With so many of the new loudspeaker launches in 2024 focused on the ultra high-end segment, this feels like a return to sanity and one that is badly needed. Will this new iteration of the award-winning and best-selling Q Acoustics 3000 Series deliver on some high expectations? We suspect that that it will.
Q Acoustics today announced the 3000c Loudspeaker series. It’s the successor to the British brand’s most affordable and most popular range of loudspeakers, the 3000i series which has won multiple industry awards including our Editor’s Choice Award for the 3050i in 2022.
What has made Q Acoustics’ 3000 range special is its value proposition. Q Acoustics has managed to keep the entire line priced from $399 to $1,199 a pair, which is only slightly higher than the outgoing (3000i) models they replace.
What’s New?
The Q Acoustics 3000c speaker series features trickle-down technology from the step-up 5000 series and Concept series, including the use of C3 (pronounced ‘C-cubed’) Continuous Curved Cone™, P2P (Point to Point) bracing, HPE (Helmholtz Pressure Equalizer) tubes, and improved driver isolation.
Q Acoustics says the 3000c sound signature is characterized by an articulate and fast mid-range, controlled but powerful bass dynamics, and nuanced and detailed high frequencies, alongside an exceptional soundstage not previously experienced at each respective price point.
The 3000c family is comprised of the 3010c bookshelf ($399/pair), 3020c standmount ($499/pair), 3030c larger standmount ($649/pair), 3050c floorstander ($1,199/pair), with the 3090c center channel ($399 each) completing the line-up for a home cinema speaker set-up.
Key Features:
- New ground-up C3 (pronounced ‘C-cubed’) Continuous Curved Cone™ mid/bass profile
ensures superior bass dynamics and smoother integration with the high frequency driver. - Based on design principles found in the newest Concept series, the hermetically sealed high frequency driver unit is mechanically isolated from the baffle, preventing modulation from the mid/bass driver.
- Low coloration cabinets with P2P (Point to Point) bracing, minimizing low-end
reverberation to improve the stereo image and soundstage. - HPE (Helmholtz Pressure Equalizer) tubes disrupt the build-up of standing waves,
smoothing the frequency response and reducing distortion (3050c model only). - Boasts a clean and contemporary aesthetic with sophisticated satin metallic driver trims.
- Available in four new finishes: Pin Oak, Claro Walnut, Satin White, Satin Black.
C3 Continuous Curved Cone™ design
Significant advances in the design of a loudspeaker drive unit are rare – but the C3 driver successfully addresses shortcomings in established drive unit design.
Originally made available in the 5000 series of loudspeakers, the C3 unit is the result of extensive research and uncompromised engineering – it combines the bass performance advantages of a traditional straight conic cone with the midrange and high-end control of a flared cone.
The driver’s single, smooth, continuous curve profile delivers numerous positive results. Smoother integration with the tweeter, thanks to its excellent dispersion and well-controlled frequency response, is one – and low-frequency dynamics and control benefit too, which means greater flexibility in the positioning of speakers relative to the wall boundaries of the listening space. Harmonic distortion is reduced, while the scale and accuracy of the soundstage is enhanced. And the C3 driver is more resistant to standing waves within the cabinet than less advanced drive units, too.
Evolution in design
The 3000c series evolves the 3000i’s signature look and feel to reflect developing taste in interior design. Continuing Q Acoustics’ reductive design ethos and echoing the unadorned nature of the C3 profile, the 3000c is more visually minimal with no discerning joints or bolts. A new elegant one-piece driver trim, in satin nickel and satin chrome (white only) offers a sophisticated enhancement at the front of the cabinet, while all new finishes complete the range’s design elevation.
Arriving in four new modern and high-quality finishes, the 3000c series will look at home in any interior living space. The introduction of a new lighter (Pin Oak) and darker wood (Claro Rosewood) coverings, alongside new but classic Satin White and Satin Black finishes first seen in the 5000 series, emulates the contemporary design nature of this new speaker family.
The 3050c floorstanding model boasts a stylish solid aluminium stabilizer design first introduced in the M40. Featuring top adjustable spikes for easier levelling adjustment, the entire range also includes a terminal panel trickled down from 5000 series, with low-profile speaker binding posts for easy placement near to a wall.
Cabinet and driver innovations
Every model in the 3000c series features the acoustic cabinet innovations first introduced in the high-end Concept range of loudspeakers, including tweeter enclosure design, P2P™ (Point 2 Point™) bracing and (in the floorstanding 3050c) Helmholtz Pressure Equalisers (HPE™) tube technology.
High-frequency driver design
Based on the design principles found in the 5000 series and the new Concept series before that, the 3000c tweeter unit is hermetically sealed and mechanically isolated or ‘floating’ from the baffle. This prevents internal pressure modulations from within the cabinet and from the adjacent mid/bass driver. The inner chamber is also precisely vented for lower distortion, with a lower crossover point for optimum integration through the crossover region.
Mid/bass driver design
The game changing C3 cone is at the heart of the 3000c mid/bass design. The cone’s geometry requires exceptional motor strength for optimal performance, so substantial magnets are coupled to the voice coils. The control exercised by the large magnets ensures good dynamic response, headroom and tight bass. Apart from these benefits the large magnets also ensure that pole plate and yoke are near saturated, which reduces flux-modulation and harmonic distortion.
P2P and HPE Technology
P2P™ (Point to Point™) internal bracing is fitted to internal areas of the cabinet prone to low-end frequency reverberations. This reinforcement delivers a more focused stereo image, and a wider, better-controlled soundstage.
The 3050c is, like all floorstanding loudspeakers, vulnerable to internal build-up of pressure that causes unwanted standing waves and colouration. To prevent this occurring, specially designed HPE™ (Helmholtz Pressure Equalizers) tubes are fitted inside the cabinet to nullify internal pressure and improve frequency response.
Home cinema set-up
Outside of being accomplished stereo speakers, the new 3000c series can also form a talented but powerful 5.1 home cinema set-up. The system arrives in two 5.1 combinations: the 3010c 5.1 and the 3050c 5.1 speaker packages. At the heart of this home entertainment line-up is the 3090c centre-channel speaker, delivering dynamic and pin-sharp dialogue, while choose from either the slimline 3060S subwoofer ($439 at Amazon) or the more powerful Q B12 ($749 at Amazon) for hard-hitting but nuanced low-end sounds and a truly immersive cinematic experience.
New sustainable packaging
As a leading audio company, Q Acoustics is constantly evolving its ethos around sustainability. The new 3000c series features sustainable and recyclable egg crate packaging replacing existing EPS (expanded polystyrene) that will provide improved speaker and environmental protection.
Specifications
| 3010c | 3020c | 3030c | 3050c | 3090c | |
| MSRP | $399.00 | $499.00 | $649.00 | $1,119.00 | $399.00 |
| Bass unit | 1 x 101 mm (4.0 in) | 1 x 120 mm (4.75 in) | 1 x 142 mm (5.5 in) | 2 x 142 mm (5.65in) | 2 x 101 mm (4.0 in) |
| Treble unit | 1 x 22 mm (0.9 in) | 1 x 22 mm (0.9 in) | 1 x 22 mm (0.9 in) | 1 x 22 mm (0.9 in) | 1 x 22 mm (0.9 in) |
| Frequency response (-6 dB) | 60 Hz – 30 kHz | 60 Hz – 30 kHz | 48 Hz – 30 kHz | 42 Hz – 30 kHz | 68 Hz – 30 kHz |
| Nominal impedance | 6 Ω | 6 Ω | 6 Ω | 6 Ω | 6 Ω |
| Minimum impedance | 3.6 Ω | 3.3 Ω | 3.8 Ω | 3.4 Ω | 3.6 Ω |
| Sensitivity (1 m, 2.83 Vrms @ 1 kHz) | 84.5 dB | 87.0 dB | 87.0 dB | 91.5 dB | 92.0 dB |
| Recommended amplifier power | 15-80 W | 25-90 W | 25 – 90 W | 25 – 150 W | 25-120 W |
| Crossover frequency | 2.6 kHz | 2.6 kHz | 2.7 kHz | 2.3 kHz | 3.0 kHz |
| Effective volume | 4.5 L | 6.9 L | 12.5 L | 41.6 L | 6.8 L |
| Dimensions (per speaker) HxWxD | 254 x 155 x 251 mm (10.0 x 6.1 x 9.9 in) | 279 x 175 x 281 mm (10.9 x 6.9 x 11.1 in) | 324 x 205 x 329 mm (12.8 x 8.1 x 13.0 in) | 1021 x 315 x 316 mm (40.2 x 12.4 x 12.4 in) Inc spikes and stabilizer | 159 x 430 x 216 mm (6.3 x 16.9 x 8.5 in) |
| Weight (per speaker) | 4.4 Kg (9.7 Ibs) | 5.5 Kg (12.1 Ibs) | 7.1 Kg (15.7 Ibs) | 18.4 Kg (40.6 Ibs) | 6.2 Kg (13.7 Ibs) |
Pricing & Availability
The Q Acoustics 3000c speaker series will be available August 2024 in four finishes: Pin Oak, Claro Rosewood, Satin White and Satin Black.
- Q Acoustics 3010c bookshelf $399 (£329 / €399)
- Q Acoustics 3020c standmount $499 (£399 / €499)
- Q Acoustics 3030c larger standmount $649 (£499 / €649)
- Q Acoustics 3050c floorstander $1,199 (£899 / €1,199)
- Q Acoustics 3090c centre channel $399 (£299 / €399)
Home Theater Packages:
- Q Acoustics 3010c 5.1 (2x 3010c/pair, 3090c, 3060S subwoofer) TBC
- Q Acoustics 3050c 5.1 (1x 3050c/pair, 1x 3010c/pair, 3090c, QB12 subwoofer) TBC
Accessories:
- Q Acoustics FS50 floorstands (pair) for the 3010c/3020c arrives in a white or black finish, priced $239 (£175/€219)
- Q Acoustics 3030i floorstands (pair) for the 3030c arrives in a white or black finish, priced $269 (£195/€249)
- Q Acoustics WB50 wall bracket (single) for the 3010c/3020c/3090c arrives in a white or black finish, priced $32.50 (£22/€27.50)
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