As a former owner and dealer of the Harbeth P3ESR, I admit that I love the classic British sound. Warm, superb soundstage, imaging, with a forgiving top end and naturalness. A speaker you can relax into with any recording that won't leave your ears ringing or have you reaching to lower the volume knob after a few songs. The AE1 40th Anniversary speaker ($1999 MSRP) is all of those things. A wonderful speaker and competitor to the Harbeth P3ESR, but... it's nearly half the price.
Finish: The finish is either gloss black paint, or a gloss walnut veneer. It is perfection and belies the price point. It goes toe to toe with the P3ESR.
Weight: The AE1 40th is about the same size as the P3ESR, and weighs 15 pounds. It is substantial and is a clue to the quality of the AE1 40th.
Sensitivity: The P3ESR is 83dB at 1 watt, and yet it doesn't handle a lot of power. The AE1 40th is 4dB more efficient, and can handle more power. You get just as much output from the AE1 40th with half the power. But yet it can handle more power and also plays louder. Not that this is a rocker of a speaker, but in my opinion it fits into the preferences of normal listeners.
Tuning & Sound
Classic British sound. This speaker disappears, produces a large, dimensional soundstage, and renders vocals beautifully. There is a warmth to it that is not chesty or boomy. The naturalness of the presentation is wonderful. Music flows, floats, and hangs in space all around the speakers and the listener. Acoustic Energy has genuinely put some listening time in the design of thAE1 40th. I found the midrange soundstage to be astounding, and the high frequency soundstage a little more laid back. So perhaps slightly less air and space up top, but stellar performance in the midrange. I find that speakers that do push the air and space effect a bit more, especially near this price range, tend to be fatiguing.
Pairing with a sub is a little challenging. I have 2 SVS SB3000 subs, and I ended up using a 3rd order crossover at 70 hz in my setup. A steeper slope was needed simply because the AE1 40th didn't need the help above 70Hz and less blending with the AE1 was better than more.
Conclusion
For 2 grand, this is a speaker for the Harbeth loyalists who don't want to spend nearly $4000 for a speaker that they will need a bigger amp for, and won't be able to turn it up a little every now and then. For the newly minted audiophile, pair this with say a Matrix MD-1 Streaming Amplifier and have a killer music system for around $6000. For the seasoned audiophile, this speaker is a great start to a second system in a den or bedroom. All in all, the AE1 40th is an engaging, musically satisfying speaker that can be paired with a wide range of amplifiers and upstream components for years of musical enjoyment. This is the type of speaker one hangs on to. I know It's a keeper in my own home. Highly recommended.