
Listening
Contents
The first thing you notice is the typical effect of an MTM configuration. The simplest explanation is that the stereo image has the imaginary shape of a ‘letterbox’: wide and clearly framed at the top and bottom. This is the same effect described in the KAD K7 review. The image itself is presented as a stage, the music is spaced in front of you from left to right, there is little depth in the image. For fans of a ‘3D’ soundstage with a lot of depth, this speaker is not recommended.
The sound is omnipresent though, they produce with ease and you don’t have to worry about them sounding aloof. The sound comes towards you without being intrusive. ‘Grand’ if it has to be described with one word.
The focus of the soundstage is clearly in the centre and then runs wide to the left and right. Voices are slightly in front of the music, and the music is draped around it. It works beautifully.
A lush bass
The Acoustic Energy 520 speakers have a very generous bass, which with proper placement in the room does not dominate, but is clearly felt and heard. You buy these speakers because you want big bass, that’s the whole idea. As a result, there is also a lot of weight in the sound in the midrange. You get to hear full-sounding instruments and voices with a lot of body.
Despite this, the Acoustic Energy 520 is fast, it is certainly not a wooly bass. Pointy, but controlled and civilised. Looking at 6 speaker units, you expect a big and full sound and maybe you do not expect the most nimble sound. You do get a big and full sound, but not at the expense of speed, something Acoustic Energy prides itself on. It is simply a snappy speaker despite its monolithic stature.
The compromise
Nothing in the world is for free though. When designing hi-fi, choices are made with the intended price tag in mind. The carbon speaker units, internal cabling and filters used also have a downside: the music they produce is detail-rich, but not detailed. That requires an explanation.
The music from the Acoustic Energy 520 speakers lacks some depth; it remains somewhat on the surface. They have some emphasis on the mid-high, which helps the human ear discern details, but they don’t dig deep into the music. Their 4000 Euro price tag is to be considered here, as two-way monitor speakers can often extract that depth from the music for the same money. Of course, monitor speakers cannot produce that generous, voluptuous-sounding bass that these speakers show, purely because of physical dimensions and thus space for the woofers.
Oriented towards acoustic and electrically amplified music
That bass gets better with the more grip an amplifier has. Morphine’s track ‘The Night’ has tighter bass with the Primare i35 than with the Naim XS2. Not punchy, but deep and voluminous without fluttering.
After listening to the two playlists – as well as far more music – the conclusion is that the Acoustic Energy 520 speakers digest jazz, acoustic, ensemble or orchestral music best. Dance, like Underworld, not at all. With Underworld, the music does not pulsate; the Acoustic Energy 520 speakers are too restrained for that.
Jamie Cullum with the stripped-down version of Bon Iver’s ‘Hey Ma’ works magnificently though. The instruments in that song sound propulsive, but at the same time the music wraps around you like a warm blanket. You want to keep listening.