Q Acoustics Concept 50 Floorstanding Speaker Review & Comments

Thank you for the review Ed
Could you not fit a pair of spike inserts into the base if the 'boomerang' is too big for you/your setup? I know it would probably void the guarantee.
 
Thanks for the review Ed.

I'm not sure about the chrome rear spike mounting, as either an aesthetic or practical choice, but then I haven't seen these speakers in the flesh.

I personally find chrome tacky (it makes me think of taps and radiators - and I'm not sure the word I want springing to mind when staring at a £2k set of speakers is "plumbing").

None of that would deter me from auditioning these speakers if in the market. Nor would I suggest I couldn't be won over by their sonic capabilities in a way that allowed me to put this unusual design choice to one side.

I think the thing with Q Acoustics speakers is that, when playing at the lower end of the market, they often punched above their rivals. The law of diminishing returns perhaps makes that a harder feat in this price range.
 
Thank you for the review Ed
Could you not fit a pair of spike inserts into the base if the 'boomerang' is too big for you/your setup? I know it would probably void the guarantee.
They don't come with the feet installed -I'm always worried on the carpet when speakers have a narrow foot-layout about them potentially toppling over (any tall loudspeaker for that matter).

If you used the feet position holes - it'd be very narrow indeed. I wouldn't recommend it that's for sure. I'll photograph our demo set in the morning to show you how close it would be!
 
Aesthetics will always be in the eye of the beholder but in terms of stability, I wouldn’t mind betting they’d be rock solid as the stands for their Concept 20 (similar configuration) and the feet on the Concept 40 (3 feet) seem to do the job well.
 
Nice review, I bought the Concept 30s a few weeks back (after demoing them against LS50s, kef R3s and Wharfedale Lintons).

Saw the Concept 50s, and they're a fantastic looking pair of speakers but they're not designed to be rock solid on their stands. The speaker crossover is mounted to a baseplate which is isolated from the rest of the speaker cabinet, the stands are fixed to this baseplate and thus also isolated from the cabinet itself. If you push the top of the speaker, it is allowed to rock from side to side with the stand still level on the floor.

All this is designed to isolate the cabinet from outside influences. To match this, the drivers are isolated from the cabinet.
 
Nice review, I bought the Concept 30s a few weeks back (after demoing them against LS50s, kef R3s and Wharfedale Lintons).

Saw the Concept 50s, and they're a fantastic looking pair of speakers but they're not designed to be rock solid on their stands. The speaker crossover is mounted to a baseplate which is isolated from the rest of the speaker cabinet, the stands are fixed to this baseplate and thus also isolated from the cabinet itself. If you push the top of the speaker, it is allowed to rock from side to side with the stand still level on the floor.

All this is designed to isolate the cabinet from outside influences. To match this, the drivers are isolated from the cabinet.
QA have really thought about this. I love ‘em.
 
Nice review, I bought the Concept 30s a few weeks back (after demoing them against LS50s, kef R3s and Wharfedale Lintons).
I’d be grateful if you could share your subjective impressions of how the 30s compare to those speakers. I’m considering all these models for a future upgrade to a cinema / music system.
 
I’d be grateful if you could share your subjective impressions of how the 30s compare to those speakers. I’m considering all these models for a future upgrade to a cinema / music system.

I plan to in the next few days, will add to the Concept 30 thread though as its better suited there.
 
Saw the Concept 50s, and they're a fantastic looking pair of speakers but they're not designed to be rock solid on their stands.
Speaking as the owner of a pair of Concept 500, I can confirm that if you happen to bump into them, you're the one that recoils. They just stand there, looking at the walls of your house scornfully and wanting to teach it a few things about build quality.
 
I own a set of Q’s Concept 300’s and they are handsdown the best speakers I have ever owned… and I have owned probably in excess of 30+ sets in my lifetime and much more expensive ones.

If you want a ‘lifer’ speaker then you can't go wrong with Q Acoustics.
 
Hmm.
It looks like a penguin.
 
I recently purchased a pair (excellent service from Yorkshire AV as ever) of Concept 50 speakers. I've been a life-long hi-fi follower and have been through many iterations of all sorts of equipment - from 'budget' to 'serious'.

I've upgraded from a pair of Concept 40 speakers, which have been relocated to the cinema room.

A few months ago, I auditioned a series of floorstanding speakers in the £3k to £5k range. The result of that was my intention to purchase the Concept 500's, acknowledging that they were a bit bigger than I wanted, but their performance was outstanding.

Note that my requirements include a room friendly size - ruling out may of the more substantial options (Quad Z4 for example).

I've noted some comments on the 'chrome' outriggers, but in reality, these speakers look superb in the flesh (mine are in the piano black and the finish is excellent) and the chrome is really not significant - if it is such an issue for some, then plastidip is the answer!!

Instantly upon installation, it was very obvious just how much of a step-up the 50's are compared to the 40's. Clarity and soundstage are a massive improvement, and that is before any running in.

I should disclose that I have a pair of bespoke stereo active sub-woofers (I know, often frowned upon in the UK hi-fi world but these are high end, 10" sealed units which are extremely fast, powerful and 'silent' in terms of integration). They transformed the performance of the 40's, and the same applies to the 50's, albeit the 50's are much improved on their own in terms of bass roll-off. I opt to use the foam port bungs (as they are quite close to the rear wall) which help to maintain control of the rear port behaviour.

I've not had the opportunity to audition the 50's and 500's together, but from my experience they have very similar 'house style' and the invisible cabinet signature; they seem closely matched in terms of upper and mid-range and soundstage, I'm sure the 500's had greater depth, but not a huge difference.

For the money, the currently available the last few Concept 40's for £499 are a steal. In my cinema room, with a matching Concept centre, they are amazing. However, the 50's are a massive step up and certainly feel worth every penny at a bit under £2k. The 500's were amazing, but they are bigger and still not less than £3.6k.

I'd recommend anyone in the market for svelte floorstanders in the £2k to +£3k range to audition the Concept 50's; from my experience they are the match for many alternatives which are up to twice the price.

Well done Q Acoustics, a real success.
 
Just to follow up, if anyone is looking for a pair of outstanding floorstand speakers in the sub £500 category, then the Q Acoustics Concept 40 are still available and they are a complete steal compared to any other equivalent at the price point. Sevenoaks and others have stock - but I am not sure for how long.
 
hey thanks for review. i just ordered the concept 50 as upgrade for my concept 40, i really hope they will provide a noticeable upgrade.
i do have question tho pls.. have anyone got to test/try the concept 90 center? i ordered it along with the concept 50 i can still cancel the center but i wonder if anyone tried it and if its any decent like the front ?
 
Hi - I have the q acoustics concept centre which matched the 40’s and that is an excellent speaker and a very fine compliment (and much better than a number Of other highly rated units I tried) so I can only assume that the new improved version will be a significant step up - and if the improvement is as good as the 40 to 50 then it will not disappoint and I would go with your commitment, as matching speakers are very important to integrate the room.
 
I own a set of Q’s Concept 300’s and they are handsdown the best speakers I have ever owned… and I have owned probably in excess of 30+ sets in my lifetime and much more expensive ones.

If you want a ‘lifer’ speaker then you can't go wrong with Q Acoustics.

I really loved my C300s. I don't feel like I made a mistake replacing them with my ATC but I do wish I had 2 listening rooms - I would have some C300 or C500 in one of them.
 
Anyone got any thoughts on how Concept 50s might work with the Naim Supernait 3?I’m currently auditioning the Naim with my old Epos ES14s. I like the sound apart from a bit too much high treble emphasis.
 
Anyone got any thoughts on how Concept 50s might work with the Naim Supernait 3?I’m currently auditioning the Naim with my old Epos ES14s. I like the sound apart from a bit too much high treble emphasis.

You certainly won't be getting 'high treble emphasis' with the Q Acoustics. In fact, Naim amps are can be a good choice as in my experience they are fairly excitable, and the more natural Qacoustic house sound can tame that, if thats the sound you want to hear of course.
 
QA use silk dome tweeters, certainly not harsh in any way, but with plenty of detail.

If you are treble sensitive QA speakers should not be a problem .
 
I've been itching to get some new speakers to replace my Wharfedales that are looking a bit tired and where little tiny fingers have been poking things they should not been poking..lol

Was so adamant that i was going to try bookshelf speakers for our home cinema but was only looking much much further down the line. I even got the stands for them already..lol

Then i saw an e-mail come through showing the Concept 40 on what looks to be a real bargain and so checked out a few reviews and the review on here and wondered if this might be an option as all were positive with not much negative.

This was in no way ever an option on my list nor were any tower speakers but the itch was too great and so i pulled the trigger on the 40s :). I mean at £499 this was hard to not find a way to make the purchase (still alot of cash for me)

Gosh, I'm hoping i made the right choice as this was a bit of an impulse buy and these speakers will be the ones for some time so fingers crossed they work for us. I'm all excited but super nervous about this at the same time.
 
Nice review, I bought the Concept 30s a few weeks back (after demoing them against LS50s, kef R3s and Wharfedale Lintons).

Saw the Concept 50s, and they're a fantastic looking pair of speakers but they're not designed to be rock solid on their stands. The speaker crossover is mounted to a baseplate which is isolated from the rest of the speaker cabinet, the stands are fixed to this baseplate and thus also isolated from the cabinet itself. If you push the top of the speaker, it is allowed to rock from side to side with the stand still level on the floor.

All this is designed to isolate the cabinet from outside influences. To match this, the drivers are isolated from the cabinet.
Hi, RugbyAl, I bought a pair of Concept 50's. I love them. However, I'm puzzled about a difference between the two speakers.

One rocks side to side a few times after being pushed from the side. The other does not when pushed similarly. It will give way to its mid-way point when pressed firmly then releases back to its original position and stops, without swinging further. Fasteners in both speakers were done identically. Which is the correct behavior?

It seems the suspension is not tensioned the same in both speakers. Can that be corrected?

Left Speaker Springs Freely



Right Speaker No Spring



 
I can't play the videos you have posted so cannot compare.
However, I have a pair of concept 50's - both speakers have the same amount of 'give'.
A gentle push will see them 'wobble' from side to side a couple of times before they settle back into their central position.
I don't know if there is any adjustment to this, they have always been like this for me.
 
I can't play the videos you have posted so cannot compare.
However, I have a pair of concept 50's - both speakers have the same amount of 'give'.
A gentle push will see them 'wobble' from side to side a couple of times before they settle back into their central position.
I don't know if there is any adjustment to this, they have always been like this for me.
Thanks so much! That is the feedback I am looking for. Each of my speakers behave differently I'll keep investigating.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom