Last year, Q Acoustics launched its first-ever active loudspeakers – the Q Active 200. Now, the British audio specialist is following up the launch of those standmounters with the Q Active 400 floorstanders.
Like their baby brethren, the Q Active 400 are designed to function as an all-in-one system that can play music from any source – TV, music streaming service, smartphone, laptop, and even a record player.
While both speakers share the same BMR (Balance Mode Radiator) drive unit arrangement for wide dispersion, the floorstanders add two rear-firing 4.5in subwoofers: one subwoofer at the top of the cabinet, one at the bottom. Q Acoustics claims this arrangement "neutralises the cabinet’s internal standing waves, which in turn reduces unwanted resonance for a cleaner, tighter bass sound".
To that end, the speakers also pack in two extra amplifiers (making a total of eight) and get a hike in power output to 440W.
Like the Active 200, you can choose a Control Hub configured either for Google “Chromecast built-in” or Amazon “Works with Alexa” to partner with your speakers. The Hub connects to your home network via wi-fi or ethernet. There's also support for Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2, Roon and Spotify Connect.
On the subject of streaming, the Q Actives support all popular music streaming services such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify and Tidal. You can play and control music directly from each platform’s native app.
For wired sources, the Control Hub offers an HDMI ARC input, an optical digital input, an analogue input, and a subwoofer output. The Hub links to the Q Active speakers wirelessly and supports hi-res audio up to 32-bit/192kHz (although all incoming audio is converted to 24-bit/96kHz).
Q Acoustic's wireless design means the Control Hub can be placed out of sight behind a TV, in a cupboard, or on a rack. A remote control is also included with each Hub.
The Q Active 400 with Google Cast is available now from the company's website, priced £2299 ($2999, around AU$4200). The “Works with Alexa” models will be available later in the year.
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