Anyone owns this model from the 90s? They were very expensive and popular back then as they were very small (4.5 inch woofer ) and packs a punch. The reason I asked is that I recently got this budget model (compact 1) from the same company and it is even smaller. See pic below. Not much bass, but the mids are to die for, imaging was spectacular and the little speakers just disappears into the room. Partnered with a REL sub, the sound was amazing provided that I do not go beyond its capabilities. Spent several hours listening to this setup and during this time, I did not miss my "He-man" rig, with 12 inch woofers and 15 and 18 inch subs when listening to female vocals and some jazz pieces. The vintage model still commands a pretty penny, around 25 to 30K, the current models is in the 70,000 range. Considering that the vintage model is around 30 plus years old, would modern bookshelves priced in the 25 to 30K be able to compete with the vintage AE1 speakers?
