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63 About this deal
And it’s this balance that makes the 3020i incredibly hard to wrongfoot. It doesn’t matter what you feed them with – noise, opera, electronica, jazz, classical – everything sounds good. Even bad recordings are entirely listenable. The Sound Power curve represents an average of the speaker‘s sound in all directions, but it’s not as useful as the ER curve for speakers that mostly radiate sound forward. There is nothing wrong with the Cambridge AXA35...actually, it's a fantastic amp for the money. I'd keep it, to be frank, and change the speakers. Personally, I feel the amp plays a smaller role than the speakers in creating the overall sound of a HiFi system, although synergy between the two can have a big effect in my experience. I listened to the 3020i speakers in Richer Sounds and just melted with the way they presented some well-loved tunes from my phone. Bought a pair then and there, but haven't opened the box as I decided to get a pair of 3030is from Richer Sounds on-line, planning to return the 3020s.
In midrange and treble terms, the acoustic guitar became relatively shy again and there was less space for the cymbals to move within. The Q 3020i builds on the success of its multi award winning predecessor. Boasting 125mm (5 in) and 22mm (0.9 in) precision drivers, the Q 3020i speakers deliver deep bass and room-filling sound. The Q 3020i maintain the same acoustically optimal front profile but have been made slightly taller and deeper giving an overall cabinet size increase of 25%. This increased internal volume has enabled the Q 3020i to gain an extended low frequency response from the ported design so that more-than-ever the smaller enclosures in the range belie their diminutive stature with an impressively large-scale sound. AB31, AB32, AB33, AB34, AB35, AB36, AB37, AB38, AB41, AB42, AB43, AB44, AB45, AB46, AB47, AB48, AB49, AB50, AB51, AB52, AB53, AB54, AB55, AB56Featuring a sensitivity of 88db, they are also larger, 25% larger, in fact spanning 170 x 278 x 282mm while the weight has risen to 5.5kg per speaker. Which promises much for bass, of course – but we’ll see about that in a moment. Taking the new stand (also shelf and wall-mounted) speakers out of the box, what hits you about the 3020i speakers is just how different they are in design and look. Frankly, the family resemblance is receding fast. The original 3020 design looked neat, tidy and efficient in terms of its lines and curves. The 3020i speakers look completely detached from that original design direction.
And on a related question to the last one, I've always fancied a valve amp. Would I be shooting myself in the foot getting one if I want distinct and powerful bass? Some companies try to embrace resonances, but Q Acoustics goes to lengths to eliminate them. Using fancy techniques like Finite Element Analysis and Laser Interferometry, the company is able to pinpoint resonances and apply bracing at specific locations most effective at eliminating the harmful resonances. What I heard QED was established in 1973, specializing in the production of audio cables. In 1994, it did in-depth research on Hi-Fi speaker cables. It proved the importance of speaker cables to sound. QED currently has four series of products, namely Profile, Performance, Reference, and Signature ranges. This time I used Reference XT40i speaker cable, a new version of XT40, using 5N oxygen-free copper. It’s impossible to hold a grudge against the Q Acoustics 3020i, though. The sound is quality is nothing short of superlative for the money, the look and feel is great; and they’re unfussy about where you put them. The X-Tube hollow technology is added. The current in the cable can be more uniform distributed, reducing the inductance and providing a uniform current load for the amplifier. The sound retains more details and natural.As usual, you can affect the speaker’s soundstage by angling the speaker forward or straight at your listening position – I found the 3020i sounded best somewhere in between, about 15 degrees off-axis. Low profile terminals - recessed cut-out reduces cabinet noise and allows them to be used near to rear wall
The overall design of the Q-Acoustics 3020i speaker is very reasonable. When you try to reduce the cabinet resonance, you can make it louder. When the tweeter is not affected by the vibration of the lower mid-bass monomer, it can also make louder sounds. Therefore, I can turn it on loudly and maintain clarity. I do not feel that the clarity of the sound will be significantly reduced due to the increasing volume. We reserve the right to refuse installation should our engineers think that the existing electrical or plumbing points are unsafe and in need of maintenance or if they are unable to install to existing furniture.
Oh, those tweeters, how they hypnotize
The trimmings are a little more luxurious. The separate front baffle has been integrated for a ‘unibody’ design. The speaker terminals go straight through the MDF cabinet instead of a terminal panel. There’s a touch of chrome in the logo and around the drivers, too. Nothing says ‘premium’ like chrome. Bumps that persist in both the direct and off-axis sounds suggest an audible resonance. Resonances remind you you’re listening to boxes as they color all music equally. I moved to more dynamic a fare and an original cut of Greenslade’s excellent Time And Tide, from 1975 and Warner Bros.
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