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Acoustic Energy Speakers

lojyo610

lojyo610

Active Member
I have read about "AE" speakers in the English HIFI mags,but rarely see them in my neck of the woods. I was looking for some used bookshelf speakers for my bedroom, mostly for TV duty, but in 2 channel. I scoured the local thrifts, Goodwill, SA and etc, but only found really sad or really crap speakers. I was checking my local CL and saw some AE Aveno 1's for $75. That's big bucks in the CL world, but I was frustrated and a little too fussy for crap speakers. I read many reviews from the early 2000's and was impressed.

I saw, listened, and offered $70. They were a little grungy, but in very good condition.

When I hooked them up to my $20 SA sourced Sony surround receiver, I was blown away. Lots of not too boomy bass and a very sweet midrange. Highs are slightly laid back, but very wide dispersion and soundstage.

I hooked them up to my main 2 channel amp and CD player and was astounded. They need some extra wattage to get going, but they are the best, entry level bookshelf speakers I have ever owned. That includes the PSB Alpha B1's I still have, Boston Acoustic CR6's and even some MIssion M772's that were a lot more money.

To put them in perspective, they cost about $300 a pair in 2000 - 2002, a little more than what the PSB Alphas were going for, at the time.

Anyone else out there with AE speaker love?
 
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I guess I was in the zone when i wrote the above post.The speaker models are the Aegis 1's (The Aegis EVO 1's came later)
 
lojyo610 said:
I guess I was in the zone when i wrote the above post.The speaker models are the Aegis 1's (The Aegis EVO 1's came later)
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There was also an Aegis Compact. their claim to fame is the AE1 AE1 MKII and AE1 Classic. which they reissued for a second time and sell for just shy of $2000.

I have a set of classics in black, MKII in Walnut and Aegis Ones. I nearly bought a set of EVOs last week for dirt money but talked some sense into myself. someone else locally grabbed them after being up for a disturbing 3 weeks and multiple repost and price reductions

I prefer the Aegis one / Aegis Evo over any of the Elac and Andrew Jones Pioneer speakers I've heard.
 
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This is my first post as a new member. I bought a pair of Aegis Ones at a yard sale for $40 and could not be more pleased. I was recently given a Pioneer SX-1250 which simply needed a good cleaning. Feeling very lucky! Also have a Nikko 6065 and a Scott 350R, an Optonica RP 7705 TT, Marantz CD-152 player, Akai CS-F11 cassette deck, Sony TC-WR535 cassette deck and a Magnavox 8-track player, just because. Also a console by Magnavox, tube radio/phono in a beautiful pecan finish. Had a BW 25" TV which I removed and recycled. Trying to think of what to put in the space where TV was - maybe a diorama?? I have lots of die-cast cars. At least the console has sliding doors that cover the hole where the TV was.
 
Aegis one is well off the radar for most folks , so its highly under rated or not at all by forum folks. Its better made than Some B&w bookshelf models at 1/5 the price. acoustic energy did a great job making a "budget" monitor speaker. Yet its one that few are familiar with and only a handful of people ever talk about it online. They mate up well with a sub especially if you can filter them at around 80hz. ( either via your sub, receiver or a stand alone high pass filter)
 
Thanks, Bostown! As a newbie, I'm unfamiliar with B&W - can you offer any more comment on them? I bought the Aegis Ones at a yard sale for $40; the person selling them had some info from the web that indicated they sound best "in the middle of a room" - vs. in front of a wall, corner, etc. That is not easy to do in most rooms! Mine are near a corner, and near a wall next to a door. They sound good to me. Thank you for the tip on using a sub. I currently have one connected to my home theater but I can sure try it with the Aegis. BTW, I live in NE Mass. and would be interested to know of any good used records/analog equipment resources in our area. Do you know Welfare Records in Haverhill? Good source for used records and gear; they may be closed for renovation at this moment. Thanks again!
 
Hi all,

I can't believe my luck! "Thrift Shop" finds have been AWFUL for the last few years for me here in Maine. Mostly BPC. Imagine my SURPRISE when I find an absolutely PRISTINE pair of
ACOUSTIC ENERGY AEGIS 1's for twenty dollars the pair! Whoa! Presently, I have them on stands and hooked up to my Classic NAD 3140 Integrated Amp with excellent results!
Oooh, I'm keeping these Bad Boy's for sure!

SixCats!

(thank you/Borrowed Photograph) :
AE_Aegis_One_up_585x471_pixels.gif
 
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SixCats! said:
Hi all,

I can't believe my luck! "Thrift Shop" finds have been AWFUL for the last few years for me here in Maine. Mostly BPC. Imagine my SURPRISE when I find an absolutely PRISTINE pair of
ACOUSTIC ENERGY AEGIS 1's for twenty dollars the pair! Whoa! Presently, I have them on stands and hooked up to my Classic NAD 3140 Integrated Amp with excellent results!
Oooh, I'm keeping these Bad Boy's for sure!
SixCats!
(thank you/Borrowed Photograph) :
Click to expand...


Can't beat that price... although they're not terribly expensive on the used market to begin with ( $100 +/- ) but $80 is a lot of excess change to have in your pocket.
I've kept a pair in my hoard of speakers for years ( even had multiple sets a few times ). They sound great in my set up for the type of stuff I play through them. Glad to see more and more folks picking them up as they come across them
 
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Hi Bostown,

Man, you don't want to even hear about the ULTRA PRISTINE (damn near NOS) pair of Vintage ACOUSTIC RESEARCH INC. AR2a Speakers I recently found!

SixCats!
 
SixCats! said:
Hi Bostown,

Man, you don't want to even hear about the ULTRA PRISTINE (damn near NOS) pair of Vintage ACOUSTIC RESEARCH INC. AR2a Speakers I recently found!

SixCats!
Click to expand...

You missed out on the Pallets of Vintage speakers I've damn near given away over the years. I had a shrine dedicated to speakers by Kloss, Allison, Burhoe and a few others. which after a few years and catching a few sets of keepers that I cared about more. I spread the love with the local "collectors" who ended up with Gobs and gobs of that stuff. Only a few sets of speakers related to Allison remain and those will find a home by the end of this year too. :)
 
I’m late to this party but I wanted to Share my $29.95 Goodwill find. The Aegis One’s we’re sitting on the floor taped together with blue tape. The only clue they were good speakers were the heavy duty binding posts that were showing. They have the most amazingly transparent and cleanest highs that allows you to distinguish every detail. They have a deep soundstage and are very smooth sounding. Vocals are hyper realistic. I am blown away by them.
 
I've been using Aegis One's in the kitchen for a few years and have been very happy with them connected to a Scott 385R receiver, they're mostly used for background music but do get turned up occasionally and sound great. They deserve better, but they may be the best speaker that size I have.
 
Hi all, Old thread I know however, I recently decided to (once again) set up a few systems of Audio gear sitting far too long on the side lines. I retrieved my beautiful pair of ACOUSTIC ENERGY (AE) Aegis One Bookshelf Speakers and set them atop my EMI 529 DLS Speakers (EMI's connected to my Fisher 400 Tube Receiver). I connected the AE's up to my Classic Nakamachi TA-2A (50 Watts per channel Stasis) Receiver and the results are most excellent results! I think the AE's are truly one outstanding pair of sounding/quality Bookshelf Speakers (that no doubt flew under the radar). Sitting beside this set up, I have my Mission 733 (two way) lil' Towers which I also very much enjoy. I also connected the Missions to the Nakamichi TA-2A as well so I can A-B between the two. I was a bit surprised to find the AE's to be more sensitive (and I think a somewhat better performer at lower volumes being more clear/open/sparkle if you will). Mind you, the 773's sound wonderful however, I find they require just a little bit more ummmph (volume) to get the 773's to open up. I enjoy all these Speakers. I still mostly listening to Classic Jazz (at lower/low'ish) volumes. Of course, the EMI pretty much shine in (especially) the low volume department.

SixCats!
 
i just got two pairs of the EVO ones and the EVO centre. All i can say is my goodness are these underrated. I have several much newer speakers from the past 5 years and cannot stop listening to these. Smooth detailed highs, fluid mids and more than enough bass. These are not going anywhere anytime soon. Just fantastic!
 
Riccardo77 said:
i just got two pairs of the EVO ones and the EVO centre. All i can say is my goodness are these underrated. I have several much newer speakers from the past 5 years and cannot stop listening to these. Smooth detailed highs, fluid mids and more than enough bass. These are not going anywhere anytime soon. Just fantastic!
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Hi Riccardo77,
I'm glad to hear you still are enjoying your EVO's. Underrated indeed.

SixCats!
 
Bostown said:
There was also an Aegis Compact. their claim to fame is the AE1 AE1 MKII and AE1 Classic. which they reissued for a second time and sell for just shy of $2000.

I have a set of classics in black, MKII in Walnut and Aegis Ones. I nearly bought a set of EVOs last week for dirt money but talked some sense into myself. someone else locally grabbed them after being up for a disturbing 3 weeks and multiple repost and price reductions

I prefer the Aegis one / Aegis Evo over any of the Elac and Andrew Jones Pioneer speakers I've heard.
Click to expand...
I agree I have had elacs and the Andrew Jones Pioneers and the Aegis Evo is preferred to my ears. It's not by a small margin either.
 
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