Build a complete audiophile-grade stereo system around the Acoustic Energy AE1 Active Bookshelf Loudspeakers for under $4,000.

Reading Hi-Fi forums is bad for your health. Both mental and physical. It is where people who have never designed anything in their lives find the courage to tell engineers with decades of experience that their products can’t possibly work or that they don’t sound as good as the product they created in their basement. I’m 100% sure the people who designed the Acoustic Energy AE1 know what they’re doing more than Bob.

Forums are where know-it-alls turn friendly discussions about “passive” loudspeakers vs “active” loudspeakers into long-winded political diatribes. It is moments like those that make me turn off the computer and raise the volume on the AE1 active loudspeakers. If you’re looking for “powered” loudspeakers that will not be obsolete even in the world of smart and wireless loudspeakers, these really need to be on your audition list.

All active loudspeakers are “powered” by nature, but not all powered loudspeaker are active.

“The first time I played Kraftwerk and Daft Punk through the AE1, I knew that they would not be leaving. They can sound effortless in the manner they present music depending on the recording.”

The AE1 connects you to the music. I think that is their greatest strength. 

Pacing is a definite strength; music flows out of these relatively small 2-way loudspeakers with real drama. Drama is probably the wrong word for it – they have presence.

I’m more focused on tone, clarity, and pacing, but I think a lot of listeners will be impressed by their composure as you increase the volume.

The AE1 sound perfectly fine at lower listening levels, and never lose control or sound congested if you raise the volume too high. A lot of high-end loudspeakers in their price range stumble if you drive them hard and with demanding tracks – the AE1 don’t even flinch. 

They won’t rattle the room, but you really feel your heart start to race when the music commands it. 

Do not expect an enormous sounding soundstage, but everything is pretty solid in-between the loudspeakers and vocals can make you sit up and think that you’re not alone in your space. 

The more I listen to them – the more I feel that I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of their capabilities and that makes them the basis for a fantastic sounding system for the long haul. 

System Builder:

Acoustic Energy AE1 Active Loudspeakers ($1,590/pair at Sound Seller)

Bluesound NODE Streamer ($499 at Amazon)

Schiit Audio Saga 2 ($279 at SchiitAudio.com)

Pro-Ject Audio Systems Debut PRO Turntable ($799 at The In Groove)

Rega Planar 3 Turntable ($1,395 at Turntable Lab)

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This article originally appeared at ecoustics.com. A preview of the full feature has been posted here with permission. Read the full article here.