Q Acoustics builds on its formidable entry-level reputation
Q Acoustics 3020c: Two-minute review
The Q Acoustics 3020c is one design in a five-strong range of (relatively) affordable new speakers from the British brand’s 3000c series. Four different finishes are available, and no matter which one you prefer it will do justice to a braced, elegantly curved cabinet that’s just slightly longer than it is tall. Satin nickel driver surrounds behind magnetically attached grilles only add to the impression of a thoughtful and quite upmarket design.
A driver array consisting of a 22mm soft dome tweeter that’s decoupled from the main speaker baffle is bolstered by a rear-facing bass reflex port. Sat below is a 120mm mid/bass driver of the ‘continuous curved cone’ design that Q Acoustics first introduced in a far more expensive range of passive loudspeakers than this one. Claimed frequency response of 60Hz – 30kHz is the result and, if accurate, should be more than adequate for people who don’t prioritize ‘bass, and plenty of it’ over everything else. As well as the reflex port, the rear panel also features a single pair of extremely low-profile cable binding posts.
In action, the Q Acoustics 3020c prove a forthright, detailed and surprisingly assertive listen. No matter the type of music you listen to, and no matter its source, they sink their teeth in and let it know who’s boss immediately. Detail levels are high, drive and attack is plentiful, and both the tonal balance and the integration of the frequency range are completely convincing. Their stereo focus is impressive, their soundstaging abilities even more so, and the sort of momentum and urgency with which they can imbue a recording is always striking.
They’re not the heftiest speaker this sort of money can buy, it’s true – the low-frequency stuff they generate is taut and straight-edged, but could conceivably be punchier. And when it comes to dynamic expression, there’s a slight lack of headroom apparent. Because their default position is to be reasonably intense to start with, any changes in intensity are necessarily inhibited – just a touch, to be fair, but it’s a trait nevertheless.
Neither of these things prevent the Q Acoustics 3020c being a thoroughly enjoyable and quite invigorating listen, though, which warrants entry to our best stereo speakers roundup. Anyone with this sort of money for a speaker of this sort of size needs to hear them.Q Acoustics 3020c review: Price & release date
Released August, 2024
Priced $499 / £399 / AU$899
The Q Acoustics 3020c are on sale now, and in the United States they sell for $499 per pair. In the United Kingdom, they go for £399, while in Australia you’re looking at AU$899.
It’s an eye-catching price, for sure, and exciting when you remember just how much excellence Q Acoustics has demonstrated at the loudspeaker entry level. But competition is fierce: from Dali and Elac to KEF and JBL, there are numerous well-regarded alternatives – and they’re far from alone.Q Acoustics 3020c review: Features
120mm mid/bass driver
22mm decoupled soft dome tweeter
60Hz – 30kHz frequency response
Like most passive loudspeakers, the Q Acoustics 3020c aren’t exactly overburdened with features. A couple of drive units, a helpfully positioned bass reflex port and some speaker binding posts are about all that can be expected – and sure enough, that’s about all the 3020c have.
Mind you, this being Q Acoustics those features are thoroughly implemented and entirely fit for purpose. The 22mm soft dome tweeter, for instance, is hermetically sealed and mechanically isolated from the baffle from which it protrudes. To all intents and purposes it’s floating, which prevents pressure modulations both from the energy it’s producing and from the mid/bass driver beneath it. The chamber it sits in is vented in an effort to minimize distortion, and has a lower-than-usual crossover point in order to make integration with the mid/bass driver as smooth as possible.
The mid/bass driver itself is a 120mm design of the ‘continuous curved cone’ type Q Acoustics first introduced on much more expensive loudspeakers than this one. Its continuous curve profile offers well-controlled frequency response, enhanced low-frequency dynamics and excellent dispersion characteristics – Q Acoustics suggests it offers the bass performance of a more common conic design with the midrange control of a flared cone design. The best of both worlds, in other words.
There’s a modestly sized bass reflex port venting from the rear of the cabinet, just above a single pair of extremely low-profile cable binding posts – Q Acoustics provides port bungs to help ensure the 3020c’s low-frequency activity is appropriate no matter where in your room they end up being positioned.
