Q Acoustics Concept 20 vs Dali Zensor 3

[TonyIRL]

Hi all,Im building my first setup and need a bit of advice. After spending hours trawling through loads of reviews of both Amps and Speakers, I have settled on the NAD D 3020 and either the Q Acoustics Concept 20 or the Dali Zensor 3.

Ive read loads on the speakers themselves, but no in depth direct comparison. The Q 20s look great but having to buy the dedicated stands for an extra £200 makes them approx £250 more expensive than the Dalis. I dont mind paying the cash if the Q20s are much better, but are they? From reading the reviews, the only thing im worried about wit the q20s are the lack of bass relative to the Dalis. Big difference?

Thanks in advance for ur comments!!

 

[matthewpiano]

Both extremely good speakers. Sorry, but an audition really is the only way here!

 

[TonyIRL]

Many thanks for the feedback. Main problem I have is that the nearest stockist of higher grade speakers is almost 3 hrs away so trying to get a better idea here.

Good to know that im on the right track speakers wise tho! Will both work well with the NAD D 3020 or would one be more suited than the other?

 

[matthewpiano]

Hard to say as I haven't heard the D3020 yet and some of it will come down to the partnership between the amp and speakers. However, I have heard both sets of speakers. The Dalis give a bigger scale of sound than the Qs and that 7" bass driver means bass-lines are more solidly planted and go deeper. The Qs are more civilised and refined sounding. Although they don't go as low as the Dalis, there is never any sense that anything is really missing, certainly with the sort of music I listen to - acoustic, progressive rock, jazz and classical mostly.

As I say, both very talented speakers and I would expect both to sound good with the NAD having read the WHFS&V review of the amp.

 

[TonyIRL]

Many thanks for all of your help Mathew - that has been a great help!! At the moment I am leaning towards the Dalis but will defo have to audition before buying!! Would anyone else have any opinions?

 

[dominos]

maby Epos Epic 2 will do both

 

[Leeps]

Many thanks for the feedback. Main problem I have is that the nearest stockist of higher grade speakers is almost 3 hrs away so trying to get a better idea here.

Good to know that im on the right track speakers wise tho! Will both work well with the NAD D 3020 or would one be more suited than the other?

Personally, I'd spend the £50 on fuel and arrange a demo before spending £600 on a product I don't like (of course you may be over the moon with it, but I wouldn't like to leave this to chance). The thing that no poster on this forum can fully take into account is your personal taste of what balance of sound you like. Grab some music you're familiar with and visit the dealer. You may (as I did once after a demo) come away with products that you think is ten times better than any of the components you originally had in mind.

 

[BigH]

The iother thing to consider is your room and where you can position the speakers. Some speakers need space and be away from walls others are more tolerant. Between those 2 speakers I think it comes down to how much bass you want. What sort of music do you play?

 

[ANOther]

I have the NAD D 3020 and the QA Concept 20s and am happy with the choice - listened to a few different speakers including the Dalis and could easily have gone with either one.

Didn't bother with the expensive stands.

 

[Steve Reichert PR Manager ArmourHome]

Hi TonyIRL

Thank you for considering the Q Acoustics 'Concept 20' loudspeaker.

The stands aren't obligatoy

Like every standmount model, the Concept 20 loudspeaker benefits from being on a good stand. The matching Concept 20 stands are extremely good stands and we also think they look very nice together. Needless to say, the Dali speaker will also perform at their best on a great pair of stands.

Good stands help, but if you can't fit them in or they're outside you budget etc. they're certainly not obligatory.

best regards

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

 

[TonyIRL]

Thanks you all for the feedback!

@Leep, Yes,l'll defo b spending a day in Dublin just going around to retailers listening to different speakers. will defo keep an open mind as well. Im fairly certain on the amp but uncertain as to what pair of speakers to go wit it. Im getting the AKG K550s as a present for xmas as well, so think that they will pair well wit the NAD. Plan on holding onto whatever I get for a long time so want to ensure I am as informed as possible so I can choose wisely!

@ANOther - Good to know - q acoustics are getting back into the race again - thought id have defo needed the stands! What swung u to the q20s in thr end?

@BigH: the speakers will be between 1 to 2 foot away from the wall. Small to medium size room. I listen to pretty much everything depending on whatevwe mood im in - from film scores to classical, classic rock, current chart, dance, musicals, jazz. Bass is a factor, I'm looking for a big submersive sound wit deep accurate bass. Not sure if im describing it all that well but hopefully u get the idea!

@steve: Thanks! Good to know. The main test is when I finally get to hear them, but trying to to do as much homework as I can before then!

 

[CnoEvil]

l'll defo b spending a day in Dublin just going around to retailers listening to different speakers.

Clooney Audio is one of the best dealers in Ireland.......maybe worth checking out.

 

[BigH]

@BigH: the speakers will be between 1 to 2 foot away from the wall. Small to medium size room. I listen to pretty much everything depending on whatevwe mood im in - from film scores to classical, classic rock, current chart, dance, musicals, jazz. Bass is a factor, I'm looking for a big submersive sound wit deep accurate bass. Not sure if im describing it all that well but hopefully u get the idea!

Sounds like the Dali would be a better bet then but I urge you to hear them first.

 

[Binman]

I recenlty purchased the Concept 20 speakers. I've only ever owned about 5 sets of speakers, and these are the most 'hi-fi' sounding ones I've owned. They are very clear, and precise compared to other speakers I've owned. They sometimes lack outright power, but they are a small speaker. I opted not to buy the optional stands. One thing to note is that the speaker is quite narrow and deep, which means you need to check the dimensions of any non-qacoustic stand you may purchase.

On my quest for finding the best price, I noticed that Q Acoustics via thier own website offer a 30 day 'no quibble' returns policy. That said, I got mine elsewhere as I got 5m of speaker cable thrown in and a 5% discount.

 

[Dougal1331]

I went for the Dalis, and I love them. Incredible speakers, addictive to listen to.

I'm sure the Qs are amazing too, although I haven't heard them... Sorry, that didn't really help at all...

 

[matthewpiano]

Might seem a strange suggestion, but I would advise also auditioning the standard Q Acoustics 2020i. They are compulsively easy to listen to and extremely enjoyable and I'd put them above most other sub-£500 speakers I've heard, so don't discount them just because of their price.

 

[TonyIRL]

@CnoEvil: Yup, will b heading there and hifihut. Any other good places to try? Being from the depths of Cork I dont travel to Dublin much!!

Thanks BigH - will defo demo both - sounds like they are both a good buy so will b down to which I prefer the sound of! That was the main thing I was trying to figure out - if one was much better than the other - since it seems not the ears will decide.

@Binman: Thanks for that - looks like theres a bit of a trade off between bigger sound and bass of the dalis and the precision and accuracy of the concepts. It is giving me a better idea of what to expect when demoing. I have read reviews of the kef ls50s (way outside of my price range im afraid! :-( ). Do the q20s have similar characteristics to these?

I have small mission speakers which are hooked up to a denon micro system I got about 10 yrs ago - got ok stands for them so was planning on using the stands for whatever speaker I get. thanks for the heads up - will measure and see if they fit the q20s.

@Doughal1331 - the more endorsements for either speaker the better - makes me reassured that either are a good buy.

@matthewpiano: Cool - are these more or less the same as the Q20s with the exception of the box in the box enclosure with Gelcore? How do they differ sonically to the Q20s?

 

[CarlDW]

The Concept 20's have the same tweeter and driver as the 2020i, the extra cost is in the cabinet. I would listen to both, you may be suprised.

 

[luckylion100]

I have the Concept 20's with the matching stands. I haven't tried them without or with different stands from another manufacturer as when I purchased the speakers I was also in the market for stands. It seemed the obvious choice at the time. All I can say is they sing absolutely beautifully to me and are responsible for my new found love of all things hifi and more importantly all things 'musical'.

Sorry not much help but I'm sure if you're able to audition both speakers you'll be delighted with whatever choice you make. Exciting times! ;-)

 

[CnoEvil]

@CnoEvil: Yup, will b heading there and hifihut. Any other good places to try? Being from the depths of Cork I dont travel to Dublin much!!

All my other recommendations would be in N.I. If that is an option, let me know and I'll give details.

 

[TonyIRL]

@CarlDw: Will defo have a listen to the 2020is as well - thanks for that! Cheers @luckylion100 - looking forward to getting something soon!

@CnoEvil: NI is a bit far. ive spotted on google that theres a place calling Savins in Limerick that has both the Dalis and the Q20s so must defo make a trip there over xmas!

 

[aia21]

Can't comment on the pairing with the NAD as I have never listened to it but I think you really want to listen to both before making a choice.

Only earlier today my wife and I auditioned the Concept 20, the Zensor 3 as well as the 2020i and Zensor 1 all connected to a Marantz MCR610.

Both my wife and I agreed that we liked the Concept 20 more than the 2020i and the Zensor 3 more than the Zensor 1 but the Zensor 1 was actually extremely close to the Zensor 3.

Listening to Adele, Rolling in the Deep, the Zensor 3 sounded best to us, followed by the Zensor 1, then Concept 20, then 2020i.

Listening to classical music (Mars from Holst) however my wife thought the Concept 20 actually sounded better than the Zensor 3 whilst I remained prefering the Zensor 3 and Zensor 1 over the Concept 20.

In the end we actually decided to get the Zensor 1 over the Zensor 3 due to the size of the cabinets - this is for our conservatory which is not very big (in our living room we have Ruark Templar 2 coupled to Marantz KI Signature PM-66SE and CD-63mk2 which are an amazing combination).

Don't get me wrong, the Zensor 3 do sound better than the Zensor 1 but actually, the Zensor 1 sound very, very good, too, just not quite as good, however when space is an issue as it is in our conservatory and given this is only a second system rather than the main hifi in the house we decided to settle on the Zensor 1. I personally would have chosen the Zensor 1 over the Concept 20 even.

Something interesting the helpful person at Richer Sounds said is that the 2020i/Concept 20 get a very mixed response from customers - some love them and some don't. He said both have a particular sound representation and some people like that and some don't. My wife and I appear to be in the don't love them category. We both felt they just didn't feel right - sorry that is not very helpful but it is difficult to describe. Perhaps the best way to describe it would be to say that the Zensor 1/3 sounded a bit warmer than the Concept 20/2020i and both my wife and I liked that about them.

The most important point is that both the Zensor 3 and Concept 20 sound very good without any noticable distortion either at the treble nor at the bass end, and I think it is entirely down to personal preference which "type" of sound representation you prefer so you really should not buy either without trying them with the particular system you want to hook them up to. I am certainly very happy that we made the effort to listen to all four as it made the choice much easier!

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Anton

 

[drummerman]

Can't comment on the pairing with the NAD as I have never listened to it but I think you really want to listen to both before making a choice.

Only earlier today my wife and I auditioned the Concept 20, the Zensor 3 as well as the 2020i and Zensor 1 all connected to a Marantz MCR610.

Both my wife and I agreed that we liked the Concept 20 more than the 2020i and the Zensor 3 more than the Zensor 1 but the Zensor 1 was actually extremely close to the Zensor 3.

Listening to Adele, Rolling in the Deep, the Zensor 3 sounded best to us, followed by the Zensor 1, then Concept 20, then 2020i.

Listening to classical music (Mars from Holst) however my wife thought the Concept 20 actually sounded better than the Zensor 3 whilst I remained prefering the Zensor 3 and Zensor 1 over the Concept 20.

In the end we actually decided to get the Zensor 1 over the Zensor 3 due to the size of the cabinets - this is for our conservatory which is not very big (in our living room we have Ruark Templar 2 coupled to Marantz KI Signature PM-66SE and CD-63mk2 which are an amazing combination).

Don't get me wrong, the Zensor 3 do sound better than the Zensor 1 but actually, the Zensor 1 sound very, very good, too, just not quite as good, however when space is an issue as it is in our conservatory and given this is only a second system rather than the main hifi in the house we decided to settle on the Zensor 1. I personally would have chosen the Zensor 1 over the Concept 20 even.

Something interesting the helpful person at Richer Sounds said is that the 2020i/Concept 20 get a very mixed response from customers - some love them and some don't. He said both have a particular sound representation and some people like that and some don't. My wife and I appear to be in the don't love them category. We both felt they just didn't feel right - sorry that is not very helpful but it is difficult to describe. Perhaps the best way to describe it would be to say that the Zensor 1/3 sounded a bit warmer than the Concept 20/2020i and both my wife and I liked that about them.

The most important point is that both the Zensor 3 and Concept 20 sound very good without any noticable distortion either at the treble nor at the bass end, and I think it is entirely down to personal preference which "type" of sound representation you prefer so you really should not buy either without trying them with the particular system you want to hook them up to. I am certainly very happy that we made the effort to listen to all four as it made the choice much easier!

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Anton

A helpful reply if there ever was one

Regards

 

[Binman]

One more thing I found with the Concept 20 is that they really show up poorly produced music and can make low bit rate music sound terrible.

To add, my amp is a Rotel with 70 watts per channel.

 

[TonyIRL]

@aia21 - thanks for that - very helpful analysis!!