Acoustic Energy Aego M-System review

Acoustic Energy is a British company that makes hi-fi speakers and this has led to some significant differences when you compare its Aego M series speakers with more typical PC and laptop kit.

As usual, the subwoofer is the hub of the system with an integrated mains power cable and a series of connection points across the back, but then it gets odd.

There are three sets of spring clips for left, centre and right outputs, although you only get two satellites, which is strange, as we have never heard of a 3.1 setup. There are three RCA inputs on the subwoofer and a selection of cables that give you plenty of set-up options.

The detachable cables for the satellites are an enormous five metres long, but you can either hide the surplus out of sight or cut them to length. On the rear of the subwoofer you'll also find a flick switch for bass control, which can be set to low, medium or high. We left it on the middle position as the best compromise. There's also a second switch for selecting a centre channel input.

On the front of the subwoofer is an illuminated Power/Volume control that sits in an angled recess, but the most obvious touch of styling genius belongs to the pair of satellites which are fist-sized and take up a tiny amount of desk space.

When it comes to delivering quality, these speakers are quite superb; although you clearly wouldn't accept anything less at this price. The Aego M speakers lift music to a level that most rivals cannot approach, with a strong delivery across the frequency range that belies the tiny size of the satellites.

They can deliver impressive volume without a hint of distortion that will test both the audio of your laptop and the patience of your neighbours to the absolute limit, provided that you're prepared to pay the relatively steep price.