In this review, we will be comparing AE109 MII and R-620F, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Acoustic Energy and Klipsch.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of AE109 Mark II and Klipsch R-620F first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | AE109 Mark II | Klipsch R-620F |
|---|
| Brand | Acoustic Energy
United Kingdom · founded 1987 | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" dome with waveguide | 1.0" |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.2" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 5.2" paper cone | 2 x 6.5" Copper-spun IMG |
|---|
| Frequency response | 41Hz - 26kHz | 38-21k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 96 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 175 watts | up to 100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 16.00kg / 35.2lbs | 18.64kg / 41lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 33.9" x 6.5" x 9.8"
860.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm | 40-3/16" x 9-3/8" x 14-1/2"
1021.0 x 239.0 x 369.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the AE109 Mark II and Klipsch R-620F 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* |
AE109 Mark II |
Klipsch R-620F |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Bad |
(* 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.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that AE109 MII is a 3-way design whereas the R-620F is a 2-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.
AE109 Mark IIKlipsch R-620F
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
AE109 Mark II |
Klipsch R-620F |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.2-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.2-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
AE109 MII features a 1" fabric dome with waveguide Tweeter, a 5.2" Midrange and 1 x 5.2" paper cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 275Hz and 2.5kHz. On the other hand, the R-620F features a 1.0" Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Copper-spun IMG Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2000Hz.
Frequency Response
AE109 MII has a frequency range of 41Hz - 26kHz whereas R-620F has a frequency range of 38-21k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 38Hz, the R-620F can go slightly deeper then the AE109 MII's min frequency of 41Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
AE109 MII is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the R-620F which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. AE109 MII sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the R-620F's is rated at 96 dB. This 7 dB difference makes the Klipsch R-620F a more sensitive speaker compared to AE109 Mark II, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
AE109 MII can handle a max power of 175 watts RMS, whereas R-620F has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 75 watts less than the AE109 MII.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both AE109 MII and R-620F 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
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare AE109 Mark II's and Klipsch R-620F's external dimensions. AE109 Mark II has external dimensions of 860.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm (33.9 x 6.5 x 9.8inch) whereas Klipsch R-620F has external dimensions of 1021.0 x 239.0 x 369.0mm (40-3/16 x 9-3/8 x 14-1/2inch).
Klipsch R-620F is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 74mm wider, 161mm taller and 119mm deeper than AE109 Mark II.
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 AE109 Mark II is approximately 412.5cm2 / 63.9inch2 and base area of the Klipsch R-620F is approximately 881.9cm2 / 136.7inch2. The AE109 MII requires 53% less surface area than the R-620F which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The AE109 Mark II weighs 16.00kg / 35.2lbs and the Klipsch R-620F weighs 18.64kg / 41lbs. This makes the R-620F 17% heavier than the AE109 MII.
Here is a comparison of how AE109 MII and R-620F's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Klipsch R-620F?
Here are the items that come with the R-620F:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille (installed)
- 2 Feet
- 4 Screws
- Quick Setup Guide
- Important Safety Instructions
- Warranty Information
- Loudspeaker Feet note
 Max Input Power |
175 watts
vs
100 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 High Frequency Response |
26k Hz
vs
21k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
860mm
vs
1021mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
412cm2
vs
881cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Sensitivity |
96 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.2 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
38 Hz
vs
41 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Price per pair* |
998USD
vs
999USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Acoustic Energy AE109 Mark II |
Klipsch Reference R-620F |
| Brand |
Acoustic Energy |
Klipsch |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 175 watts |
up to 100 watts |
| Sensitivity |
89 dB |
96 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
41Hz - 26kHz |
38-21k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.2" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
paper cone |
Copper-spun IMG |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1.0" |
| Tweeter Type |
dome with waveguide |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.2" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
275Hz and 2.5kHz |
2000Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
860.0mm (33.9") |
1021.0mm (40.2") |
| Width |
165.0mm (6.5") |
239.0mm (9.4") |
| Depth |
250.0mm (9.8") |
369.0mm (14.5") |
| Weight |
16.00kg (35.2lbs) |
18.64kg (41lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
HDF |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Walnut, Satin Black |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
n/a |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Klipsch R-620F digs deeper - 38Hz against 41Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | Klipsch R-620F is more sensitive (96dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | Klipsch R-620F is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | A | AE109 Mark II takes more power (175W vs 100W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | AE109 Mark II is easier to place; Klipsch R-620F is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($999 vs $998 a pair). |
A AE109 Mark II B Klipsch R-620F
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Klipsch R-620F has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. Match it to your room: we rate AE109 Mark II the better fit for a large room, and Klipsch R-620F for a small room. In a large or open-plan room, Klipsch R-620F has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, AE109 Mark II is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.