Verdict
Another fantabulous stereo utterer from Q Acoustics , the Concept 30 cede a toppingly fun and entertaining listen . Some may encounter the expense a little too high and go down up the FS75 place upright is a piece of a pain in the neck .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
For a product that ’s refer to as ‘ loudspeaker system ’ , hi - fi brands are obsessed with being as quiet as potential .
That ’s not in the volume sense of grade but in terms of the cabinet , and it ’s a trend that Q Acoustics has emphasised with the Concept 30 .
The Concept series has focused on present audio with a neutrality that lays bare a recording without unnaturally colour the sound . It also speaks to a manufacturer pitching itself to a more upmarket client , the form Bowers & Wilkins has been pursuing .
A truly gamey - remainder house audio frequency performance is what Q Acoustics is calling the Concept 30 . Does it live up to the charge ?
Design
Bowers & Wilkins has its tweeter - on - top design , KEF its Uni - Q drivers , and Klipsch its horn - loaded tweeters . Some of the most popular speaker brand have eye - catch designs , but Q Acoustics has maintain it gloomy key with its offering – although you ’d still be able to peck its speakers out of a product line - up .
From the Concept 30 ’s deep storage locker – 319 millimeter is 10 millimetre less than the 3030i model from a few long time back – to its rounded curves and baffle design , the Concept 30 is a verbaliser with sleek and graceful note . The visual aspect is top off by the choice of three gamy rubric and reflective finish : dark , silver medal and whitened .
At 7.9 kilo they feel substantial , the baffle is magnetically attached and promiscuous to peel off to reveal the drivers beneath . Around the back is a bass automatic port that manages the speaker ’s freshwater bass output and below are the binding terminal for connecting speaker cables .
The Concept 30 offers bi - wired or single pumped configurations . For the use of this brushup , a single wire constellation was used associate to aCambridge Audio CXA81 amplifierwith QED Reference XT25 loudspeaker system cables .
In damage of stands the Concept 30 could be paired with any , but for optimum carrying out Q Acoustics suggest pairing with their FS75 stands . Similar to the Tensegrity stand introduced with theConcept 300 , the FS75 use four legs rather of three . The tie-up has an actual purpose beyond looking cool , minimising reflections and reducing resonance that could feign and colour the speaker unit ’s sound .
The process of assembling them is a laborious one , despite being simple to bond than on theQ Active 200speakers ( you do n’t have to affix the central plate to the speaker ’s underside ) . The enactment of tightening the nookie seems to goad you , I was never too sure where they were too tight or tight enough . It admit me 40 + second to assemble , after which I really did need a severance .
The stands come with clips for fastening cables to the legs , as well as the option of spikes or golosh feet for whatever floor the speakers are standing on . This did confront a rainfly in the ointment as the spindle could n’t attach to one leg in special – a closer look revealed some caoutchouc was still attached that signify the screw could n’t go amply in .
It did n’t seem to have a debasing effect on the verbaliser ’s performance but given they convey £ 349 a pair , I ’d have bear better calibre dominance . froth bungs are also provided to slot into the rear larboard and finagle the bass operation .
Features
The Concept 30 are descendants from the Concept 300 with some of the technology that feature in that speaker flow down to this more low-cost effort .
One is the Gelcore cabinet building , designed to minimise gamy - frequency noise with a non - setting gel adhesive agent sandwiched between two individual level that dissipates high - frequency vibrations give by the drivers into heat . The P2P ( Point to Point ) internal brace financial aid the rigidity of the console , implement to “ precise ” points of the storage locker to dissipate undesirable energy throughout the cabinet .
This trifecta of systems to minimise shaking is further enhanced by the isolation Qaeda . This is made from two plate separated by suspension ‘ spheres ’ that set apart the cabinet from external vibrations . Q Acoustics claim this help provide tighter stereoscopic photograph imaging and enceinte depth to the soundstage .
The drivers have been design as an integral part of the storage locker ’s mechanically skillful structure ; the drive units are sterilize to a stiff 3 mm aluminium baffle . Again here , part of the understanding behind this is to break vibrations ( as well as minimise structural sexual union and present the correct acoustic seal ) .
The Concept 30 , 50 and 90 speakers feature new aim for the mid / bass and tweeter movement . The mid / bass is 5 - in sweat , the 1 - inch tweeter has been hermetically sealed and automatically isolated from the baffle board for lower distortion and lower crossover point . The crossover is mounted to the isolation base I mentioned earlier , and that ’s intend to keep it free from the speech sound - affect vibrations and the electro - magnetized encroachment of the drivers .
Sound Quality
The Q Acoustics ’ speech sound has the quality of just ‘ one more song ’ . Listening to them in the ground , I eventually had to turn the volume up . A 30 - minute academic session spilled over into a 90 - minute foresighted one , the speakers lead me stabbing to hear how well they translate song from my library .
toe in a little towards the listening position and pulled off from the walls the Concept 30 are simply a playfulness , engaging and up-and-coming listen . A live transcription of Black Hole Sun by Chris Cornell ( Tidal ) and the speakers occur across as very revealing , not just of the clarity Cornell ’s typical voice is presented in but the stage setting it ’s direct place in .
I ’d have guessed it was a small , intimate setting with the crowd around and look at the album covering it sprain out to be a dear surmise . The fibre of the locus , the echoes and slight reverberation of his voice on the walls signal the diaphanous quality of the loudspeaker ’s performance .
With Whiplash from the Whiplash soundtrack , the Concept 30 press stud into the Song dynasty with smack . Tonally they ’re a innate and convincing listen ; the timbre of the instruments , from the more percussive elements to the sound of the trumpet section , sounds spot on . This is allied with effective interval between them so they can be see within their own place and not encroaching on others . It ’s a flow , energetic piece the Q Acoustics matches with its sense of vigor and pace .
A move to Caravan from the same soundtrack and the stay and starts are precisely conveyed , the speech sound clean and clear with on the face of it no noise other than that of the legal instrument playing noted . The speakers are certainly not dragging or rushing with that running .
Stereo imaging and depth impressment , I can sense the depth of the soundstage from my hearing post ( about two metres or so ) as instrument are set in front and slenderly behind to give a realistic depression of the orchestra . It sounds so true and instinctive I can almost get word every beat and its place within the soundstage . The Concept 30 ’s operation is compose and curb at all times .
Resolution and detail levels are high , but the speaker wo n’t inevitably dress up a track to make it voice good , content to present as presumably think . Stevie Wonder ’s voice in Jesus Children of America from his Innervisions album ( Qobuz ) had a more or less more echoey reverb that ’s more pronounced than I call up pick up through a pair of headphones .
The high frequencies can ( look on the track and rootage ) be sharp as a whistling but there ’s also weight unit and heft to the lower frequencies that makes for a punchy and never overzealous software program of bass .
Paul ’s Dream from the Dune soundtrack ( Qobuz ) is vividly realized through these speaker unit , the might behind the sea bass make for a inviolable initiation , the answer and detail it uncovers is excellent – the phone of the grain of moxie are delivered with great fidelity – and there ’s good astuteness to the stereo image with the overlap whispers as they flutter across the soundstage . The Concept 30 face the track as a proportionate whole , clear and sharp with excellent tonic balance and no optical aberration of vibration .
Vocals have plenty of character , whether it ’s Mitski ’s Stay Soft , Janelle Monae ’s Ca n’t Live Without Your Love or Chris Cornell from the studio variant of Black Hole Sun , the vocals are full of emotion that kept me listening throughout .
They ’re a dynamic - sounding duo of standmounts , from more minute ebbing and run to broader shifts between restrained and loud . The Concept 30 are a frequently lively ( but again not rabid ) and expose pair of hi - fi speakers . They consistently held my care , the type of speakers I wanted to keep on listening to listen how they deal out with my preferred trail . They are a fun listen . Q Acoustics ’ winning stripe keeps going with the Concept 30 .
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Should you buy it?
Partnered with a able source , the Concept 30 turn in a precise , natural and engaging phone that will have you listening for hour on end .
You do n’t have to purchase the F S75 stands , but Q Acoustics recommends them for the stability they present . The procedure of setting them up can be put out and operose at times .
Final Thoughts
When listen to the Concept 30 , it was always a case of just listening to one more song . There ’s a more - ish sensitiveness to the sound that draws you in and does n’t allow go . They are a superbly communicative pair of hi - fi verbaliser .
They are also an expensive twain at £ 899 , much more expensive than the affordable 3000i range , and the FS75 stands ( if you choose to go for them ) add £ 349 on top , which is a pregnant outlay . And the outdoor stage is not the easiest to assemble , tire some of the excitement in setting up these speakers .
The Concept 30s are , nevertheless , a wonderfully play and precise listen , and worth the frame-up struggles to get to its sound .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every hi - fi speaker we refresh thoroughly over an prolonged period of time . We use industry - standard tests to liken lineament decently . We ’ll always severalise you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to go over a mathematical product .
recover out more about how we test in ourethics insurance .
FAQs
Q Acoustics advocate you partner the Concept 30 with an amplifier up to of 25 – 100W
