Напольная акустика — AER Aerofon

The Aerofon is a floorstanding horn loudspeaker from AER, a German company building loudspeakers since 1985. It pairs full-range drivers developed by Filip Keller with horn cabinets designed by Markus Boldyreff, and AER presents it as the outcome of more than 40 years of work on both. The model covered here is the smaller of two Aerofon cabinets, sold as the Essenz, and each cabinet can be ordered with an entry-level or a top driver, so one enclosure serves two price points. In other AER material the two driver versions appear under the names Aerofon econ and Aerofon essence.

Key specs that matter

The cabinet stands 151 cm tall, 34 cm wide and 41 cm deep. With the BD E driver, a unit designed from scratch for this range, AER specifies an efficiency of 102 dB at 1 W and 1 m, and with the BD 5 driver the figure rises to 116 dB. The published frequency range is 35 Hz to 80 kHz, while the launch information for the two cabinets places the lower limit of this smaller one at 38 Hz, three hertz above its bigger sibling. Launch prices were EUR 25,000 per pair in BD E form and EUR 70,000 per pair with the BD 5. An owner can move from the BD E to the BD 5 at any later point and pays only the price difference between the two driver versions. The enclosure is made of tempered acrylic glass, supplied in white, in black or in special colours on request.

Engineering and use context

The Aerofon is an analogue horn design, and its enclosure works as a back-loaded horn in which the driver sits in the opening from which the low frequencies leave the cabinet. AER states that this placement gives a clear gain in how evenly the output spreads through the room. Tempering the acrylic glass is part of the process AER uses to optimise the material for acoustic use. The BD E and BD 5 drivers were reworked by Filip Keller specifically for the Aerofon range, and the BD 5 carries the latest suspension design of the two. According to AER, the compact cabinet still produces a strong bass foundation despite its footprint and small frontal area.

Pairing

AER intends the Aerofon for use with tube amplifiers. There is no crossover network inside the cabinet, so the amplifier is connected straight to one full-range unit that reproduces the whole band with no filter parts between them.

Alternatives

The AER Aerofon Experienz is the larger floorstanding cabinet of the same range, standing 190 cm tall on a 54 x 60 cm base and reaching down to 35 Hz.