In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by Acoustic Energy. Acoustic Energy AE100 Mark II is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the AE120 MII is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of AE100 Mark II and AE120 Mark II first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
AE100 Mark II Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" soft dome with waveguide Tweeter
- 5.2" paper cone Woofer
- 51Hz - 26kHz Frequency Response
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:up to 120watts
- Weight:4.60kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 290.0" x 6.5" x 9.8"( 290.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm )
AE120 Mark II Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" dome with waveguide Tweeter
- 5.2" Midrange
- 2 x 5.2" paper cone Woofer
- 5.2" Midrange
- 39Hz - 26kHz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:up to 200watts
- Weight:19.00kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 950.0" x 6.5" x 9.8"( 950.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm )
AE100 MII and AE120 MII are members of Acoustic Energy's AE100 series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
What size room are the AE100 Mark II and AE120 Mark II speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
AE100 Mark II |
AE120 Mark II |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2, Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the AE100 Mark II and AE120 Mark II compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that AE100 MII is a 2-way design whereas the AE120 MII is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
AE100 Mark II |
AE120 Mark II |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 5.2-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.2-inch
|
2 x 5.2-inch
|
AE100 MII features a 1" fabric soft dome with waveguide Tweeter and 1 x 5.2" paper cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2900Hz. On the other hand, the AE120 MII features a 1" fabric dome with waveguide Tweeter , a 5.2" Midrange and 2 x 5.2" paper cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz and 2.7kHz.
Frequency Response
AE100 MII has a frequency range of 51Hz - 26kHz whereas AE120 MII has a frequency range of 39Hz - 26kHz. With a minimum frequency of 39Hz, the AE120 MII can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the AE100 MII's min frequency of 51Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
AE100 MII and AE120 MII have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. AE100 MII sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the AE120 MII's is at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the AE120 Mark II a more sensitive speaker compared to AE100 Mark II, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
AE100 MII can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas AE100 MII has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS , 80 watts less than the AE120 MII.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both AE100 MII and AE120 MII have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare AE100 Mark II's and AE120 Mark II's external dimensions. AE100 Mark II has external dimensions of 290.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm ( 11.4 x 6.5 x 9.8inch) whereas AE120 Mark II has external dimensions of 950.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm ( 37.4 x 6.5 x 9.8inch) .
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the AE100 Mark II is approximately 412.5cm2 / 63.9inch2 and base area of the AE120 Mark II is approximately 412.5cm2 / 63.9inch2.
Height 
Price per pair* 
Max Input Power 
Driver Setup 
Sensitivity 
Number of Woofers