- High fidelity sound with true wireless connectivity from multiple streaming services: Apple AirPlay 2, Roon, Spotify and plenty more gives access to a planet’s-worth of music.
- Integrate your TV, turntable, games console and more into your wireless, music-streaming system.
- Voice control – works with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa (available early 2021) or Apple Siri for easy voice control.
“This impressive wireless hi-fi system is built around two floorstanding speakers and a central hub, with extensive inputs including HDMI-ARC. It’s easy to set up, slick in operation, and sounds superb, with a cohesive performance, expansive delivery and deep bass.”
Trusted Reviews, 4.5 stars, Recommended Award
Verstaile. Sound. Design.
Bring your audio past and present into the future. In delivering an entire high-resolution audio system, one that serves up uncompromised audio quality while fitting seamlessly and conveniently into its user’s lifestyle, Q Acoustics has excelled in three key areas. Q Active is versatile. Q Active delivers superlative sound quality. Q Active is designed to look as unique as it sounds. And, of course, Q Active represents the sort of prodigious value for money every listener expects from Q Acoustics. An entire high-resolution wireless audio system, delivering uncompromised hi-fi sound that fits conveniently and seamlessly into your lifestyle.
Versatile.
Wireless Connectivity
Each Q Active system includes connectivity for Bluetooth 4.1, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and UPnP. Q Active is also Roon Ready.
In addition, Q Active is designed to support your favourite streaming service’s native app – which means simple, straightforward access to the entire planet’s music. Q Active works with Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify and Tidal.
The hub comes in two variants, Google “Chromecast built-in” or Amazon “Works with Alexa” enabled*.
*Available 2022
Q Active Control
Available as a ‘Chromecast Built-In’ OR ‘Works with Alexa’ hub*.
Q Active’s hub is the heart of the system and also supports physical formats and converts them into a high resolutions 24bit/96kHz digital file. The hub then streams this high-resolution audio file to the speakers – so any format you want to listen to can be dealt with wirelessly by your Q Active system. Which means high-quality wireless audio performance no matter the source of your music.
* Alexa enabled available 2022.
Voice Control
If you have Google Home, Amazon Alexa or Apple Siri smart speakers on your home network, it’s easy to control the volume and playback selection of the Q Active system. Simply choose which of the formats you prefer – the control hub is available in a choice of either ‘Chromecast Built-In’ or ‘Works with Alexa’* – both can be used with Apple Siri, and then use these mic-equipped smart devices on your network to control your Q Active system. You can also use the Google Home, Alexa app on your mobile to control the Q Active system.
Your Choice Of Control
In addition to your choice of voice assistant, Q Active can also be controlled using your favorite streaming apps. Or if the TV plugged into the HDMI ARC socket on the control hub is CEC-equipped, use the TV’s remote to control functions like ‘volume’ and ‘standby’. Alternatively use the cabinet mounted volume control on each Q Active speaker or the free Q Active Android and iOS app that allows control and customisation of this wireless audio system.
Dynamic Widescreen Sound
Q Active doesn’t look unique simply for the sake of it. Q Acoustics wanted Q Active to deliver a widescreen sound with no compromise in stereo focus or soundstage, and specified Balanced Mode Radiators (BMRs).
BMRs allow Q Active to deliver outstanding sound quality across your entire listening area, rather than restricting it to the ‘sweet spot’ of more traditional driver arrangements. And, in addition to this widescreen presentation, BMRs deliver seamless midrange performance. Because they operate all the way down to 150Hz, where they hand over to Q Actives’ subwoofer driver, there is no midrange crossover distortion and, consequently, completely clean and uncoloured midrange performance.
Offsetting the BMRs in the Q Active cabinet serves a function, too. It allows for a degree of fine-tuning in your listening room, as it’s possible to position the BMRs to the inside or the outside of the cabinets.
Powerful, Controlled Bass
The back of an ordinary loudspeaker isn’t usually worthy of discussion. But, as is surely obvious by now, Q Active is far from an ordinary loudspeaker – and that goes for the rear of its cabinet too.
Q Active 200 features a rear-firing 114mm / (4.5in) subwoofer delivering fast, deep and beautifully organised bass. Q Active 400 features a pair of the subwoofers in order to double down on the low-frequency action. The reason these drivers are concealed, and the reason they are arranged in the way they are, is all to do with Q Acoustics’ determination to make Q Active easy to position and simple to live with, as well as helping the system sound brilliantly punchy and controlled.
There is a carefully designed fixed ‘Wave guide’ boundary for the subwoofer to fire onto, too, which means the dispersal characteristics of the bass frequencies are always exactly as Q Acoustics prefers. Because the subwoofers fire onto a fixed boundary (the inside of the rear panel), the bass response of Q Active is always ideal, always perfect – no matter where in your room you decide to position the speaker.
Balance and Rigidity
‘Dart’ bracing is in both the Q Active 200 and Q Active 400 cabinets to provide essential stiffness to the cabinet and equally helpful mechanical stability to the rear-firing subwoofer units.
In Q Active 400, careful positioning of the two subwoofers means standing waves inside the cabinet that might colour the sound are effectively neutralised to give a powerful linear bass response.
Tuned For Your Environment
Unlike most loudspeakers, Q Active is tuned to perform to its maximum potential no matter where in your listening room it’s positioned. And unlike most loudspeakers, Q Active is remarkably forgiving of less-than- ideal placement. Its driver configuration means it’s one of the most flexible, as well as one of the best-sounding, speakers you can buy at any price.
Speaker Arrangement
Q Actives can be positioned with the BMRs either on the inside or the outside of the cabinets, allowing perfect audio reproduction no matter if you’re sitting close to the speakers or far away from them. There’s a simple switch on the back of each Q Active speaker to designate it as either the left- or the right-hand channel.
Boundary Setting
A second switch allows you to tell the speaker exactly where it’s positioned in relation to the room – close to a rear wall, in a corner, or out in a little free space. This information allows Q Active to fine-tune its low- frequency response in order to deliver the best possible sound no matter the circumstances.
Speaker Specifications
Hub Specifications
- 2 x Q Active 400 Speakers
- 1 x Q Active Hub
- 1 x Remote Control
- 1 x Manual
