Budget models made better

Does this upgraded entry-level speaker range still offer the best bang for your buck? Steve Withers finds out

- Steve Withers

Acoustic Energy says it enjoyed 'amazing success' with its original 100 Series of entry-level speakers, but the British company has now decided the time is right for an evolutionary update with the Mk2 range. Or based on the ¹2¹ marketing, should that be the 100 Series squared?

Whatever nomenclature you choose for this lineup, it's a redesign that takes some of its cues from Acoustic Energy's pricier 500 Series, most obviously by rethinking the placement of mid/bass and tweeter. All the speakers use the same lin fabric dome high-frequency driver and the same paper cone mid/bass driver, but the trim of the former now slightly overlaps that of the latter. This repositioning is part of a new approach to integration (which also includes a waveguide for the dome tweeter), necessitated by an increase in the size of the 100 Series woofers from 4in to 5in.

There are changes to the cabinets too, although they are again slender (16.5cm) for an easy installation. Slot ports, with newly tooled vents to better smooth the airflow, are mounted on the rear of enclosures made from HDF (High Density Fibreboard) rather than MDF. AE says this material change allowed it to step up to 5in drivers without the speakers gaining much girth, because HDF cabinet walls can be thinner without losing mass or stiffness. The result is a larger internal volume to provide deeper bass response from a minimal increase in external size.

Everything under a grand