@lonemountain
Yammies
Yes l got it wrong from memory…NS8 and NS10 were the boys. Tannoys were great speakers and l remember the Lancasters were as big as radiators. I never heard a really decent sound from their smaller models, but even those were not really small enclosures.
l agree with your Acoustic Energy history.
The company hit the high point with the AE1. A revolutionary redesign for such a small speaker which should never (on paper) have sounded that good. Blind tests provoked a shock when auditioned, listeners thought they were far bigger speakers. Metal woofers with a long throw made them extremely fast and concrete bracing inside the enclosure made a bold statement sound wise. They also go very loud without distortion or harshness.
The company earned its reputation on the back of this model and has tried to emulate the AE1 Mk1s initial success. It is not the same company as it was back then, but their active speaker has had very good reviews.
The AE1s have to be heard to appreciate what was achieved. The sound from such a small speaker less than one foot high and 8 inches wide was previously thought not possible in the 80s. It was no surprise they made it into many recording mixing rooms in the UK 🇬🇧