Q Acoustics' "house sound"?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by bhazen, Mar 22, 2019.

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  1. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Lately I've become fascinated with what I've been reading and seeing about the Q Acoustics line of speakers. Seems like some clever (and cost-effective) engineering going on. Great design sensibility, too (kinda Dwell magazine).

    Unfortunately there are no dealers (that I'm aware of) in the Seattle metro. I was wondering if anyone here has a pair, or has heard them in a demo, etc. I'm particularly interested in their current line of standmount/bookshelf speakers, and their "voicing".

    Thanks!
     
  2. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
  3. Guth

    Guth Music Lover

    Location:
    Oregon
    You might have better luck perusing the Naim “Hi-Fi Corner” forum or the audio forum on pinkfishmedia.net. I recall there being a fair amount of buzz over these speakers amongst Naim fans at one point in time.
     
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  4. vinylbuff

    vinylbuff Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Port Florida
    I heard a pair at the Tampa show last month and I'm thinking they were the $800 pr floorstanders. They were very impressive. My cousin seemed to be smitten with them and talked about the sound for days after the show.
    They sounded better than some speakers at three and four times the price.
     
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  5. TubeDude60

    TubeDude60 Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    I have a pair of 3050's. For the price ($600 Amazon during Christmas season) they sound fantastic. To be honest I like them more than my Focal Chorus 706v.
     
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  6. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    I'm guessing the 706 is the more "forward"-sounding ...?
     
  7. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    The Q Acoustics firm has some ex-Mission engineers in their line up, so if you like that sound (great across the range but wonderful clarity) then go further .

    You might also consider Fyne Audio too, a new name on the block with some ex-Tannoy guys on board.
     
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  8. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Yeah, I've seen reviews of Fyne in the UK mags ... no dealers here yet, probably. I noticed they do some Tannoy-style dual-concentric drivers ... interesting! Best speaker I've heard in awhile was a pair of Tannoy Eatons (10" d.c. drivers.)

    I may, just for fun, order a set of 3020i's from Q.
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2019
  9. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    You might, if funds allow have a think about their Concept 20. Think it was about £350 when it came out a few years ago, but got some pretty hot reviews.
     
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  10. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Thanks, I'll do a review search! :)
     
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  11. 33na3rd

    33na3rd Forum Resident

    Location:
    SW Washington, USA
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  12. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Well, they just raised my pension payment :), so I think in a month or so I very likely shall order the Concept 20's. $399 currently! Given what I've read, they should be some fun speakers -- and only $100 more than the 3020i's. You get some of the promoted 'advanced' features like the Gelcore cabinet isolation and groovy bracing system, which are in the $4k+ Concept 300's.

    Note: I'm keeping my Harbeth P3ESR's no matter what. All I'd ask the 20's to do is perhaps up the fun factor a bit; a chance to try something different.
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2019
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  13. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Anybody have any more info/observations on Q Acoustics loudspeakers? ... :)
     
  14. hammondjake

    hammondjake Forum Resident

    I recently 'downgraded' from Quad 12L2 standmounts to the Q Acoustics Concept 20s with their dedicated stands. Due to changes in my hearing and listening habits (I'm 53) I wanted a more focused soundstage, tighter bass, and the ability to crank my amp into its 'muscular' power band without overpowering/pressuring my 3m x 5m-ish room. I read the reviews, really liked the design and cosmetics, and found a great closeout deal online, so took a chance on them without auditioning (did I mention I'm occasionally impulsive?!).

    So, how do they sound? Pretty much as the many positive reviews say - lovely focused and airy soundstage, analytic yet sweet treble, very tight and punchy (yes, punching above their weight) and very 'clean' even at high SPLs (my Roksan integrated puts out 150w per channel, and saves its best until 2 o'clock on the dial).

    I like bass and listen to a lot of roots and dub reggae. Spinning up Bob Marley and The Wailers' Burnin', I'm immediately struck by several things. Yes, I have lost a degree or two of bass extension (cf. the Quads) but am aware of an absence of a certain bass 'bloom'. In addition the bass that is there is very focused and punchy, very 'direct' and muscular, and (am I really going to say this?) my ear is drawn to the fabled 'leading edge transients' of the notes issuing forth from Family Man Barrett's Jazz bass. Similarly, the whole rhythm section can be 'seen'/heard in their own space, spread out across the width and (now increased) depth of the soundstage.

    Moving on to some vintage MkII/MkIII Deep Purple my ears are again drawn to the articulation of individual notes - Ian Paice's glorious fills and snare drum rudiments are not only clearly articulated, but each strike of each drum has its own unique momentary sound, and Roger Glover's straight-eight plectrum bass lines are no longer quite as straight, as minute variations of each plucked note are suddenly (albeit subtly) audible.

    And on it goes, rifling through random picks from my whole vinyl collection, everything takes on an extra dimension, like the proverbial oil painting that's had a layer of grime removed. The speakers perform equally well on HD and SD digital audio, again majoring on bass grip and focus, articualtion, transients and transparency. I've run the whole genre gamut - EDM, 50s BlueNote, 60s Prestige organ combos, Purple/Sabbath/Heep, roots reggae, folk, Laurel Canyon/Haight Ashbury etc - and the 20s have been a whole step up from the Quads in every instance.

    I've experimented (or rather, 'messed around') with speaker placement, and for my room and my tastes have ended up with an equilateral triangle with sides of 5'-6' and essentially a nearfield monitor setup which effectively removes any room effects.

    A couple of caveats. First, these are small standmounts, so however well designed and constructed they are (and they are), the laws of physics don't bend and full range bass is not on the menu here. Second, I'm in a smallish room and like to sit up close and personal with my speakers (we occupy one third of the length of my room). These will not fill a big space and, I would suggest, are best heard in a nearfield (or near-ish field) orientation, where, IMHO, they excel.

    Design, construction, look-and-feel and listenability are all a solid ***** from me.
     
  15. sotosound

    sotosound Forum Resident

    I can only speak for their now-discontinued 2010i and 2020i speakers.

    I have a pair of each.

    What they do for me is excel in the mid-range.

    I recently purchased a used TEAC system for my son, complete with TEAC bookshelf speakers. Whilst playing around with the system, I swapped out the TEAC speakers for the 2010is. Although the 2010is were less efficient and therefore needed more volume, and whilst they were deficient in bass in comparison with the TEAC speakers, they were still in a different (better) class. What they did especially well was to bring some magic to the mid-range such that vocals had a distinct image and shape, even when listening off-axis.

    The 2020is are what replaced the 2010is on my own TEAC second system, and when I play that system I just listen to the music. These speakers are very musical and very communicative, and clearly have good timing. They're neither over-bright, nor over-bassy. They're not clinical, either. Instead, the detail that they reveal is largely musical in nature. Being small-ish budget bookshelf speakers, they have their limitations but, for the money, they're absolutely fabulous. Love 'em.

    Some friends were so impressed with my TEAC / Q Acoustics set-up when visiting in December that they asked me to find them a similar set-up for them, which I did on fleabay. That system is also fabulous and entertaining.

    Of course, you can buy better speakers, but they will cost more and, for the price, I see these speakers as quite unbeatable.
     
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  16. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Thank you, hammondjake and sotosound, for your extensive reports!! :)

    I believe I shall order a pair of Concept 20's when my "slush fund" has enough cash in.
     
  17. Gokce

    Gokce Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Istanbul
    and I can speak for the 3020i which I have in a secondary system..

    I agree with all the comments above and I guess for the price, there is very little chance to find a better speaker as balanced and airy as they are..

    If you plan to get the concept 20's, make sure you also get the stands as well. they are designed for each other. Concept stands are so good in themselves that I use them in my primary system with KEF LS50s. I had B&W and Atacama stands and concept stands are by far the best in terms of vibration properties.
     
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  18. sotosound

    sotosound Forum Resident

    My local dealer says: -

    "The stands do seem key for getting the best balance out of these speakers, it’s clear they’ve been voiced to work with one another as they impart a warmth and solidity to the sound that is missing when used with many lesser stands."
     
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  19. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    So, a question -- might the 3020i's be a better choice if I decide not to buy stands? ... I have stands that work peachy for my Harbeths, and I want to keep those (I don't want to have another pair of stands underfoot.)
     
  20. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
  21. RockAddict

    RockAddict Sanity is an illusion, just like democracy

    Location:
    UK
    Another with a pair of Concept 20s. The post by @hammondjake a few posts back sums it up pretty well IMO. The audio characteristics change significantly depending upon the distance from the back wall. Have them close, and you'll notice a significantly deeper pull at the bottom end compared to away from the wall - just place where it works for you. Are they the last word in speakers? Nope. But, at the GBP £350 (£500 with dedicated stands), remarkable. I've had mine for over 4 years now and any "upgrade" will have to make a significant difference. For info, the Concept 20s have 2 sets of speaker posts.

    In case they've been overlooked, Q Acoustics have some speakers that are clearly aimed at a much higher level:

    GBP £3,600ish Q Acoustics | Concept 300 (not the greatest dB sensitivity)
    GBP £3,000ish Concept 500 is the culmination of Q Acoustics continual evolution
     
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  22. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    a very small bump, then I'll let it drop into the abyss of tired topics ...
     
  23. sotosound

    sotosound Forum Resident

    Up at that price level, I suspect that you’d probably need to widen your search beyond Q Acoustics. BUT.... that’s not the purpose of this thread.

    My instinct is that the Concept 20s are in a class above the 3 series and that they need to be on stands.

    My local dealer says that the Concept stands deliver benefits not found when the speakers are used with ‘... many lesser stands.’ So, how would you describe your stands?

    A seriously left field suggestion might be to spend a small amount of cash and see if you can get to speak to Peter at my local dealer here in the UK - Deco Audio. He designs and builds speakers as well as selling them, and I trust his views. He can probably help to steer you though the 3020i versus Concept 20 discussion, for instance. He can also probably tell you about your own stands.

    Just a thought....
     
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  24. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus Thread Starter

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Thanks all ...

    I'll think I'm going to go with the 3020i's, I can use the substantial stands I use with my Harbeths. (Plus that's about as much as I'm willing to spend right now. :)) If I like the way they sound (the Q 'fun factor'), I may embark on a long-term plan to get Concept 300's with their very modernist stands.
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2019
  25. hammondjake

    hammondjake Forum Resident

    Just to chime in again here, I went with the dedicated stands because (i) they look great (not important to some, but I've grown tired of wooden boxes on metal stands), (ii) the reviews suggested they were far more than merely decorative and (iii) I got the whole package for little more than the speakers' street price. I can't comment on what the stands bring to the party as I have no other baseline, but my previous Quad 12L2s sat upon the outrageously over-engineered Partington Dreadnought Broadside stands and yet my 'downgrade' took me up a (audiophile) level, or, to put it differently, removed one of the mystical 'veils' so beloved of the professional reviewer.

    The top plate of the stands is actually a sandwich of two metal plates with a filling of the 'Gelcore' wonder substance. It also features three recesses which accept the feet of the Q20s. Down at the bottom, the tripod arrangement features an adjustable front foot (toe?) to facilitate true levelling. At the real of the pillar there is also a clamp and recessed channel for the speaker cables. As mentioned above, there are two pairs of binding posts on each speaker, but Q Acoustics recommend single wiring *, and state that this was how the speakers were voiced (*I recall reading this, but can't now find it in there online literature, so YMMV). My speaker cable, BTW, is Chord Clearway.

    Anyway, worth an audition if you can find a dealer (maybe difficult in the US?), this speaker/stand pairing punches well above its dimensional and ticket price weight, in what, on reflection, I would say is a package that gets everything right in what it gives you AND in what it takes away - which is to say a whole lot of mid-range confusion. Verily, the Q giveth and the Q taketh away.
     
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