Loudspeaker specialist Acoustic Energy chose London's famous Metropolis Studios to launch a new speaker aimed at both studio and home environments.
Called the AE22, the unusual-looking speaker will be available in both conventional (passive) and powered (active) versions, to reach out to a wider audience.
Long time coming
Acoustic Energy states that the AE22 has been some 15 years in the making and harks back to the AE1 and AE2 studio monitors it produced in the 1980s. Acoustic Energy goes on to say that the speakers have been voiced for accurate mixing and reference monitoring, which is likely to make them an appealing option for home hi-fi users.
The speaker is based on a heavyweight 25 x 35 x 33cm sealed cabinet featuring a new 200mm alloy bass driver and a 25mm ring-radiator tweeter.
The active version features both balanced and unbalanced XLR inputs and separate power amplifiers for each driver, which take the output of the active model to a claimed 200 watts. The powered model is also adjustable: there are LF/MF and HF gain and equalisation controls to tailor the sound.
Available now, the AE22 Passive has a suggested retail price of £450 per pair, while the AE22 Active retails at around £800.
