Acoustic Energy has announced a special run of exactly 100 individually numbered and matched pairs of their new AE1 Mk III SE monitor, built to celebrate the success of the company’s classic AE1. The special edition AE1 Mk III features a heavily braced 0.7″ thick MDF cabinet lined with a 0.15″ steel plate to provide superior damping and stiffness. The drivers consist of a 4.3″ spun aluminum mid-woofer with a die-cast magnesium alloy chassis and 1.25″ voice-coil, and a 1.5″ ring-radiator tweeter.
Acoustic Energy modified the crossover for the Mk III SE, selecting top quality ferrite-core and air-core inductors, Welwyn wire wound resistors, and ClarityCap capacitors. They also added Teflon insulated silver internal wiring, and WBT binding posts. Frequency response is rated at 70Hz – 22kHz (+/-3dB), with 87dB/W/m sensitivity, and 8 Ohm impedance. The AE1 Mk III SE is available in piano black, cheery wood veneer, pearl white and other standard finishes, or can be painted to the customer’s choice. The price is $5,000 per pair.
Specifications:
- Bass/Mid Driver: 110mm ‘pure piston’ aluminium cone
- Crossover: ultra short signal path 2nd order crossover at 2khz
- Frequency response: 45Hz – 40kHz @ +/-3dB
- Power handling: Amplifiers rated up to 200Watts into 8 Ohms
- Sensitivity: 87db for 2.83V at 1m
- Nominal impedance: 8 Ohms
- Total harmonic Distortion: Less than 0.3% 200Hz to 20kHz
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 295 x 180 x 255mm
From Acoustic Energy:
Being made in strictly limited quantity – just 250 pairs for worldwide distribution, this exclusive loudspeaker is offered in three high-end finishes: eight-layer, hand finished Piano black or Pearl White and Cherry real wood veneer. For those demanding bespoke finishes the AE1 Mk III SE can be custom painted in any high-gloss colour for a premium.
UK design and build the AE1 Mk III SE uses a heavily braced 18mm MDF cabinet that is lined with 4mm steel plate using a specially manufactured damping glue. This creates an incredibly stiff and well damped enclosure. The 12mm thick baffle plate is milled form a solid aluminium block, providing the stiffest mount for the custom woofer and tweeter assemblies.
The bass driver couples AE’s signature spun-alloy cone, famed for its pace and accurate LF delivery, with a die-cast magnesium alloy chassis chosen for its strength and rigidity. The motor assembly uses twin neodymium magnets and a 32mm voice-coil for unsurpassed speed and power handling. This is coupled with a 38mm ring-radiator tweeter with a frequency response out to over 40kHz, chosen for its remarkable low distortion throughout its operating range.
The AE1 MkIII crossover has been completely redesigned for the SE model. Implementing a ‘less is more’ philosophy, the number of components in each crossover has been reduced from 13 to just 6. This has allowed AEs engineer’s to test, audition and specify some of the very best components available, including a unique blend of ferrite-core and air-core inductors, Welwyn wire wound resistors and polypropylene film capacitors. Internal wiring is all PTFE-coated multi-strand silver cable, terminated in a single pair of gold-plated WBT binding posts.
Embodying the very best of British loudspeaker design, the AE1 MK III SE offers unsurpassed build, sumptuous cosmetics and hand-finished bespoke coachwork. Two decades on from the original AE1, the new AE1 Mk III SE continues to set the benchmark for compact, high fidelity loudspeakers. [Source: Acoustic Energy]
