Looking for all in one for Q Acoustics Concept 20

[ErwinC]

After being very impressed last year by the pair of Q Acoustics 2020i i owned, i bought a pair of Concept 20 speakers last week.

Since i want to reduce the number of boxes i currently have (Cyrus 6XP, XPower and Vincent CD player) and reduce the space needed for my audio equipment, i am looking for a good all in one solution to go with these fantastic Concept 20 speakers.

I already tested the Rotel RCX-1500 and did not like the fact that the transport was noisy. I am now considering the Arcam Solo Neo and Naim Unitilite. The Arcam 'house sound' is not 100% what i like and the Naim Unitilite i can not test before buying. So i would like to ask for some advice for a good all in one to go with the Q Acoustics Concept 20. Are there other possibilities?

 

[Supreme]

I was reading in a forum the other day about a small group of people who had all bought the Concept 20's and were running them with some pretty high end amps and sources, they were reporting that whatever they threw at the 20's, the speakers just lapped it up and grew into the task given to them.

If you like the Naim sound the Naim Unitiqute would be ideal as it is extremely well connected, physically small and you can add the Naim Nap 100 to further improve things with very little extra room needed.

 

[ErwinC]

I was reading in a forum the other day about a small group of people who had all bought the Concept 20's and were running them with some pretty high end amps and sources, they were reporting that whatever they threw at the 20's, the speakers just lapped it up and grew into the task given to them.

I totally agree. At this moment i am testing a Marantz SA-15S2 LE (£2000) and the Concept 20 really handles this extremely well.

If you like the Naim sound the Naim Unitiqute would be ideal as it is extremely well connected, physically small and you can add the Naim Nap 100 to further improve things with very little extra room needed.

I also need a cd player, so i suspect a Naim Unitilite would be a good solution?

 

[Supreme]

From what I've read I can't see the amp in the Naim out-shinning the capablilties of the Concept 20s. It's down to whether you like the Naim sound or not.

 

[bluedroog]

I would get to worried about the ‘rules’ of price distribution between components, get what you like and can afford. One thing I would say is in my experience Q-Acoustics speakers thrive off plenty of power, I’m not talking outrageous amounts but certainly I’ve heard them struggle on the end of systems closer to the ‘life-style’ spectrum and really sing on the end of a proper amp.

How are you finding the Concept 20’s compared to the 2020s anyway, is it a distinct jump in quality and in which areas? I am curios given the drive components are the same but the cabinet much improved and also there is quite a relative jump in price?

 

[Cypher]

This one maybe ? Sounds very, very good.

http://www.audioanalogue.com/enigma-rev20-P44.html

 

[bluedroog]

Wouldn't*

 

[ErwinC]

This one maybe ? Sounds very, very good.

http://www.audioanalogue.com/enigma-rev20-P44.html

Tested the Enigma a few years back and did not like it. :?

 

[ErwinC]

How are you finding the Concept 20’s compared to the 2020s anyway, is it a distinct jump in quality and in which areas? I am curios given the drive components are the same but the cabinet much improved and also there is quite a relative jump in price?

I really like the 2020i a lot but the Concept 20 are better in about every area. They clearly have more detail, are more dynamic and have a better defined bass. Imaging is also better.

I have the Concept 20 about a week now and they are still improving. It took my 2020i several weeks of playing before they reached their full potential so i suspect this will also be the case with the Concept 20 since they are using the same drivers.

The increase in price is small compared to the jump in sound quality imo. Both speakers have a very high value for money ime.

 

[ErwinC]

One thing I would say is in my experience Q-Acoustics speakers thrive off plenty of power, I’m not talking outrageous amounts but certainly I’ve heard them struggle on the end of systems closer to the ‘life-style’ spectrum and really sing on the end of a proper amp.

Speaking of power, do you think the new Rotel RA-1570 amplifier (2x120 Watt) would be a good match? The RA-1570 has several digital inputs and also a USB-A and USB-B input.

 

[bluedroog]

I don’t know that Rotel but it certainly looks the business. Power isn’t just about the wpc, current is also very important but I’d be surprised if the Rotel was lacking in anyway.

When I heard them lacking it was with a Denon mini system (something 39 I think) which actually they seem to get paired with very often but you simply cannot compare that with the Rotel so I wouldn’t have any concerns.

I think people often make the mistake of thinking small speakers = small amp but actually smaller cabinets are often less efficient and require a bit more, beyond the specs too some speakers just respond better to power and I’d put the Q-Acoustics in that camp. That is not to say they need excessive power but will thanks you for not scrimping.

 

[ErwinC]

It's down to whether you like the Naim sound or not.

I like the Cyrus sound more than the Naim sound, but Cyrus does not have an all in one. With Cyrus you need at least 3 boxes to have the functionality/power of a Naim Unitilite.

 

[kev g]

I`ve had my Naim UnitiLite for a couple of weeks now & it gives a very different presentation to my old smooth sounding Arcam/Marantz separates.

The bass is very tight & tuneful, really drives the music along. Treble is open, detailed (hearing cymbals which I never heard before) with no harshness.

Internet Radio, optional Dab/FM tuner, streaming etc, all in one box - brilliant. I cannot wait to get some new speakers myself.

If you cannot demo the Naim, well it does have great reviews - take a chance or not ??

 

[Steve Reichert PR Manager ArmourHome]

Hello ErwinC

I've introduced the Q Acoustics 'Concept 20' loudspeakers to a number of hi-fi dealers over the past three months.

Much to my surprise, most of them had a Naim 'all-in-one' already wired up and ready to play in their demonstration rooms. The Naim unit was clearly their everyday 'source/amplifier of choice' for most applications.

I'm very pleased to report that we got excellent results on every occasion and the Naim/Q Acoustics combination worked wonderfully well - and every dealer placed orders for the Concept 20

best regards

Steve

Steve Reichert - PR Manager, Armour Home (Q Acoustics)

 

[ErwinC]

I'm very pleased to report that we got excellent results on every occasion and the Naim/Q Acoustics combination worked wonderfully well - and every dealer placed orders for the Concept 20

Thanks for the useful feedback.

I will try to get a Naim Unitilite to test with my Concept 20 speakers.

 

[GMK]

Which speaker stands are you running the Concept 20's on?

 

[ErwinC]

Which speaker stands are you running the Concept 20's on?

None, they are placed on a cabinet. But i use Auralex propad monitor isolation pads between the speakers and the cabinet. This works very well.

 

[Steve Reichert PR Manager ArmourHome]

Hello GMK,

I hope you don't mind, but I've 'cut n paste' my response to an earlier thread, which I think may be relevant to your question:

We, of course, would wish everyone who invests in a pair of the new Concept 20 speakers to purchase a pair of the matching stands as well. However, the speakers will also work beautifully on less good stands and even when placed on suitable shelves, brackets or furniture - just not quite as good as on Concept 20 stands.

I feel I have to point that this also applies to every other 'Standmount/bookshelf' loudspeaker on the planet. Every one of them will perfom better on a good stand than they do on a poor stand or on furniture.

Now here's the ironic bit - the Concept 20 will almost certainly perform better than all its rival speakers, when placed on something like a sideboard of other piece of furniture, precisely because its Gelcore construction cabinet will transmit less energy (vibration) into whatever it's standing on.

Best regards,

Steve Reichert - PR Manager, Armour Home (Q Acoustics)

 

[Bobbyhifi]

Now here's the ironic bit - the Concept 20 will almost certainly perform better than all its rival speakers, when placed on something like a sideboard of other piece of furniture, precisely because its Gelcore construction cabinet will transmit less energy (vibration) into whatever it's standing on.

Surely that's only one factor though? The Concept 20's have a rear port which would behave worse in a bookcase than a sealed or front ported speaker no?

 

[ErwinC]

Surely that's only one factor though? The Concept 20's have a rear port which would behave worse in a bookcase than a sealed or front ported speaker no?

That is by far the most important factor. The vibrations from the speaker transmitted to the cabinet. Makes the cabinet part of the speaker.

 

[Steve Reichert PR Manager ArmourHome]

Hi Bobbyhifi,

That's a great question.

I'm pretty certain that the answer is, provided you used the rear port bungs (which come supplied with the Concept 20 speakers) they would work very well - and still better than their competitors. My evidence for this is my experience with 'infinite baffle' designs, which always sound far more 'boxy' when placed in these sort of positions. Logically, there is no reason for this added colouration of the sound quality unless the bookcase is reflecting energy that is radiating from the speaker cabinet. The cabinet of the Concept 20 simply radiates far less energy.

However, I do have to concede that actually 'inside' a bookcase would just about be the worst possible speaker placement

best regards

Steve Reichert

 

[audioaddict]

please dont over look the marantz cr603 plus there is a new version out which looks lush