When the Aego M first launched in 2005, the tech world was a different place. Quad-core desktop processors didn’t exist and mobile phones were for calling people, not playing music or browsing the Web. It’s a testament to the Aego M that it’s endured so well, since the world of audio hardware moves at a very different pace to that of personal computing.
Available in white or black, the Aego M 2.1 setup consists of a compact tower subwoofer with a single volume control in the centre. It has two small but deceptively heavy satellites, which have a brushed-metal finish and soft edges. The design is striking, with a single power status LED at the front surrounded by a metal ring, and the whole set looks and feels every bit a premium product.
There are a few subtle signs of the product’s age. Bass is controlled via a switch at the back, offering levels from 1 to 3, rather than a rotary control, which is more common now. Similarly, the speakers connect to the subwoofer via traditional bare wires rather than phono plugs. There’s no remote or wireless features either, but you do at least get a third input and output for an optional centre speaker.
You might wonder, then, why we’re recommending a ten-year-old product. Simply put, the Aego M blew us away with its sound quality. Others were good, even excellent, in their volume or clarity, but the Aego M is on another level entirely.
Playing Battlefield 4 was like a whole new experience. As with most 2.1 systems, the bass was loud and rumbling at all volume levels, but with a clarity that no other speaker set could match. Each shot caused the desk to rumble with warm bass, but without sacrificing anything from the treble. Likewise, we heard direction from gunfire in movies that simply wasn’t noticeable when we watched the same scene with other 2.1 sets.
Turn up the volume and you’re as close to being right in the middle of the action as possible from any of the speaker sets we tested. It might sound like hyperbole, but with an audio system that offers such clarity and definition as the Aego M, it really changes your movie-watching experience.
Finally, the Aego M really showed its strength when playing music at a hefty volume. The volume of a thumping 4/4 kick drum wasn’t just pounding, but crystal clear without even a hint of distortion.
The Aego M was one of the few speaker sets to handle Leftfield’s extremely low bass frequencies fantastically well, and rock and classical music sounded clear too. The guitar chords from Paradise City sounded noticeably stronger on the Aego M than on any other speaker set on test.
It was just as impressive at lower volume levels too. The spatial clarity was still noticeable, with the same sound quality we heard at higher volumes.
It may be starting to show its age but, for sound quality alone, the Aego M is the best set of speakers in this Labs. Sure, a remote would be appreciated, and the lack of Bluetooth streaming may be a turnoff for some, but the clarity and volume is on another level. While Creative’s T3 and Microlab’s FC60BT are perfectly respectable 2.1 systems, the outstanding sound quality, bass and volume levels secures a well-deserved first-place win for Acoustic Energy.
VERDICT
Superb clear sound, exceptional volume and a real rumbling bass. An exceptional 2.1 speaker set.
SPECIFICATIONS
Inputs 3 x RCA phono
Stated total RMS power 90W
Stated frequency response 50Hz - 16kHz