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Q Acoustics Owner's Thread

285K views 2K replies 200 participants last post by  dave999z 
#1 · (Edited)
Just saw an ad on the What HiFi site announcing the availability of Q Acoustics speakers in the US. As such, an owner's thread is now appropriate. Please add your comments regarding any experiences you have had with Q Acoustics products. Here is the info: http://www.qacoustics.com/
 
#2 ·
Hi,

It will be interesting to learn about US/North American responses to Q Acoustics speakers/products as over here in the UK, they pretty much consistently get Excellent & Best Buy status from various reviews sources for most of their line ups and are a quite well respected company.

Bazzy!
 
#7 ·
Ok, I'll bite.

During my last trip to London, I bought 5 Q Acoustics 3000-series speakers from a UK dealer (Sevenoaks in London Holborn) in January 2016, and brought them on the plane back to the US. I kept them in their shipping boxes, swaddled them in bubble-wrap, bag-wrapped 'em, and checked them as luggage. It was quite an adventure, and my spouse thought I was nuts for doing it. She was not entirely wrong. :)

Because I "imported" them 6 months before they opened their US operation, it is entirely possible that I am Q Acoustics' first US customer.

I had not listened to any Q Acoustics speakers live, personally, before buying them, but had read several favorable reviews; notably, Ed Selley's and several others, plus some thoughtful commentary in this and other forums. I felt that Q Acoustics met my key criteria: good sound at a comparatively affordable price point, with excellent wife acceptance factor (WAF).

So, here's the setup:

- Fronts: 2 x 3020 speakers (white)
- Center channel: 1 x 3090C speaker (white)
- Rears: 2 x 3010 speakers (white)
- Stands: 4 3000-series stands (white)
- Subwoofer: SVS SB-1000 (gloss white)

I went with all-white speakers because I like the look. It's actually quite hard to find clean, aesthetically pleasing bookshelf speakers in white, and the Q Acoustics speakers look fantastic. Great build quality, beautiful glossy finish, and with a very solid feel. I liked the magnetic speaker covers, which means four fewer holes in the front.

Instead of buying the standard 5.1 cinema pack (which includes 4 3010s), I was persuaded by what I'd read to select the 3020s for the fronts, with 3010s for the rears. As for the subwoofer, I didn't go with the Q Acoustics 3050. Most of the writeups for the Q Acoustics 3050 subwoofer suggested that it didn't go especially low. Also, the 3050 subwoofer (at least, at the time I was looking at it) was meant for the UK market, which meant that it shipped with a UK plug. I did buy a US "figure-8" power cable, which would have worked just fine (the subwoofer does 110V). However, I'd discovered the SVS SB-1000 subwoofer, liked the reviews and commentary, and bought that instead.

The rest of the setup includes my Pioneer VSX-1020 AVR. I ran the MCACC calibration and hand-tuned the subwoofer settings. Because the speakers have a nominal impedance of 6Ω, and the run around the edge of the room is 30+ feet, I wired them with 16 AWG cables (from GLS Audio) and Sewell banana plugs. The living room they are in is half-glass, with hardwood floors, about 20' x 13' (275 square feet). The glass, obviously enough, reflects quite a bit of sound. I toed the speakers in a bit towards my "sweet spot" listening position.

Ok, so that's the setup. They look great. How do they sound?

Take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt for two reasons... first, I had not been in the market for speakers for 15 years, and what these speakers replaced was not that great (4 Cambridge Soundworks satellites and a BassCube 10). I'd been used to bad sound. The second reason, of course, is good old confirmation bias... we tend to like what we buy. Human nature!

That aside, my impressions of the speakers are very positive. Before setting up the subwoofer, I listened to the 3020s in 2-channel mode and played a few personal "reference" recordings to see how they'd do without any subwoofer assistance (Duke Ellington "Typerturbably Blue"; Miles Davis "Freddie Freeloader", Milt Hinton "Jon John"). The bass response on the 3020s was better than I expected... the brochure says 64 Hz (about midway on an upright bass) but it felt a bit lower. After setting up the SVS with an 80 Hz crossover, it sounded fantastic.

The midrange was really nice, very clear. The high notes and percussion, in particular, sounded terrific. Songs like Massive Attack's "Paradise Circus" really show the speakers off to good effect. Stereo imaging is pretty good, but then again, I've been spoiled: when I was a lot younger a friend of mine invited me over to listen to some Miles Davis on his Quad ESL-63s, and the pinpoint imaging of those speakers dropped my jaw. These are not anywhere near that precise (obviously), but considering my modest setup, they do a fine job. I am very pleased with the sound.

I used "The Force Awakens" on Blu-Ray for my 5.1 test. It's a great demo disk in general, and it sounded terrific on my setup. The 3010s are good rear speakers; certainly, they are a huge step up from my old ones. The space battle scenes were immersive, dialogue was crystal clear, and the scenes with deep bass kicked ass. The bass response is a testament to the SVS sub, which works very well with these speakers. It's a really good-sounding movie-watching setup.

Overall, I am quite delighted with my purchase. I would recommend them highly. The look great, and sound great. Putting it another way: every time I get in my car and turn on the radio, or plug in my phone, or listen to my phone's speakers, I am now irritated in a way that I wasn't before — because it all sounds muddy or dull by comparison.

My only gripe with Q Acoustics is: what took you guys so long to come to the US?
 
#8 ·
Thank you for that

Hi arjav

Thank you so much for your wonderful post.

We can tell, from the way it's written, that you're obviously a person of high intelligence, great sophistication and exquisite taste. We suspect you're also very good looking. (Too much? :) )

We agree you're almost certainly the first person in the US to have Q Acoustics, so we're absolutely delighted to learn you're so pleased with them.

There's no doubt the SVS subwoofer is excellent and a perfect match with the Q Acoustics speakers. Many music and movie lovers in the UK use this combination.

One small point regarding Three Dimensional Soundstage. The 3020 is actually capable of producing startlingly good results (depending on source material etc.) We see you are using the 3000 Series speaker stands. It's worth double checking that the floor spikes correctly adjusted and tightened. May we also ask if you are using the rubber spike covers? If you are, please remove the rubber covers. They are there to prevent people scratching themselves when assembling and positioning the stands. The instruction manual also implies you can use them to protect floors. That is true, but, because it reduces the rigidity of the speaker and stand combination, it degrades soundstage and dynamics. Removing the rubber covers makes a big difference.

If you (understandably) wish to protect a cherished floor, please simply place a small metal disc under each spike. Small coins are perfect for this purpose.

Many thanks again,

Best regards

Q Acoustics
 
#13 ·
Hi arjav

Thank you so much for your wonderful post.

We can tell, from the way it's written, that you're obviously a person of high intelligence, great sophistication and exquisite taste. We suspect you're also very good looking. (Too much? :) )

We agree you're almost certainly the first person in the US to have Q Acoustics, so we're absolutely delighted to learn you're so pleased with them.

There's no doubt the SVS subwoofer is excellent and a perfect match with the Q Acoustics speakers. Many music and movie lovers in the UK use this combination.

One small point regarding Three Dimensional Soundstage. The 3020 is actually capable of producing startlingly good results (depending on source material etc.) We see you are using the 3000 Series speaker stands. It's worth double checking that the floor spikes correctly adjusted and tightened. May we also ask if you are using the rubber spike covers? If you are, please remove the rubber covers. They are there to prevent people scratching themselves when assembling and positioning the stands. The instruction manual also implies you can use them to protect floors. That is true, but, because it reduces the rigidity of the speaker and stand combination, it degrades soundstage and dynamics. Removing the rubber covers makes a big difference.

If you (understandably) wish to protect a cherished floor, please simply place a small metal disc under each spike. Small coins are perfect for this purpose.

Many thanks again,

Best regards

Q Acoustics
Hi, Q Acoustics!

Thanks for replying to my post, and for the compliments. Everything you said about me — good taste, refinement, intelligence — is true, but there is some controversy about how good looking I am. Some say I have a face for radio.

In answer to your question: I had previously taken the rubber feet off of the speaker stands. I have not tried the coins under the spikes, but I might if the house-cleaners keep moving them around, as they seem to do, every few weeks. :)

Also: I did not mean to imply that the soundstage for the 3020s was poor. It is quite lifelike, and higher-quality recordings show it off to good effect. It is no shame, however, for it to be judged inferior to the soundstage of speakers that originally retailed for $6,000 a pair! I agree with poster 'vollans' — I am hearing things in my recordings and videos that I did not know were there.

I wish you much success in the US market.
 
#9 · (Edited)
This year I took the plunge here in Australia, and upgraded to Q Acoustics speakers from previous Sonys, Eltacs and Wharfedales I'd had in the past.

I went for 3050s as the main fronts and surrounds, a 3090 centre, 3070 sub (later purchase - the Eltac and Sony subs were too weedy against the new speakers), and 3010s as the height/presence/ceiling Atmos/DTS:X speakers. I know the 3050s as surrounds was a slightly odd choice, but we have a cat and a dog, and them playing chase through a speaker stand gave me nightmares! I feel confident the 3050s will stand up to their antics.

It's the first speakers I've had that I loved the sound and my husband liked the appearance. In recent years, I'd lost out ;) For once, we were both in agreement and they have been a brilliant investment. The only argument is over the grille - I'd rather not have it on, he'd rather have it on. I've let him win that one. The recent upgrade from a Denon AVR-X2200 to a Yamaha RX-A2050 has further lit up the speakers and they've really come to life.

Anyone thinking about going the Q Acoustics route, I can heartily recommend them. The almost too good to be true reviews do have some basis in fact for once! I'm glad I took the plunge on the brand I'd not heard of, but had stellar reviews from magazines and users rather than a big name I'd heard of and had very pretty looking speaker cones (yeah....). It doesn't matter whether we are throwing movies & TV at them, or grand opera or pop, they handle it all with great aplomb. Even the more unfavourably reviewed sub works great and sounds great once it's been calibrated properly and not just whacked in and hope for the best.
 
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#10 ·
Hello Vollans,

Thank you for choosing Q Acoustics - and also thank you for posting such positive comments about your speakers - it's greatly appreciated.

Because we don't have the vast marketing budgets of some of our competitors, we very much rely on the 'word of mouth' comments from satisfied Q Acoustics owners to spread the word about our speakers.

Best regards

Q Acoustics
 
#11 ·
Well, it worked! I had originally only planned to replace the front, centre and surround speakers, but the old subs and heights sounded so thin after that my budget rapidly became "what budget?". I'm hearing stuff I never heard before in tracks and videos I've watched a thousand times before.
 
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#15 ·
Hi Charmerci,

There were two parts to the transfer: getting the speakers out of the UK, and then getting them into the US.

First, the UK bit. There is nothing tricky about taking gear you purchased out of the country, as long as you can figure out a way to check them into your luggage. In my case, I used the original shipping boxes, reasoning that they were well-padded. I didn't even open them. All I did was get them bag-wrapped at the airport (the wrapping is semi-transparent film that gets spun around the packages). I did that partly to protect the shipping boxes from puncture, but mostly so that I could detect if the boxes had been tampered with.

The two other factors I considered were VAT rebate, and insurance. Because I am not an EU resident, I was eligible to get the VAT I'd paid on the purchase refunded (about 20% on top of the retail price). Every EU airport has a VAT-rebate queue, so I got in line and did it. Both the VAT rebate, and the bag-wrapping, took about 30 minutes. No big deal. For insurance, I took a look at the airline's built-in insurance policy and concluded it was good enough.

Second, the US bit. US customs laws exempts citizens from paying import duties on goods purchased abroad that cost $800 or less. The Q Acoustics speakers, after the VAT rebate, cost about $950. Including some other small things I'd purchased, the total for everything was like $1025. Because I am honest, I declared everything on the customs form, and figured I'd have to pay the required 3.6% electronics import duty on the way in.

After I landed, I collected my boxes, verified that nothing appeared damaged, loaded them onto a cart, and rolled up to the customs desk at the exit. I handed the customs agent the form. He looked at me, looked down at the speakers, looked back at me, and asked, "Are those for you?" I said yes; I purchased them on my trip. He looked back at me, said "Thanks for being honest" and waved me through.

In short: it wasn't too hard. But frankly, if I had known that Q Acoustics was planning to open a US distributorship, I would have waited. Ordering from Amazon is much less of a hassle. Still, I am glad I did it, because I learned a lot in the process. I suppose the knowledge should come in handy when I import those Fabergé eggs the next time I fly in from St Petersburg...
 
#16 ·
It's one of those funny things - I've often found that if you're only a little over the limit and are honest with customs (whatever the country), they often decide it's not worth the hassle of doing the paperwork for a small bit over and wave you through.
 
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#19 ·
First off, many thanks to RayGuy for starting this thread and to Q Acoustics for participating in it! I've had my eye on the 3050's for a little while now and have been trying to read as many professional and customer reviews as I can. The main thing I've taken from them is that these speakers have a "rich" sound, which is very appealing to me. I know that it was stated earlier in thread that the company is entering the U.S. market slowly, but I was wondering if any new floorstanders were in the works for the near future, a three-way perhaps?

Thanks for any information that you can provide!
 
#20 ·
Hi DB 47

Many thanks for considering Q Acoustics speakers.

if you missed it, the very first US review of the 3050 has been published by 'EnjoyTheMusic' and can be seen here:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0816/Q_Acoustics_3050_Concept_40_Speaker_Review.htm

On the same site, you can see a recent review by the respected British reviewer, Martin Colloms, writing in his 'HiFi Critic' magazine. It's also available from our site:
http://www.qacoustics.co.uk/themes/qacoustics_multi/pdf/qacoustics3050-hificritic.pdf

I'm very pleased to say there are lots more overwhelmingly positive reviews of the 3050 available on the internet.

As to larger speakers: we are working on the 'Concept 500' (we showed a prototype at the Munich show in May). Estimated selling price is around $3000 per pair and we expect to release it early next year.

Like all Q Acoustics speakers; we expect it to be 'truly class leading' (I couldn't resist lapsing into 'marketing speak' for a moment :) )

Best regards

Steve Reichert

Q Acoustics
 

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#21 ·
Hi DB 47

Many thanks for considering Q Acoustics speakers.

if you missed it, the very first US review of the 3050 has been published by 'EnjoyTheMusic' and can be seen here:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0816/Q_Acoustics_3050_Concept_40_Speaker_Review.htm

On the same site, you can see a recent review by the respected British reviewer, Martin Colloms, writing in his 'HiFi Critic' magazine. It's also available from our site:
http://www.qacoustics.co.uk/themes/qacoustics_multi/pdf/qacoustics3050-hificritic.pdf

I'm very pleased to say there are lots more overwhelmingly positive reviews of the 3050 available on the internet.

As to larger speakers: we are working on the 'Concept 500' (we showed a prototype at the Munich show in May). Estimated selling price is around $3000 per pair and we expect to release it early next year.

Like all Q Acoustics speakers; we expect it to be 'truly class leading' (I couldn't resist lapsing into 'marketing speak' for a moment
)

Best regards

Steve Reichert

Q Acoustics
Hi Steve!

Thanks for the quick response. The Concept 500's are out of my price range but I'm looking forward to seeing them. I've seen those reviews and agree that it's hard to find a negative thing said about the 3050's. I think What HiFi even docked the Wharfedale Diamond 230's a star because of them! I'm hoping to make a decision soon on speakers and Q Acoustics is the front runner. I've subscribed to this thread and am hoping more owners share their thoughts.

Thanks again!
 
#24 ·
Currently testing the Concept 20 bookshelves and even without a sub I'm liking what I'm hearing a lot, though I've got 70 more hours of breakin to go.

Great bang for the buck, if you like somewhat neutral treble you will like these speakers.

If you generally play music at relatively low levels then my Martin Logan LX16's are better for that but at higher than background levels the Concept 20's are impressing after just 3 hours.

Listening to "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats right now on them and even without a sub the punch is there and there is a solid soundstage with zero sibilance.

The cabinet construction is the real deal just as advertised on their website.

Right now I'm going to say the Concept 20 gives me B&W sound quality at about 1/2 the price.

I've owned B&W speakers since the mid 80's.

Also have Martin Logans and Ushers in the house.
 
#30 ·
As much as I do have honest trepidation about how Q Acoustics return policy works, with the shipping and restocking fees and all the other various minutia (speakers still have their tags on?) enumerated on the Q Acoustics website, after doing about a metric ton of research, I still decided to go ahead and pull the trigger last night on the 3020 bookshelf speakers through Amazon.

I wish that it was an Amazon Prime item, which in case of performance not living up to expectations, would have at least given me a sense of peace about taking the gamble that I could return it hassle free. This is something Q Acoustics really need to look into. Of course, if it was a Prime item, then I suspect the cost of the item to increase possibly by 10-15% (don't quote me on that though as Fluance speakers are the same price on their site as well as on Amazon Prime).

I had narrowed my choices down to the 3020, the HVL-1, Elac B5 and Fluance Signature bookshelf speakers. All of these speakers seem to have their share of excellent reviews, and it was extremely difficult for me to come down to a single choice, especially without being able to audition them all. I was in all honesty leaning hard toward the Fluance, especially with their 30 day no hassle audition, but something kept niggling me in the back of my head about the 3020s. As the flow of money isn't always steady, parting with even this much which I know is a paltry sum in the hi-fi world, isn't particularly the easiest thing to do. So I honestly hope that the Q Acoustics don't let me down.

Anyway, yes, I'm a bit scared. I am genuinely hoping that I made the right decision. I fully admit that I'm not on the level of a lot of other posters here, but I do think my money is just as good and I trust my ears. So my fingers are crossed. The 3020s should arrive by Sept. 2, and I will be posting my impressions and reviews as they go along.
 
#32 ·
after doing about a metric ton of research, I still decided to go ahead and pull the trigger last night on the 3020 bookshelf speakers through Amazon.
I am genuinely hoping that I made the right decision. The 3020s should arrive by Sept. 2, and I will be posting my impressions and reviews as they go along.
Hello Bobby,

Firstly, thank you for choosing to purchase a pair of Q Acoustics 3020 loudspeakers.

You will of course understand that I'm not neutral in this matter; but I'm completely confident you will be delighted by the appearance, build quality, styling and, most important of all, the sonic performance of your new 3020 speakers.

Frankly; correctly sited and with a decent amplifier and source material, I think you're going to be astonished at how good they are.

I very much look forward to your impressions and reviews.

Best regards

Steve Reichert

Q Acoustics
 
#33 ·
My Q Acoustics 3020s came in today from Amazon, so I thought I'd post a few, quick, initial impressions. Unfortunately when I ordered, I didn't notice that there was also a listing where I would have received free QED stereo cables with my speakers, and by the time I did notice, my speakers had already shipped. So I can't comment on the cables, their quality, or if they make any difference in sound. I should have been more careful when making my order, or possibly ordered directly from Q Acoustics as they are offering the cables free as a part of a package with the speakers. Sigh... live and learn.

Anyway on to the impressions....

Wow they are small! I knew they would be, but I didn't think they'd be quite this small. That works for me perfectly though as I'm using them for a desk setup. They are larger than my Micca MB42x speakers, a smidge taller, wider and about 30 percent deeper. I chose the American Walnut finish, and as such, they look handsome enough. Build quality seems to be good and though they are light, do have a nice bit of heft considering their size.

As far as sound impressions go, remember this is just my quick, first blush thoughts, there are a few things that immediately stand out.

1. The soundstage is beautifully wide and the imaging seems precise and articulate. This is quite the little tweeter. That said, it is quite bright. My Micca MB42xs are thought to be bright speakers, but the 3020s are quite more so. These will never be mistaken for dark speakers. Great clarity and detail but they can be a bit fatiguing.

2. They are small, and thus there really isn't much in the way of sub bass extension. Though I've been testing them in 2.0, I do think, and quite adamantly at that, that the 3020s are best mated to a subwoofer. I'm not a basshead, but I like a good, tight rumble where there should be one. If there is one real criticism I have to make in regards to the lower frequencies, lower mids on down, is that so far the 3020s lack body. These speakers for all their clarity and space, lack richness. This lack of richness and body, leaves the sound a bit sterile in some ways.

So far, only a couple of hours of listening time in, the tweeter can work some magic, if quite bright. The midwoofer leaves something to be desired. I'm not sure how long the recommended break in is for these, but I'm hoping the highs calm down a tough and the mid-lows on down gain some heft in the process.

I will post again with more impressions as I accumulate more listening time. If any of you have any questions, feel free to ask!
 
#34 ·
Hello Bobby,

Many thanks for those first impressions.

One small thing, and I apologize if you've done this already, but when you say a combination of things like: "soundstage is beautifully wide" and "lower mids on down, so far the 3020s lack body", this might point to the speakers being out of phase.

This is easily done ( we've all done it :) ) especially if you are using 'bare wire', that is cables that have not been pre-terminated with color coded red and black plugs. May I ask you just to re-check the connections at both the speaker and amplifier ends of your speaker cables?

best regards

Steve Reichert

Q Acoustics
 
#39 · (Edited)
I am testing the Concept 20's which are rated 2db less sensitive than the Concept 40's; I'm comparing them to LX16's which are rated by Martin Logan as being 4db more sensitive than the Concept 20's.

Using an SPL meter and pink noise I found the Concept 20's to actually deliver louder sound at a given volume level with pink noise of +2db so my conclusion is that either Martin Logan is very optimistic with their sensitivity numbers or Q Acoustics is very conservative.

In either case the Concept 20's are easy to drive and my 50 watt NAD7250PE has no problem whatsoever playing them to very loud levels so any amp of reasonable power, (50+ watts) should have no problem driving the 40's in a medium sized room in my opinion.

You mention their restocking fee which has come under some criticism here on AVS and they have now removed that and replaced it with a "30 day hassle free return" policy.

You are still responsible for paying the return shipping fee but there are some "catches" you should be aware of that make the "hassle free claim" not quite what it implies...but certainly better than you pay return shipping+15% restocking...at least on the face of it.

"In the event you are dissatisfied, please contact us via email (support@QAcoustics.com) or phone (855-279-5070) within 30 days of receiving your item(s) to initiate a return. Our customer service department will issue a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number so that we can ensure proper tracking of your return.

Once we receive your RMA request, we will issue an email that includes RMA instructions regarding how and where to ship the returned item(s). Any returns shipped to us without an RMA number will be refused at time of delivery. Please check your spam/junk mail folder for the RMA email if you do not see it within one business day.

US: Customer must contact us within 30 days of delivery to request a return. Product must be in resalable condition. Customer is responsible for return shipping.

Canada: Customer must contact us within 30 days of delivery to request a return. Product must be in resalable condition. Customer is responsible for return shipping.

Refunds will be credited back to the original method of payment in the amount of your original purchase price for the returned product, less any shipping and handling charges. Refunds are usually reflected on your card account within 4 weeks of QAcoustics receipt of your return."


I've had the Concept 20's for a few weeks now and while only 40% broken in, had I purchased them, I would not consider returning them!

They are a great bang for buck speaker.

Of course I will be returning them when the loan from Q Acoustics extended to AVS members, (which only Zorba and I took them up on), is over as the LX16s were only purchased a few months back and I am happy with them also...plus they are paid for! :p

Had I not bought the LX16's to upgrade my secondary listening area, which is 2.1, I'd definitely have kept the Concept 20's.

I might keep the VERY nice Concept 20 speaker stands though and while expensive they seem to be worth ever penny of the suggested purchase price.

Sadly the 25% off offer on the Concept 40's is now gone.
 
#42 ·
Hello Juanc81

Thanks for considering Q Acoustics.

The Concept 20 will not fit onto the 3000 Series stand.

Each pair of 3000ST stands come complete with two pairs of dedicated top plates. One pair for the 3010 model and one pair for the 3020 model. Because these top plates have a curve which follows the design of the speakers, they are not suitable for the Concept 20.

Obviously, the Concept 20 will work extremely well on any good, rigid stand with a flat top plate of a suitable size. However, if you are considering choosing the Concept 20, I strongly recommend you also stretch to the matching Concept 20 stands. I know they are $250 per pair, but they truly unleash the full potential of the speakers.

Best regards

Steve Reichert - Q Acoustics
 
#45 · (Edited)
Concept 40's back on sale; based on my ongoing evaluation of the smaller C20's, these would seem to be a steal...especially with the Concept center arriving in November.

Also comes with $100 in free speaker cables; terminated with Banana Plugs and 2 meters long.

 
#47 ·
Zorba was VERY skeptical of Q Acoustics prior to his current continuing trial.

His conclusions match my own, but I only tested the Concept 20s...almost done with them.

My friend liked them so much he's buying them to replace his Andrew Jones Pioneers which were found significantly wanting after he tried the C20s at his house while I was on a 3 week vacation.
 
#53 ·
Hi,
I just found this thread in our forum. I am realy glad to hear Q Acoustics are now available here in the US.
I'm pretty sure I will pull the Trigger on those soon.
I still got one question. Most of your Speakers are rated 6 OHM.
So how do I set my Reciever (Yamaha RX 1040). 4 Ohm or 8 Ohm ?

-Jubei
 
#61 ·
Hello!

Based on a reccomendation from Geoff in a tread that I started looking for speaker recommendations, I picked up a couple 3020s, and a 3090c to go along with a SVS PB-1000. I will finish installing them today and looking forward to watching some great movies this weekend.

YAY
 
#65 ·
Yellow rings??

After 6 to 8 months of research I finally took the plunge and purchased a pair of 3050 speakers.

I did take some time to listen to them in a local stereo store. To be honest, I wasn’t very impressed with that audition. But, I didn’t hold that against them because I figured it had something to do with the addition room’s acoustics or possibly the way the system was set up. Nothing really sounded good that day.

So, once they became available in Canada I bought a pair through the Q Acoustics website. Unfortunately I had to pay in American dollars so I lost quite a bit there and I had to pay an extraordinary amount of money in customs charges to get them over the border. Essentially I paid an additional $600 just to get them here to Canada.

After receiving them I quickly set them up. But there was one very unfortunate characteristic of the speakers I noticed immediately when I open the boxes and prepared the speakers for assembly of the outriggers and floor spikes. What I immediately noticed was that the rings around the main drivers were unusually yellow. For the last eight months I was so excited to receive completely white speakers but these radiator rings around the drivers were definitely not white. It is a shade of white but with a definite tinge of yellow which just makes them look defective or looks as though the rings around the drivers have spent numerous years sitting in the sun. It just looks wrong. Even when my friends came over to see the speakers, they immediately noticed how yellow the rings were and they were saying how it looked like there must’ve been a mistake in the manufacturing. If the ring radiators were just the same colour as the rest of the speaker, everyone would just be amazed at the aesthetics of the speakers!

Every review I’ve looked at over the last eight months has never shown the rings on the front of the speakers to be this strange yellow colour. I guarantee that if the reviewers over at What Hi-Fi? Received a pair of white 3050 speakers for review and they had these radiator rings coloured with the yellow tinge they would probably have mentioned it. None of the reviews mentioned anything about the radiator rings being somewhat yellow nor did any of the pictures in any of the reviews show any inconsistency in the whites. They were white through and through yet my speakers are not.

I’ve been told by Q acoustics that this is the way it is supposed to be but I’ve also emailed other users of the speakers and they say that their speakers do not look like mine. To be honest, if I knew the 3050s had the strange colouring I would’ve went ahead and invested further by purchasing the concept 40s.

It should also be noted that I have Phillips Hue lighting in my room and I can change the colour temperature to warm and cool lighting settings and regardless of the temperature I set, this yellowing is always the issue. It's the worst during the day when natural light is coming through the windows. My TV cabinet and walls all look really nice during the day but then there are these wonderful white speakers with yellow rings.

Now, aside from all of this aesthetic disappointment. I will say that I really like the speakers in the sound department. I’m using a Marantz 6010 receiver. It took me a little while to adjust from my earlier speakers (Bowers and Wilkins CM series bookshelf) but I’ve come full circle. I just really appreciate the Q Acoustics signature sound. I’m definitely going to be purchasing a matching centre channel and surround sounds depending on whether I can get this whole ring radiator thing sorted out.

The speakers are beautiful. With the magnetic grills on. Why, because they cover up those yellow tinged ring radiators. But I usually always preferred to keep the grills off my speakers.

I've provided some pictures for everyone to see. If you own the speakers, let me know if you're speakers are the same.
 

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#67 ·
After 6 to 8 months of research I finally took the plunge and purchased a pair of 3050 speakers.

I did take some time to listen to them in a local stereo store. To be honest, I wasn’t very impressed with that audition. But, I didn’t hold that against them because I figured it had something to do with the addition room’s acoustics or possibly the way the system was set up. Nothing really sounded good that day.

So, once they became available in Canada I bought a pair through the Q Acoustics website. Unfortunately I had to pay in American dollars so I lost quite a bit there and I had to pay an extraordinary amount of money in customs charges to get them over the border. Essentially I paid an additional $600 just to get them here to Canada.

After receiving them I quickly set them up. But there was one very unfortunate characteristic of the speakers I noticed immediately when I open the boxes and prepared the speakers for assembly of the outriggers and floor spikes. What I immediately noticed was that the rings around the main drivers were unusually yellow. For the last eight months I was so excited to receive completely white speakers but these radiator rings around the drivers were definitely not white. It is a shade of white but with a definite tinge of yellow which just makes them look defective or looks as though the rings around the drivers have spent numerous years sitting in the sun. It just looks wrong. Even when my friends came over to see the speakers, they immediately noticed how yellow the rings were and they were saying how it looked like there must’ve been a mistake in the manufacturing. If the ring radiators were just the same colour as the rest of the speaker, everyone would just be amazed at the aesthetics of the speakers!

Every review I’ve looked at over the last eight months has never shown the rings on the front of the speakers to be this strange yellow colour. I guarantee that if the reviewers over at What Hi-Fi? Received a pair of white 3050 speakers for review and they had these radiator rings coloured with the yellow tinge they would probably have mentioned it. None of the reviews mentioned anything about the radiator rings being somewhat yellow nor did any of the pictures in any of the reviews show any inconsistency in the whites. They were white through and through yet my speakers are not.

I’ve been told by Q acoustics that this is the way it is supposed to be but I’ve also emailed other users of the speakers and they say that their speakers do not look like mine. To be honest, if I knew the 3050s had the strange colouring I would’ve went ahead and invested further by purchasing the concept 40s.

It should also be noted that I have Phillips Hue lighting in my room and I can change the colour temperature to warm and cool lighting settings and regardless of the temperature I set, this yellowing is always the issue. It's the worst during the day when natural light is coming through the windows. My TV cabinet and walls all look really nice during the day but then there are these wonderful white speakers with yellow rings.

Now, aside from all of this aesthetic disappointment. I will say that I really like the speakers in the sound department. I’m using a Marantz 6010 receiver. It took me a little while to adjust from my earlier speakers (Bowers and Wilkins CM series bookshelf) but I’ve come full circle. I just really appreciate the Q Acoustics signature sound. I’m definitely going to be purchasing a matching centre channel and surround sounds depending on whether I can get this whole ring radiator thing sorted out.

The speakers are beautiful. With the magnetic grills on. Why, because they cover up those yellow tinged ring radiators. But I usually always preferred to keep the grills off my speakers.

I've provided some pictures for everyone to see. If you own the speakers, let me know if you're speakers are the same.
To my eyes they look far nicer with the grills on to be honest.

How much would a pair of similar B&W speakers have cost you in Canada as it seems you paid close to $1300 American for the 3050s?

Looking at the Q Acoustics website and elsewhere, the trim rings do look white vs. off white like yours.

I'd PM Steve Reichert here on AVS as he's a member.

 
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