Q Acoustics Q Active 200

Q Acoustics’ first active speaker is part of a wireless system that has some AV possibilities, says Ed Selley – even if he'd likely give the optional stands a pass...

- Ed Selley

PRODUCT: Active stereo system with wireless hub

POSITION: Debut Q Active model, to be followed by floorstanding option

PEERS: Naim Mu-So Qb2; Klipsch The Fives

With the exception of subwoofers, Q Acoustics has not made an active speaker up to this point (previous standalone devices have been 'powered' rather than active) and its opening gambit, the Q Active 200, is an intriguing bit of kit.

Each speaker has a pair of offset 2.25in BMR drivers on the front, while around the back is a single 4.5in woofer handling frequencies below 160Hz. Power is quoted at 100W continuous/280W peak.

They communicate wirelessly over 5.8GHz, and the speaker pairing is supplied with a device called the Q Active Hub. This is an input box with an HDMI ARC connection, optical digital audio and RCA input (the latter of which is able to be used as an MM phono stage), as well as Bluetooth, AirPlay and UPnP playback (with Roon compatibility).

This hub transmits information to the speakers as a 24-bit/96kHz digital signal. The box supplied for review was a Google Assistant-enabled device (with Chromecast built-in). An Amazon Alexa-compatible version will follow (the boxes can’t switch between the two systems).