Looking for the best-sounding speakers under $400? You want to look at our review of the Q Acoustics 3020i before you pull the trigger because these small monitors pack a serious punch. Show Yes, Q Acoustics is a speaker company that punches way above its price point. They don’t attempt to rewrite the rulebook with crazy designs or gimmicks. Instead, they seem to have focussed on a sound quality-to-value ratio that other companies struggle to match. The Q Acoustics 3020i bookshelf speakers are a prime example of that, and I was blown away by the sound quality time and time again throughout this review. As mentioned, Q Acoustics haven’t tried to do anything too fancy with them; they have focused on getting the basics right. They come in a pretty standard setup for what you would expect for a speaker of this size, but the attention to detail really sets them apart from the competition. Where to Buy the QAcoustics 3020i?Specifications for the 3020i:
Build Quality and StyleBuild quality is on a par with what I would expect for a set of small speakers around the $200 mark. Everything is put together well, the materials are all of the good quality and the finish is excellent. With the speaker grills, the 3020i looks spectacularly normal. Fairly generic and similar to many other similarly specced speaker units. However, pop off the grill and they take on a much more stylish look. It’s quite stylish with the tweeter and 5-inch diaphragm combining in a contrasting shiny finish in the shape of a snowman set against the matte black finish of our review units. I had them set up on speaker stands in our new listening room and they didn’t look at all out of place in this fairly modern setup. However, if you want to keep the driver safe and not draw attention to them on perhaps a media unit or bookshelf you can keep the grills on. The back of the unit has some inward pointing screw-down connectors which keep the wires from flaring out and makes them easier to run out of sight. Above this, you will also see the rear-facing bass port which when placed correctly near a wall actually enhances the sonic performance. SoundHooked up to our new Cambridge Audio CXA60 in place of my usual Dali Lektor 8 I wasn’t expecting to be hit with such a big room-filling blast of sound. The Q Acoustics manage to present their sound on a far larger scale than I would expect from such a small pair of bookshelf speakers. Bass response is what stands out for such a small speaker. Others in this size and price point tend to suffer from one of two common problems. First, they may be bloated and overly stretched in an attempt to convey quantity thus becoming flabby and uncontrolled. the second scenario is an overly thin sound with the bass held back to convey a sense of quality. Needless to say both are not ideal for pleasurable listening sessions. The Q-Acoustics, stay tight and true whilst at the same time pumping out a lot of quantity. I have heard speakers over twice the price from KEF and other large-name brands that don’t come close to this combination of detail and impact on the low end. The second thing that makes the 3020i really shine is the sense of space and soundstage that they manage to portray. The width and depth are both big making it feel like you are listening to your music in a very open environment. Instrument separation and imaging are also large and a real sense of 3D sound comes across. Mids are prominent and vocals shine through as being lifelike and complete with energy. It was noted that in the upper midrange, there was a slight peak but if this is too much for you the speakers responded very well to taming this through EQ adjustments. The highs are energetic and spacious with agreeable detail and no prevalence of sibilance. Our VerdictAt around $400 or under in the US market (£350 in the UK) the Q Acoustics represent great value for money and performs way better than an entry-level speaker should sound. Pair the 3020i with any half-decent amp unit and you can have yourself a very competent HiFi system, capable of filling even a large room with detailed and punchy sound for far less than if you went for one of the pricier mainstream brands. The Q Acoustics brand was founded in the UK in 2006 by professional business people, experts in the audio industry; their only goal was to develop a highly successful speaker brand. They aimed to make high quality yet affordable speakers. Features The two-way bass reflex speaker has been given a rounded, minimalist shape, and the baffle plate has been reinforced to increase speaker performance. The cabinet has a relatively large depth, which is otherwise typical of speakers designed by the manufacturer. The speaker is equipped with flat connectors, which is advantageous because it allows us to bring it closer to the wall. The tweeter is located in a funnel and is separated from the front panel by a silicone frame. The subwoofer is made of impregnated paper with a steel plate basket suspension. Available in Black, Grey, Walnut and White colours. The housing is made of stable MDF boards, which results in minimal resonance. You may want to place these speakers on tripods, although their augmented depth can make this a bit difficult. The manufacturer also offers a custom-made stand for the speakers. The basic exterior design of the 3000i product line has not changed much. It combines the same straight and rounded edges as its predecessors. They have a clean design and straightforward sophistication. The 3020i’s cabinets are 25% larger than of the previous models in the series, providing extended and powerful bass sounds. The manufacturer has increased the internal stiffness of the speakers as well. As a result, the structural vibration that causes sound distortion is reduced. Rubber soles and sponge seals were also included with the speakers for better clarity of sound. The frequency transmission is between 60 Hz and 30kHz, the sensitivity is 88 dB, the recommended amplifier power is 25-75 Watts, and a speaker weighs 5.5 kg. Q Acoustics 3020i sound qualityWe tested the speaker pair in a room of about 22 square feet, paired with a Pioneer amplifier. The room has recently been refurbished and acoustics have been treated during the renovation work. Since the room was given minimalist style furnishings, due to the lack of furniture, the room would be quite echoed, so sound-absorbing panels were placed on the walls and ceiling. The printed sound-absorbing panels featured posters of the apartment owner’s favourite movies. Diffuser front panels are capable to perform two functions simultaneously: on the one hand absorbing too much bass, and on the other hand scattering sounds across the entire bandwidth. Bass traps in two corners took care of curbing deep ranges. We first listened to Imagine Dragons’ song Sucker for Pain, then switched to classical music and played excerpts from Berlioz’s Fantastic Symphony. The design and technical modifications really work on the 3020i. The speakers showed a rich warm character, surprisingly high strength and dynamics. Compared to their predecessors, the 3020 i speakers produce more accurate and detailed sound. Basses are wider and deeper thanks to the larger cabinet size. The speakers show excellent tone balance, as they are really versatile. Along with the dynamics, momentum and detail, they exuded confidence and wonderful musicality. The spacious sound is well perceptible, it almost engages the listener to enter the space where the music is actually performed. When placed close to the wall, they tend to lose their sense of spaciousness. They are capable of decent power and clarity even at higher volumes, although serious basses are not to be expected from these speakers. The treble didn’t sound as natural as we are used to when putting larger and more expensive category speakers to test. Properties and connectivityThe back of the 3020i has a speaker input but no power button. This means that they are passive speakers, therefore they need to be connected to some kind of receiver. You may want to choose a good quality amplifier, as using the wrong receiver you may distort the sound quality. Recessed flat profile clips help reduce the resonance of the unit and allow the speakers to be placed next to a wall, although we do not recommend this if you want good sound quality. The banana plugs on the audio cable are not included with the speakers, must be purchased separately. They allow you to connect seamlessly the speakers to an amplifier. Some people use these speakers as part of their home theatre system as they do their job pretty well. VerdictThese bookshelf speakers cater to the needs of audiophiles with really impressive sound quality and power compared to their shelf price and size. Treble sounds could be more natural and vivid, spatiality doesn’t always prevail, but otherwise the speakers provided a neutral, beautiful, clear and detailed sound. The bass was strong, but if you want pounding, wall-knocking depths, it’s a good idea to opt for larger and better quality speakers, or pair the Q Acoustics subwoofer with the 3020i speakers. Due to its deep shaped size, placing it can be a bit cumbersome. All in all, at this price range they are excellent entry-level speakers with fair sound and stylish design. |
