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AE120 Mark II vs AE109 Mark II Comparison

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AE120 Mark II

Passive Floor-standing | 39Hz - 26kHz

Acoustic Energy AE120 Mark II
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AE109 Mark II

Passive Floor-standing | 41Hz - 26kHz

Acoustic Energy AE109 Mark II
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AE120 Mark II AE120 Mark II
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AE109 Mark II AE109 Mark II
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AE120 Mark II
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AE109 Mark II
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AE120 Mark II vs AE109 Mark II Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing AE120 MII and AE109 MII, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Acoustic Energy

Let's have a brief look at the main features of AE120 Mark II and AE109 Mark II first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

AE120 Mark II Key Specs

  • 3-way Design
  • 1" dome with waveguide Tweeter
  • 5.2" Midrange
  • 2 x 5.2" paper cone Woofer
  • 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 )

AE109 Mark II Key Specs

  • 3-way Design
  • 1" dome with waveguide Tweeter
  • 5.2" Midrange
  • 5.2" paper cone Woofer
  • 5.2" Midrange
  • 41Hz - 26kHz Frequency Response
  • 89 dB Sensitivity
  • Impedance: 6ohms
  • Power Range:up to 175watts
  • Weight:16.00kg
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 860.0" x 6.5" x 9.8"( 860.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm )

AE120 MII and AE109 MII are members of Acoustic Energy's AE100 series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Acoustic Energy AE100 Series History
Model Body Frequency SensitivityImpedance Woofer
AE109 Mark II
Floor-standing 41Hz - 26kHz 89 dB6Ω 1 x 5.2"
AE100 Mark II
  
Bookshelf 51Hz - 26kHz 87 dB6Ω 1 x 5.2"
AE120 Mark II
Floor-standing 39Hz - 26kHz 90 dB6Ω 2 x 5.2"
AE107 Mark II
  
Center Channel 55Hz - 26kHz 90 dB6Ω 2 x 5.2"

What size room are the AE120 Mark II and AE109 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 AE109 Mark II
Near-field Bad Bad
Small Room Poor Poor
Mid-size Room Good Good
Large Room Good 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 AE120 Mark II and AE109 Mark II compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.


**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


Drivers

Both AE120 MII and AE109 MII are 3-way speakers.

Driver AE120 Mark II AE109 Mark II
Driver Setup 3-way 3-way
Tweeter 1-inch 1-inch
Midrange 1 x 5.2-inch 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 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.

Frequency Response

AE120 MII has a frequency range of 39Hz - 26kHz whereas AE109 MII has a frequency range of 41Hz - 26kHz. With a minimum frequency of 39Hz, the AE120 MII can go slightly deeper then the AE109 MII's min frequency of 41Hz.

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 Floor-standing class in our database.

Low Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

AE120 MII
AE109 MII
Min
Average
Max
High Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

AE120 Mark II
AE109 Mark II
Min
Average
Max

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

AE120 MII and AE109 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 AE109 MII's is at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the AE120 Mark II a more sensitive speaker compared to AE109 Mark II, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

AE120 MII
AE109 MII
Min
Average
Max

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.

AE120 MII can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas AE109 MII has a max power handling value of 175 watts RMS, 25 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 AE120 MII and AE109 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 AE120 Mark II's and AE109 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 AE109 Mark II has external dimensions of 860.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm ( 33.9 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 AE109 Mark II is approximately 412.5cm2 / 63.9inch2.

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 AE120 Mark II weighs 19.00kg / 41.8lbs and the AE109 Mark II weighs 16.00kg / 35.2lbs. This makes the AE120 MII 19% heavier than the AE109 MII.

Here is a comparison of how AE120 MII and AE109 MII's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.

Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
AE120 Mark II
AE109 Mark II
Min
Average
Max

Reasons to choose Acoustic Energy AE120 Mark II over Acoustic Energy AE109 Mark II
Max Input Power 200 watts vs 175 watts Handle more power from your amplifier
Sensitivity 90 dB vs 89 dB Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Number of Woofers 2 vs 1 More woofers
Low Frequency Response 39 Hz vs 41 Hz Generates deeper bass

Reasons to choose Acoustic Energy AE109 Mark II over Acoustic Energy AE120 Mark II

Height 860mm vs 950mm Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair* 999USD vs 1499USD costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)
AE120 Mark II vs AE109 Mark II Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Acoustic Energy AE120 Mark II Acoustic Energy AE109 Mark II
Brand Acoustic Energy Acoustic Energy
Speaker Type Floor-standing speaker Floor-standing speaker
Power Range up to 200 watts up to 175 watts
Sensitivity 90 dB 89 dB
Impedance 6 ohms 6 ohms
Frequency Response 39Hz - 26kHz 41Hz - 26kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity 2 1
Woofer Size 5.2" 5.2"
Woofer Composition paper cone paper cone
Tweeter Size 1" 1"
Tweeter Type dome with waveguide dome with waveguide
Aimable Tweeter No No
Midrange Driver 5.2" 5.2"
Crossover Frequency 300Hz and 2.7kHz 275Hz and 2.5kHz
Firing Direction rear rear
Physical Specs
Height 950.0mm (37.4") 860.0mm (33.9")
Width 165.0mm (6.5") 165.0mm (6.5")
Depth 250.0mm (9.8") 250.0mm (9.8")
Weight 19.00kg (41.8lbs) 16.00kg (35.2lbs)
Enclosure Bass Reflex Bass Reflex
Finish HDF HDF
Available Colors Walnut, Satin Black Walnut, Satin Black
Grille Yes Yes
Moisture Resistancy No No
Connections
Other
Parts Warranty
Labor Warranty

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