3030 vision

Q Acoustics adds a larger stand mount to its successful 3000i lineup but, as David Vivian discovers, size isn’t everything

- David Vivian

Just as Q Acoustics’ 3020i standmount speaker (HFC 441) is a larger version of the 3010i, so the 3030i is an XL, possibly XXL, the incarnation of the 3020i. You’d think the upshot would be easy to predict – a brand-familiar smooth, cohesive, easy-going character writ a little larger with more bass, blood, and body. In theory, for anyone used to the sound of the 3020i, we could wrap the review right here. Thankfully, the ‘up-scaled’ 3030i has been bestowed sonic benefits that far exceed the anticipated extra heft. It’s a big deal in more ways than one.

But big is a good place to start. In completing the 3000i series lineup of standmounts, the 3030i stretches the soft-cornered form factor established a couple of years ago by the dinky 3010i beyond that of the mid-sized 3020i and into a thing of substance unlikely to melt into background decor and conceivably close to the limit of what most people would consider acceptable for a speaker to place on a sturdy stand or even the most capacious of bookshelves.

It’s because the rear-ported enclosure is closer in size to the top portion of the 3050i floorstander’s (HFC 447), sharing its 200mm width and exceeding its depth by a whopping 19mm. And while the 3050i’s depth measurement is already pretty generous for a strapping tower, plus 19mm becomes a very distinctive feature of a squat standmount, making it slightly deeper than it is tall. The Q 3000FSi stands aren’t just a good idea, but probably necessary for the sake of aesthetic harmony.