Q Acoustics Concept 40 owners

[hybridauth_google_112370865474665644907]

I just wanted to hear from any current Concept 40 owners for their reviews and thoughts on these speakers.

And what amps have or even haven't worked for you, with these speakers.

I've heard a brand new pair and was very impressed.

Cheers

 

[Waxy]

... and so far very impressed.

I auditioned them firstly with a Marantz PM6004 (the nearest thing to my amp), then with an Onkyo A3000R (which I also eventually bought). I'd say the speakers took around 50 hours to settle down. I have them set up about 50cm from the wall, away from the corners, and about 2.5m apart. They are toed-in slightly for a better stereo image. I spent a while experimenting with the angle of the toe-in as it seems quite sensitive. I sit around 2.5m from each speaker.

They are the first floorstanders I have owned. They are quite slim, so do not take up a great deal amount of room. The finish is excellent - I went for the gloss black. The speaker terminals can be a bit fiddly with the jumper bar (I'm not using banana plugs, just bare wire). I intend to get some jumper wires with spade ends, and fit plugs to my speaker cables... at some point. Out of the box, you need to fit the glass plate which forms the 2 rear feet of the stand. The supplied instructions are very clear, and the required hexagon wrench is supplied. They are solid and fairly hefty so watch your back when lifting!

My first impression was "Oh, this is what speakers are supposed to sound like". I have to admit I was previously running bookshelf speakers on the floor (Yes, I know. The shame!). I did try out some stands but with a small person running around the house, I got my Health & Safety head on and decided they were not stable enough. The Concept 40 stands are pretty stable on a flat, level floor.

They are senstive to placement: initially I had them too close to the wall and they were a touch on the boomy side. This may also have been a feature of the bedding-in process, can't be sure. I eventually settled on the optimum position and angle for my listening position.

They cope very well with the variety of music I throw at them. I'm no expert, but I like what I hear.

 

[hybridauth_google_112370865474665644907]

Completely agree with your final comment there: They cope very well with the variety of music I throw at them. I'm no expert, but I like what I hear.

I've only heard them for a couple days at a friends house, with a Denon AVR 4520 receiver playing in 2channel pure direct mode, no sub (as per a separate post of mine comparing them to KEF LS50s with stands, since both speaks are similar prices when you add the stands to the LS50s) and they sounded really good.

Without a sub, I especially liked the quality of the bass of the Concept 40s. I could almost consider not having to buy a sub at all. It's enough bass and its quality too, well balanced bass.

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[plastic penguin]

Can I just add, if I could accommodate a large floorstander the 'Concept' would be high on my audition list.

(Not withstanding the fact I have a £1300 integrated amp and PMC TB2i speakers.)

 

[branden]

Many reviewers over look the underdog speaker mfgs and instead rave for unrealistic ownership of speakers that make one think? Should I send my child to college or purchase the latest $40K speakers from Proac and PMC...For my taste you pick out the best amp you can afford then go for the speakers that bring out the best in that amp or in most cases tame a select issue, i.e. treble harshness, too much bass, etc. For me the Concept 40's are a better speaker than the Kef ls50's, very smooth and yes a little too polite for some but I matched it with Naim Nait 5si and Arcam irdac, using Naim NACA A5 with Naim High line power cord and Kimber silver streak interconnects, source: Apple mini ipad 3 with audioquest carbon lightning USB-A, Naim can be a little dry and sometimes confused with being a bit harsh but when mated with the concept 40's, they completely cancel out each others flaws and settle into audio bliss!