Sound
Contents
We don’t have to get used to the Acoustic Energy AE500 for long because this speaker is completely balanced. We put Roon on shuffle and notice that most genres come through well. Nowhere does it get spicy or sharp but still there is enough sparkle in the high and details come through nicely. The AE500 is a pretty fast speaker with a wide soundstage and a spacious sweet spot. It is certainly not a fresh, bald speaker but rather a full, slightly warmer passer-by. This also makes it sound good at low volume. The combination of all this creates a coherent sound that doesn’t disturb anywhere. A beautiful balancing act from Acoustic Energy!
Listen
We start with Bruce Springsteen who released another strong album with “Western Stars”. In fact, it’s the first time we’ve been able to plum Springsteen. The last song ‘Moonlight Hotel’ is probably the most beautiful and because of the AE500 it sounds, um, yes, beautiful. We get carried away in the song and the grating voice of the old bard sounds clear and natural because of the silky soft tweeter
“Remind me Tommorow” by Sharon van Etten is an eclectic album full of strong songs and great lyrics. The song ‘Jupiter 4’ starts threatening and drags itself slowly and agonizingly. The Acoustic Energy AE500 sketches a beautiful atmosphere but it’s once again the voice that stands out and sounds excellent without emphasizing the s-sounds. This speaker plays well-mannered, restrained and refined but without being boring. The bass is tight, dry with enough body but it doesn’t last too long
Bill Evans trio with the great ‘Spring is Here’ on the album “Portrait in Jazz” is top notch piano music. The Acoustic Energy AE500 puts sufficient weight on the keys and brings the song credibly and with the necessary intensity. Nowhere do we feel like we’re missing anything and after a while we’re only working on the music. Jazz in all its forms sounds excellent on the AE500 by the way.
Electronic beauty can be found on “Echo Earth” of Akasha System. On a song like ‘Hawk Country’ of course some sub-bass is missing but all the bleeps and samples enter the listening room fluently. The soundscapes Hunter P. Thompson conjures up from his computer sound fresh and clear and the tempo changes are no problem for the AE500. The spacious stereo image and the almost 3D view are the icing on the cake.
