In this review, we will be comparing AE520 Mark II and AE509 Mark II, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Acoustic Energy.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of AE520 Mark II and AE509 Mark II first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | AE520 Mark II | AE509 Mark II |
|---|
| Brand | Acoustic Energy
United Kingdom · founded 1987 | Acoustic Energy
United Kingdom · founded 1987 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Dome | 1.1" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" carbon fibre cone | 2 x 5" carbon fibre cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-28k Hz | 32-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 200 watts | up to 175 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 30.00kg / 66lbs | 19.00kg / 41.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 41.3" x 7.3" x 14.2"
1050.0 x 185.0 x 360.0mm | 39.4" x 7.3" x 10.6"
1000.0 x 185.0 x 270.0mm |
|---|
AE520 Mark II and AE509 Mark II are members of Acoustic Energy's AE500 Mark II series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
What size room are the AE520 Mark II and AE509 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* |
AE520 Mark II |
AE509 Mark II |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that AE520 Mark II is a 3-way design whereas the AE509 Mark II 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.
AE520 Mark IIAE509 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 |
AE520 Mark II |
AE509 Mark II |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 5-inch
|
AE520 Mark II features a 1.1" soft dome Dome Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" carbon fibre cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 220Hz and 3.6kHz. On the other hand, the AE509 Mark II features a 1.1" soft dome Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5" carbon fibre cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 3.4kHz.
Frequency Response
AE520 Mark II has a frequency range of 28-28k Hz whereas AE509 Mark II has a frequency range of 32-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the AE520 Mark II can go slightly deeper then the AE509 Mark II's min frequency of 32Hz.
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
AE520 Mark II is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the AE509 Mark II which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. AE520 Mark II sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the AE509 Mark II's is rated at 89 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the AE520 Mark II a more sensitive speaker compared to AE509 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.
AE520 Mark II can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas AE509 Mark II has a max power handling value of 175 watts RMS, 25 watts less than the AE520 Mark II.
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.
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 AE520 Mark II's and AE509 Mark II's external dimensions. AE520 Mark II has external dimensions of 1050.0 x 185.0 x 360.0mm (41.3 x 7.3 x 14.2inch) whereas AE509 Mark II has external dimensions of 1000.0 x 185.0 x 270.0mm (39.4 x 7.3 x 10.6inch).
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.
AE520 Mark II needs about 33% more floor or shelf area. AE520 Mark II is 90mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. AE520 Mark II is 50mm 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 AE520 Mark II is approximately 666.0cm2 / 103.2inch2 and base area of the AE509 Mark II is approximately 499.5cm2 / 77.4inch2. The AE520 Mark II requires 33% more surface area than the AE509 Mark II which gives it a small disadvantage 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 AE520 Mark II weighs 30.00kg / 66lbs and the AE509 Mark II weighs 19.00kg / 41.8lbs. This makes the AE520 Mark II 58% heavier than the AE509 Mark II.
Here is a comparison of how AE520 Mark II and AE509 Mark II's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
 Max Input Power |
200 watts
vs
175 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Height |
1000mm
vs
1050mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
499cm2
vs
666cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Acoustic Energy AE520 Mark II |
Acoustic Energy AE509 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 |
92 dB |
89 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
28-28k Hz |
32-28k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
5" |
| Woofer Composition |
carbon fibre cone |
carbon fibre cone |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
1.1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
220Hz and 3.6kHz |
3.4kHz |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1050.0mm (41.3") |
1000.0mm (39.4") |
| Width |
185.0mm (7.3") |
185.0mm (7.3") |
| Depth |
360.0mm (14.2") |
270.0mm (10.6") |
| Weight |
30.00kg (66lbs) |
19.00kg (41.8lbs) |
| Enclosure |
|
|
| Available Colors |
Piano Gloss White,Piano Gloss Black,American Walnut wood veneer |
Piano Gloss White,Piano Gloss Black,American Walnut wood veneer |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
|
| Labor Warranty |
|
|
Siblings in Acoustic Energy's AE500 Mark II series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | AE520 Mark II digs deeper - 28Hz against 32Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | A | AE520 Mark II is more sensitive (92dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | AE509 Mark II is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (200W vs 175W). |
| Size | depends | AE509 Mark II is easier to place; AE520 Mark II is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
A AE520 Mark II B AE509 Mark II
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system 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?
AE520 Mark II has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. Match it to your room: we rate AE520 Mark II the better fit for a very large room, and AE509 Mark II for a mid-size room. In a large or open-plan room, AE520 Mark II has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, AE509 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.