New speakers - Q Acoustics Concept 300

Very very wise Ian. Well done.

They measure REALLY well, IIRC, and if they exhibit the same tonal characteristics (very neutral) as my 500s, you'll be a very happy man.

Greta colour too

Yes, they are proper.

Completely ignored in favour utter tosh because they don't have a recognisable audiophile brand name.

I love mine. Serious SQ

That's because instead of making their name in the high end then releasing budget speakers, they made their name in the budget sector then went high end.

Doing it the hard way from a marketing point of view. 

Personally I love kit that is far better than most people assume it is, that's how you get the great system on the cheap.

I’m totally convinced that the C500 or C300 are fantastic speakers and I could totally go for a pair of either, but my only reservations are the footprint of the C300 stands and the depth of both, which I think I’d struggle to accommodate.

maybe so, if you can accommodate them.....   

It's not snobbery - but a lot of people will put some weight on the image of the brand - amongst other 'non-tangibles' - even if it's not entirely consciously. They don't decide what to demo based on  the engineering or the measurements.

Given the sheer number of options for three or four grand speakers they're not likely to even consider a brand like Q Acoustics. They are looking at brands to demo which are known for being high-end. 

There may be some element of status there as there is with anything but I think snobbery is a bit strong a word.

people who go to the bake-offs tend to a bit more savvy on the whole. Some of them build their own equipment which puts a lot of the high end stuff to shame. Outside of a studio I don't think I had ever heard that level of sound quality where it's at that really impressive 'stop you in your tracks' level until I went to a bake-off. I'd certainly not heard it at shows or dealers.

They're extremely well built, look stunning and sound very pleasing to my ears with my kit. It does everything I want a speaker to do. I'm wary of comparisons because it's not just the speakers that have changed but I think I got a bargain.

They should be on the list for anyone looking for standmount speakers under £5k.

When I attended Ian's bakeoff last Saturday I really wanted to haul my speakers out from the car and put them head to head with his new Q Acoustic speakers.

Most people have not even heard of my German Quadral speakers let alone heard a pair in action, but as others have said they don't appeal to the hi-fi snobbery brigade and I have no issues with that, as that prevents them being open minded that "non British" speakers could POSSIBLY sound very good indeed and better than the familiar home market brands.

A person you could ask is Mister C about Quadral sound quality.

Or me......I rate them highly.

Which model were they?

I have the Chromium Style 6, a compact floorstander.  Mister C says I should have got the Style 8 which is bigger for only £100 more but in my tiny listening room they produce more than enough bass.

Sorry, Dominic. Had I known that you'd brought some kit with you, we could have easily made space for it in the 'schedule' and transferred it for you from/to your car. I try to make my bakeoffs very easygoing and accommodate all sorts of kit and music.

If you are coming to the Midlands bakeoff on 8th May, just give me a nudge and I'll happily help you get any gear into the venue.

🤣🤣

Yes and no! The stands are designed to aid stability and screw into the base of the speaker. You can place them onto different stands but they probably/possibly won't sound as good.