Q Acoustics 5040 Speakers

When Q Acoustics get a speaker right, they really do get it right and at a price that must cause other brands sleepless nights. I wouldn’t want to be a competitor following the launch of the new 5000 series, and I’m quite surprised with what they’ve achieved and the direction they’ve taken. To my ear this is no dual purpose hifi/home cinema speaker that most of the market expects, but a proper bona fide hi-fi design.

I’ll briefly cover some of the basics. First up is the cabinets which are made from 25mm mdf, much thicker than most speakers, and (possibly contentiously) to my mind preferable to the thin walled lossy gel core design used on some of their more expensive models. The paper cones feature a one piece curved diaphragm which dispenses with a separate dust cap, which when done well could have benefits with controlling dispersion (etc). Hidden inside the cabinets are ‘helmholtz Pressure equalizers’ which are intended to reduce cabinet resonance's.

This is a more lively and insightful sounding speaker than we’ve seen from Q Acoustics before, intentionally so by all accounts. The sound is clean, fast and crisp. They are surprisingly revealing at this price point, and I probably wouldn’t want to partner them with a poor source or amplifier, but that should not been seen as a negative - just avoid anything harsh or aggressive as they are unlikely to hide this trait. I would suggest that if you view them as being a speaker of nearer twice their price and partner them accordingly then you wont be disappointed with the results. Needless to say we tried them with lower powered valve amplification and they worked wonderfully, they appear to be quite efficient and easy to drive, which ultimately benefits every amplifier and results in more realistic dynamics than less efficient models.

If you expect boosted bass (as many do at this size and price point - often preferred for home cinema applications) then this wont be the speaker for you, but that risks making it sound as if they’re bass light, and that is definitely not the case - just the bass is clean, fast and extended. They are easier to place than many thanks to this too, with close to wall positioning being a possibility in some rooms even without fitting the optional foam bungs into the ports.

As many will know I’ve been a big fan of certain Q Acoustics models, especially their cheapest models. They have always been well judged and enjoyable to listen to. This new range is much more serious speaker in terms of their abilities, yet still with a fundamental rightness that has always made their models so popular and now with less colouration, more believable dynamics and improved timing too. Definitely a firm recommendation from us, and I do wonder if Q Acoustics competitors are already starting to stock up on Nytol.

Technical Specifications:

- Bass Unit: 2 x 125 mm (5.0 in)
- Treble Unit: 1 x 25 mm (1.0 in)
- Frequency Response(-6dB): 39 Hz - 30 kHz
- Nominal Impedance: 6 Ω
- Minimum Impedance: 3.0 Ω
- Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1kHz): 91.5 dB/w/m
- Recommended Amplifier Power: 25-150 W
- Crossover Frequency: 2.5 kHz
- Effective Volume: 27 L
- Dimensions (per loudspeaker/HxWxD): Inc spikes and stabiliser: 967 x 361 x 293 mm (38.1 x 14.2 x 11.5 in)
- Weight (Per Loudspeaker): 18.0 kg (39.7 lbs)