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Active speakers – speakers with built-in amplification that power drive units – are becoming increasingly popular these days. Their space-saving form eliminates the need for separate speaker boxes and trailing cables, reducing clutter and making for cleaner systems.
Most active speakers these days also come with a built-in DAC and digital input, sometimes a phono stage, and often have hi-res network streaming or at least Bluetooth included for all-around convenience. Acoustic Energy bucks this trend by keeping its new AE Active speakers analog.
This new model builds on the five-star, award-winning AE1 active speakers we tested back in 2018 and have been highly recommended ever since, and includes updated acoustic technology and a refined new-generation design.
Build & draw
Acoustic Energy AE Active is a fully functional two-way design, with 50W of Class A/B amplification powering each drive unit. That’s a power output of 200W, and the amplifiers are refined in this new generation to improve dynamic power. Each speaker has its own main power plug, with updated amps fed with high-quality line power to ensure consistent, low-noise performance throughout the frequency range.
Details of Acoustic Energy AE Active tech
Bluetooth? No
Network streaming? No
Input RCA line level, balanced XLR
Results N/A
Power 200W
Dimensions (hwd) 31.2 x 18 x 25cm
Weight 7.5kg (each)
It ends x 3 (Walnut Satin Wood Veneer, High Gloss Black, High Gloss White)
The 40-year-old Acoustic Energy brand continues its tradition of using metal drivers in its new active speakers. The 27mm aluminum dome tweeter has a new rear chamber to reduce distortion at certain frequencies in the crossover area, and is combined with a dedicated waveguide to deliver a wider sound stage.
These speakers use the same 12.5cm mid/bass driver designed for the latest AE1 40th Anniversary passive speakers. This is a “pure-piston” ceramic/aluminum cone that is light in weight but very strong, and is designed to reduce cone deflection and distortion.
Analogue filters have been developed to minimize any phase interference. There’s a rear-facing bass slot that’s also been updated, while the interior of the cabinet has been fitted with baffle panels and internal damping to improve performance.
The cabinets themselves are subtly refined, with neat trim around the drivers that looks smart and subtle. The speakers are available in three finishes: high gloss black or white, and a new natural walnut wood veneer. Our sample wood veneer finish feels lovely to the touch, with a smooth texture and high quality finish throughout.
The mounts have well-integrated feet and look very much at home on dedicated speaker stands, although they can be placed on a large, sturdy desk if you’re using them as close-up monitors. You’ll just need to make sure that both speakers are close to a power socket.
Features
Active AE speakers avoid any digital or broadcast features altogether. Acoustic Energy claims to have tried modern features such as wireless streaming, switching mode voltage, Class D amplification and DSP, but ultimately did not want to compromise pure audio performance. AE Active has a fully analog signal path that avoids any digital processing entirely in an effort to preserve the integrity of the original audio file.
As such, you get two analogue inputs: a balanced XLR input and a stereo RCA input.
On the other hand, this purist approach is admirable, but it is old-fashioned and will not appeal to everyone, especially those looking for a simple solution. There’s a reason that many active speakers these days – like the KEF Coda W, Fyne Cubitt 5 and Cambridge Audio L/RS – come with Bluetooth and a variety of digital inputs to work with modern sources including TVs and laptops.
On the other hand, this leveling-down approach keeps Acoustic Energy flexible and future-proof. The speakers have an integrated volume control, meaning you can directly connect a source such as a CD player or hi-res music streamer. You can also connect a preamp or external DAC to extend the connection, and it allows for a potential upgrade path down the line.
On the back panel of both units, you’ll find bass and treble controls to fine-tune the sound in the room they’re in, especially if you’re dealing with suboptimal placement. A new feature is an auto on/off switch that lets you choose between leaving the speakers on forever or turning on standby mode after 15 minutes of inactivity.
That the active speakers come with built-in volume control is good news – this means they don’t need a separate preamp with volume control to work, like the ATC SCM20ASL active speakers.
The only real complaint we have is the placement and design of the volume controls. The dial is placed on the back panel of the speakers – this may be good if the speakers are located on a desk, but not if they are on stands and your sofa. No, there is no remote control included here.
The main problem is that there are independent volume controls for each unit, with no clear markings on the dials. This means that there is a high chance that the volume will not be perfect and equal between the units, as you have to set them individually. We would have liked it more if there was a single volume control to control the levels of both speakers.
A preamp or source with volume control comes in handy here, like the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition music player we used during testing, so you can guess at it.
The sound
Placed on the stands and with a Naim Uniti Atom HE speaker that plays a variety of radio tracks, WAV and hi-res FLAC, the AE Active doesn’t take long to show their abilities.
The control they have over every note is amazing at this level. Piano notes to Alicia Keys’ fallin’ the audio is incredibly well written and feels solid and confident. Each note starts and stops with impeccable timing, with the rhythm of every song we play being coordinated with a kind of military precision that is very impressive.
The amount and quality of bass from these not-so-large cabinets is also impressive, and we had a blast playing tracks with strong basslines to hear what these AE functions can do. There’s real muscle and impact to Major Lazer’s basslines Pon de Floorbut there is immediacy and texture here too. Everything is pulled taut and has the agility that goes with active speaker designs.
The busy arrangement and high-octane energy of the track is handled with ease by the speakers, too, each note sounding crisp and precisely positioned on the soundstage – but without losing the party vibe.
Dynamically, AE Actives is amazing. The fast transient response of these active speakers means that sudden transitions from quiet to loud moments are communicated incredibly quickly, while moments that are less heated – like Clint Mansell’s instrument. The month sound track – sound fluid and retain their sense of tension.
Play Kate Bush’s Watching You Without Me and AE Active renders high notes with the right combination of clarity, headroom and bite, but without unnecessary brightness or sharpness. The overall sound from these active speakers is clean and has low distortion at all frequencies, which also means that we can enjoy listening at high volumes without stiffness or fluffiness.
The stereo image is focused and structured in the same way, with vocals showing how well the AE Actives’ drivers are integrated. The speakers have no problem expressing the different voices, tone and personality of Eminem Stan. From Unthanks’ soft, nuanced vocals on Mount The Air to Eminem’s fast, brutal beat GodzillaAE Actives bring out the character and intensity of every song with a good amount of detail and hint.
The Acoustic Energy speakers are almost transparent enough that you’re aware of the distinct recording qualities of albums from different eras, but they don’t overpower the quality of each track. The overall sound can be a bit more fluid and noisy, and they may struggle to fill very large rooms. Listening in our larger 3m x 7m x 5m (hwd) test room, the AE Actives sound a touch restrained in power, but they come to life in our smaller 3m x 4m x 7m room, which has a bit of breathing room from the back wall to balance the bass performance.
We switch to a price-matched split amplifier and speaker pairing of the Arcam A5+ and Acoustic Energy AE300 Mk2 (both current Award-winners in their respective categories), and find that this provides a more comfortable and spacious soundstage. They sound soft on the bass, though, and not deep either. Overall, they cannot match the speed, accuracy and sharpness of an active AE speaker.
The decision
The Acoustic Energy AE Active is a unique product in today’s audio landscape, but it’s an incredibly capable and capable pair of active speakers. They’re a viable alternative to traditional split pairings at this price, and may be the last series in your hi-fi system that you’ll need to update. Highly recommended.
Update published: 14th July 2026
POINTS
MORE:
Read our review of KEF Coda W
Think again about ATC SCM20ASL
The best active speakers: our experts select the best pairs with integrated amplifiers