Acoustic Energy- AE120 £800

Looking for a floorstander that packs a mighty punch from a small cabinet? Your search could be over

As the flagship offering in Acoustic Energy’s entry-level 100 series, the AE120 also happens to be the most expensive contender in this group. No pressure, then! Like the ELAC coming up, it’s a true three-way design, with the company’s own 25mm soft dome tweeter married to a wide dispersion waveguide. A single 110mm doped paper cone midrange driver is fitted beneath this, with twin 110m bass units placed further below. The former drive unit gets its own dedicated enclosure inside the cabinet; this is expensive to do, but mitigates against the harmful effects of rear wave reflections.

Acoustic Energy explains that the crossover is impedance-compensated, with particular attention paid to the phase and time alignment. The MDF cabinet has 18mm-thick walls and is mass-loaded and internally braced. A satin black plinth further aids stability. The rear slot ports complete what is a well-made and finished, attractive-looking speaker available in a choice of satin black or walnut vinyl wraps. The manufacturer quotes a frequency response of 40Hz–35kHz, with no cut-off points listed. Nominal impedance is said to be a slightly lower than average 6ohm and sensitivity is put at a healthy 90dB.

Sound quality