The AE2 stacks one woofer above the tweeter and one below, with the tweeter set off to one side. That changes more than you might expect:
The size drawing puts the two side by side. The AE2 is 90 mm taller and 55 mm wider. It is still a standmount, but it is no longer a small one. Of the 352 passive standmounts we hold with a published weight, only 51, the AE2 included, weigh 14.5 kg or more.
This is where the AE2 lands in a busy corner of the site. Reissued classics are some of the most compared speakers we have. Over the last 90 days, the Wharfedale Linton Heritage was the third most compared speaker on the whole site, out of 1,646 that readers opened in a comparison. The Denton 85 and Super Linton are both in the top 50.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |  |
| Model | Acoustic Energy AE2 40th Anniversary | Wharfedale SUPER LINTON | JBL L82 Classic MKII |
| Speaker Type | Passive Bookshelf | Passive Bookshelf | Passive Bookshelf |
| Enclosure Type | Ported | Ported | Ported |
| Driver Setup | 2-way | 3-way | 2-way |
| Tweeter | 1.1" Dome Tweeter | 1" Soft-dome Tweeter | 1" Dome Tweeter |
| Mid-Range | - | 5" Black Woven Kevlar Cone Midrange | - |
| Woofer | 2 x 5" ceramic-coated aluminium Woofer | 1 x 8" Black Woven Kevlar Cone Woofer | 1 x 8" Pulp Woofer |
| Frequency Range / Low | 35Hz | 39Hz | 44Hz |
| Frequency Range / High | 45kHz | 20kHz | 40kHz |
| Impedance Nominal | 6Ω | 6Ω | 8Ω |
| Sensitivity | 88dB | 90dB | 88dB |
| Max Power (RMS) | 200w | 200w | 150w |
| Crossover Frequency | 2200Hz | 550Hz and 2500Hz | 1700Hz |
| Port Position | front | rear | front |
| Available Colors | High Gloss Walnut,High Gloss Black | Walnut, Mahogany, Black | Walnut |
| Finish | RSC constrained-layer HDF/bitumen, ten-coat high gloss | MDF/Wood Veneer | MDF/Wood veneer |
| Grille | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Height | 385.0mm | 605.0mm | 472.8mm |
| Width | 235.0mm | 300.0mm | 281.0mm |
| Depth | 315.0mm | 360.0mm | 315.5mm |
| Weight | 14.50kg | 19.80kg | 12.80kg |
| MSRP(pair) | 3699USD | 2500USD | 2900USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
The Super Linton is the one to beat. It costs $2,500, which is $1,199 less than the AE2. It is a three-way with an 8-inch woofer and a separate midrange, and it is 220 mm taller and 5.3 kg heavier. It is also 2 dB more sensitive, so it plays a little louder on the same amplifier. If you want the most speaker for the money, it is the Wharfedale.
The JBL L82 Classic MkII is the other big retro two-way. It has one 8-inch woofer, an 8 ohm load and the same 88 dB. It is bigger and lighter than the AE2, and $799 cheaper.
The AE2 is the small, dense one of the group. The Wharfedales use woven Kevlar woofers and soft-dome tweeters. The JBL uses a pulp cone and a titanium dome. The two Acoustic Energys use aluminium for both, tweeter and woofer. Whether that sounds better is a matter of taste. It is a different sound, not just a smaller box.
A warning about the bass numbers. Acoustic Energy quotes +/-6 dB. We do not hold the tolerance behind the Wharfedale and JBL figures, and most makers use +/-3 dB. The AE2’s 35 Hz is probably not really deeper than the Super Linton’s 39. Read the bass column as a rough guide, not a ranking.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Wharfedale SUPER LINTON needs about 46% more floor or shelf area. Wharfedale SUPER LINTON is 45mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Wharfedale SUPER LINTON is 220mm taller.
Acoustic Energy AE2 40th Anniversary on a stand, showing the offset tweeter and the three front ports
The catches: the price, and it is fussy
It is the most expensive speaker in this group. At $3,699 the AE2 costs 85 percent more than the AE1, for the same tweeter, one more woofer and a bigger box. The gap is wider in the US than in the UK, where the AE2 costs 67 percent more (£2,500 against £1,499). It is on preorder through the distributor, and none of the three US dealers that sell the AE1 lists it yet.
Limited or not? The two sources disagree. What Hi-Fi says the first run of 500 pairs has become a normal production model because of demand. Acoustic Energy’s own page still calls it a version made “for a limited time”. If you want one, I would not wait to find out.
Placement takes work. What Hi-Fi found the AE2 fussier to position than the AE1. The offset tweeter can go on the inside or the outside, and the difference is not subtle. It also wants space from the walls, even with front ports.
Single-wired only. There is one pair of terminals, so no bi-wiring or bi-amping.
At this price you can get much more box. If you have the room, the Super Linton is bigger, more sensitive and a proper three-way for $1,199 less. The AE2 makes sense if you want a heavy, compact metal-coned standmount, or if you loved the original.
Close-up of the AE2 40th Anniversary tweeter and spun aluminium woofer with its pointed dust cap
What amplifier the AE2 needs
Not much. At 88 dB and 6 ohms it is an ordinary load. I ran both through our amp-speaker matcher. To reach 95 dB peaks at your seat, 3 metres away, the AE2 needs at least 16 watts a channel and the AE1 at least 20. Of the integrated amplifiers we hold, 198 pass for both and 60 get a warning. What Hi-Fi used the Arcam A15+ as a price-matched partner in its review.
The AE1 40th against AE2 40th page has the full spec table, and the AE2 against Super Linton page puts it next to its strongest rival. Every Acoustic Energy speaker we hold is on the brand page.
The AE2 40th Anniversary is the AE1 40th with a second woofer, a box twice the size and a lot of steel inside. It is 88 dB and 6 ohms, so any decent amplifier drives it. It costs $3,699 a pair, the most in this group, and the Wharfedale Super Linton gives you more speaker for $1,199 less. Buy the AE2 for its compact metal-coned sound, not for size or value.
Questions answered
How much does the Acoustic Energy AE2 40th Anniversary cost?
$3,699 a pair in the US, where it is on preorder through the distributor, Fidelity Imports. It is £2,500 in the UK and €2,799 in Europe. The smaller AE1 40th Anniversary is $1,999 a pair in the US.
What is the difference between the AE2 40th and the AE1 40th?
They use the same 29 mm aluminium tweeter and 125 mm aluminium woofer. The AE2 has two woofers instead of one, a box about twice the size and weight, three front ports instead of two, and a lower crossover at 2.2 kHz. It is rated to 35 Hz against the AE1’s 50 Hz, both at +/-6 dB.
Is the AE2 40th Anniversary a limited edition?
It started as a run of 500 pairs. What Hi-Fi reports that demand turned it into a normal production model, but Acoustic Energy’s own page still says it is made for a limited time.
How big is the Acoustic Energy AE2 40th Anniversary?
385 mm tall, 235 mm wide and 315 mm deep, and 14.5 kg each. It is a standmount and needs a solid stand.
What amplifier does the AE2 40th Anniversary need?
It is rated at 88 dB and 6 ohms, an easy load. For 95 dB peaks 3 metres away, our matcher puts the minimum at about 16 watts a channel. Acoustic Energy rates it to handle 200 watts.
Would you take the compact, all-metal AE2, or put the same money into a much bigger Super Linton?