The Q Acoustics 3020i are a great pair of speakers that are well-built and sound at the top quality of their price range (in this case under $300).
Pros
- The bass response is huge
- They handle dynamics perfectly making them good for heavily-textured music
- The finish is impeccable and connections are very simple
Cons
- They are a tad big and might not fit your book shelf
- Big price increment from their previous model
Enclosure Type: Reflex, 2-way
Drivers: 125mm (5 inches)
Tweeters: 22mm (0.9 inches)
Nominal Impedance: 6 Ohms
Sensitivity: 88dB
Amplifier Power Per Channel: 25 and 75w
Weight: 5.5kg (12.1lbs) each
Dimensions (HxWxD): 278 x 170 x 282 millimeters (10.9 x 6.7 x 11.1 inches)
This is the moment (I) have been waiting for: plugging and playing this bookshelf speaker pair. They come in a big brown box with the logo, the model and some info on the outside. I opened it up and turned it upside down to reveal the speakers themselves. I was quite impressed with the impeccable finish of these white speakers (they come in several different colors).
Overview
The finish, as I said before, is flawless. They seem sturdy, well-built and look like they´ll last for a lifetime. They don´t have any controls as they are passive speakers. In comparison with their previous version, the cabinet grew 25% and although it helps low frequencies and overall audio, it might be impractical for some bookshelves. They feature the rubber grips and also the holes to fit them over a stand (which I recommend due to size).
Build and Compatibility
The build quality and presentation are completely flawless; I really liked the recessed front panel to avoid the driver or tweeter being harmed by everyday activity. The grill does come very handy if you live in a dusty house and to extend their life.
In terms of compatibility, the dual input (banana plugs and bare wire) comes very handy. I had it plugged to my Hi-Fi record player with a power amp and they did great. I used the same cables to plug it to my old CD-player and handled both flawlessly.
Sound
Well, this is the section we are always waiting for: how do they sound? Let’s start by saying that the 25% extra of the headroom added to the cabinet really does have an impact on the low end. The bass on songs like “Around the world” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is powerful yet very detailed which is hard to achieve balance for most brands. This leads me to try out more and more heavily textured music and it sounded perfect at all times. Although that 25% can be a tad impractical it really enhances the sound.
The response in the mid and mid-high frequency is great too. The speakers handle everything you can throw at them with class. Something I think it is a great add-on is that they come with foam bungs to cover the rear hole and tune the lows coming from the driver. I was experimenting with it quite a bit and it really does change the sound a lot.
Watch (and hear) the Q Acoustics 3020i in action
This is a little of how they sound like in video compared to the smaller 3010 version.
Last update on 2022-03-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API