In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Acoustic Energy. Acoustic Energy AE120 Mark II is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the AE100 MII is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of AE120 Mark II and AE100 Mark II first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | AE120 Mark II | AE100 Mark II |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" dome with waveguide | 1" soft dome with waveguide |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.2" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.2" paper cone | 5.2" paper cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 39Hz - 26kHz | 51Hz - 26kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 200 watts | up to 120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 19.00kg / 41.8lbs | 4.60kg / 10.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 37.4" x 6.5" x 9.8"
950.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm | 11.4" x 6.5" x 9.8"
290.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm |
|---|
AE120 MII and AE100 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 AE120 Mark II and AE100 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* |
AE120 Mark II |
AE100 Mark II |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| 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.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that AE120 MII is a 3-way design whereas the AE100 MII 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.
AE120 Mark II AE100 Mark II
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
AE120 Mark II |
AE100 Mark II |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.2-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.2-inch
|
1 x 5.2-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the 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.
Frequency Response
AE120 MII has a frequency range of 39Hz - 26kHz whereas AE100 MII has a frequency range of 51Hz - 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.
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
AE120 MII and AE100 MII have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. AE120 MII sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the AE100 MII's is at 87 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
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.
AE120 MII can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas AE100 MII has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 80 watts less than the AE120 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 AE120 MII and AE100 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
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 AE120 Mark II's and AE100 Mark II's external dimensions. AE120 Mark II has external dimensions of 950.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm (37.4 x 6.5 x 9.8inch) whereas AE100 Mark II has external dimensions of 290.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm (11.4 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 AE120 Mark II is approximately 412.5cm2 / 63.9inch2 and base area of the AE100 Mark II is approximately 412.5cm2 / 63.9inch2.