Q Acoustics 3050 suitable for my old set up?

[mrbthebarber]

I have an Arcam Alpha 3 amp coupled with Mission Cyrus 781s, that I have had for some years and my main sources are a RP3 with mono cartridge and a RP5 with stereo. A recent wall mount bracket purchase for the stereo turntable has sweetened the system no end and I am now thinking that my next upgrade would be speakers and wondered if the Q Acoustics 3050 would couple well with my much loved Arcam and my turntable sources? Thanks in advance.

 

[davedotco]

They should work fine, providing you are able to give them plenty of room to breath.

This is important if you want to have bass that is free of excess warmth that can easily take over and leave you with a dull, somewhat leaden sound.

Try and borrow a pair to try in your room, it will be obvious if it doesn't work.

 

[mrbthebarber]

Thanks for your imput Dave, I appreciate hearing your view.

 

[Steve Reichert PR Manager ArmourHome]

Hello mrbthebarber

Many thanks for considering Q Acoustics 3050 loudspeakers.

We agree with davedotco

If you audition the 3050 at home, please take some time to correctly adjust and lock the floor spikes. It makes a huge difference to the sound you'll hear. Please never use the rubber spike protectors. If you have wood/tiled floors you understandably wish to protect, please simply place a metal disc under each spike - small coins are perfect for this.

Regards

Steve Reichert - Q Acoustics

 

[mrbthebarber]

Thank you Steve, I have a demo of these arranged at my local Richer Sounds, this Thursday. They are kindly hooking up an Arcam amp and a Project TT and I'll take in some favoured vinyl and I'm hoping I'm going to be mightily impressed after all the reviews I have read. I love my old Mission Cyrus 781s, they've been a pleasurable speaker for nearly 20 years but I do feel after all my other upgrades this is the next one for me. On the same day, 70 new LPs arrive in from the States for me also ... could be a fun day!

 

[Andrewjvt]

Thank you Steve, I have a demo of these arranged at my local Richer Sounds, this Thursday. They are kindly hooking up an Arcam amp and a Project TT and I'll take in some favoured vinyl and I'm hoping I'm going to be mightily impressed after all the reviews I have read. I love my old Mission Cyrus 781s, they've been a pleasurable speaker for nearly 20 years but I do feel after all my other upgrades this is the next one for me. On the same day, 70 new LPs arrive in from the States for me also ... could be a fun day!

Not sure which richer sounds branch and quality of the demo room....
But
ive been in a lot of richer sound demo rooms and only one was aby good. So my point is it will sound much better in your house.
And if you dont like it you can always return

 

[NJB]

A shop audition is a worthwhile step, but I have always found that the system sounds different at home. This can be positive or negative because there are so many factors. Your electronics will sound different, plus speaker placement, room shape/size/damping effects will all be influences. I now enter a shop demo looking at the real big issues, because the finer points are only clear once you tweak the little things at home. Oh, and make sure the shop 3050s are not straight out of the packing. All speakers benefit from a bit of running in.

 

[peterpiper]

i just got a brand new pair of discontinued 2050i from richers for a knockdown price, without an audition. I was wiorried i might not like them, but no worries, deep underpinning bass and good spacial definition, a genuine bargain buy

if the 3050 are an improvment they must be excellent speakers , the older models seem physically more solid then the new ones though

 

[mrbthebarber]

Well, I went for my demo, took a friend, whom I also took when demoing my Mission 781s 20 plus years ago! I am glad I took him because I couldn't believe what I heard ( neither could he ) the 3050s sounded awful, not a patch on even my old 781s ( I'm sorry Steve from Q ). I appreciate sound is subjective and the guy said they were very popular speakers with certain people but it was a speaker that polarised opinions it seems and after we'd commented how disappointing they sounded, he himself said he hated them! He proceeded to then demo nearly every speaker in the shop, some ok but none briliant or leaps above what I had ( I will add he was using an Arcam amp, Chord speaker and power cables etc ). He then bought in a pair of Focal Aria 906 and they blew us both away! However they were £200 over budget ... but he knocked £200 off them as they were "open box". I have to say they have been a ****** to position in my room and after much moving around and 2-3 days running in I have a speaker I am very, very pleased with and personally I am prefer stand speakers to floorstand so all is good.

 

[nopiano]

That's great to hear,and I'm glad you've found something you love. Your story, and similar ones here, need shouting from the rooftops. Go and LISTEN!

Sadly, by the magazine deleting their product lists it means that only so called 'best buys' are mentioned, yet others will be more appealing for all sorts of reasons. And in your case, a dealer with the stock and patience to find something suitable.

Now let's wait for someone to say you only liked them because they were played louder!

 

[davedotco]

That's great to hear,and I'm glad you've found something you love. Your story, and similar ones here, need shouting from the rooftops. Go and LISTEN!

Sadly, by the magazine deleting their product lists it means that only so called 'best buys' are mentioned, yet others will be more appealing for all sorts of reasons. And in your case, a dealer with the stock and patience to find something suitable.

Now let's wait for someone to say you only liked them because they were played louder!

Speakers, especially budget ones, sound different irrespective of level. If you teach yourself to listen to the music rather than the sound they make, you can even make viable choices in a 'strange' dem room.

An accomodating dealer can make all the difference, I am not familier with current Focal models but if their superioty is that clear cut (for your requirements), then go for them.

 

[nopiano]

That's great to hear,and I'm glad you've found something you love. Your story, and similar ones here, need shouting from the rooftops. Go and LISTEN!

Sadly, by the magazine deleting their product lists it means that only so called 'best buys' are mentioned, yet others will be more appealing for all sorts of reasons. And in your case, a dealer with the stock and patience to find something suitable.

Now let's wait for someone to say you only liked them because they were played louder!

Speakers, especially budget ones, sound different irrespective of level. If you teach yourself to listen to the music rather than the sound they make, you can even make viable choices in a 'strange' dem room.

An accomodating dealer can make all the difference, I am not familier with current Focal models but if their superioty is that clear cut (for your requirements), then go for them.

I agree, Dave. We've both had the benefit of hearing dozens of speakers by working in a retail environment and that's why I'm sceptical about the volume thing, though you explain expertly about your blind listening experiences. (On Saturday I heard the Guildford Audio show systems and each was a totally different presentation yet in broadly similar rooms: the hi end seems more divergent than ever!)

 

[mrbthebarber]

Now let's wait for someone to say you only liked them because they were played louder!

Ha I kept an eye on the volume all the time and the same level was used on all speakers

 

[mrbthebarber]

That's great to hear,and I'm glad you've found something you love. Your story, and similar ones here, need shouting from the rooftops. Go and LISTEN!

Sadly, by the magazine deleting their product lists it means that only so called 'best buys' are mentioned, yet others will be more appealing for all sorts of reasons. And in your case, a dealer with the stock and patience to find something suitable.

Now let's wait for someone to say you only liked them because they were played louder!

If you teach yourself to listen to the music rather than the sound they make, you can even make viable choices in a 'strange' dem room.

Exactly ... I am that sort of listener in that I listen to every nuance when I sit down for some hifi time, hence always taking music I'm very familair with on demos and differences, be it good or bad, then stand out easily.

 

[davedotco]

My experience with hi-end is that it is very much a statement of the designer/manufacturers ideas, different ideas, different presentation, etc, etc.

There are some very good, very transparent systems available at realistic prices but they lack what I can only describe as personality, so are somehow discounted.

Regarding the volume issue, using the same volume setting for different speakers will usually play into the hands of the more sensitive speaker. Volume still plays a big part in what we hear so switching quickly from one to another can be deceiving.

Try and play a few things, try different levels then try a different speaker, the differences are usually obvious enough.

When listening, I am not really a 'detail' person, these days it is all about dynamics, presence and feel for me but then we are all different.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Now let's wait for someone to say you only liked them because they were played louder!

 

Ha I kept an eye on the volume all the time and the same level was used on all speakers

Have a very good efficiency guage