Acoustic Energy built its reputation on the AE1 mini-monitor, notable for its high price and metal diaphragm main driver. Metal cones remained the watchword as it moved into the mass market with its made-in-Malaysia Aegis models, this ?50 Evo Three using such drivers for both its 130mm bass/mid unit and the 165mm bass-only driver.
This represents one significant change from its predecessor, which used a paper cone bass-only driver - logically enough from a performance though not a cosmetic point of view. Also significantly improving the cosmetic appearance, good-quality vinyl woodprint now covers the front panel, with a nicely bevelled edge.
A compact 'two-and-a-half-way' floorstander, the Evo Three uses the same main and treble drivers as the standmount two-way Evo One (a Best Buy in HFC 226), underpinned by the rather larger bass-only driver. It's an arrangement that makes good sense, as the smaller (130mm cast frame, 100mm cone) bass/mid driver will give better integration with the tweeter through the crossover region, while the larger (165mm cast frame, 120mm cone) bass driver provides the air-moving capabilities needed at low frequencies.
Both drivers operate in their own separate reflex-ported enclosures, so the two ports will make their own contributions, which all adds up to a complex amalgam of four sources with various phase relationships through the bass region. A disadvantage is that the small bass/mid driver may be the limiting factor in power handling, especially with bass-heavy material.
Unusually, the Evo Three comes with mass-loading fitted in the lowest box cavity. It's also supplied with a plinth and decent 8mm spikes to improve stability and enhance the appearance. The tweeter has a 25mm soft dome and a metal faceplate, while the rear panel carries twin terminals and a port.
The little Evo One was balanced for free space siting, and the same would certainly seem to be true for the Evo Three. The first impression - always an important clue - was of a very solid and well-grounded sound, with a warmth and richness which is unusual among budget speakers and similar to that more commonly found with larger, costlier models.
It's all a little restrained and laid back, though impressively clean, smooth and even-handed through the top half of the band. The extra weight and warmth, however, does make for a rather 'heavy' overall character - this is not a speaker that sounds particularly lively, nor could it be described as light on its feet.
This Aegis Evo Three certainly looks the business, and it supplies plenty of solid engineering at a very sensible price. The sound quality is a little less cut and dried: its character isn't entirely neutral, but will nevertheless have its own appeal - at once open, yet laid back, with a warmth, richness and solidity that many will like.
