Home Cinema Choice, 5 Stars, Best Buy Award
Verdict
www.homecinemachoice.comREPRINTED FROM Home Cinema CHoiCe FOR GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
AS WELL AS
multiple ranges of conventional
passive speakers, Q Acoustics has been
involved in making self-contained speaker
solutions for most of the time it has been
in business since 2006. The new M20
is the replacement for the long-running
(but excellent) BT3, which launched in 2014,
and takes its place below the more recent,
and more sophisticated, Active 200 that we
looked at in HCC #319.
As you might expect given the dierence
in price – £400 versus £1,500 for the Active
200 – the design of the M20 is far simpler
overall and follows a template that's become
popular of late. One of the two speakers
contains an amplifier, which powers both the
speaker it's in and the partnering one; the two
enclosures connect via a run of supplied cable
to speaker terminals on the passive unit. The
amplifier suers a little from ‘optimistic
quoted power output
syndrome' (it's rated
at 2 x 65W peak, and
32W continuous), but
the spec that matters
is the claimed 20
watts per channel
at a distortion of
below 0.2% THD.
The cabinets have
two-way driver arrays
that partner one
22mm soft dome
tweeter with one 5in bass/mid unit
augmented by a rear-facing bass reflex port.
Connectivity, found on the rear of the active
speaker, is very thorough considering the price
point. There is an analogue stereo input on
RCA, perhaps for a disc player or phono stage/
turntable, plus an optical audio connection
for digital sources, including a TV (there's
no HDMI ARC connection, however). The M20
then has a USB-B input that supports PCM
files to 24-bit/192kHz.
These wired inputs are accompanied by
Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX, aptX HD, aptX Low
Latency, SBC and AAC; that is to say,
everything bar the ‘specials.’
The M20 is something of a visual cross
between Q Acoustics' 3000i cabinets and
the more visually striking Active 200. It is
(for the moment at least) only available in
a black finish and this, in combination with
the fixed grilles, makes it quite a dark and
sober-looking product, albeit well made and
finished. Setup is quick (and you can select
the master speaker to be the left or right
channel to better suit where your connecting
hardware is located) and the combination
of controls on the master speaker and IR
handset make it simple to operate.
Twenty's plenty
Connected to my LG OLED TV via optical, this
stereo package impressed from the moment I
started using it. 20 watts might not sound like
SpecificationS
DRIVERS: 1 x 5in doped paper bass/mid-
range, plus 1 x 22mm soft dome tweeter
per speaker ONBOARD POWER (CLAIMED):
2 x 32W CONNECTIONS: 1 x USB; 1 x optical
digital audio input; line-level stereo RCA
input; 3.5mm audio input DIMENSIONS:
170(w) x 279(h) x 296(d)mm WEIGHT:
5.5kg (powered); 5.1kg (passive)
FEATURES: Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX, aptX
HD, aptX Low Latency, SBC and AAC
compatibility); 24-bit/192kHz over USB/
optical; remote handset; foam bungs
supplied for bass reflex ports; 55Hz-22kHz
claimed frequency response
Q Acoustics M20
➜
£400
➜
www.qacoustics.co.uk
WE SAY: The M20 combines a comprehensive
specification with outstanding performance,
and all for just £400.
www.qacoustics.co.uk/£400
Behind the fixed grilles
are 22mm tweeters and
5in bass/mid drivers
The Brit speaker maker has turned its attention again to
compact, powered bookshelf models, and, says Ed Selley,
cooked up a bona fide bargain
Q Acoustics M20
PRODUCT:
Stereo wireless/
wired powered
speaker system
POSITION:
Q Acoustics'
entry-level
powered model
PEERS:
Klipsch R-41PM;
Ruark MR1 MkII
aV info
a huge figure but here it is absolutely plenty.
With Netflix’s flawed but charming Cowboy
Bebop remake, the M20 shows o a natural
width to its presentation that ensures the
experience is immersive even though it's
coming from just two cabinets. Dialogue
is clear and well established centre-stage.
The sense of detail and cohesion is excellent.
Music replay is arguably even better, as
hooking up the M20 via USB to my Roon
Nucleus music server reveals a level of
performance that is extremely impressive for
a relatively aordable speaker. Listening to a
Qobuz stream of W.H Lung’s synthpop album
Vanities, the system brings genuine weight
and drive to the lower registers while handling
vocals in a nuanced and tonally believable
manner. Push it very hard and it hardens up
a little, but you have to be fairly merciless for
this to be a problem. At more sensible levels
this is a rich and engaging performer with
a surprising amount of bass heft to it.
More than anything else though, the M20
is fun. It latches onto rhythms, and has an
unburstable joy to the way it sounds that I've
found hugely enjoyable. This fundamental
liveliness is just as present on the Bluetooth
input as it is USB.
In for the long haul
Final evidence of the M20's five-star status
is the fact I’ve spent longer listening to it than
is technically necessary for the purpose of this
review. In some ways, it's a more compelling
product than the pricier, smarter-looking
Active 200. It can’t do quite as much, but the
level of performance and functionality it oers
for £400 makes it an absolute bargain. Those
in the market for a powered stereo system
should rush to audition n
HCC_328__Q_acoustics_M20_Reprint.indd 66 18/01/2022 11:47