In this review, we will be comparing AE120 MII and Borea BR07, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Acoustic Energy and Triangle.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of AE120 Mark II and Triangle Borea BR07 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | AE120 Mark II | Triangle Borea BR07 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" dome with waveguide | 1" Break_in |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.2" | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.2" paper cone | 6" fiberglass |
|---|
| Frequency response | 39Hz - 26kHz | 44 - 22k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 200 watts | up to 120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 19.00kg / 41.8lbs | 16.92kg / 37.2lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 37.4" x 6.5" x 9.8"
950.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm | 38.5" x 8.1" x 12.3"
980.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the AE120 Mark II and Triangle Borea BR07 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 |
Triangle Borea BR07 |
| 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.)
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
Both AE120 MII and Borea BR07 are 3-way speakers.
AE120 Mark IITriangle Borea BR07
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 |
Triangle Borea BR07 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.2-inch |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.2-inch
|
1 x 6-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 Borea BR07 features a 1" silk Break_in Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 1 x 6" fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz and 3500Hz.
Frequency Response
AE120 MII has a frequency range of 39Hz - 26kHz whereas Borea BR07 has a frequency range of 44 - 22k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 39Hz, the AE120 MII can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Borea BR07's min frequency of 44Hz.
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 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Borea BR07 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. AE120 MII sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Borea BR07's is rated at 91 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Triangle Borea BR07 a more sensitive speaker compared to AE120 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 Borea BR07 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
AE120 MII has a rear firing port whereas Borea BR07 has a front firing ports. Triangle Borea BR07's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to AE120 Mark II with its rear-firing port.
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 Triangle Borea BR07'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 Triangle Borea BR07 has external dimensions of 980.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm (38.5 x 8.1 x 12.3inch).
Triangle Borea BR07 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 41mm wider, 30mm taller and 64mm deeper than AE120 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 AE120 Mark II is approximately 412.5cm2 / 63.9inch2 and base area of the Triangle Borea BR07 is approximately 646.8cm2 / 100.3inch2. The AE120 MII requires 36% less surface area than the Borea BR07 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 AE120 Mark II weighs 19.00kg / 41.8lbs and the Triangle Borea BR07 weighs 16.92kg / 37.2lbs. This makes the AE120 MII 12% heavier than the Borea BR07.
Here is a comparison of how AE120 MII and Borea BR07'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 Triangle Borea BR07?
Here are the items that come with the Borea BR07:
- 2 x Borea speakers
- 2 x protections grids
- 2 x pedestals
- 8 x screws
- 8 x adhesive rubber plots
- 8 x decoupling spikes
- 1 x user manual
 Max Input Power |
200 watts
vs
120 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
39 Hz
vs
44 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
26k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
950mm
vs
980mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
412cm2
vs
646cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Woofer Size |
6 inches
vs
5.2 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
 Price per pair* |
1200USD
vs
1499USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Acoustic Energy AE120 Mark II |
Triangle Borea BR07 |
| Brand |
Acoustic Energy |
Triangle |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 200 watts |
up to 120 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
91 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
5 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
39Hz - 26kHz |
44 - 22k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
5.2" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
paper cone |
fiberglass |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
dome with waveguide |
Break_in |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.2" |
6" |
| Crossover Frequency |
300Hz and 2.7kHz |
350Hz and 3500Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
950.0mm (37.4") |
980.0mm (38.6") |
| Width |
165.0mm (6.5") |
206.0mm (8.1") |
| Depth |
250.0mm (9.8") |
314.0mm (12.4") |
| Weight |
19.00kg (41.8lbs) |
16.92kg (37.2lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
HDF |
n/a |
| Available Colors |
Walnut, Satin Black |
Light Oak, Walnut, Black, White |
| 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 |
A |
AE120 Mark II digs deeper - 39Hz against 44Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs |
evenly matched |
Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 91dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match |
B |
Triangle Borea BR07 is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom |
A |
AE120 Mark II takes more power (200W vs 120W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size |
depends |
AE120 Mark II is easier to place; Triangle Borea BR07 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability |
depends |
Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. Triangle Borea BR07 sits in a wider range (11 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price |
B |
Triangle Borea BR07 is cheaper - $1,200 against $1,499, about 20% less. |
A AE120 Mark II
B Triangle Borea BR07
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement 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?
The usual trade-off: AE120 Mark II measures better, Triangle Borea BR07 costs about 20% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 44Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Triangle Borea BR07 much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, Triangle Borea BR07 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, AE120 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.