British audio specialist Q Acoustics today announced its first-ever active loudspeakers: the Q Active 200 bookshelf speakers and Q Active 400 floorstanding speakers.
The company says it has designed the Q Active range "from the ground up", with the express intent of delivering a high-resolution system that can play music from any source – TV, network music streamer, smartphone, laptop, and even a turntable.
Both Q Active 200 and Q Active 400 speakers feature twin Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) drive units in an offset configuration, thus promising a wide sound dispersal.
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 their bass delivery to suit their positioning.
To drill down into the specifics of each model, 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 to boast excellent low-frequency bass performance. There are six amplifiers squirrelled away inside the casework to power the the Q Active 200, resulting in a total power output of 280W.
The Active 200 can also be mounted on the optional four-legged Q FS75 floor stands – inspired by the Concept 300's Tensegrity stands – but you'll need to buy them separately, for £349 ($499 / AU$799 / €419 per pair, main photo).
The Q Active 400 floorstanding speakers have the same BMR drive unit arrangement as the Active 200, but feature eight amplifiers, with 440W of total power output.
Q Acoustics tells us that the key difference with the Q Active 400, besides its taller cabinet size, is that it features two rear-firing 4.5in subwoofers: one at the top of the cabinet, one at the bottom. It's claimed that this set-up helps to neutralise any internal standing waves and reduce unwanted vibrations for cleaner, tighter bass.
The speakers are available in two finishes: matte white and matte black.
The Q Acoustics Q Active 200 with Google Cast is priced £1499 ($1999 / AU$3199 / €1999) and will be available from November 2020 at Amazon, qacoustics.co.uk and qacoustics.com.
Pricing for the Q Active 400 isn't yet known, but they should launch in January 2021.
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