In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by Acoustic Energy. Acoustic Energy AE500 is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the AE520 is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of AE500 and AE520 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
AE500 and AE520 are members of Acoustic Energy's AE500 series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
What size room are the AE500 and AE520 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:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the AE500 and AE520 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that AE500 is a 2-way design whereas the AE520 is a 3-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.
| Driver |
AE500 |
AE520 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 5.2-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5-inch
|
4 x 5-inch
|
AE500 features a 1" carbon fibre dome with waveguide Tweeter and 1 x 5" carbon fibre cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2800Hz. On the other hand, the AE520 features a 1" carbon fibre dome with waveguide Tweeter , a 5.2" Midrange and 4 x 5" carbon fibre cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 373Hz and 2.8kHz.
Frequency Response
AE500 has a frequency range of 45Hz - 28kHz whereas AE520 has a frequency range of 30Hz - 28kHz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the AE520 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the AE500's min frequency of 45Hz.
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 Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
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
AE500 and AE520 have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. AE500 sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the AE520's is at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the AE520 a more sensitive speaker compared to AE500, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
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.
AE500 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas AE500 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS , 200 watts less than the AE520.
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 AE500 and AE520 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 AE500's and AE520's external dimensions. AE500 has external dimensions of 310.0 x 185.0 x 260.0mm ( 12.2 x 7.3 x 10.2inch) whereas AE520 has external dimensions of 1130.0 x 185.0 x 320.0mm ( 44.5 x 7.3 x 12.6inch) .
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 AE500 is approximately 481.0cm2 / 74.6inch2 and base area of the AE520 is approximately 592.0cm2 / 91.8inch2. The AE500 requires 19% less surface area than the AE520 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.