Summary: I am not a “price is no object” person, but I do value clarity, broad sound spectrum, and a full sound. After much listening and deliberation, what I ultimately purchased was a pair of Acoustic Energy Aesprit 309s.
With a mid-fi amp, such as a NAD, I think these speakers are about as good as you’re going to going to get. I listed to many speakers in the under $3,000 (CDN) range: B&W 604 s3, CM4 and 704; Dynaudio Focus 110 and Focus 140; Sonus Faber Concertino Domus; and AE Aesprit 309 and Aelite 3. I also heard Totem Acoustic, Energy, Paradigm, PSB, and Energy, but did not spend much time listening to these.
As anyone who reads the online commentaries knows, many listeners adore B&W. I am not overly taken with their lower-end lines. The 604s produce a sharp, but accurate sound with boomy bass. (They are the closest in price to the 309s.) The 309s produce much warmer and resonant tones with greater clarity and soundstage. The now discontinued B&W CM4 offers a little greater clarity than the 604s, but not the warmth of the 309s. I loved the 704s, but not for the price. The 704s also need decent amplification to truly perform. The bass will get up and march across the floor and into your chest, but not with any integrated amp I listened to.
Dynaudio and Sonus Faber both make beautiful speakers, but each has their drawbacks. When I auditioned the Dynaudios in the store through a fairly high-end Arcam, the 140s sounded beautiful. Wondrous detail, great stereo imaging, and lovely soundstage. The 110s sounded, analytic and harsh – especially in the high frequencies. I would not recommend them. However, testing the Dynaudio 140s at home forced me to conclude that I needed a much better amp to see the benefits of the 140s. Dynaudio offers beautify clarity, but I just wasn’t getting it at home. With Sonus Faber, it’s simple. They sound very good, but you have to tack on $800 (CDN) Sonus Faber stands due to their unusual shape. In teak, the Sonus Fabers look decent, but in “piano black”, the “other colour”, they look like they are straight out of the 80s. These are also bookshelf speakers from much manufacturers of grander lines, which is also a drawback when you try to explain to your wife why you just spent $2,000 on speakers.
The AE 309s are now discontinued, and I confess, I bought them for their price. Their successor, the AE Aelite 3s, can be found at very good prices notwithstanding their $2,200 (CDN) list, but for me, it wasn’t worth the extra cost. For the money, you get a sweeter treble and mid-range, and maybe tighter bass. The Aelite’s curving cabinets are aesthetically pleasing, but the silver speaker mounting enclosures are a little jarring. The enclosures would look better if they were black. That said, but for the deal on the Aesprits, I would have bought the Aelite 3s.
The bottom line is that the AEs are clear, have good separation, better than average soundstage, and in light of my comments about my NAD amp, it’s worth noting that they are forgiving.
I highly recommend both AE lines. Find a dealer near you and give them a listen!
Strengths: Strong resonant bass; smooth treble and midrange; clarity; warm sound; good soundstage; forgiving of mid-fi power amplification; value
Weaknesses: Not quite as detailed as Dynaudio; 3 year warranty vs 5 yeard for e.g., B&W
Similar Products Used: B&W 604 s4
B&W CM4
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Summary: Having never owned a pair of Acoustic Energy speakers before, I bought these on impulse as the deal I found was so fantastic, and I liked what I had read about them. For a pair of speakers with a retail price of $1200, the build quality is pretty good. After hooking them up to my Arcam Alpha 10 (single wire), I didn't notice a lot of difference between them and my previous pair of B&W 601's (and they're stand mounters!) - however, after about 2 weeks of solid listening, they started to grow on me more and more, with the bass gradually sinking deeper, although not quite deep enough for my liking. I didn't find them quite as musical as the B&W's but of course the bass was greatly improved over a stand mount. Overall, a respectable floorstander for a sensible price, which handles almost all types of music with ease, however I sense there might be better out there for the money. AE discontinued this range of speakers in 2003.
Strengths: Smooth mids, handles all types of music well, well built.
Weaknesses: Bass - although it got deeper over time, it still didn't have enough punch to keep me interested.
Similar Products Used: B&W 601 S3
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Summary: One of the best bargains out there. Nearly neutral sound, strong bass, does not fatigue, clear and dynamic sound. Good craftmanship, can be enhanced by rewiring the speakers with silver solder and filling the speakers cabinet with sand. Should be placed completely parallel, not too far away from the back (max. 60 cm)
Strengths: Power handling, bass impact, neutrality, not too bright but detailed enough, can be placed in a large variety of locations.
Weaknesses: Could be slightly more detailed, could do better on focusing acoustic events.
Similar Products Used: Linn Ninka, Triangle Celius 202, Infinity Kappa 6.2i
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Summary: We purchased these speakers used from Audiogon. We had listened to many speakers for inclusion in our home theater system, including Energy Veritas, and Paradigm Studio series.
We ended up buying these, along with an acoustic energy 307 center channel and two 301's for the back channel. Our use is about 70/30 music and HT. We are driving the ystem with a Yamaha RX-V1 AV reciever, along with a Pioneer DV-502 DVD and a Rega Planet CD.
We could not be more pleased with our choice! I have owned some very high end speakers in the past from Linn, Rogers, and DCM. The clarity of the acoustic energy speakers is VERY GOOD, bordering on EXCELLENT. In our 13 x 21 ft. room, the 309's have enough bass response that I have put off the purchase of a sub for a while. I highly reccomend the Aespirit line to anyone in the market for very stylish towers in the $1200 - $1500 range.
Strengths: Imaging, clarity, bass response.
Weaknesses: None yet
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Summary: after listen to many speakers i come to the AE. I was impressed. A full sound on all levels. When i installed the speakers at home on my Cyrus 2 with the psx i was even more impressed. It seems they belong togheter.
Strengths: full, open sound .
Weaknesses: breaking in period was long but its wurth it. wunderfull
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