HiFi/not audiophile or just not to my taste ! But maybe that's what I'll have to live with as I don't have much space to spare for better speakers like these AE1'S for example. Or maybe headphones are the way to go ?

Looks like the next upgrade to my system. Happy with my Adam audio ts7v studio monitors at present and I get active. These replaced PMC FB1s and a musical fidelity XA1 amp simply because they felt a league ahead with tighter sound and more clarity. Did make me wonder what a more expensive active speaker would be like, and I know what I'll try and audition next should I desire more. Some of that technology (dual amps for each speaker and active cross over are in mine. I guess the biggest difference will be the quality of drive units themselves and cabinet design

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

... and the quality of the amps. I hope the review was worth the wait Paul. Thank you for watching and commenting 😉👍

@paultasker7788

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 was definitely worth the wait. Great review. That's a good point, of course the quality of the amps will be significant too.

Thanks for an amazing review, Tarun! Very informative, yet now I find myself in a dilemma... :) I'm building my first hifi system and thought about buying the Triangle Borea 03's with the Iotavx sa3. But now I'm considering buying this. :) How do these systems compare to each other? It's meant for at small room. (15 square meters) Thanks for your hard work

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

The Borea/SA3 are a very good passive solution at their price point but not close to the AE1s in performance. Thank you for watching 😉👍

@antonkirkeby3374

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks! 😁👍

Hey , Tarun after your todays video i revisited your review about

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching Atri 😊

@zindahoon

3 жыл бұрын

Forget to ask you Tarun , is analog input on both speakers ? or a coax cable ? if its RCA than it should be 2 channel right ? sorry about the silly question

Thanks so much for the review. If you like these speakers I would suggest you to check out the Airpulse A100's designed by Phil Jones. Also under a thousand, with less tonal control on the speakers themselves than these AE1's, but world class components & wiring, great digital conversion and a USB line in for a lossless connection with your digital source, among a wide range of connection options. The best things are the soundscape and clarity though. The horn loaded ribbon tweaters really are something. I owned them for around a year now in combination with a woofer from XTZ to complement it as a near-field setup on a (big) desk and I am more than happy with them. Working in a concert hall here. I'm really curious what you would have to say about them and how they compare with these AE1's in your opinion.

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and your suggestion 😊👍

@yourtubisfilled7164

2 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thank you for your reply! I only recently discovered your channel and am really impressed with the laid back, no-nonsense and highly informative character.

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

@@yourtubisfilled7164 thank you, much appreciated 😊👍

Hey Tarun ! Prior to this video my perspective on actives was a clear no Simply because it was taking all the geeky joy out of HIFI ,but now I guess I'll give them a listen ...and a big hug to Bob 🤗

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Anand. I agree, for tinkerers like you and me, you are better off with passives. I could put together a passive system that sounds as good but at over twice the price. Kef LS50s and Exposure 2510 may get you close.

@geraldmcmullon2465

3 жыл бұрын

There is still a host of issues to over come and tweaking is at new levels. DSP speakers can be set up with a microphone to measure the room's own frequency and to remove them from the listening. This "fixes" problems with the room. Analogue connections are usually easy but setting up digital Toslink, Coxial, Ethernet, Wireless and then attempting multi-room or 5+1, 7+1 or 5+5 surround is a geeky as you could ever hope to attempt. In the digital world things are done by computer processors and every component adds a different delay.

Doggy is adorable 🥰 These speakers look to be awesome. I see they are made in PRC, that would explain the low cost. Would like to see inside one of them. Not sure where the amp heat is going. By the way there is an error in the video title, Hz.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you my friend, I have corrected it. Damn autocorrect! I would like to open them up. If I am allowed. Maybe a follow up video looking at the circuit. Always great to hear from you and thanks again LAZY DOG 😉👍👍

Hi, brilliant review as always but you have thrown a spanner in the works. I am now torn between the AE1's and the Triangles Bro3's. My initial setup was going to be Iotavx. 2x PA3 as a mono blockS setup and SA3 to drive them complimented by the Triangles. Very interested to know in what you think. Thanks

@abritishaudiophile7314

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Robbie. I haven’t heard the BRO3’s but they would have to be class leading to get near the AE1s 😊👍

@robbiet007

2 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 TRIANGLE BOREA BR03 LOUDSPEAKERS

PUPPPPYYYYYY!!!!!!! 😀😀😀😀 (I'll now rewind and actually listen to what you were saying lol)

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you beetooex. If you find him distracting, imagine how I felt whilst filming. He was a very good boy though. 😉👍

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

He has already tried 🐶👍

Bob is such a cutie, not something I normally say about other guys but he is an exception 😂 Interesting looking speakers and active speakers are starting to become more accessible and affordable and for £1000 they sound a steal. I know they are more expensive but the Buchardt 500 seems to lead the way for me though with their room correction software. Hopefully there'll be a review on their floorstander version soon.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Steve. I may look into reviewing the Buchardt Actives. Always great to hear from you 😉👍

@steverees1936

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 hopefully the A700's as everyone else is reviewing the A500's. Be the one to stand out from the sheep 😁

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the suggestion steve 😊

9:40 “I like my neighbours and I like glas in my windows” 🤣

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

I hope they are watching Conservator. If nothing else, a few brownie points for when I do have to turn the volume up 😂😂😂

@geraldmcmullon2465

3 жыл бұрын

Just plugged in a different pair of front channels with 36-20k Hz so did a little test with a video clip - 94 db on 45/64 volume control. My normal front speakers go down to below 20Hz. The Phantom Gold claim 14Hz and in the bass certainly go head to head with my large floor standing speakers.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing Gerald McMullon

I just ordered this speaker, and your review was major part the reason. They will arrive next week, and i cant wait to see how they differ from my previous povered speakers, audioengine a5+. Double the price, double the performance? Will see :)

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Wow. I consider that a massive compliment. I hope they live up to your expectations. Give them quite a few hours to run in. I am sure you won’t be disappointed. Please let me know how you get on 😊👍👍

@NoVoiOvi

3 жыл бұрын

Okay so, i previously was using audioengine a5+ with polk 12" HTS sub. I bought those used with 400e in total. Compared to that set, audio quality is not doubled, id say around 25% improvement. Yes speakers produce clearer imaging, and i can hear more detail, but only so much. I use these in nearfield with my pc, so positioning of the speakers is less than ideal. These should have just one volume nob for easy volume level set, and the power cable sould be angled down 90 degrees so i could bring these closer to wall (i know, not ideal and i can buy that cable) Im using la-100 dac with optical imput from my computer. Works really well, i might get a sub in the future as i like techno and BASS! but for now the bass in these is enough, i tried these also in my livingroom and the bass was plenty in a more open area. I paid 998 euros for these.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

@@NoVoiOvi Hi Ja, you wont get double the performance for double the price. The law of diminishing returns kicks in. Nevertheless, they should be night and day better than the Audioengine A5+. I suspect the speaker positioning and the Lead Audio DAC might be why you are not hearing them to their full potential. Thank you for the update 😉👍

@NoVoiOvi

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 I might upgrade the dac in the future, but i think with me it's the fact that speakers are against the wall in a tiny space:) And yes, AE:s are clearly better, just not double :P Thanks for the reply!

@panagodavenura7380

3 жыл бұрын

@@NoVoiOvi Hi ! I have two questions for you, where did you get these for less than 1000€ ? In France I don't find them for less than 1200€ Second question : I also want to use them on a desktop and rather close to the wall too. Looks like this situation didn't work well for you ? Do you recommend these speakers in this situation or should I go with something else ?

My powered setup is far from audiophile grade, its more bombastic and its basically a PA system for me...lol Two Yamaha DXR 10's and two BEHRINGER EUROLIVE B1200D-PRO's fed through HiFi Decoder SMSL SU-8 and a Harmony remote. I use the subs to cross the low end to 70hz and that cleans up the separation between everything substantially. I have this setup paired with a projector that I can take in and out of the space for outdoor and indoor use. If I use a direct USB feed through PC and I am streaming Tidal with the Dolby Atmos headphone app running I do get close to what I would call a high end sound. I doubt many people even bother to put any of the quality of feed and processing that I do even on this type of setup, but the results are pretty good. Many of the advantages you spoke of also coincide with one of my main concerns....portability and ease of use. Also XLR connections are just great and you can just use them anywhere without problems. You also rest easy knowing that whoever designed what your listening to got their execution done cradle to grave on the speaker before releasing it without introducing more links in the chain before reaching your ears. In some ways it the purest experience for the company you enjoy or love. The Klipsch fives seem to be reviewing well. Cheers.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Joshua 😊

hello lovey. managed to get a pair of these in the very first lockdown after seeing an open box pair for sale. no idea what i was getting myself into but lovely buggers, got the stands to match since. i saw another of your videos on popping in better power cables and wondered if you have done this with your AE1s, or if you might advise it

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Lisa. Great to hear about your experiences. I hope you are enjoying them. To my ears the better power cables do help to clean the sound a little but the difference is subtle. I would only go down the DIY route if you are confident about doing the wiring. It is better to connect the shield at only the mains end as this will avoid ground loop problems. Good luck 😊👍

Lovely video, lovely dog. Dog wins though ;-) I wondered this: you mentioned to put the speakers on max volume and then adjust with your pre-amp or DAC. But would there be a difference in sound quality if you put the speakers like at 50% volume? I mean there's a spectrum of pre-amp volume vs speaker volume to get the same decibels out, but what is preferred for sound quality? Or doesn't it matter? So do you want a big input signal to the speaker, in general?

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Marten. Worth experimenting with but I don’t think it is going to make much difference in this case. The AE1s are pretty linear all the way to the max volume setting. I did notice a slight increase in hiss. So maybe 3/4 of the way around it about right. It just isn’t easy to get both speakers at the exact same level, which is the reason I suggested turning them both to max an using to preamp and DAC to attenuate. Over short cable lengths, low level signals fed in should not be a problem.

Hi Tarun and congrats for another fantastic review. I'm a beginner in the audiophile journey and I find your reviews very informative and enlightening. I decided to take the plunge on these AE1 Actives and was wondering if you have any suggestions for a decent pair of stands for them. And also what did you use underneath the base plate to raise your speakers stands? Any advice recommendations links would be very much appreciated. Thanks and keep up the excellent work.

@ionutplesea5693

3 жыл бұрын

And I forgot to mention I love your cute little puppyI had to watch this twice because of him...

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Ionut. Bob is settling in very well. I think he thinks he owns the place now. He has a lovely temperament. I use EVA blocks to raise the stands. My cousin recently bought some Custom Design Signature stands. They are reasonably priced and can be filled. Make sure you get the right height. I hope you will be happy with the AE1s when they arrive 😊👍

@ionutplesea5693

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks so much Tarun. Are those blocks stable enough under the stands, seems somewhat wobbly to me? But hey, what do I know, it's gonna be my first pair of stands😂 You've also mentioned filling the stands with sand, should I use bags or it's better to pour directly? Sorry for the silly questions😊

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Ionut, I don’t believe in using spikes. See my video below. It is okay if it wobbles a little as long as it is stable. I would use bags to fill with kiln dry sand or kitty litter. kzread.info/dash/bejne/iHyDu7qjhq2xe7w.html

@ionutplesea5693

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks so much

Dear Tarun, one more great review. Your channel is great because even if it’s not an equipment that I’m considering to have, I learn as lot about hi-fi regardless. On that regard, pardon my ignorance, but I have a question. In a passive speaker, is there any difference in how crossover works or performs when the speaker has only two (left/right) or four connectors (left/right-hi/low)? Thanks!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Felipe. That is very kind. The crossover does the same job whether there is just one pair of speaker terminals or two. There will be the same high pass filter on the tweeter and the same low pass filter on the mid/woofer. All that having two pairs of speaker terminals allows you to do is bi-amp (or bi-wire which is pretty much pointless). Bi-amping is beneficial and means you can have one amplifier driving the tweeter and another driving the mid/woofer. With one pair of terminals you have one amplifier driving both but the crossover does the same filtering job to each of the drivers regardless. I hope I explained it clear enough 😉👍

@fts81

3 жыл бұрын

A British Audiophile dear Tarun, thanks for the explanation. I kinda thought this would be the case but wanted to hear from you. I have my speakers bi-wired. Do you know if it really makes a difference? I kinda feel it does, subtle, but it’s there. What’s your take?

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Felipe, if it works in your system then that is the only thing that really matters. Generally, though unless you are using different cables for the mid/woofer and tweeter to alter the tonal balance, bi-wiring only increases the gauge of the cables. If they are narrow gauge, say 16AWG, this can be beneficial as it lowers the dc resistance. If they are 12AWG of lower, then the effect should be negligible. 😊

@fts81

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 AHA!!! Never heard such a thing, even after reading a lot about bi-wiring. So how can we use different cables and alter tonal balances? Thanks!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Felipe, using different cables for the tweeter than the woofer is just a band aid in dealing with a more fundamental problem, in that the overall tonal balance of the system is not to the owners liking. For that reason it is a solution that I would not particularly advise. Dealing with the fundamental problem is more likely to lead to long term satisfaction. However, you could use silver plated cables on the tweeter to boost the highs on a dull system as they typically sound brighter than pure copper cables. You could also use a narrow gauge twisted pair on the tweeter as it, again typically, has a lower noise floor than an equivalent figure of 8 cable which you may use on the mid/woofer with a heavy gauge to lower the series resistance. Effectively, you can use the cables as a tone control. But, like I said, better to deal with the fundamental problem in the first place. 😉

Oh! That looks like foam surrounding those woofers. Hope they have perfected that idea by coming up with a foam that doesn’t fall apart after a few years. I’m always much happier when I see rubber surround, as it will last much longer. I’ve had awesome JBLs that the foam fell out of. What a drag! You always have beautiful looking speakers, though. I’ll give you that, my friend. Having no experience with high end speakers... about all I can say is that they look Cool. Ha ha Yes... the little pup did very well. Also... in future you can ask him if your setup is emitting frequencies above what you can hear, so you will know if you’ve got weird high stuff going on you don’t know about. Seriously, though... he’s about the cutest little pup I’ve seen in a while! They are so good for a home, especially in these weird times we are in, as they bring things down to a basic level of existence, that can free us up from our stresses and complex considerations. You know: run, play, eat, drink and poop n pee. All very basic and uncomplicated! Ha ha ha! I can see by the glow in your smile, you are doing well... and that makes me happy. On the subject of happiness, My Son just got a six string fret less Bass Guitar and I’ve got a studio condenser mic, with specs that would blow your mind, on the way in the post... and we are all healthy hear. Things overall are very good! Even my Mom is feeling pretty good!! At this point I’d like to remind you that I left my email in the very bottom of one of my last comments to you, with which you and I can BS and I can also send you some Music my Son and I have written and recorded through our Musical adventures in life. Hey... if nothing else, you will have some songs you can say not many other people have. Exclusive listening material! Ha ha ha! If you only have a business email or whatever, just set up one for said reasons when you get the time. 🛠 Ok... enough bla bla bla from me to you. Your Buddy, Chuk PS: Chet Baker may be calling you for a listen from the great beyond... ooooooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooow.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

That is spooky Chuk, I was listening to Chet earlier today. Great to know you and your family are well. You are right, the puppy is a lot of fun, settling in superbly well and does encourage me to take some time out and appreciate the simple things in life. One of the engineers commented on the use of foam surrounds. AE1 have used an aluminium mid/woofer because it has very good pistonic motion due to its stiffness. However, it has a nasty break up node at about 5.5KHz, even though this is outside the driver linear range it is still audible. The foam surround as part of the suspension system does a much better job of damping the node than a rubber surround. He further defended AEs decision to utilise foam by stating that the foam used now is much more durable with better resistance to UV light and humidity than those used in the 80’s. I guess time will tell. I would love to hear some of the music you and your son have written. I somehow must have missed the post with the email. If you would like to repost it, I will be happy to send you a reply. Great to hear from you and take care my friend, Tarun 😊👍

@BadChizzle

3 жыл бұрын

A British Audiophile 5.5k is a very bad area to be having anything negative happening, for reasons I’m sure you are aware of. Hope they are correct. About the foam... as you say... Time will tell! It always does. chrdarm@aol.com Chime in and say things when you like!

@jackneber2609

3 жыл бұрын

I’ve got some small speakers with rubber surrounds that failed as well - hard, brittle and cracked after 10 years or so. Had to replace the driver.....

@BadChizzle

3 жыл бұрын

Jack Neber Oh no! What can we believe in these days!

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Chuk 👍

GREAT REVIEW!! Sadly I already trusted your previous review and got myself the ATCs, I would have bought everything that you regard highly (if I have infinite cash). :p If I were to challenge you with any active speakers, that would be the Tannoy Gold 8, they sound huge given the right source cabling and support. AND they are half the price of the Acoustic Energy at just below £500, Downsides being the huge physical size and the very narrow sweet spot.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and the Tannoy suggestion William. I don’t think you can go wrong with the ATCs as long as the rest of the system allows them to shine they will outperform the AE1s. Thank you for your kind words of support 😊👍

Thanks a lot for this great review, which actually disserves to be called that way. I currently use the Hedd Type 05 active monitors (similar size and frequency response) as as a desktop setup. The AMT tweeters on those are incredible revealing, but for me a bit too analytical to enjoy the music. I am looking to replace them with a more relaxed / natural / neutral sound representation, with still a lot of detail. A little bit similar to the S400 / IOTAVX combo sound I have in the living room, but than also suitable for nearfield use and within the 1000-1500 price range. So the AE1 active seems to be the perfect kandidate for that. Would the AE1 Actives be also suitable for near field use, or if not, do you maybe have other recommendations in that budget for near field. I don't think you can close off the port on the back, right, due to the heat of the amps? Other option would be to apply DSP room correction, if needed to be. EDIT: I just read that the original AE1 was actually a near field front ported studio monitor....

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

I suppose we should define near field Gerard. I think you need to be a minimum of 1.5, maybe 2m away from them. That is semi-near-field. I would look at the Kef LSX for near field. Thank you for watching and your support 😊👍

@gerard3797

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks :)! I don't like the Kef sound, too sharp for my taste. 0,7 - 1m from them and close to the wall, real desktop speaker distance :). So probably better to look for something that is closed box with Sub or front ported. I have seen that Sean from Zero Fidelity did a few video's on desktop setups, including the Harbeth P3ESR that he uses on his own desktop, but that's well above my budget, maybe second hand. I also came across a brand that seems to be forgotten :), with good reviews 15 years ago. The Role Audio Kayak, www.roleaudio.com/kayak. But cannot find anything recent on that one.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Gerard, I am not aware of that brand. You are right, there is not much choice in actives. The search continues... 😊👍

Nice review - how are these with vocals i wonder? I have found active speakers can lack a bit of warmth in the midrange and vocals a bit recessed.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Excellent vocals for both male and female. Very natural. Not overly warm or lean. Thank you for watching 😊

Thanks for your review. I'm planning to buy this active speakers pair with a Smsl su-9. I need to create the simplest combination dac+active speakers. Do you think it's a good combination? Why the sound wasn't that good with smsl m300? Are there other Dacs for about 400€ better for this AE1? Last question, what do you think about the absence of a standby mode present in other active speakers as Dynaudio LYD 7? Can I leave them always On without problems? Thanks

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Vda, the M300 is a good DAC but the competition is stiff. It doesn’t sound as good as my Mojo. I am planning to review the ProJect Prebox S2 which I was also impressed with on first hearing. If they have a standby mode, I would leave them on all the time 😊

Great review. If building a $2000-ish basic stereo setup from scratch for 75% streaming (via Wiim), 25% vinyl would you choose the AE1 over a basic passive setup like the Audiolab 6000A w. Wharfedale EVO 4.1 or similar? And if so, any sub $500-ish pre-amp/dac or standalone dac recommendations? Thanks!

@abritishaudiophile7314

Жыл бұрын

Thanks. Both good systems with relative strengths and weaknesses. To accommodate vinyl you may want to check out a Schitt Freya but for digital only I would go for a SMSL DAC. I would use balanced connections 😊

Hi, Great review ! I'm looking for a pair of active speakers for my room (

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Panagoda. I needed to be at least 1.5m (5ft) away from the drivers to get a coherent sound. I think the Kef LSX is better suited for desktop use, 😊👍

@panagodavenura7380

3 жыл бұрын

@@abritishaudiophile7314 sorry I meant 10 square meters not feet ! But thanks for the reply, I'll go get the LSX then and maybe try out the AE1 one day when I'll have more space. I hope the LSX doesn't sound too bad compared to the AE1's ! Any way thanks for taking the time to reply !👍

Thanks for your review. I think I am about to buy a pair! Do you think it is always more rewarding in sound quality by using XLR connection instead of the RCA one?

@abritishaudiophile7314

Жыл бұрын

Thank you. I would use XLR if possible, especially with longer cable runs. There is always a chance that a RCA cable will pick up noise 😊

Nice Review. A.E know there is no better way to kill a tweeter than an under powered amplifier producing square waves/clipping. They also likely wanted to use "the same" amplifier for better integration between drive units and to ensure no loss of HF transients within it's performance envelope. I would expect nothing less from A.E.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you 405line 😊

Hi Tarun, what a great review of these active speakers!! I've never considered them until I came across your review. I'm in a dilemmas now! 😂😂 Seriously considering selling up my amp, passive speaker setup for a easier solution, in your opinion would the Ae Actives present a better over all listening experience over my Rega Elex R amp, Rega Dac (or my smsl do100) Q acoustics Concept 40 speakers? Maybe you haven't tried these combinations so for a pound for pounds comparison would the AE Actives out shine a passive setup within the above price range Appreciated as always, you have a great channel which is very I formative, balanced and down to earth 😊 Regards Chris.

@abritishaudiophile7314

10 ай бұрын

That is tricky. Pound for pound the AE1s still come out on top. However, I would put the money to upgrading the passive Concept 40s 😊

@chrissmith7069

10 ай бұрын

@abritishaudiophile7314 Thank-you for your reply Tarun. I would like to move over from a floor stander to a Stand mounted speaker. Regarding my Elex R and if I was to keep it, do you know which brand/model of Stand mount speaker which would work quite well with it in a small room approx 9x14ft. Thx again, Chris.

Good to see that Acoustic Energy is still in business. I've always been fascinated by the original AE1's with their metal drivers. I thought the AE1 designation was reserved for their reference model.

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

I was until now. It gives you some indication of the confidence they have in these speakers. The original AE1 is a legendary speaker.

@kidsfriends8269

3 жыл бұрын

The box they come in does say Reference Series, so I guess they still sort of do.

Great review - as always and greetings from Poland. If You had to choose from 3 sets: 1) Allo usbridge signature + Pro-ject pre box s2 digital + Acoustic energy ae1 active 2) Bluesound node 2i + Acoustic energy ae1 active or passive 3) Allo usbridge signature + Audiolab 6000a + Wharfedale evo 4.2 What would You choose and why?

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

All good choices but I suspect option one would sound the best 😉

I have a Cavipoo and we love her

@abritishaudiophile7314

3 жыл бұрын

Bod is 9 months old now 🐶 😊👍