In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Acoustic Energy. Acoustic Energy AE309 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the AE300 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of AE309 and AE300 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | AE309 | AE300 |
|---|
| Brand | Acoustic Energy
United Kingdom · founded 1987 | Acoustic Energy
United Kingdom · founded 1987 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" dome with waveguide | 1.1" dome with waveguide |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.2" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 5.2" ceramic aluminium sandwich | 5.2" ceramic aluminium sandwich |
|---|
| Frequency response | 38Hz - 30kHz | 45Hz - 30kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 86 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 175 watts | up to 100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.00kg / 48.4lbs | 6.50kg / 14.3lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 35.4" x 6.9" x 10.2"
900.0 x 175.0 x 260.0mm | 11.8" x 6.9" x 10.2"
300.0 x 175.0 x 260.0mm |
|---|
AE309 and AE300 are members of Acoustic Energy's AE300 series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
What size room are the AE309 and AE300 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* |
AE309 |
AE300 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Average |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| 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 AE309 is a 3-way design whereas the AE300 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.
AE309AE300
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
AE309 |
AE300 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.2-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.2-inch
|
1 x 5.2-inch
|
AE309 features a 1.1" aluminium dome with waveguide Tweeter, a 5.2" Midrange and 1 x 5.2" ceramic aluminium sandwich Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 296Hz and 2560Hz. On the other hand, the AE300 features a 1.1" aluminium dome with waveguide Tweeter and 1 x 5.2" ceramic aluminium sandwich Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2800Hz.
Frequency Response
AE309 has a frequency range of 38Hz - 30kHz whereas AE300 has a frequency range of 45Hz - 30kHz. With a minimum frequency of 38Hz, the AE309 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the AE300's min frequency of 45Hz.
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
AE309 and AE300 have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. AE309 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the AE300's is at 86 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the AE309 a more sensitive speaker compared to AE300, 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.
AE309 can handle a max power of 175 watts RMS, whereas AE300 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 75 watts less than the AE309.
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 AE309 and AE300 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 AE309's and AE300's external dimensions. AE309 has external dimensions of 900.0 x 175.0 x 260.0mm (35.4 x 6.9 x 10.2inch) whereas AE300 has external dimensions of 300.0 x 175.0 x 260.0mm (11.4 x 6.9 x 10.2inch).
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Near-identical footprints. AE309 is 600mm taller.
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 AE309 is approximately 455.0cm2 / 70.5inch2 and base area of the AE300 is approximately 455.0cm2 / 70.5inch2.