Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Q Acoustics 3020i Bookshelf Speakers Pair Arctic White - 2-Way Reflex Enclosure Type, 5" Bass Driver, 0.9" Tweeter - Stereo Speakers/Passive Speakers for Home Theater Sound System

Top positive review

New speakers changed my listening life!

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2020

I'd been debating upgrading my terrible sounding home stereo but I'd find myself thinking I don't listen to enough music, and then I thought, hey wait a minute....

So I did some research. Lots. Ended up getting a pair of Q Acoustics 3020i Bookshelf speakers.

The difference between these and my old Boston Acoustics was amazing! The old ones had a kind of harsh, muddy sound - just awful.
The Q Acoustics are smooth and easy to listen to and very clear - in fact I heard stuff on these I had never heard before on records Id been listening to for 20, 30, 40 years. (Even using Spotify!) There is a hard to describe 3 dimensional quality to the sound from these. Pretty broad response high to low, seemingly without any hyped frequencies. In my set-up I've got a little subwoofer that gives it a little extra oomph. I just use a touch of it. (I wish the live sound mixing guys would use just a tad.)
I listened to:
Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Tom Petty - Wildflowers
Pat Metheny - Are You Going With Me?
Bill Frisell - Surfer Gurl
Pink Floyd - Breathe
Donald Fagen - New Frontier (classic track live sound guys often use to tune a room)
Shawn Colvin - A Few Small Repairs

The drums sound amazing. I hear the stick hit the low tom and the sound of the drum room. Guitars sound incredible as well. Acoustics feel like you're sitting right in front of them. A Tele on the Lucinda track sounds like my Deluxe Reverb is in the room.
Vocals are fantastic - full and clear but not strident. Little parts like mandolins, background guitar parts, Wurlitzer, and subtle B3 notes are so present - still low in the mix but way more easy to hear. Nice musical bass - full but not boomy or thumpy. The stereo image is really great. The speakers seem to really shine on some pleasing frequencies that get left out of a lot of current systems found in cars or Bluetooth portables, ear buds, Google and Amazon virtual assistants.

I should've done this a long time ago. It's super inspiring to listen to music on these speakers.

15 people found this helpful

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Mark Benjamin

Get real Wire Cutter

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2024

Perfectly adequate speakers, not quite as good as my 1995 Polk bookshelf speakers. Highs are not that crisp, bass is flabby, and they sound sort of canned.

727 total ratings, 269 with reviews

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From the United States

New speakers changed my listening life!

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2020

Color: Carbon BlackVerified Purchase

15 people found this helpful

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Jeffrey A. Lawson

Perfect near-field solution

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2024

Color: Graphite GrayVerified Purchase

I've wall mounted these in my office and didn't use the included baffles. In a bigger space with more real estate I would've chosen the 3030s or something different entirely. In this use case they're absolutely brilliant. Staging is broad and they have a very natural timbre, excellent highs and the bass/mids are enhanced by the enclosed space.

If you have a small room or office that can't hold a bigger speaker and don't want a "desktop speaker" these fit the bill. At lower volumes I might even call them magic... There's definitely a special quality to them, if used in the appropriate space.

2 people found this helpful

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glenn

Beautiful sound but beware of the slightly odd shape

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2021

Color: Carbon BlackVerified Purchase

I love the sound from these speakers. Based on recommendations from Don Lindich's SoundAdvice column, as well as numerous glowing reviews, I bought these as a replacement for our old Infinity bookshelf speakers. They are powered by a new Denon receiver (DRA-800H). The music quality coming out of this system, total cost <$1,000, is just amazing. With eyes closed, I cannot tell that I am listening to bookshelf speakers. The sound is vibrant, alive and the bass is powerful. Love this system. There are only two slightly negative points, neither of which have to do with the sound quality. First, the enclosure corners are rounded to give a stylish look. However, this reduces the contact area the base of the speaker makes with its stand. The speaker width is 6.7" but the effective width making contact with the floor, shelf or stand is really about 5". Consequently, these units are less stable than normal bookshelf speakers and significantly easier to knock over. Second, the speaker wire mounting posts have a tag attached stating "we recommend QED cables." This is a shameless advertising ploy that, if followed, will only result in wasted money. QED cables can cost up to 10x more than normal, copper speaker wires. It's been shown time and again that the only factor that matters with speaker wire is resistance. Speciality cables are a waste of money. Just purchase copper speaker wire of the right gauge for your needed length and you will get the best possible sound. I use 10' of 14 AWG copper (not copper clad aluminum), which adds negligible resistance between the receiver and speaker.

9 people found this helpful

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Steve in Sarasota

Best Speaker for the Money

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2023

Color: Carbon BlackVerified Purchase

Excellent quality, great sound.

A friend owned five of these for his home theater and I was so impressed with the quality that I purchased the same set. I am not disappointed. They sound much better than the Bose speakers we had previously. I also like the magnetic grills.

I do wish they installed more threaded bosses to allow more flexible mounting options, but that's a small nit-pick compared to the price/performance you get.

Instead of focusing on expensive marketing it seems like this British company focuses on quality and keeping prices reasonable.

The mounts you can purchase seperately were disappointing but the Q speakers are exceptional. I highly recommend them.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Brian R

Wow!

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024

Color: Graphite GrayVerified Purchase

Unbelievable! The sound from these speakers does not seem possible given their size. They go much lower than I expected. Obviously pairing with a subwoofer would be ideal but they’re quite enjoyable to listen to on their own. The midrange and highs are crystal clear, clean, and engaging. I was expecting them to sound good given all the favorable reviews but they’ve far exceeded my expectations. Great job Q Acoustics! Highly recommended!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Barrington

Quality bookshelf speakers

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2020

Color: Carbon BlackVerified Purchase

I bought a pair of these and AB'ed them against a pair of Pioneer SPBS22-LR speakers. Both are wired connections. The Q's are a little more efficient than the Pioneers, and they sound a little brighter. But the sound quality, as judged subjectively by me, are very similar. I kept the Pioneers (because they match other speakers), but I thought the Q's were just the slightest bit better.

If you are buying these speakers to listen to music from a stereo source and you don' intend to turn up the sound to loud levels you will be well served by these speakers. The size of the speakers preclude a powerful base function, and if loud's the thing you would need a sub to supplement them.

The Q's are recommended to people setting up a good quality stereo system - say with a Denon DP300 turntable. If I were to describe the sound of these speakers in one word that word would be "accurate." I listened to them with a variety of music and found that they don't color the music.

The speakers (I bought the black ones) are very attractive and well made. I found that the grill covers were clumsy, as they magnetically attach to the cabinet. But that might make them more easily replaceable too.

Overall, for the price asked these speakers will satisfied most people.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Eyeconic

Great Sound - One Note of Caution

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2020

Color: Graphite GrayVerified Purchase

My collection is mostly classical but I also like, ... well, Roy Orbison plus some 60s rock. My late husband used to say that I have multiple personality disorder.

These speakers sound fabulous with a wide range of sound. The high end is flawless. I have these paired with a mid-price subwoofer. Overall, the low end is excellent. I recalibrated (Onkyo) but I might experiment with the crossover setting.

These replaced some relatively inexpensive JBL speakers. The difference was noticeable with the first note of music.

That "note of caution:" My speaker stands are small platform. They hold the speaker "securely" with adjustable pressure pads on both sides. The problem is that the speakers have a rounded edge preventing the pads from really gripping. If I tighten them, the speaker rises up like it was squeezed from a toothpaste tube and I end up gripping air.

I ordered some heavy duty Velcro fasteners which should do the trick.

These speakers have a proprietary securing mechanism on the bottom but the Q Acoustic stands are ridiculously priced (IMO).

Bottom line: Terrific sound from reasonably priced speakers. Excellent value. Just evaluate your mounting options in advance.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

LimaBN

Stunning clarity - a whole new experience for me

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2021

Color: Arctic WhiteVerified Purchase

My existing speakers had degraded over time - a nice pair of Polk, but I guess the kids must have blown them out.
Regardless, I set these up at noon and at 8:00 p.m. I still didn't want to quit listening. Mid-range especially fine.
So lovely, it really does feel like the music is right inside my head. Well made, no wrinkles in the film. I do suggest putting the warning label about not sticking your fingers into the speakers on both sides of the interior wrapper.
(Assuming I'm going to open the box from the top rather than from the bottom is dangerous.) Outstanding value.
Be sure to get the matching stands. I'm just in awe of these speakers. Thank you.

2 people found this helpful

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Brian C. Copeland

Great Sounding Speakers for the Right Amp and Room

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2020

Color: Carbon BlackVerified Purchase

I purchased these to go with a 35w Cambridge integrated amplifier as part of a phono and DAC setup in my office. The speakers are solid and of high quality. My only gripe is the magnetic speaker covers and the material on them. They came off quite a few times while installing/positioning them and the fabric on them looked bad by the time that I had them in place. I really liked the banana plug connectors on the back too. Once I had them connected and in place I gave them a thorough audition.

Like most bookshelf speakers they are lacking a bit in the bass department, so I ordered a matching subwoofer for another $300 and this cured that problem straight away. The vibration they created in my bookshelf also made my turntable give a lot of feedback, so I had to move my turntable further away from them. They still gave a bit of feedback, but now at only much higher volumes. The sound at higher volumes was very nice, especially the mids. The highs were a tiny bit grainy and the bass was a bit flabby. The space requirements in my room dictate that they be 8 feet apart. These are probably more suited for being 6 feet or less apart. Also, the 86db rating means they do need a fair bit of power to drive. They sounded better and fuller at higher volumes. At lower volumes they sounded as if they were on opposite sides of the room (which they were). In the end, they just weren't the right fit for my 35w amp and room requirements. While I liked them very much I ended up returning them and buying some Klipsch RP-600M bookshelf speakers that were on sale.

It isn't quite fair to compare these 3020i's to speakers costing 60% more, but what a difference. The Klipsch speakers were rated very non-conservatively at 96db (they are probably more like 89db) and that bit of difference allows me to fill the room with music at much lower volumes. They too lacked a bit of bass, so I ended up keeping the Q Acoustics subwoofer that I had purchased. It was much nice than the Klipsch counterpart for the same money and I liked its thin profile which made it fit perfectly under my desk.

I think the 3020i sound great and would do fine in a smaller room being driven by a higher powered amplifier. Just expect to add a sub right away and make sure that you keep them away from your turntable!

5 people found this helpful

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F. Ventura

Wow, great little speakers

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2024

Color: Carbon BlackVerified Purchase

Using with a Fosi v3 amp and Wiim pro plus. EQ set to bass boost. In a small room they sound great.

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Q Acoustics 3020i Bookshelf Speakers Pair Arctic White - 2-Way Reflex Enclosure Type, 5" Bass Driver, 0.9" Tweeter - Stereo Speakers/Passive Speakers for Home Theater Sound System

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Q Acoustics 3020i Bookshelf Speakers Pair Arctic White - 2-Way Reflex Enclosure Type, 5" Bass Driver, 0.9" Tweeter - Stereo Speakers/Passive Speakers for Home Theater Sound System

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