Description
Key Highlights
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40th Anniversary Edition of the legendary AE1
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Compact 2-way stand-mount monitor with premium engineering
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Updated drivers and crossover for smoother, more transparent sound
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Double-walled and well damped cabinet eliminates resonance and vibration
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Hand-finished in High Gloss Black and American Walnut
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Celebrates four decades of Acoustic Energy innovation
The Sound
Accurate, fast, and beautifully balanced. The AE1 40th Anniversary captures the immediacy and presence that made the original a studio and home audio legend, while adding greater refinement. Treble is open but sweet, mids are natural and unforced, and bass is tight and articulate. The result is a loudspeaker that vanishes in the room, leaving only music — delivered with truth and authority.
What They’re Saying
The AE1 changed the game in 1988. “As far as I’m concerned, the AE1 redefines the art of miniature speaker design” JOHN ATKINSON, STEREOPHILE, September 1988.
The 40th Anniversary model brings that same studio DNA into a modern masterpiece.”
— Preview coverage
“Compact. Accurate. Timeless. A speaker that honors its past while standing tall in today’s high-end market.”
— Industry commentary
“It has a great deal of what made the original AE1 such a big seller — and legend in its own lifetime — yet there’s an added new dimension of it being a superior all-rounder.”
— David Price, StereoNET (Oct 2025)
“The AE1 40th Anniversary is a magnificent love letter to the original — every bit as thrilling and immediate, but now with deeper bass, greater refinement, and sweeter tonality. It still makes you want to play louder, listen longer, and rediscover your music collection. An absolute joy.”
— Ed Selley, The Ear Magazine (October 2025)
The Essentials
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Design: 2-way stand-mount monitor
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Tweeter: 25mm high-performance dome
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Mid/Bass: 125mm driver with modern motor assembly
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Cabinet: Resonance & Vibration controlled cabinet, premium finishes
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Finishes: High Gloss Black & American Walnut
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Heritage: Reimagined for AE’s 40th Anniversary
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Price: $1,999/pair
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AE1: From Studio Legend to Anniversary Icon
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Born in 1988: The original AE1 compact monitor stunned the hi-fi world with its unprecedented speed, accuracy, and transparency. Quickly adopted in studios and listening rooms worldwide, it became a modern classic.
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Studio Benchmark: Praised for its neutrality and imaging, the AE1 set new standards for what a small loudspeaker could deliver. Its DNA lives on in every Acoustic Energy design that followed.
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40 Years On: The AE1 40th Anniversary Edition honors that heritage with modern refinements — new drivers, advanced crossover, resonance-controlled cabinet — while retaining the timeless look and character of the original.
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A Piece of History: More than just a speaker, the AE1 40th Anniversary Edition is a celebration of four decades of Acoustic Energy innovation — built for those who know and love the legend.
