Q Acoustics, a company best known for its exquisite budget loudspeakers (check out our reviews), has come out with its first pair of active speakers called Q Active 200. Retailing for $1999 in the U.S., the Q Active speaker is a complete Active system that features an unconventional design along with an included wireless preamp or hub.
Rather than follow the standard box with tweeter/woofer combo, the Q Acoustic design features a distinctive rounded cabinet with two BMR (Balanced Mode Radiator) drivers in the front, along with an integrated subwoofer in the rear of each speaker.
There are six discrete amplifiers in total powering the Q Active 200, resulting in a total power output of 280W.
The included Control Hub preamp provides access to many sources, including Bluetooth®, Apple AirPlay 2, Roon, Spotify Connect, plus all popular music streaming services (Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify, and Tidal).
Q Active 200 will come in two colors, Matte White and Matte Black. Both will be available this month. For more info and pictures, check out the press release below.
Press Release Courtesy of Q Acoustics:
October 7th 2020, UK – British audio specialist Q Acoustics today announced its first active loudspeakers: the Q Active 200 bookshelf speakers and Q Active 400 floorstanding speakers.
The result of the company’s 14-year heritage and expertise in designing and engineering best-in-class loudspeakers, the Q Active range represents the ultimate combination of convenience, style and audiophile-quality sound for exceptional value for money.
Versatile speaker system
Q Acoustics has designed the Q Active range from the ground up, with the express intent of delivering an uncompromised, versatile high-resolution system that can play music from any source – TV, network music streamer, smartphone, laptop, and even a turntable.
A compact central Control Hub configured either for Google “Chromecast built-in” or Amazon “Works with Alexa” is supplied with each pair of speakers, which allows users to connect to a variety of wired and wireless sources. The Hub can be connected to your home network using ethernet or wi-fi.
You can connect to wireless sources using Bluetooth®, Apple AirPlay 2, Roon and Spotify Connect. The Q Actives support all popular music streaming services such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify and Tidal – and users can play and control their music directly from each platform’s native app, keeping the Q Active experience reliable and fuss-free without the need to download any additional apps.
The speakers can also operate as a UPnP media player capable of streaming your digital audio library from a computer or NAS drive.
For wired sources, the Control Hub offers an HDMI ARC input, an optical digital input, an analogue line level input and a subwoofer output. You can also plug your turntable into the Hub – it features a built-in moving magnet phono stage.
The Control Hub links to the Q Active speakers via a wireless connection where all incoming audio (Max Source Resolution 32bit/192kHZ) is converted to 24-bit/96kHz hi-res audio, making for a beautifully simple system free from the tangle of speaker cables. The wireless design means the Control Hub can be placed out of sight if desired: behind a TV, in a cupboard or on a rack. A remote control is also included with each Hub.
Q Active supports voice control via Apple Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, and can form part of a multi-room speaker group using AirPlay 2, Roon, Google “Chromecast built-in” or Amazon “Works with Alexa”.
The Q Active Control Hub will be available with Google “Chromecast built-in” integrated at launch, while the Amazon “Works with Alexa” version will be available in early 2021.
Dynamic widescreen sound
The Q Active range is a true active design, with class D amplification eliminating the need for a bulky external amp or receiver. Both Q Active 200 and Q Active 400 speakers feature twin Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) drive units in an offset configuration that deliver a widescreen sound dispersal and a huge sweet spot: so no matter where you’re sitting in the room, you’ll hear the same rich, detailed and expressive sound from the Q Active speakers.
The Q Active speakers are tuned to perform their best no matter where they are placed in your listening room. A switch at the back of the Q Active speakers lets you designate left or right channels, while another tells the speakers where they are positioned in a room – close to a wall, in a corner or out in free space. This information allows the Q Actives to fine-tune its low-frequency response to deliver the best possible sound for its environment.
Q Active 200 (£1,499 / $1,999 / €1,999 per pair, available October 2020)
The Q Active 200 standmount speakers feature two 2.25in BMR drive units and a rear-firing 4.5in long throw subwoofer with a waveguide for excellent low-frequency bass performance. There are six discrete amplifiers powering the Q Active 200, resulting in a total power output of 280W.
The Active 200 can be equipped with the optional Q FS75 floor stands (£349/$499/€419 per pair). Inspired by the Concept 300’s Tensegrity stands’ principles of the 1951 Festival of Britain’s Skylon structure, this stylish four-legged stand eliminates unwanted vibrations to result in a purer sound.
Q Active 400 (available January 2021)
The Q Active 400 floorstanding speakers have the same BMR drive unit arrangement as the Active 200, but feature eight discrete amplifiers with 440W of total power output.
The key difference with the Q Active 400, besides its taller cabinet size, is that it features two rear-firing 4.5in subwoofers: one subwoofer at the top of the cabinet, one at the bottom. This arrangement neutralises the cabinet’s internal standing waves, which in turn reduces unwanted resonance and delivers a cleaner, tighter bass sound.
Both speakers will be available in two finishes: matte white and matte black.
The Q Acoustics Q Active 200 speakers with Google Cast is priced £1,499 / $1,999 / €1,999 and will be available from November 2020 at Amazon, qacoustics.co.uk and qacoustics.com (US).
To learn more visit www.qacoustics.co.uk (UK) and www.qacoustics.com (US)
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I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My thirst for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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