Intro
Contents
Acoustic Energy is known for affordable, yet good performing speakers. Affordable is a relative term in this case, but with as many as 6 speaker units, how much do you get for the attached price tag?
The black monoliths
Let’s start with the design. In shiny black, they resemble the black monoliths from Stanley Kubrick’s film ‘2001 A Space Odyssey’. A bit imposing for a living room perhaps, high-gloss white or walnut veneer would probably make them look a little friendlier.
The cabinets are acoustically dampened by a sandwich construction of MDF and bitumen. An audibly effective solution, notwithstanding their size.
The speaker units are made of carbon, a design by Acoustic Energy, and it is what sets this speaker apart from the crowd. Even the tweeter is made of this material. Carbon is a light material, which improves the responsiveness of the speaker according to Acoustic Energy.
Six speaker units divided in two groups
The six speaker units are divided into two groups: a Mid-Tweeter-Mid (MTM) design and three bass units underneath. The MTM design has its own filter and a different filter is used for the bass units, making it a three-way solution. If you hold your ear next to the three bass units, you can hear that they each reproduce a different part of the low frequencies. The top unit of the bass drivers is clearly tuned to support the midrange.
MTM is also referred to as a D’Appolito design, after the name of its creator. The advantage of an MTM design is that it reduces the influence of the room, especially floors and ceilings.
