Acoustic Energy Loudspeaker AE1 Classic LE User Manual

							OWNERS MANUAL
E
DITIO
N
LIMITED 
						

							Welcome to the AE1 Classic Limited Edition monitor.  
 
Perhaps more than any other professional audio product, monitors are sensitive to 
installation so please take a little time to read this manual and to follow, as far as 
practical, the installation guidelines it contains. Careful installation will help ensure 
that your monitors perform optimally.
Following this introduction, the manual is divided into sections covering
installation, positioning, connection, listening, specifications and warranty
information. We recommend that you read at least the first four of these sections 
carefully before installing and using your AE1 Classics.
The AE1 Classic is a relatively delicate precision engineered product that can be 
damaged by inappropriate handling. Please take care when unpacking or moving 
the monitors not to touch either of the drivers. Damage to a driver will at best
degrade performance and at worst result in complete failure.
 
The packaging should be retained for future use.
AE1 classics are intended to be used mounted either on a mixing desk or 
meter-bridge or preferably on speaker floor-stands relatively clear of room
boundaries. Alternative, near wall mounting arrangements such as wall brackets are 
possible although these may result in less accurate performance. If brackets are to 
be used they should be a rigid as possible and firmly attached to brick built walls.
The construction style, rigidity and dimensions of the floor-stands are of critical 
significance to the performance of the AE1 Classic. Stands should broadly follow
the specification below. Your retailer or distributor will be able to offer advice.
Recommended Floor-stand Specification
Construction Style: Direct coupled pillared
Mass Loading:   Preferred
Overall Height:   As appropriate for AE1 Classic top panel to be just below  
   head height when seated.     
      
Top plate Dimensions
Minimum width:   160mm
Maximum  width:  180mm
Minimum depth:  220mm
Maximum  depth:  240mm
Top plate interface: Direct coupled tri-point or damped-compliance
Floor interface:   Floor spikes (M6 minimum)
INTRODUCTIONINSTALLATION 
						

							The position of the monitors within the studio room is likely to have more influence 
over their performance than any other aspect of their installation. It is worth 
spending some time experimenting both with the finer points of the monitor
positioning as well as the larger scale issues of room layout. 
If you are already familiar with the acoustic characteristics of your studio room,
and the way speakers perform in it, you may already have a good feel for where 
to position your AE1 Classics. However, installing any new component provides a 
good opportunity to review an existing set-up and perhaps improvements. 
The position requirements for a pair of AE1 Classics installed in a typically sized and 
equipped studio room, are as follows: 
• Stood upright, tweeters uppermost
• Between 0.5 and 1.5 meters from the rear wall
• 1.0 minimum meters from side walls
• Between 2.0 and 3.0 meters apart
• Clear of corners
• Angled inward towards the primary monitoring position
Don’t worry if, thanks to the architecture or layout of your room, it is not practical 
to follow each requirement exactly. The most important thing is to experiment with 
the different options that are practical and find the one that works best. 
Wherever your AE1 Classics are positioned it is important that each of the pair is 
located in a similar acoustic environment (different environments would be, say, a 
curtained area and a solid wall). The acoustic character of the side walls of a room in 
the area where the main reflection between the speakers and the listening position 
will occur should be similar.   
Once your AE1 classics are connected and working and you begin to become
familiar with their performance, it is likely to be worthwhile experimenting a little 
more with their positioning.
POSITIONING
Connecting your AE1 Classics to an amplifier is fundamentally a simple process. 
However there are some choices to be made and issues to consider concerning the 
cable type. 
Each AE1 Classic is fitted with a pair of binding-post terminals. The terminals can 
accept stripped wires, spade connectors, or 4mm plugs. Each of these termination 
methods is potentially equally effective and the choice is likely to be influenced by 
type of speaker cable used. 
Cable Type
Choice of cable type will be influenced by the characteristics of other components 
in your monitoring system and your dealer or distributor will be able to advise.  
Even so, there are some simple guidelines to consider: 
• Cable runs to each speaker should be kept to as short as possible consistent with  
    each being of equal length
• Short cable runs are especially important if the cable is of relatively small 
    cross-sectional-area
• If the cable is advertised as “directional” care should be taken to ensure that its  
    orientation is as recommended
Connection Polarity
It is important when connecting speakers to ensure that each terminal is connected 
with the correct polarity. Positive speaker terminals should always be connected 
back to amplifier positive terminals. Performance will be seriously degraded if
connections are made with incorrect polarity.
Take care when connecting cables not to touch the negative and positive 
terminals together and “short circuit” the amplifier. Make connections with the 
amplifier switched off.
CONNECTING
Reducing the distance between the monitors and the rear wall will increase the 
level of the bass and low midrange making the monitors sound warmer. The 
warmth however is likely to be gained at the expense of some mid-range clarity 
and stereo image focus and depth. Increasing the toe-in angle of the monitors may 
regain some image focus but again this is likely to be at the cost of image width and 
openness. Learning through experimentation how the AE1 Classics behave in your 
studio will help you find the optimum solution. 
The AE1 is not magnetically shielded and should be kept away from magnetically 
sensitive equipment or media. 
						

							The AE1 Classic is a medium sensitivity speaker that demands a relatively powerful 
amplifier if adequate monitoring volume levels are to be achieved in an average 
studio room. A minimum of 75 and maximum of 200 Watts into 8 Ohms per channel 
is recommended. AE1 Classics offer a relatively easy load to the amplifier and do not 
make unusually heavy demands on its current delivery. 
No overload protection systems are fitted to the AE1 Classic so it is possible to 
cause damage through over- driving. Such damage can occur whatever the power 
rating of the driving amplifier and is not covered by any warranty. If ever the sound 
at high volumes becomes distorted your AE1 classics are at risk of damage. In such 
circumstances the volume must be reduced.
Before using your AE1 Classics for the first time make one final check of the
cables and connections. If all appears well begin listening at a relatively low level
to confirm that the system is operating as expected. Only increase the volume if you 
are happy with the sound at low levels. If you are unhappy, turn the system off and 
re-check the cables and connections. 
AE1 Classics may take a little time to reach normal operating temperatures and to 
“run-in”. it is unwise therefore to make too rapid a judgement about the
performance of the monitors. Your ears too will take some time to adjust to the
new sound so revisiting the speaker positioning is best left for a few days.
Bass/Mid Driver:  
10mm ceramic sandwich aluminium cone. 32mm edge-wound voice-coil
Tweeter: 
25mm magnesium alloy dome
Crossover: 
Symmetrical third order at 3kHz
Power Handling: 
Compatible with amplifiers rated at up to 200 Watts into 8 Ohms
Frequency Response:  
70Hz - 22kHz ±3dB
Sensitivity:  
86dB for 2.83V at 1m
Nominal Impedance:  
8 Ohms
Total Harmonic Distortion: 
Typically less than 0.3%, 200Hz to 20kHz
Power Compression: 
Less than 1dB for 16dB gain at 250Hz
Dimensions: 
295 x 180 x 255mm (H x W x D)
Weight: 
8kg (single, unpacked)
AMPLIFIERSSPECIFICATIONS
LISTENING 
						

							WWW.ACOUSTIC-ENERGY.CO.UK
Acoustic Energy 16 Bridge Road, Cirencester Gloucestershire, England GL7 1NJ   +44 (0) 1285 654432 [email protected]   
Your Acoustic Energy speakers are guaranteed against original defects in materials, 
manufacture and workmanship for three years from the date of purchase. Please 
retain your purchase receipt in case of a claim.
 
If you register your Acoustic Energy loudspeakers online via our website
(acoustic-energy.co.uk) we will extended your guarantee, free of charge, to
five years.  
Under this warranty Acoustic Energy agrees to repair any defect of, at the
company’s discretion, replace the faulty component(s) without charge for parts 
or labour. This warranty does not imply any acceptance by Acoustic Energy or its 
agents for consequential loss or damage and specifically excludes fair wear and 
tear, accident or misuse or unauthorised modification.
This warranty is applicable in the United Kingdom only and does not in any way 
limit the customer’s legal rights. Claims and enquiries under the warranty for
Acoustic Energy products purchased outside the UK should be addressed to the 
local importers or distributors. If you have any reason to claim under the warranty 
please contact your dealer in the first instance. 
Please retain all the original packaging materials for possible future use.
For any sales, technical or spares enquiries please contact your local dealer or
distributor first.
WARRANTY