Q Acoustics have taken the acoustic technology and design cues pioneered in the flagship Concept 300 and 500 ranges and used them in its latest Concept 30 standmount (below), Concept 50 floorstander (above) and Concept 90 centre channel.
Features:
Gelcore cabinet construction reduces higher frequency cabinet noise.
Point-2-Point (P2P) internal bracing stiffens the cabinet to minimise lower frequency vibrations (not Concept 90).
Helmholtz Pressure Equalisers (HPE) reduce internal pressure and standing waves (Concept 50 and 500 only).
Isolation suspension base eradicates unwanted external and internal vibrations.
The driver assembly is mounted to the front aluminium baffle by pretensioned studs to give the correct acoustic seal, while damping vibration and minimising structural coupling of the assembly in main cabinet.
Ground-up mid/bass and tweeter driver design for increased power handling.
High-frequency driver is hermetically sealed and mechanically isolated (floating) from the front baffle to protect from internal resonances from the mid/bass driver.
Crossover is mounted on the isolation base, to minimise any microphonic pick up and away from electro-magnetic fields radiated by the drive units.
Introduced in the original Concept speaker, the Gelcore cabinet construction is designed to minimise high-frequency noise. Comprised of a non-setting gel sandwiched between two individual layers, this specially developed adhesive dissipates high-frequency vibrations, generated by the moving drivers, into heat to maintain a focused audio performance.
To keep the cabinet as rigid as possible, Point-2-Point (P2P) internal bracing is employed. First introduced in the Concept 500, reinforcement is fitted to interior areas of the cabinet susceptible to low frequency reverberations.
A variation on the hugely effective ‘isolation base’ principle first seen on Concept 300 means all three of the new Concept models have a suspension system in the form of a sprung baseplate. Two plates are separated by suspension ‘spheres’ that effectively isolate the cabinet from interference by external vibration, providing tighter stereo imaging, while also bringing greater depth.
Tall floorstanding speakers are prone to internal build-up of pressure that cause unwanted standing waves and reverberations. To prevent this occurring, specially designed Helmholtz Pressure Equalisers (HPE) tubes are fitted inside the Concept 50’s cabinet to improve frequency response.
Designed as an integral part of the mechanical structure of the cabinet, both the 5-inch mid/bass and 0.9-inch tweeter drivers are new, ground-up designs specifically for the Concept 30, 50 and 90 loudspeakers. The drive units are fixed to a remarkably stiff 3mm aluminium baffle plate before it is fitted to the cabinet – this gives the correct acoustic seal, damping vibrations and minimising structural coupling.
Elsewhere, the tweeter is hermetically sealed and mechanically isolated (floating) from the baffle, which means lower distortion and a lower crossover point for seamless integration through the crossover region. Lastly, the crossover itself is mounted to the isolation base, keeping it free of sound-effecting vibrations and away from the electro-magnetic influence of the drivers themselves. The new range retains the signature aluminium front baffle plate that made the original Concept speakers so iconic. All models arrive in three striking lacquers: black, silver and white.
Q Acoustics Concept 30 is priced £899/€1,199/$1,299, Concept 50 is priced £1,999/€2,599/$2,999 and Concept 90 is priced £649/€849/$999 they will be available from the end of October.Q Acoustics Concept 50 5.1 (2x Concept 50, 2x Concept 30 1x Concept 90, 1x QB12) is priced £4,225/€5,495/$6,295.