I'm curious how you find the Aelite 2?
DISCONTINUED ACOUSTIC ENERGY AELITE 2 SPEAKERS (PAIR) - available from Superfi UK
To some extent, your satisfaction with the Acoustic Energy speakers will guide you forward. If they are just OK, then you might want to consider switching brands. However, if you like them and are merely considering upgrading to better speakers, then the Radiance might be a good choice.
Next, how satisfied are you with your amp?
VSX-AX2AS-S (Archivé) - Pioneer France
DISCONTINUED PIONEER VSXAX2AS HOME CINEMA RECEIVER - available from Superfi UK
And are you sure it is not the weak link in the chain? Though fairly, I would expect this to be a very good AV amp.
Given that you have a Subwoofer, and an AV/Surround setup, the bass response of the front speakers is not that critical. All speakers I suggested, including the Radiance 2, have decent bass, but not ultra-deep bass.
I think it gets down to weighing the options, and comparing the Radiance to other similarly priced speakers. I do know that the Ikon and Focal are very highly regarded for their clarity, and the Lektor are not far behind.
Having said that though, there is nothing wrong with the Radiance 2, a highly rated well balanced speaker, so it is really down to what appeals to your ears and, yes, what appeals to your eyes.
The last consideration, is the Center speaker. In general one should try to brand and series match the Center with the Front speakers. Given you have a AE Neo Center, that pushes the scales toward more AE speakers. But, if you intend to eventually upgrade the center, then certainly other brands are worthy of consideration.
That's probably not much help, but it really does get down to giving a listen to a few speakers, and seeing which appeals to you most.
Steve/bluewizard