This is a 3 year old thread (which I started) but the AE1 Actives are still available. Amazing they only went up in price by a few pounds.
I eventually got to listen to them and had mixed feelings about them. I much liked the look (the wood veneer) but seem to remember that I found them a little too upfront and strained (remember I like the new Audiolab sound ... ). However, at that time my Hegel journey started thanks to Rick at Musicraft and it still continues.
It would be dishonest to say I remember exactly how the Acoustic Energy AE1 Actives sounded after 3 or 4 years, that's impossible, but I did decide at the time not to pursue them after hearing them.
Having said that, who knows, I may like them now and materially they are sound compared to some other products.
I did, in the meantime, have active speakers from Kef (Meta Wireless II) and B&W (Formation Duo) but returned to separates and Linear Power Supply products as I prefer them. The AE1 Active have class AB amplifiers rated at 50W/ch by the way.
Certainly worth a go imho.