Acoustic Energy ref. 1 & 2 ?

A

Anonymous

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Hello Musicraft

How would you rate them against the AE1 Classic, I'm interested in the reference 1 here with matching stands coz the Mrs thinks they look a whole lot nicer than the black vinyl AE1 classics?

Thanks

Nick
 

AEJim

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Hi "Fats"/Nick,

The Reference 1's (and stands) should be in the next issue of WHF, though I can't confirm for sure and have no idea what they think of them! We always find out at the same time as everyone else! :)

Can't really comment on how they sound as it's in breach of rules to "advertise" our product and Andrew will have me carted off to a dungeon somewhere... ;)

Cheers,

Jim.
 
A

Anonymous

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Hello Jim , see on your specification they are both 8 ohms imp. But noticed on one dealers site, one picture of the back of the speaker the spec plate shows 6 0hms. Can you clear that up ? By the way they look stunning :clap:
 

Messiah

Well-known member
I heard the Reference 1 at Bristol a little while ago and they sounded brilliant!

On a previous thread I have commented on them and Jim advised they have been improved since then so I expect they are quite special.
 

AEJim

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Hi Fats, they (both models) are indeed 6ohm. I'll try and remember to fix that on the site tomorrow! That said they are a pretty stable 6ohm and their impedance doesn't drop low enough to trouble any reasonable amps - I had a pair running on an old 50 Watt Audiolab 8000a for a few weeks and that drove them with no problems. Like any good speaker they do perform well with some power though!

Thanks for the compliment on the looks - I actually think they're even smarter with the grilles on, having matching stands definitely helps the looks and is something I wish we'd put a lot more time into doing previously ( I really do - the 30kg stands we bought in for the AE1mkIII gave me a slipped disc!) :)

Let me know what you think if you ever do get the chance to listen - I'd have liked to shown them at the Manchester show but we simply had too many people out to do the show properly this year, will be there next time!

Cheers,

Jim.
 
A

Anonymous

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Thanks for the info jim, have put them on my audtion list . Local dealer f/harvey of cov. does,nt appear have them in yet according to their site. One question how are they for postioning, ? :)
 
A

Anonymous

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Thanks Jim for details. Look forward to review/audition. My wife has fallen in love with them (on aesthetics of course!) and I too think the whole package of speaker, grilles and stands looks the business. Thinking of getting a Naim Uniti all in one system (the one with the amp and CD), just wondered if this would have the power needed? My AE1 Classics are fine by the way but are a bit dated looking although I suppose being designed for studio use durability was probably more of an issue over looks. I did have a listen to the B&W PM1's in Manchester which again are very nicely put together but found it difficult to come to a balanced view as they were being fed with some seriously expensive kit and the sound routed through some of the most ridiculously huge speaker cables I have ever seen. I know the manufacturer wants to demo their goods at their best but I felt this was way over the top. Imagine having to hide 1inch diameter speaker cables under the carpet. Look forward to more news on Reference 1's soon. How much are stands by the way?
 
A

Anonymous

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nick8858 said:
Thanks Jim for details. Look forward to review/audition. My wife has fallen in love with them (on aesthetics of course!) and I too think the whole package of speaker, grilles and stands looks the business. Thinking of getting a Naim Uniti all in one system (the one with the amp and CD), just wondered if this would have the power needed? My AE1 Classics are fine by the way but are a bit dated looking although I suppose being designed for studio use durability was probably more of an issue over looks. I did have a listen to the B&W PM1's in Manchester which again are very nicely put together but found it difficult to come to a balanced view as they were being fed with some seriously expensive kit and the sound routed through some of the most ridiculously huge speaker cables I have ever seen. I know the manufacturer wants to demo their goods at their best but I felt this was way over the top. Imagine having to hide 1inch diameter speaker cables under the carpet. Look forward to more news on Reference 1's soon. How much are stands by the way?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Excellent jim

Thanks for all the info. Nice to see you have real world testing etc with sensible partnering equipment. Unlike the PM1 emo I mentioned. Stands seem reasonable for a custom designed one and as my boss at home says they do look nice so your excellent design means I get my mitts on some new hi fi with little domestic struggle. Good marketing ploy is that. Keep it up.
 
A

Anonymous

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FATS 2828 said:
Thanks for the info jim, have put them on my audtion list . Local dealer f/harvey of cov. does,nt appear have them in yet according to their site. One question how are they for postioning, ? :)
:wave: Just the question on postioning from rear wall, please jim thankyou
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Agree with you there Nick the pm1 stands do seem rather pricey. According to reviews they are a important part of the pm1,s

make up. Domestic bliss aye :grin:
 

AEJim

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Hi guys,

Sorry for the slow reply, was working away yesterday!

A Naim Uniti should be ideal with the Reference speakers - they were desinged on a Supernait (80 Watts) and this drives them very well indeed. We've moved on from the days of having massive Krell/Wadia/Gryphon test systems as we felt they weren't real-world equivalents of what our speakers are likely to be used with.

The stands are £300 full retail or £210 when purchased with the speakers. They're made from the same rubber/MDF constrained layer material as the cabinets and perform extremely well in their own right (in our opinion of course!).

We use Crimson Audio solid-core copper cables on our test systems and still find this amongst the best we've heard - it's also a useable thickness rather than garden hose-like!

Our Sales Rep is off until next week so I'm not fully sure who has pairs in your area (aside from Musicraft), I'm sure we can arrange for the rep to drop a set at your local dealer when he's back though...

Cheers,

Jim.
 
nick8858 said:
Hello Musicraft

How would you rate them against the AE1 Classic, I'm interested in the reference 1 here with matching stands coz the Mrs thinks they look a whole lot nicer than the black vinyl AE1 classics?

Thanks

Nick

Hi nick8858

I also own AE1 Classic speakers. Put is this way as good as the AE1 Classic speakers are i've not even listened to my AE1 Classic speakers since getting the new Reference 1's and Reference 2's in :) Besides the significantly better performance of the Reference 1's over the AE1 Classic speakers you could pay the extra premium just for the overall quality of fit, finishing and build. Simple :grin:

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

AEJim

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FATS 2828 said:
FATS 2828 said:
Thanks for the info jim, have put them on my audtion list . Local dealer f/harvey of cov. does,nt appear have them in yet according to their site. One question how are they for postioning, ? :)
:wave: Just the question on postioning from rear wall, please jim thankyou

Opps!

Sorry Fats! Like most high-end speakers they appreciate a bit of space to perform at their best, I'd say 12-18" from the rear wall in an ideal world. Of course this isn't always viable and we do test with closer positioning to a wall, our Chief Engineer always uses them at home about 4" into the room with bungs in the ports. I'd say they don't get particularly boomy if used close to a wall but do lose a little "air" and space from the sound, for a better sense of depth and scale you're probably looking at getting them a foot into the room with a slight toe-in (5-10 degrees is plenty - you don't want the tweeters pointing directly at you).

Cheers,

Jim.
 

Singslinger

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Hi Rick, I understand from an earlier post that the Refs were designed using a Naim Supernait. I'm currently pairing my Supernait/NDX with ProAc Tablette Anniversary speakers in a small room but am now wondering how different the AEs might be.

I've only every heard the classic AE1s when they were first released those many years ago but even though I loved the sound, I shied away from them because of the enormous amplifier power that was needed to drive them properly.

In your opinion, what advantages - if any - would say the Ref 2s offer in a system like mine?

Many thanks in advance.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
MUSICRAFT said:
nick8858 said:
Hello Musicraft

How would you rate them against the AE1 Classic, I'm interested in the reference 1 here with matching stands coz the Mrs thinks they look a whole lot nicer than the black vinyl AE1 classics?

Thanks

Nick

Hi nick8858

I also own AE1 Classic speakers. Put is this way as good as the AE1 Classic speakers are i've not even listened to my AE1 Classic speakers since getting the new Reference 1's and Reference 2's in :) Besides the significantly better performance of the Reference 1's over the AE1 Classic speakers you could pay the extra premium just for the overall quality of fit, finishing and build. Simple :grin:

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

:wave: Hello Rick we know you are a great fan of atc , how would you describe the differences in prescentation of music

between atc,s 11 and ac/energys ref1 ? :)
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
AEJim said:
Hi guys,

Sorry for the slow reply, was working away yesterday!

A Naim Uniti should be ideal with the Reference speakers - they were desinged on a Supernait (80 Watts) and this drives them very well indeed. We've moved on from the days of having massive Krell/Wadia/Gryphon test systems as we felt they weren't real-world equivalents of what our speakers are likely to be used with.

The stands are £300 full retail or £210 when purchased with the speakers. They're made from the same rubber/MDF constrained layer material as the cabinets and perform extremely well in their own right (in our opinion of course!).

We use Crimson Audio solid-core copper cables on our test systems and still find this amongst the best we've heard - it's also a useable thickness rather than garden hose-like!

Our Sales Rep is off until next week so I'm not fully sure who has pairs in your area (aside from Musicraft), I'm sure we can arrange for the rep to drop a set at your local dealer when he's back though...

Cheers,

Jim.
:wave: Hello jim, any news from your rep on locations to demo the ref1,s
 

AEJim

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Nov 17, 2008
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Clare Newsome said:
Just a confirmation that the Acoustic Energy Reference 1 speaker review is in our next (December) issue, which is on sale in @2 weeks time

Thanks for the info Clare!

Fats: If you give the office a bell this week (01285 654432) and ask for Louise, she'll put you in touch with our rep - if there's no dealers close enough you'll get a home demo if you want it!

Cheers,

Jim.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
FATS 2828 said:
MUSICRAFT said:
nick8858 said:
Hello Musicraft

How would you rate them against the AE1 Classic, I'm interested in the reference 1 here with matching stands coz the Mrs thinks they look a whole lot nicer than the black vinyl AE1 classics?

Thanks

Nick

Hi nick8858

I also own AE1 Classic speakers. Put is this way as good as the AE1 Classic speakers are i've not even listened to my AE1 Classic speakers since getting the new Reference 1's and Reference 2's in :) Besides the significantly better performance of the Reference 1's over the AE1 Classic speakers you could pay the extra premium just for the overall quality of fit, finishing and build. Simple :grin:

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

:wave: Hello Rick we know you are a great fan of atc , how would you describe the differences in prescentation of music

between atc,s 11 and ac/energys ref1 ? :)
:)
 

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