Acoustic Energy Radiance 2

Acoustic Energy Radiance 2 review

Acoustic Energy's new Radiance 2 model certainly looks the business, from its high-tech DXT tweeter waveguide at the top, down to the substantial and properly engineered outriggers around the base that keep the whole thing from tipping over too easily. It's also wrapped up in an admittedly rather utilitarian real-wood veneer, all of which seems to represent pretty good value for money at £1,000 for the pair. Pick of the bunch The '2' is the middle of three Radiance models and the last to come under Hi-Fi Choice scrutiny. That's because it came rather later to the market, which in turn implies that the engineers spent a little more time refining the design. In fact, it took at least three years to bring the original Radiance models to market and the extra year spent developing and refining this Radiance 2 model would seem to have been time well spent, even though its similarity to the larger Radiance 3 and smaller Radiance 1 is close and unmistakeable. However, whereas the Radiance 3 (and for that matter its much less costly Aelite 3 cousin) is a three-way design with twin 160-millimetre bass-only drivers and the Radiance 1 is a simple two-way standmount, this Radiance 2 splits the difference by operating in a two-and-a-halfway configuration.