Q-Acoustics Q3050i Review
Speaking of Q-Acoustics from the United Kingdom, everyone’s first impression is that it has a young and fashionable appearance, which is unique among many speakers. In addition to its eye-catching design, its products also focus on the advantages of affordable and good sound and have long been the first choice of many young music lovers. The Q-acoustics 3000 series speakers were top-rated. Among them, the Q3050 is the floor-standing model in the series, which is small in size and sleek and beautiful. The latest successor model 3000i series, especially the Q-Acoustics 3050i, has won various awards.
Q-Acoustics, the Affordable Sound
Speaking of the British speaker company Q-Acoustics, everyone’s impression of it is that it is young and fashionable. It also has the advantage of “affordable sound” and is widely welcomed by many young people. The newly launched 3000i series is not only that.
Q-Acoustics has incorporated the acoustic technology of the flagship speaker Concept 500 into the mid-range speaker style for the first time. The price is still friendly, but the sound quality has been dramatically improved. It can be said to be the best in the history of the 3000i series. It is also the most cost-effective entry-level floor-standing speaker in the home theater market!
Q Acoustics from the United Kingdom is a top-rated speaker company in Europe and the United States because its product strategy has been very clear for a long time. Even if it produces cost-effective home theater products, whether it is a multi-channel speaker or a soundbar, it is favored by many audiophiles.
But you may be curious. There are many speakers on the market that are advertised as highly cost-effective. What is so special about them? Of course, if you want to stand out in the fiercely competitive theater market, it is difficult for consumers to pay without a unique competitive advantage.
With the popularity of home theaters, more and more consumers like to put the speakers in the living room to listen. In this way, the speakers must be pleasing to the eyes and the excellent sound before integrating it into the interior decoration. Q-Acoustics is seeking this business opportunity.
In addition to its low price, its speakers break the typical home theater design style. They mostly use sleek and streamlined cabinet shapes, and the speakers are not large in size.
The Q-Acoustics 3000 series
Among the home theater speakers of Q Acoustics, the 3000 series are the most popular among audiophiles. Not only are they fashionable in style, exquisite artistry and sound performance are also quite good. They are almost almighty works among many affordable products.
In order to give back to consumers this year, Q-acoustics specially modified this series and launched brand-new 3000i series speakers. The appearance does not seem to have changed much, but many invisible structures have evolved, making this speaker.
The performance has been dramatically improved. Although the price is slightly more expensive than in the past, audio presses worldwide are still highly praised!
Q-Acoustics Q3050i Floor-standing Speaker
The appearance of the 3000i series is quite exquisite. The floor-standing Q3050i adopts a sleek shape. The edges and corners of the cabinet are decorated with smooth curves. The surface is exceptionally textured regardless of the visual or tactile sense. It also provides four finishes, Graphite Grey, English Walnut, Carbon Black, and Arctic White, presenting a young and lively style, which is more eye-catching than the square shape of most speakers!
Driver Unit
Q3050i is equipped with two 6.5-inch mid-bass units, a 22mm silk soft dome tweeter. The MTM unit arrangement is used to sandwich the tweeter between the two mid-bass, allowing the speaker to sounds forward, thus reducing the interference of reflected sound from the ceiling and floor.
The MTM design can reduce the impact of space factors on sound, making the positioning effect more accurate, and improve the sound quality performance. Its design is more practical for small listening spaces where most home environments cannot be installed with an extra space acoustic processing method.
There are also many breakthroughs in the structure of this generation of monomers. The tweeter adopts a unique suspension system, which can effectively isolate the resonance interference generated by the back wave energy of the mid-bass unit. Compared with the previous generation of speakers, the purity of the high frequency is greatly improved, and the high-end extension can be up to 30kHz.
The mid-bass woofer also uses an aerospace-grade Aramid fiber diaphragm, a high-strength synthetic fiber that allows the driver unit to have lightweight and high rigidity.
To achieve the best balance between rigidity and damping, it is not easy to deform under enormous sound pressure. At the same time, it strengthens the control of the single unit and obtains more accurate sound quality performance.
Its sensitivity has reached 91dB, and its frequency response can reach 44Hz-30kH, which is quite good for this small and medium-sized floor-standing speaker. The other speakers in the series, including center, surround, etc., use the same driver unit design. With the exclusive subwoofer, it can be easily integrated into a small space.
Other Features
In addition, the Q-Acoustics 3050i speaker also has a lot of features on the cabinet design. A careful comparison will find that the height and depth of this generation of speakers have increased a little, making the box volume larger. It also uses a thicker and firmer panel structure to make the cabinet has a more stable sound foundation.
The Q3050i uses two original exclusive technologies. One is P2P (Point-to-Point) support technology. A large number of strengthened structures are used in the box to support the side panels, which can significantly strengthen the cabin. The structure is rigid, reduces the resonance of the cabinet, and effectively reduces the sound pollution.
I tapped the cabinet and found that it is pretty solid and stable. At the same time, it is also equipped with a special footpad. The anti-vibration effect is quite good among the speakers at the same price.
The second is the first usage of the HPE (Helmholtz Pressure Equalisers) technology of the flagship speaker Concept 500. When the speaker is operating, various areas in the box will generate different air pressures, which can easily cause sound staining. This technology is the box is equipped with pipes containing fillers, which can be used to absorb the excess pressure in the box, and then equalize the air pressure in the cabinet so that the reciprocating movement of the monomer is smoother, to optimize the dynamic effect of the middle and low frequencies.
The Q3060s Subwoofer
However, a pair of excellent home theater speakers is absolutely indispensable with an excellent subwoofer, enhancing the shocking power of movie sound effects. However, most of the subwoofers on the market are bulky.
Even if there is no directivity problem in the positioning, the abrupt shape still causes trouble for many audiophiles to set up the system. And this Q3060S subwoofer is different. It not only looks good but also uses a flat cabinet design, which allows users to place them in a narrow space at home easily.
At the same time, Q3060S is equipped with two 200mm woofers and a built-in 150-watt amplifier circuit. Even if the cabinet is not large, it still has a specific sound performance. The design of the back panel is also quite ingenious.
A magnetic metal cover is installed to hide the speaker binding post and make its shape more complete. From these small details, it can be seen that the Q-Acoustics is very attentive to the details of the design.
Sound Performance
I used the Marantz SR7013 AV receiver and Marantz SACD 30n CD Player in the sound performance test. First, as usual, I tested the Q3050i’s two-channel strength in Direct mode.
I first played the “John Coltrane-Blue Train” album, which immediately attracted my attention. If the low frequency is too thin, the middle and high-frequency range resolution is relatively insufficient. Its low frequency is solid and powerful. The Double Bass is not only full and distinct, and the trombone can also hear the gentle sound. Although the sound emphasizes the youthful orientation of the middle and low frequencies, the high notes are not chaotic.
At the moment, I played the “Megadeth- The System Has Failed” heavy metal album and wanted to try its low-frequency capability. I didn’t expect the first song, “Blackmail The Universe” to be impressed! The violent double-pedal drum of this song came quickly and fiercely. The drum sound was strong, and punches slammed my chest. The low-frequency control was quite good, showing the Q-Acoustics 3050i’s powerful low-frequency energy. Next, you can still hear the singing details of the vocals and the vivid guitar grain, which is really not easy!
Then I played the album “Itzhak Perlman; John Williams-Cinema Serenade“. I didn’t expect the Q3050i’s sound to be rigid or soft. Under the open space, I could hear a distinct orchestra. The positioning of the instrument was precise, and the texture of the instrument was also specific. The violin’s sound is soft and naturally moist. Although it is not a style that emphasizes resolution power, you can still feel the rich details of the resonance. The high frequency is quite soft, and the performance is still full of high pitches. The thickness is quite pleasant.
When the song “Far&Away” is played, the momentary strings and drums are played together, and the dynamic effect is fantastic. It opens and closes, showing an earth-shattering momentum. It’s really nothing to be picky about a speaker at this price that can have this level of sound straightness!
Movie Performance
I then connect the 5.1 channel to test its home theater effect. From the calm style of this series of speakers, coupled with the cheer of the subwoofer, I can even feel the impact of the sound power, regardless of the small size of the subwoofer box. I behaved pretty competently, perfectly complementing the lower-end extension of the low frequency.
Watching the landing clip of “Saving Private Ryan“, the sound field effect can present an open battlefield space. The sound effects of various blasting bombings present a stunning shock. What is more surprising is its excellent surround sound effect and sense of positioning. The water splash and dust from the blasting can also clearly identify the location, and you can also feel the fierce bullets on the battlefield.
The sound effects move from far to near, having a solid density and realistic sound stage. It can even be identified by fired by different weapons. It can be seen that the cohesion between the channels is excellent, and the various sound details can be faithfully presented. With the excellent control of the speakers, even this kind of complex sound effects can still be interpreted in an orderly manner.
The part of the vocal dialogue is more restrained, but it is not too soft. It sounds softer and smoother. When I finished watching the whole movie, there is no pressure at all, and it is pretty comfortable and durable.
Conclusion
I can feel the Q-Acoustics 3050i’s sound quality evolution. Whether it is pure music listening or multi-channel home theater performance, it is terrific. It surpasses the old models by many levels, and it is almost difficult to have a rival in the same price speaker. Its fashion style and good-looking, no matter from any angle, it is challenging to be faulty. It is the most worthy entry speaker at this stage!
Q-Acoustics Q3050i Specs
- Enclosure type: 2-way reflex
- Bass Unit: 2 x 165 mm ( 6.5 in)
- Treble Unit: 22 mm (0.9 in)
- Frequency Response (+3 dB, -6 dB): 44 Hz – 30 kHz
- Average Impedance: 6 Ohm
- Minimum Impedance: 4 Ohm
- Sensitivity (2.83 V@1 m): 91 dB
- Stereo Amplifier: 25 – 100 W
- AV Receiver (2 ch. driven): 50 – 165 W
- Crossover Frequency: 2.5 Hz
- Effective Volume: 32.4 L (1977 cu in)
- Dimensions H/D/W mm: 1020 x 310 x 320 (210mm without stabilizers) mm
- Enclosure width: 200mm (7.9 in)
- Weight (per speaker): 17.8 kg (39.2 lbs)
