JANUARY 2022 MACWORLD 105mmmm
Q Acoustics 3030i
PROS- Bold, accurate sound in a
surprisingly compact
package. - Purpose-built stands are
available at a reasonable
price.
CONS - Unforgiving of lesser
recordings: garbage in,
offal out. - Cabinet depth might make
it difficult to deploy these
on an actual bookshelf.
PRICE
$399
COMPANY
Q Acoustics
a high-end harshness that was not at all in
evidence when I auditioned the pair in a
much larger, open-floor-plan living and
dining room.
Not to fret: I found happy solutions for
the sonic distress—first
informally on my own, and then
officially from Q Acoustics with
word of a product upgrade.
Solution one was carbon fiber
speaker spike isolation pads
(fave.co/3GnCFAO). Placing
these 40mmx10mm, vibration-
deadening discs (about $23 for
a set of four; I bought two sets)
under the spikes also helped
me level the stands.
Once all was in place, there
was peace in the valley. The Q
Acoustics/Bluesound combo
now was making deliciously
sweet, airy music with
the amp’s tone controls
set flat, while the Q
Acoustics/Sonos Amp
pairing mostly satisfied
my sensitive nature
with the amp’s treble
control set just 1 or 2
notches below 0.
Solving this problem
was so gratifying I had
to stay up late and
celebrate—by listening
to more music, of course!BOTTOM LINE
The better news is that new 3030i buyers
who opt for the matching stands won’t
need to spend anything extra
to solve potential isolation
problems. Q Acoustics has
since acknowledged that it had
a problem with the vendor who
provided those too-soft boots
and has since switched back to
an earlier supplier with a
product that works better with
its stands. However you deploy
these fine speakers, you’re
going to get great
performances for a lot less than
you probably expected to pay.
Just be sure to pair them with a
quality amplifier. ■These carbon fiber dampening discs did a better job of isolating
speaker and room vibrations, quelling painful sonic exaggerations.