DT79
Distinguished Member
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- Feb 6, 2008
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I’ve always had a bit of an Acoustic Energy itch which began when my mate bought his AE1 Classics round to mine many years ago and we tried them on the end of my Naim Supernait. It was a ‘more than the sum of its parts’ combo and I remember being blown away by how punchy and clear they sounded for such a small speaker. They made my PMC TB2+s at the time sound like they were covered in duvets by comparison. Anyway I‘ve been through a few iterations of kit since then but my itch was reignited recently when I went round to my mate’s Dad’s place (same mate) and heard his AE1 Signatures.
I’ve been keeping an eye on ebay for the right pair of AEs for the right price just for a cheeky punt. AE1s and 2s generally go for far too much money considering how old most of them are now, but a mint looking pair of Reference 1s for £550? Yes please!
These were £1,500 in 2011 and got great reviews at the time, so it would be an interesting comparison. On paper the Dynaudios ought to walk it, but I’ve yet to hear a bad pair of AEs and the company really seem to know their onions.
I installed the Ref1s a couple of weeks before Christmas. Listening was predominantly done with RoomPerfect performed and crossed over to subs at 80hz in a direct like for like comparison to how I’ve been using my S40s. Before doing the RP/sub set-up I did a bit of listening to just the speakers on their own and formed the impression that they are in the same ballpark as the S40s. I deliberately held off on making any critical judgements but as I would henceforth not be judging their full solo bass capabilities I did pay particular attention to that. In short they have quite implausibly good and deep bass for their size. On a par with S40s for perceived depth but perhaps lacking a little detail and subtlety by comparison - still, very good and I could happily live with it if subs weren’t an option.
With RP run and subs crossed at 80hz in a direct like for like comparison to the S40s, things get interesting. In some important ways the Ref1s are clearly and unambiguously better. They have better treble. It’s brighter, clearer, airier but somehow never harsh or strident no matter how much provoked. This also gives them more (incredibly) precise imaging and makes them more engaging when listening at low levels. By comparison the S40s sound ever so slightly rolled off at the top end and they lack the last degree of treble detail. However when it comes to the midrange things flip around. When I first got the Ref1s playing I felt that they were lacking something in the midrange, but I couldn’t really put my finger on it. After a bit of time to acclimatise I stopped thinking that they lacked anything and just thought that they were brilliant. They are a truly cracking pair of speakers. Dynamic beyond all expectations, clear, detailed, engaging. They blend seamlessly with the subs and for their part the bass is powerful and articulate. A pair of speakers that I could very happily live with.
I swapped back to the S40s today and that has helped to crystallise my perception of their differences. Everything I felt about the treble and imaging of the Ref1s has been confirmed. Although I stress that in isolation there is nothing perceptibly ‘wrong’ or ‘lacking‘ from the S40s. However I have been able to grasp what it is that the S40s do better in the midrange, which is that they have a richer tone, a more layered soundstage with more detail (despite lacking a little pinpoint precision compared to the Ref1s), and every part of the frequency range seems more seamlessly integrated into a more cohesive whole, especially where the low mids transitions to upper bass and then hands off seamlessly to the subs - there’s just so much detail there and absolutely no perceptible transtion from speakers to subs. It’s another case of needing the comparison to tell that there was anything lacking though - I could never tell there was anything amiss from listening to the Ref1s, it’s just that switching back to the S40s, I can hear what else is there.
So where does that leave me? I think I’m erring towards the S40s, but I’m reluctant to call it. I have a lot of love for the Ref1s and I don’t know if I could part with them. I’ve been wracking my brains for a way to set up a second 2 channel system somewhere else in the house, but so far can’t think how to do it…
What I do know is that for £5-600 for a tidy second hand pair, the Ref1s are just an insane amount of speaker for your money and a really great match for a Lyngdorf 1120 or 2170 (As well as for many other amps no doubt; developed on the end of a Naim Supernait 2 apparently).
Anyway, thought that might be interesting to some.
I’ve been keeping an eye on ebay for the right pair of AEs for the right price just for a cheeky punt. AE1s and 2s generally go for far too much money considering how old most of them are now, but a mint looking pair of Reference 1s for £550? Yes please!
These were £1,500 in 2011 and got great reviews at the time, so it would be an interesting comparison. On paper the Dynaudios ought to walk it, but I’ve yet to hear a bad pair of AEs and the company really seem to know their onions.
I installed the Ref1s a couple of weeks before Christmas. Listening was predominantly done with RoomPerfect performed and crossed over to subs at 80hz in a direct like for like comparison to how I’ve been using my S40s. Before doing the RP/sub set-up I did a bit of listening to just the speakers on their own and formed the impression that they are in the same ballpark as the S40s. I deliberately held off on making any critical judgements but as I would henceforth not be judging their full solo bass capabilities I did pay particular attention to that. In short they have quite implausibly good and deep bass for their size. On a par with S40s for perceived depth but perhaps lacking a little detail and subtlety by comparison - still, very good and I could happily live with it if subs weren’t an option.
With RP run and subs crossed at 80hz in a direct like for like comparison to the S40s, things get interesting. In some important ways the Ref1s are clearly and unambiguously better. They have better treble. It’s brighter, clearer, airier but somehow never harsh or strident no matter how much provoked. This also gives them more (incredibly) precise imaging and makes them more engaging when listening at low levels. By comparison the S40s sound ever so slightly rolled off at the top end and they lack the last degree of treble detail. However when it comes to the midrange things flip around. When I first got the Ref1s playing I felt that they were lacking something in the midrange, but I couldn’t really put my finger on it. After a bit of time to acclimatise I stopped thinking that they lacked anything and just thought that they were brilliant. They are a truly cracking pair of speakers. Dynamic beyond all expectations, clear, detailed, engaging. They blend seamlessly with the subs and for their part the bass is powerful and articulate. A pair of speakers that I could very happily live with.
I swapped back to the S40s today and that has helped to crystallise my perception of their differences. Everything I felt about the treble and imaging of the Ref1s has been confirmed. Although I stress that in isolation there is nothing perceptibly ‘wrong’ or ‘lacking‘ from the S40s. However I have been able to grasp what it is that the S40s do better in the midrange, which is that they have a richer tone, a more layered soundstage with more detail (despite lacking a little pinpoint precision compared to the Ref1s), and every part of the frequency range seems more seamlessly integrated into a more cohesive whole, especially where the low mids transitions to upper bass and then hands off seamlessly to the subs - there’s just so much detail there and absolutely no perceptible transtion from speakers to subs. It’s another case of needing the comparison to tell that there was anything lacking though - I could never tell there was anything amiss from listening to the Ref1s, it’s just that switching back to the S40s, I can hear what else is there.
So where does that leave me? I think I’m erring towards the S40s, but I’m reluctant to call it. I have a lot of love for the Ref1s and I don’t know if I could part with them. I’ve been wracking my brains for a way to set up a second 2 channel system somewhere else in the house, but so far can’t think how to do it…
What I do know is that for £5-600 for a tidy second hand pair, the Ref1s are just an insane amount of speaker for your money and a really great match for a Lyngdorf 1120 or 2170 (As well as for many other amps no doubt; developed on the end of a Naim Supernait 2 apparently).
Anyway, thought that might be interesting to some.