Question Acoustic Energy AE109 Mk2 vs Dali Oberon 5

[LEOopasni2709]

Hello, I am currently looking to make different placment of my room furniture and I will be having free space to put new speakers. I heard a lot of great things of these two sets and considering reviews I think they fit my needs and my budget. Dalis are priced a bit more (899e) than AE (690e), but I also have some other options like Q acoustics, KEF and Wharfedale under 1000e. My question is if someone used those two in a smaller room (10sqm) and how are they behaving. Roughly estimated they will be about 1.7m from each other, 20-25cm from wall and I will be sitting about 2.5m from them. Stereo amp will most likely be Marantz PM6007 (I found good used price). Of course I will go try those and some more setups in listening room to judge which one fits me best but I just wanted to see if anyone has some experinece with those two in some smaller rooms. I mostly listen to rock, jazz, blues, rockabilly, pop and I like drum tracks a lot. I am based in Europe (Croatia). Room configuration example is attached. Any help will be greatly appreciated

 

[matthewpianist]

If you can find a pair of discounted the MkI AE109 I would warmly recommend them. Here in the UK, AV.com have them at a bargain price, and they're terrific speakers.

Otherwise, both options you are looking at are worthy, so having a listen is your best way forward.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

If you can find a pair of discounted the MkI AE109 I would warmly recommend them. Here in the UK, AV.com have them at a bargain price, and they're terrific speakers.

Otherwise, both options you are looking at are worthy, so having a listen is your best way forward.

Thank you for reply, unfortunately I can't find Mk1 in my country, what are your toughts about Mk2? And yes, ofc I will go listen to them in person but those two kind of caught my eye

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

Highly rate my Oberon 5s but wonder whether they would be "too much" in 10m2? Have you considered some (small) active speakers such as the Triangle BRs / AIO or similar. Just wondering whether that route would provide a good combination of sound v. cost v. looks and be less overwhelming in your space. Just a thought.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

Highly rate my Oberon 5s but wonder whether they would be "too much" in 10m2? Have you considered some (small) active speakers such as the Triangle BRs / AIO or similar. Just wondering whether that route would provide a good combination of sound v. cost v. looks and be less overwhelming in your space. Just a thought.

Well cost is not a problem considering it's under 2000e for stereo amp, cd player and speakers...I heard some active speakers and I like them but I would like some floorstanders...I just can't help myself😂

 

[matthewpianist]

I can't comment on the AE109 Mk2s because I haven't heard them, but based on my experience of the MkIs I would be very surprised if they were anything less than excellent.

The Triangle 'actives' aren't actually active. They're powered speakers, with the amplification feeding into passive crossovers. They're OK but prone to woolliness and boom - I had a pair of Borea BRO-2BT.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

I can't comment on the AE109 Mk2s because I haven't heard them, but based on my experience of the MkIs I would be very surprised if they were anything less than excellent.

The Triangle 'actives' aren't actually active. They're powered speakers, with the amplification feeding into passive crossovers. They're OK but prone to woolliness and boom - I had a pair of Borea BRO-2BT.

Yeah I am kind of bigger fan of floorstanders (at least considering what I heard for now). Guess I will be going with either AE109 Mk2 or Oberon 5 paired with PM6006 and CD6007 considering I don't have a lot of options here in Croatia...and the manager in store I will be listening in always gives me a great discount. Thank you for your help once again.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

And if anyone has any more reccomendations I am more than happy to hear

 

[GroeneLeeuw]

Polk R Series, has had very good reviews everywhere

Enceinte colonne Polk Audio R600 Noir

L’enceinte colonne R600, esthétique et abordable, offre un son dynamique et avec du corps. Les deux cônes Turbine de 6,5 pouces et le haut-parleur d’aigus…

www.homecinesolutions.fr

Focal is always a very good contender, too. They produce very good loudspeakers at very much every price point. Made in France

Enceinte colonne Focal Theva N°2 noyer

Focal Theva N°2, une enceinte colonne polyvalente. La Focal Theva N°2 est une enceinte colonne 3 voies bass-reflex qui succède à la Chora 816. Elle est…

www.homecinesolutions.fr

 

[Witterings]

I'd definitely home trial if you can, floostanders may or may not work in that space and the only way you'll find out is trying them.

Love Croatia .... was over there this year but bloomin expensive even compared to London.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

Yeah I know it would be best to home trial, but I don't think I can...I will check it out once again with the store manager to be sure. Oh nice, where were you staying? And I also recommend to go in september...less people, everything is cheaper and weather is still nice

 

[Witterings]

Thought I'd throw one back in as discovered Lindsey Ell

Yeah I know it would be best to home trial, but I don't think I can...I will check it out once again with the store manager to be sure. Oh nice, where were you staying? And I also recommend to go in september...less people, everything is cheaper and weather is still nice

We went before the tourist season really hit and had great weather apart from 1 day ... Did Split, Bol, Hvar, Dubrovnik and Korcula ... loved every one of them for different reasons

 

[LEOopasni2709]

Just tried out some combinations yesterday so here are my toughts.

Marantz pm6007 + ae109mk2 - nice staging, tight bass, natural voices, you can hear details but kind of "soft/muffled"

Pm6007 + oberon 5 - nice staging also (bit wider but less depth), bass is more "boomy". Overall they sounded good with more punch than ae109.

Cambridge axa25 + ae109mk2 - opened them up, sound is more "airy", more punch, but narrowed soundstage with maybe a touch less of details than pm6007

Axa25 + oberon 5 - axa25 has given same effect to oberon 5 as it did to ae109mk2 (but ofc they still have same differeneces as said before)

Marantz pm7000n + ae109mk2 - opened up speakers a lot, more airy, better staging than axa25 (wider, deeper, more precise, more space between instuments), very nice detail, bit of warmer but very nice for the price

Pm7000n + ae300 (bookshelf i didn't want😆) - I must say I was most impressed with this. Very nice detail, full sound, good punch, nice staging, good balance and what impressed me the most is bass they have for such a small speaker

Axa25 + ae300 - nothing spectacular, seems like amp sucked the life out of them, bland sounding


I haven't had time to try anthing else but I definitely will leave a comment when I do...and I must say to everyone that recommended bookshelf I was stupid not to listen. Also I am by no means pro and maybe don't have right words to describe sound but this is just personal opinion from a guy that likes to listen to music

 

[plastic penguin]

Just tried out some combinations yesterday so here are my toughts.

Marantz pm6007 + ae109mk2 - nice staging, tight bass, natural voices, you can hear details but kind of "soft/muffled"

Pm6007 + oberon 5 - nice staging also (bit wider but less depth), bass is more "boomy". Overall they sounded good with more punch than ae109.

Cambridge axa25 + ae109mk2 - opened them up, sound is more "airy", more punch, but narrowed soundstage with maybe a touch less of details than pm6007

Axa25 + oberon 5 - axa25 has given same effect to oberon 5 as it did to ae109mk2 (but ofc they still have same differeneces as said before)

Marantz pm7000n + ae109mk2 - opened up speakers a lot, more airy, better staging than axa25 (wider, deeper, more precise, more space between instuments), very nice detail, bit of warmer but very nice for the price

Pm7000n + ae300 (bookshelf i didn't want😆) - I must say I was most impressed with this. Very nice detail, full sound, good punch, nice staging, good balance and what impressed me the most is bass they have for such a small speaker

Axa25 + ae300 - nothing spectacular, seems like amp sucked the life out of them, bland sounding


I haven't had time to try anthing else but I definitely will leave a comment when I do...and I must say to everyone that recommended bookshelf I was stupid not to listen. Also I am by no means pro and maybe don't have right words to describe sound but this is just personal opinion from a guy that likes to listen to music

Hi-fi will always be a compromise unfortunately. The trick is to find the best compromise.

Looking at your original picture the observation is the speakers are too close to the cabinet and back wall. Most speakers need a little breathing space, therefore you'd be better off with standmount speakers.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

Hi-fi will always be a compromise unfortunately. The trick is to find the best compromise.

Looking at your original picture the observation is the speakers are too close to the cabinet and back wall. Most speakers need a little breathing space, therefore you'd be better off with standmount speakers.

Well picture is just a guide from program. Right here I put speakers about 30cm from wall and ofc cabinet can be a bit shorter. But if I am going with bookshelfs then speakers will be high enough for cabinet to not get in the way

 

[plastic penguin]

Well picture is just a guide from program. Right here I put speakers about 30cm from wall and ofc cabinet can be a bit shorter. But if I am going with bookshelfs then speakers will be high enough for cabinet to not get in the way

Speakers will be fine if you budget for dedicated stands. On average the typical stand will be around 600mm. Or when sitting in a chair the tweeter should be around ear height.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

Speakers will be fine if you budget for dedicated stands. On average the typical stand will be around 600mm. Or when sitting in a chair the tweeter should be around ear height.

Guy from store said Norstone Stylum stand will be okay and that is one speakers were on. I think 800mm will be better. I am 1.93m tall and 600mm is maybe a bit on low side He gave me a price of 1650e for PM7000N, AE300 and Norstone stands wich seem like a good deal.

 

[plastic penguin]

Guy from store said Norstone Stylum stand will be okay and that is one speakers were on. I think 800mm will be better. I am 1.93m tall and 600mm is maybe a bit on low side He gave me a price of 1650e for PM7000N, AE300 and Norstone stands wich seem like a good deal.

Good thing is you can buy stands at most heights if you are prepared to shop around. If the Norstone stands work in your room you can't ask for more.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

Good thing is you can buy stands at most heights if you are prepared to shop around. If the Norstone stands work in your room you can't ask for more.

Yeah, stands are kind of a least of a problem. I still need to try Oberon 3 and 5 paired with Marantz PM7000N.

 

[plastic penguin]

Yeah, stands are kind of a least of a problem. I still need to try Oberon 3 and 5 paired with Marantz PM7000N.

Nice one. The 7000N is a good amp.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

Nice one. The 7000N is a good amp.

Seems good enough for me, definitely a noticeable step up from PM6007.

 

[plastic penguin]

Seems good enough for me, definitely a noticeable step up from PM6007.

If I had mainly digital, the 7000N certainly would be on my short list.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

If I had mainly digital, the 7000N certainly would be on my short list.

Well I don't need anything more, altought I loose CD in that budget (CD6007 + PM6007=1000e) I get streaming which is nice...and better quality amp. Next thing I need to take care of is acoustic treatment, any toughts on that?

 

[plastic penguin]

Well I don't need anything more, altought I loose CD in that budget (CD6007 + PM6007=1000e) I get streaming which is nice...and better quality amp. Next thing I need to take care of is acoustic treatment, any toughts on that?

This depends whether your family can tolerate acoustic panels plastered around the room, if not buy a large rug or a bookcase or soft armchair or curtains. Any of these will help to absorb any nasty frequencies.

 

[LEOopasni2709]

This depends whether your family can tolerate acoustic panels plastered around the room, if not buy a large rug or a bookcase or soft armchair or curtains. Any of these will help to absorb any nasty frequencies.

Well, they can tolerate it if panels are nice enough. I tought about thicker curtains and some nice rug for start